CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 1
Dovepaw slid out through the thorntunnel and stood waiting in the forest for her sister, Ivypaw, and their mentors to join her. A hard frost had turned every blade of grass into a sharp spike under her paws, and from the bare branches of the trees, icicles glimmered in the gray dawn light. Dovepaw shivered as claws of cold probed deeply into her fur. Newleaf was still a long way off.
Dovepaw’s belly was churning with anxiety, and her tail drooped.
This is your warrior assessment, she told herself. It’s the best thing that can happen to an apprentice. So why don’t you feel excited?
She knew the answer to her question. Too much had happened during the moons of her apprenticeship: important events beside which even the thrill of becoming a warrior paled into insignificance. Taking a deep breath, Dovepaw lifted her tail as she heard the paw steps of cats coming through the tunnel. She couldn’t let the cats who were assessing her see how uneasy she was. She needed to do her best to show them that she was ready to be a warrior.
Dovepaw’s mentor, Lionblaze, was the first cat to emerge, fluffing his golden tabby pelt against the early morning chill. Spiderleg followed him closely; Dovepaw gave the skinny black warrior a dubious glance, wondering what it would be like to have him assessing her as well as Lionblaze. Spiderleg looked very stern.
I wish it were just Lionblaze,Dovepaw thought. Too bad Firestar decided that we should have two judges
Cinderheart appeared next, followed closely by her apprentice, Ivypaw, and last of all Millie, who was to be Ivypaw’s second assessor. Dovepaw’s whiskers quivered as she looked at her sister. Ivypaw looked small and scared, and her dark blue eyes were shadowed with exhaustion.
Padding closer, Dovepaw gave Ivypaw’s ear an affectionate lick. “Hey, you’ll be fine,” she murmured.
Ivypaw turned her head away.
She doesn’t even talk to me anymore,Dovepaw thought wretchedly. She’s always busy somewhere else when I try to get close to her. And she cries out in her dreams. Dovepaw pictured how her sister twitched and batted her paws when they were sleeping side by side in the apprentices’ den. She knew that Ivypaw was visiting the Dark Forest, spying on behalf of ThunderClan because Jayfeather and Lionblaze had asked her to, but when she tried to ask her sister what happened there, Ivypaw replied only that there was nothing new to report.
“I suggest we head for the abandoned Twoleg nest,” Spiderleg announced. “It’s sheltered, so there’s a good chance of prey.”
Lionblaze blinked as if he was surprised that Spiderleg was trying to take over the assessment, but then nodded and led the way through the trees in the direction of the old Twoleg path. Dovepaw quickened her pace to pad beside him, and the other cats followed.
“Are you ready?” Lionblaze asked.
Dovepaw jumped, startled out of her worries about her sister. “Sorry,” she mewed. “I was thinking about Ivypaw. She looks so tired.”
Lionblaze glanced back at the silver-and-white she-cat, then at Dovepaw, shock and anxiety mingling in his amber eyes. “I guess the Dark Forest training is taking its toll,” he muttered.
“And whose fault is that?” Dovepaw flashed back at him. However urgent it was to find out what the cats of the Dark Forest were plotting, it wasn’t fair of Lionblaze and Jayfeather to put the whole burden on her sister’s shoulders.
Ivypaw isn’t even a warrior yet!
Lionblaze let out a sigh that told Dovepaw he agreed with her privately, but wasn’t prepared to say so. “I’m not going to talk about that now,” he meowed. “It’s time for you to concentrate on your assessment.”
Dovepaw gave an irritable shrug.
Lionblaze halted as the old Twoleg nest came into sight. Dovepaw picked up traces of herb scent from Jayfeather’s garden, though most of the stems and leaves were blackened by frost. She could hear the faint scutterings of prey in the grass and in the debris under the trees. Spiderleg was right: This would be a good spot to hunt.
“Okay,” Lionblaze began. “First we want to assess your tracking skills. Cinderheart, what do you want Ivypaw to catch?”
“We’ll go for mice. Okay, Ivypaw?”
The silver tabby gave a tense nod.
“But not inside the old Twoleg nest,” Millie added. “That would be too easy.”
“I know.” Dovepaw thought her sister sounded too weary to put one paw in front of another, let alone catch mice. But she headed off into the trees without hesitating; Cinderheart and Millie followed at a distance.
Dovepaw watched until the frostbitten bracken hid Ivypaw from her sight, then sent out her extended senses to track her as she padded behind the abandoned nest toward the group of pine trees. Mice were squeaking and scuffling among the fallen needles; Dovepaw hoped that her sister would scent them and make a good catch.
She was concentrating so hard on following Ivypaw that she forgot about her own assessment until Spiderleg flicked his tail-tip over her ear.
“Hey!” she meowed, spinning around to face the black warrior.
“Lionblaze saidhe’d like you to try for a squirrel,” Spiderleg meowed. “If you’re sure you want to become a warrior, that is.”
“I’m sure,” Dovepaw growled. “Sorry, Lionblaze.”
Lionblaze was standing just behind Spiderleg, looking annoyed. Dovepaw was angry with herself for missing his order, but even more with Spiderleg for being so obnoxious about it.
It’s mouse-brained to have two judges,she grumbled to herself. Mentors have been assessing their own apprentices for more seasons than there are leaves on the trees!
Raising her head, she tasted the air and brightened when she picked up a nearby scent of squirrel. It was coming from the other side of a clump of bramble; setting her paws down lightly, Dovepaw skirted the thorns until she came out into a small clearing and spotted the squirrel nibbling a nut at the foot of an ivy-covered oak tree.
A wind was rising, rattling the bare branches. Dovepaw slid around the edge of the clearing, using the bracken for cover, until she was downwind of her prey. Its scent flooded strongly over her, making her jaws water.
Dropping into her best hunter’s crouch, Dovepaw began to creep up on the squirrel. But she couldn’t resist sending out her senses just once more to check on Ivypaw, and she jumped as she picked up the tiny shriek, quickly cut off, of a mouse under her sister’s claws.
Her uncontrolled movement rustled a dead leaf, and instantly the squirrel fled up the tree, its bushy tail flowing out behind it. Dovepaw bounded across the grass and hurled herself up the trunk, but the squirrel had vanished into the branches. She clung to an ivy stem, trying to listen for movement beyond the wind and the creaking of the tree, but it was no use.
“Mouse dung!” she spat, letting herself drop to the ground again.
Spiderleg stalked up to her. “For StarClan’s sake, what do you think you’re doing?” he demanded. “A kit just out of the nursery could have caught that squirrel! It’s a good thing none of the other Clans saw you, or they’d think ThunderClan doesn’t know how to train its apprentices.”
Dovepaw’s neck fur bristled. “Have you never missed a catch?” she muttered under her breath.
“Well?” the black warrior demanded. “Let’s hear what you did wrong.”
“It wasn’t all bad,” Lionblaze put in before Dovepaw could answer. “That was good stalking work, when you moved downwind of the squirrel.”
Dovepaw flashed him a grateful look. “I guess I got distracted for a heartbeat,” she admitted. “I moved a leaf, and the squirrel heard me.”
“And you could have been faster chasing it,” Spiderleg told her. “You might have caught it if you’d put on a bit more speed.”
Dovepaw nodded glumly. We haven’t all got legs as long as yours!“Does this mean I’ve failed my assessment?”
Spiderleg flicked his ears but didn’t answer. “I’m going to see how Millie is getting on with Ivypaw,” he announced, darting off toward the abandoned nest.
Dovepaw gazed at her mentor. “Sorry,” she meowed.
“I guess you must be nervous,” Lionblaze responded. “You’re much better than that on an ordinary hunting patrol.”
Now that she was facing failure, Dovepaw realized just how much she wanted to pass her assessment. Being a warrior is way better than being part of the prophecy with my so-called special powers. She tensed as another thought struck her. What if Ivypaw is made a warrior and I’m not?
Her sister deserved it, Dovepaw knew. She didn’t have any special powers of her own, but every night she put herself in danger to spy for Lionblaze and Jayfeather in the Dark Forest.
Ivypaw’s better than me. I can’t even catch a stupid squirrel!
“Cheer up,” Lionblaze meowed. “Your assessment isn’t over yet. But for StarClan’s sake, concentrate!”
“I’ll do my best,” Dovepaw promised. “What’s next?”
In answer, Lionblaze angled his ears in the direction they had come from. Dovepaw turned to see Icecloud picking her way across the frosty grass.
“Hi,” the white she-cat mewed. “Brambleclaw sent me to help you.”
“You’re just in time.” Lionblaze dipped his head. “The next part of the assessment is hunting with a partner,” he explained to Dovepaw.
Dovepaw brightened up; she enjoyed hunting as part of a team, and Icecloud would be easy to work with. But she was disconcerted when Icecloud looked at her with her head cocked to one side and asked, “What do you want me to do?”
“I…er…” Dovepaw wasn’t used to giving orders to a warrior. Come on, mouse-brain! Shape up!
“Let’s try for a blackbird,” she suggested. “Icecloud, your white pelt is going to be a problem, though.”
“Tell me about it,” the white she-cat mewed ruefully.
“So we’ll have to find somewhere you can stay in cover until the last moment. When we find a bird, I’ll stalk it and try to drive it toward you.”
“You’ll need to make sure it doesn’t fly off, or—”
Lionblaze interrupted Icecloud’s warning with a meaningful cough.
“Oops, sorry,” Icecloud mewed. “I forgot. Go on, Dovepaw.”
“Blackbirds often nest just beyond the old Twoleg den,” Dovepaw went on after a moment’s thought. “I know it’s too early for them to be nesting, but it might be worth scouting there for good places.”
Lionblaze nodded encouragingly. “Then what?”
“Well…the ground slopes away there. Icecloud could take cover down the slope.”
“Okay, let’s see you do it,” Lionblaze meowed.
Dovepaw had taken only a few paw steps when Spiderleg reappeared, shouldering his way through the bracken. He said nothing; Dovepaw’s paws itched with curiosity to find out how her sister was getting on, but there was no time to ask. It felt weird to be padding a pace or two ahead of Icecloud, as if she was leading a patrol, and weirder still to be the one who was making the decisions. Panic pricked at Dovepaw, like ants crawling through her pelt. Her head felt as empty as an echoing cave, as if everything she had ever learned had flown away like birds from a branch.
I’ve spent more time eavesdropping on other Clans than training to be a warrior!
Dovepaw wanted to finish her assessment without using her special powers. Ivypaw doesn’t have them, so it’s only fair. But it was hard to switch her senses off when she was constantly wondering what her sister was up to. Besides, when she tried to focus on the sounds that were closest to her, she felt trapped and smothered by the trees.
How do the other cats cope?she wondered. I can hardly catch my breath!
Dovepaw led the way up the old Thunderpath, then struck off into the trees where the blackbirds nested. Icecloud followed her closely, while Lionblaze and Spiderleg hung back, observing. Sliding into a hazel thicket, Dovepaw raised her tail to warn Icecloud to keep back, where her white pelt wouldn’t alert any possible prey. Her paws tingled with satisfaction when she spotted a blackbird, pecking at the ground underneath a hazel bush.
Dovepaw drew back. “Go that way, down the slope,” she whispered to Icecloud, signaling with her tail. “I’ll scare the bird and send it in your direction.”
Icecloud nodded and crept away, silent as a wisp of white mist. Dovepaw watched her until she was out of sight; without meaning to, she extended her senses to track the white she-cat even after she disappeared. Puzzled, she realized that Icecloud’s paws sounded different on the ground.
Something isn’t right.
Instead of stalking the blackbird, Dovepaw pushed her way through the thick hazel stems, heading after her Clanmate. Spiderleg let out a disapproving snort. Dovepaw barely noticed; Icecloud’s paws were thundering inside her head, blotting out everything else.
I shouldn’t be able to hear them like that. It’s as if they’re echoing a long way underground. Suddenly Dovepaw understood. Oh, no! The ground must be hollow!
She quickened her pace, thrusting her way out of the thicket and racing down the slope. The blackbird fluttered up into the branches.
“What in the name of StarClan—?” Spiderleg gasped.
Dovepaw heard an awkward mutter from Lionblaze as she streaked away. She burst through a tangle of brambles and spotted Icecloud farther down the slope. At that moment, Icecloud staggered with a screech of alarm, then began to disappear as the ground opened up underneath her paws.
“Icecloud!” Dovepaw yowled. “I’m coming!”
She leaped forward just in time to grab Icecloud’s scruff in her teeth before the white she-cat disappeared in a rain of loose earth. Icecloud scrabbled frantically with her forepaws, trying to haul herself out. But it seemed as if the whole slope was giving way, and there was nothing solid to hold on to.
Dovepaw tried to drag her Clanmate out, but the ground was sliding away under her paws as well, and Icecloud’s weight dangling down into the hole was too much for her. Icecloud’s scruff slipped from between her teeth. Dovepaw stared in horror as she watched the white warrior fall down and down into the darkness. Icecloud’s terrified wail was cut off as loose earth poured in to bury her.
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 2
Lionblaze pounded around the bramble thicket,wishing he was small enough to head straight through it like Dovepaw. On the other side he halted, panting. Dovepaw was halfway down the slope, crouching at the edge of a hole. Suddenly she lurched backward. Lionblaze heard a shriek and caught a glimpse of a thrashing white paw as Icecloud vanished into the earth.
It’s one of the tunnels!Panic throbbed through Lionblaze as he remembered his sister, Hollyleaf. In his mind, he saw her again, darting back into the mouth of the tunnel, ignoring everything he and Jayfeather said to warn her, and then all he could see was the endless fall of soil and rocks that had buried her underground forever.
“What’s going on?” Spiderleg’s meow jolted Lionblaze back to the present.
The black warrior darted past and joined Dovepaw, who was peering down into the hole. Looking around, Lionblaze spotted a familiar gorse bush and a spot where a tiny spring welled up between two flat stones. He realized that they were a little way up the slope from the exact place where Hollyleaf had disappeared. Icecloud had fallen into the same tunnel!
Lionblaze’s belly lurched. Great StarClan, what might they find down there?
He rushed down the slope to the edge of the hole, shouldering Spiderleg out of the way. Dovepaw jumped back, clearly startled by the look of horror on his face. There was just enough light in the tunnel to show Lionblaze the walls and floor as he peered down. Several tail-lengths below, Icecloud was scrambling out of a heap of earth and stones, shaking soil from her pelt.
“Get me out of here!” she yowled when she looked up and saw Lionblaze.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
“Not much. Just my shoulder.” Icecloud spat out earth. “Please get me out.”
Lionblaze leaned over the edge of the hole as far as he dared, and looked up and down the tunnel. Farther into the hill, it vanished into blackness. Lower down, a fall of earth and stones blocked the former entrance.
Is Hollyleaf under that?Lionblaze wondered, suppressing a shudder. “Spiderleg, go and fetch help,” he directed.
As the black warrior dashed off, Lionblaze gazed down again at Icecloud, who was crouching among the soil, her pelt ruffled and her eyes big and scared. “It won’t be long now,” he promised.
“Thanks, Lionblaze.” The young she-cat’s voice quivered. “It’s really dark down here.”
“I’ll try to make the hole bigger,” Dovepaw mewed. “That’ll let in more light.”
But as she began scraping at the edge of the hole, more earth started to rain down on Icecloud.
“No! Stop!” she wailed.
“Sorry.” Dovepaw stopped scraping and sat at the edge of the hole.
Lionblaze leaned over to hiss close to her ear. “No other cat is to go into the hole except me. Got it?”
The gray apprentice’s eyes widened with surprise, but she nodded. Lionblaze let out a tiny sigh of relief. He knew that if there were any dark secrets to be discovered down the hole, he needed to be the first cat to find them. His belly churned as he waited. For the first time in many moons, he wondered if his Clanmates really believed that a passing rogue had killed Ashfur, and that Hollyleaf’s disappearance had nothing to do with it.
I don’t want the Clan to start thinking about those times again. I have to protect Hollyleaf ’s memory!
At last he heard the sound of paw steps hurtling through the undergrowth. Spiderleg reappeared at a run, with Cloudtail, Birchfall, and Foxleap just behind. Foxleap dashed up to the edge of the hole, leaning over to see his littermate.
“We’re here! We’ll get you out soon,” he encouraged her.
Icecloud blinked up at him. “Hurry!”
“We need something to pull her out with,” Birchfall thought out loud. “Maybe a long, thick tendril. Not bramble, but something like ivy or bindweed.”
“There’s ivy on that tree.” Cloudtail whisked his tail around to point at an ancient oak tree whose trunk was covered in glossy dark green leaves. Foxleap scrambled up the tree and bit off a long tendril; as soon as it was loose Cloudtail tugged it free and bounded back with it trailing behind him.
“Wrap one end around that sapling,” Birchfall directed, angling his ears toward a young ash tree that grew near the hole. “Then we can drop the other end down to Icecloud.”
When the ivy tendril was secure, Foxleap dangled the free end down to his sister. Icecloud gripped it in her teeth, but as soon as the other cats started to haul it up she let go and dropped back onto the mound of earth.
“I’m too heavy!” she gasped. “I can’t hold on.”
“Wrap it around yourself, then,” Lionblaze suggested.
Icecloud tried, but it was obvious that her injured shoulder was hampering her. “It’s no use!” Her voice rose to a wail. “I’ll be stuck down here forever!”
“Nonsense,” Lionblaze mewed. “We’ll think of something.”
“What if we drop more earth and stones down the hole?” Spiderleg suggested, peering down. “We could make that heap big enough so she can climb out.”
“It might work,” Birchfall murmured. “But we’d risk burying her….”
“No, please don’t!” Icecloud’s panicky mew came up from the bottom of the hole.
The sound of more paw steps approaching distracted Lionblaze. He turned to see Jayfeather and Blossomfall skirting the bramble thicket, and headed back up the slope to meet them.
“I heard Spiderleg telling the Clan what happened,” Jayfeather meowed as Lionblaze bounded up. He paused; Lionblaze could tell that he knew this was part of the same tunnel where Hollyleaf had disappeared.
Lionblaze waited until Blossomfall had joined the other cats around the hole. “There’s nothing there apart from Icecloud that I can see,” he whispered. “The mudfall is farther down the slope.”
“You can’t let any other cats go down!” Jayfeather hissed.
“I know that!” Lionblaze retorted. Belly churning again, he led Jayfeather the few paw steps to join the other cats.
“I’m going in,” Foxleap announced. “You can lower me into the hole, I’ll tie the tendril around Icecloud, and then you can pull her up.”
“No,” Lionblaze said as he stepped forward. “It’s too dangerous. I’ll go.”
“What?” Birchfall lashed his tail. “Don’t be mouse-brained! You’re too heavy.”
“And why would it be dangerous?” Foxleap argued, stepping forward to confront Lionblaze. “There’s nothing down there except Icecloud.”
“You don’t know that!” Lionblaze snapped.
Cloudtail had been leaning over the hole, peering curiously up and down the tunnel. Finally he drew back. “Are these the tunnels WindClan used to invade us?”
Lionblaze nodded; a familiar pang of guilt clawed him in the belly as he remembered how he and Heathertail had been the first to discover the network of tunnels.
Foxleap drew in a shocked breath. “Great StarClan! There could be WindClan warriors down there now, waiting to attack Icecloud!”
Cloudtail rolled his eyes. “Oh, sure! WindClan must spend all their time down there, waiting for a ThunderClan warrior to fall in.”
In spite of the white warrior’s scathing words, Lionblaze felt an added urgency among the cats around the hole. A plaintive mew came up from Icecloud in the depths. “Get me out, please!”
“I’ll go,” Dovepaw volunteered, giving Lionblaze a hard stare, as if she remembered how he had told her not to let another cat go down. Does that include me?she seemed to be asking.
Jayfeather nodded. “Better her than another cat,” he whispered to Lionblaze.
“But she’s only an apprentice!” Foxleap protested. Lionblaze could sense that in a couple of heartbeats he would leap into the hole himself, whether he had permission from the senior warriors or not.
“I’m the lightest of all of you,” Dovepaw pointed out. “And all I have to do is jump down and wrap the tendril around Icecloud.” As if the decision had already been made, she turned to Lionblaze and asked quietly, “Is there anything I should look out for?”
Yes, my dead sister. Lionblaze swallowed hard; instead, he answered, “Just keep your eyes open. Cats don’t belong in these tunnels, so we must treat them as hostile territory.”
Birchfall wound the tendril around Dovepaw’s body; then he and Cloudtail lowered her into the hole. Her eyes widened as she vanished over the edge. Lionblaze looked down to see her unwinding the tendril from herself, and wrapping it securely around Icecloud.
“Ready!” she called.
Birchfall and Cloudtail began hauling on the vine. A yowl of pain came from Icecloud, quickly suppressed. “Sorry,” she mewed through gritted teeth. “My shoulder really hurts.”
Slowly the white she-cat was drawn up out of the hole. As soon as she appeared over the edge, Foxleap rushed up and supported her with his shoulder. “Come on,” he meowed. “We’ll get you back to camp and Jayfeather will take a look at you.”
“I’ll be fine,” Icecloud murmured, though she couldn’t put one forepaw to the ground, and her breath was coming in rapid gasps of pain. She leaned heavily on Foxleap as they headed toward the camp.
Cloudtail flanked Icecloud on the other side, glancing back with surprise in his blue eyes when Jayfeather didn’t move. The ThunderClan medicine cat was still leaning over the hole, his head cocked as if he was listening.
“Come on,” Cloudtail urged. “The others can bring Dovepaw up.”
Jayfeather hesitated, then followed.
Meanwhile, Birchfall and Spiderleg had passed the vine back to Dovepaw, and were preparing to haul her up. A moment later she scrabbled her way over the edge of the hole; Lionblaze bent down and tugged her the last tail-length by the scruff.
“Thanks!” Dovepaw panted, shaking earth out of her pelt. “It was horrible down there.”
Lionblaze was dying to ask her what she had seen in the tunnel, but he knew he couldn’t say anything, not in front of the other cats. Besides, if Dovepaw had seen a dead cat down there, they would have heard her screeching back in the stone hollow
“What are we going to do about this hole?” Birchfall meowed. “We don’t want any other cat falling into it.”
“It’s too big to fill in,” Spiderleg commented. “And if we cover it up, the cover might give way if cats walked on it.”
“Maybe we can put something around it?” Blossomfall suggested.
“Good idea!” Lionblaze gave the young warrior an approving nod. “Let’s pile up sticks to surround it for now. Later on we can figure out how to build something more permanent.”
As they collected sticks and constructed the barrier, Lionblaze’s paws itched with longing to climb down into the hole and have a look around. But the other cats would have asked too many questions. He had to leave with the others when the barrier was finished, though he cast a reluctant glance over his shoulder as he followed them up the slope.
Dovepaw padded alongside him. Lionblaze could feel her curiosity about the tunnel, but he hadn’t decided yet how much he wanted to tell her. To his relief, as they headed for the old Thunderpath, her gaze fell on Spiderleg and she was instantly distracted.
“Oh, no!” she wailed. “I forgot about my assessment. I blew it, didn’t I?”
“I’m not sure,” Lionblaze admitted. “You weren’t at your best when you were hunting, but you did help to save Icecloud. You were very brave, going down into the hole like that.”
Looking dejected, Dovepaw glanced at Spiderleg again, but the black warrior was too far ahead to overhear. Lionblaze wanted to reassure her, but there was nothing he could tell her until he had consulted with Spiderleg. As they entered the stone hollow, Ivypaw dashed across the camp and skidded to a halt in front of Dovepaw.
“What happened?” she demanded. “Where have you been? What’s the matter with Icecloud?” she added. “I saw her limping into Jayfeather’s den.”
“She fell down a hole,” Dovepaw replied, launching into the story of what they had to do to get Icecloud out again.
Hazeltail came bounding up to listen, followed by Cinderheart and Millie. Brightheart and Bumblestripe pushed their way out of the warriors’ den and Molekit and Cherrykit bounced out of the nursery with Poppyfrost chasing after them. Mousewhisker, Berrynose, and Whitewing crowded at the back.
“I heard Icecloud fell into an underground river!” Bumblestripe meowed, interrupting Dovepaw’s story. “And you fell in after her.”
“No,” Whitewing argued. “Birchfall told me it was just a hole.”
“Dovepaw didn’t fall in.” Lionblaze was determined to defend his apprentice. “She climbedin to help Icecloud.”
“Wow, that was brave!” Bumblestripe gave Dovepaw an admiring glance.
“Maybe Icecloud’s back is broken, like Briarlight’s!” Berrynose gasped, his eyes wide with horror.
Brightheart flicked his ear with her tail. “Mouse-brain! She was walkinginto Jayfeather’s den.”
Dovepaw twitched her whiskers. “Do you want to know what really happened, or not?”
“It’s tough that you didn’t get to finish your assessment,” Bumblestripe mewed when Dovepaw had finished.
Dovepaw’s tail drooped, and her eyes grew anxious. “I know. Maybe Firestar won’t give me my warrior name.” Giving herself a shake, she turned to Ivypaw. “How did you do?” she prompted. “Who did the team hunting with you?”
“Hazeltail,” Ivypaw replied. Her eyes shone. “It was really great! We caught two mice.”
“Fantastic!”
Lionblaze could tell that Dovepaw was making an effort to be glad for her sister, but disappointment still weighed on her like snow on a branch. He was about to step in with a word of encouragement when Ivypaw leaned close to her sister and pressed her muzzle against Dovepaw’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry,” she murmured, so softly that only Dovepaw and Lionblaze could hear. “Firestar knows how important you are to the Clan. You don’t have to prove yourself by catching squirrels.”
Dovepaw shrugged her off. “I want to be judged like a normal cat for once!” she retorted.
Ivypaw stared at her, puzzled. “But you’re not like the rest of us,” she pointed out.
“Quiet!” Lionblaze warned them. He had just noticed Firestar emerging from Jayfeather’s den, where he must have been visiting Icecloud.
The ThunderClan leader darted across the clearing, leaping across the beech boughs in his way, and ran up the tumbled rocks to stand on the Highledge. His flame-colored pelt glowed, a spot of warmth in the cold leaf-bare light.
“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting,” he announced.
The cats already in the clearing sat down facing the Highledge. Molekit and Cherrykit frisked about at the front of the group until Poppyfrost gathered them with a sweep of her tail and made them sit quietly. Daisy and Ferncloud appeared at the entrance to the nursery and sat with their pelts brushing. Mousefur poked her head out from the beech branches that enclosed the elders’ den, then emerged into the open with Purdy hard on her paws. Foxleap padded out from the medicine cat’s den, while Jayfeather pushed back the bramble screen so Briarlight could watch from the entrance. Sandstorm, Dustpelt, Cloudtail, and Sorreltail all slid out of the warriors’ den and found places at the foot of the cliff; Sorreltail lifted one hind paw and scratched her ear, as if she was chasing a flea
Firestar raised his tail for silence. “Cats of ThunderClan,” he began, “I think you’ve all heard about Icecloud’s accident. She fell into a hole and dislocated her shoulder, but Jayfeather put it back in place.” Firestar’s tone was firm and reassuring; Lionblaze saw how well he understood his Clan’s fears after what happened to Briarlight. “Jayfeather says she will need to rest,” Firestar continued, “but she should only be off her paws for a quarter moon.”
Murmurs of relief rose from the assembled cats; a couple of them called out, “Jayfeather! Jayfeather!”
“I’ll check the hole myself later on,” the Clan leader continued. He shot a glance at Lionblaze from glowing green eyes, clearly asking Lionblaze to guide him there; Lionblaze replied with a nod. “Meanwhile, Dustpelt and Brackenfur, you’re the best at building. I want a solid barrier around that hole by sunset today. We can’t fill it in, and we don’t want any other cats falling down there.”
“Sure, Firestar,” Dustpelt called. “We’ll get to it as soon as Brackenfur returns from patrol.”
“And don’t either of you two dare go anywhere near the hole,” Poppyfrost warned her kits, reinforcing her words with a flick of her tail around their ears.
“Like we can!” Molekit complained. “We’re not even allowed out of the hollow.”
“And that’s totallyunfair,” his sister agreed.
“There’s another reason that I called the Clan together,” Firestar went on. “Two apprentices completed their warrior assessments today.”
A ripple of excitement ran through the cats; Ivypaw’s eyes were shining, but Dovepaw just studied her paws. A pang of worry shot through Lionblaze and he glanced at Spiderleg, but the black warrior’s face was expressionless, giving nothing away.
I hope Spiderleg’s not too hard on her,he thought, wishing he had managed to consult the black warrior before the meeting.
“Cinderheart?” Firestar waved his tail, inviting Ivypaw’s mentor to speak.
The gray warrior rose to her paws. “Ivypaw works hard,” she began. “Her battle training in particular is exceptional. Her hunting could still use some work, though. When she was hunting alone today she caught a vole, but it was a messy catch: She let the vole get downwind of her and it nearly escaped.” The gray warrior turned and dipped her head politely to Millie. “What do you think?” she asked.
Millie rose in her turn and took a step forward to stand beside Cinderheart. “Yes, I agree,” she meowed. “And when Ivypaw was hunting with Hazeltail, she seemed embarrassed to be telling her what to do. She’ll have to shape up if she’s ever put in charge of a patrol.” She cast a kind glance at Ivypaw, who was listening with wide, troubled eyes. “But Hazeltail and Ivypaw worked well together. They caught two mice, and they were really neat catches. The mice never had a chance!” Her voice grew warm. “In my opinion, Ivypaw deserves to become a warrior of ThunderClan. We’re lucky to have her!”
A chorus of approving yowls broke out, while Dovepaw gave her sister’s ear a lick. “Congratulations,” she purred. “Millie’s right. You do deserve it.”
Ivypaw’s eyes glowed with relief. “I was so scared when Cinderheart said that about the vole,” she confessed. “It was a really awful catch.”
“Lionblaze?” The Clan grew quiet again as Firestar spoke. “What about Dovepaw?”
Lionblaze felt a twinge of apprehension as he rose to his paws. He wanted to do the best he could for his apprentice, but he couldn’t hide the fact that she hadn’t caught anything. “Dovepaw is the best apprentice any cat could hope for,” he began. “She works hard, and she learns fast. Today, she started by looking for a squirrel. She found one quickly, and she did some excellent stalking work, getting into position. The squirrel had no idea she was there.” He flashed a glance at Dovepaw, who still wasn’t looking at him. “But then,” he went on, “as she was creeping up on it, she accidentally disturbed a leaf. The squirrel spotted her and fled up a tree.”
“She might have caught it if she’d been faster.” Spiderleg rose to speak. “But once it got as far as the branches, there was no chance of finding it again.”
Lionblaze glared at the black warrior. There’s no need to make it sound as bad as that!
“What about her team hunting?” Firestar prompted.
“She organized herself and Icecloud well,” Lionblaze meowed. “She positioned Icecloud in undergrowth to hide her white pelt, and started driving a blackbird toward her. But then…” Lionblaze hesitated. He was aware that this next part wouldn’t sound good at all. He couldn’t mention Dovepaw’s extra powers, to explain why she had suddenly gone chasing after Icecloud. “Then she must have heard something,” he went on. “She left the blackbird and ran through a bramble thicket to help Icecloud, who had fallen into the hole. The blackbird got away.”
“So Dovepaw didn’t catch anything today?” Firestar inquired.
Lionblaze shook his head, feeling hot under his pelt. “No.”Never mind that Dovepaw is one of the best hunters in the Clan,he thought sadly. Whether she becomes a warrior or not depends on what she did today
“Not a feather, not a whisker,” Spiderleg confirmed. “If you ask me, she’s far too easily distracted. If she’d kept her mind on what she was doing, she would have caught the squirrel andthe blackbird.”
Lionblaze could see his own disappointment reflected in his Clan leader’s eyes. “In that case—” Firestar began.
“Hang on, Firestar, I haven’t finished,” Spiderleg interrupted. “Dovepaw made a mess of the hunting, true. But she ran to help a Clanmate in trouble when she had no idea what danger she would have to face on the other side of that bramble thicket. And when we couldn’t get Icecloud out of the hole, she was quick to volunteer to be lowered down to help her, even though no cat really knew what might have been down there.” He gave Dovepaw an approving glance. “These are the qualities ThunderClan needs most,” he went on. “Courage, loyalty, and the willingness to face danger for the good of a Clanmate. In my opinion, we’d be mouse-brained not to make her a warrior.”
Dovepaw was staring at him incredulously, as her Clanmates yowled their approval. Her eyes shone as it sunk in that she would become a warrior that day. Ivypaw skipped around her, as excited as a kit.
Firestar waved his tail for silence. “Thank you, Spiderleg,” he meowed when he could make himself heard. “ThunderClan will be all the stronger for the two new warriors I shall make today.” He bounded down the tumbled rocks and stood in front of his Clan, beckoning Ivypaw forward with a flick of his tail. The Clan quieted down to allow their leader to begin the ceremony.
Firestar raised his head and looked around at his Clanmates. His voice rang out clearly as he spoke the ancient words. “I, Firestar, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn.” Gazing down at Ivypaw, he continued, “Ivypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?”
“I do.” Ivypaw’s voice shook.
Icy claws raked Lionblaze’s pelt as he realized how Ivypaw was already carrying out the oath she had just sworn. Few cats had ever taken the kind of risk she took every night when she walked in her dreams with the cats of the Dark Forest.
“Then by the powers of StarClan,” Firestar went on, “I give you your warrior name. Ivypaw, from this moment you will be known as Ivypool. StarClan honors your courage and your loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan.” Taking a pace forward, Firestar rested his muzzle on the top of Ivypool’s head. She licked his shoulder in response.
“Ivypool! Ivypool!” The Clan greeted the new warrior by calling her name. As the yowls died down, Ivypool stepped back between Dustpelt and Cinderheart. The gray warrior laid her tail briefly across her former apprentice’s shoulders, and Dustpelt gave her an approving nod.
Firestar raised his tail to beckon Dovepaw, and Lionblaze watched as his apprentice padded forward and halted in front of the flame-colored tom. She held Firestar’s gaze without blinking as her leader called upon StarClan to look down upon her. “Dovepaw,” he questioned her, “do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?”
“I do,” Dovepaw responded.
Lionblaze realized how much weight the oath carried for his apprentice. Dovepaw had much to offer her Clan, but becoming a warrior meant that even more demands would be laid on the shoulders of the young she-cat. Lionblaze wondered which of Dovepaw’s qualities Firestar would choose to single out. He can’t mention her special powers. Not in front of the whole Clan
“Then by the powers of StarClan,” Firestar continued, “I give you your warrior name. Dovepaw, from this moment you will be known as Dovewing. StarClan honors your intelligence and your enterprise, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan.”
Once again the Clan leader bent to rest his muzzle on the top of the new warrior’s head, and Dovewing licked his shoulder
“Dovewing! Dovewing!” the Clan yowled their welcome enthusiastically.
Dovewing stepped back a pace, then turned and bounded over to stand beside Lionblaze.
“Well done!” he murmured. “If ever a cat deserved her warrior name, you do.”
Dovewing was purring too hard to reply, but her eyes sparkled
As the noise died down, Firestar raised his tail. “I want to remind the Clan that now we have no apprentices,” he meowed. “The younger warriors will have to share the apprentice duties for the time being.”
“I knew it!” Bumblestripe sighed. “Back to picking ticks off the elders!”
“We’llbe apprentices!” Molekit called out. “We’ll work as hard as anything.”
“I’m sure you will,” Poppyfrost purred. “But you have to wait until you’re six moons old.”
“Why?” Cherrykit demanded.
“Because that’s the warrior code,” Firestar replied, amusement in his meow. “And you’ll be fine apprentices when the time comes. For now, every cat must be patient if the duties are carried out a bit later than usual. Patrols must still go out on time.”
“For that matter, we can do our own ticks,” Purdy offered, giving his rumpled tabby pelt a shake. “We may be elders, but we’re not helpless.”
“Thank you.” Firestar dipped his head to the Clan. “The meeting is at an end.”
As the cats began to drift apart, Lionblaze padded over to Cinderheart. “Congratulations,” he mewed. “Isn’t it great that both our apprentices are warriors now?”
Cinderheart dipped her head. “Congratulations to you, too, Lionblaze. I knew Dovewing would make it.”
Her tone was friendly, but as distant as if she was a cat from another Clan. Lionblaze’s heart ached as her sweet scent flooded over him.
You know what I want, Cinderheart. Why don’t you want it too?
But he knew very well why Cinderheart had turned away from him. He had told her about the prophecy. And now she thought that she wasn’t special enough to be his mate.
To me, you’re the most special cat in the Clan. Lionblaze hated knowing he could never say that aloud to the cat he loved. Cinderheart would be horrified to think she had distracted him from being one of the Three. I wish I could just be an ordinary Clan cat, and then I could be with you
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER3
“Can you feel that?” Jayfeather proddedBriarlight’s hindquarters with a claw.
“No,” Briarlight replied, with an impatient wriggle of her shoulders and forelegs. “I’m not getting any better, am I?”
“Of course you are.” Brightheart, who was helping Jayfeather in the medicine cat’s den, spoke warmly as she gave the injured cat’s ears a brisk lick. “You’re getting stronger every day.”
“I am, aren’t I?” Briarlight’s voice brightened. “Icecloud, I’ll teach you some of my exercises if you like.”
“Not yet,” Jayfeather told her. Sensing the young she-cat’s disappointment, he added, “Maybe later, if her leg and shoulder stiffen up. But for now she needs to rest.”
Crouching down beside Icecloud, who was curled up in a nest on the opposite side of the den, he ran one paw over her injured shoulder. “Feel this, Brightheart. There’s no sign of swelling or the heat from a fever. It’s coming along well,” he said with a nod of satisfaction. “You can have a poppy seed for the pain if you like.”
“No, I’m fine,” Icecloud insisted. “I just want to get back to my duties. I should be hunting, and instead I’m just an extra mouth to feed.”
“That’s quite enough of that,” Brightheart scolded her affectionately. “Did you mind hunting for Briarlight, or any of the cats who were sick with whitecough?”
“No, but—”
“Brightheart’s right,” Jayfeather interrupted with a flick of his tail. “If we don’t help cats who are sick or injured, we might as well be loners and rogues.”
Icecloud let out a sigh. “I know. But I want to do what I can, even here. I’ll toss some moss balls for Briarlight.”
“Yes!” Briarlight gave a wriggle of excitement. “I bet I can catch anything you throw.”
“Okay, but don’t overdo it,” Brightheart warned the white warrior. “The more you rest, the sooner you’ll be back on full warrior duties.”
As Icecloud started clawing moss together, Jayfeather withdrew a couple of paw steps to give the young cats space, and sat beside the pool of water that trickled down from the rock wall, stretching out his neck to lap up a few cool drops.
“I’m glad Sandstorm’s getting better,” he remarked to Brightheart as she settled down beside him. “But she still can’t shake off that cough. I hope it’ll clear up when newleaf comes.”
Brightheart nodded. “Cherrykit’s back to her usual energetic self,” she mewed. “And the other cats are over the worst of the whitecough.”
“Right.” Jayfeather rose to his paws and arched his back to give himself a good stretch, then sat down again with his tail curled around his paws. “I’d far rather be treating injuries than the sickness we’ve had to deal with in the last few moons.”
“So would I.” Brightheart’s tone was heartfelt. “We don’t have to worry that Icecloud’s bad shoulder will spread to the rest of the Clan!”
Jayfeather let out a purr of amusement. “I can’t wait for newleaf,” he went on. “Warmer days and more prey will help the Clan get back to full strength. There’ll be more herbs, too, and the plants by the Twoleg nest will have a chance to grow.” His humor faded at the memory of how he had been forced to trade herbs with ShadowClan, and his purr gave way to a low growl deep in his throat.
“What’s the matter?” Brightheart asked.
“I was just thinking about how I had to give catnip to ShadowClan, to exchange for Ivypaw—Ivypool, I mean,” Jayfeather told her. “I was sorry that Littlecloud was ill, but not sorry enough that I wanted to deprive my own Clanmates.”
And I’m not happy with how the other medicine cats are behaving at the moment,he added to himself, unwilling to tell Brightheart about the way his counterparts in the other Clans were insisting on keeping themselves apart following warnings from their ancestorsThey’re turning aside from the united path that medicine cats have followed for seasons beyond count. For a heartbeat he asked himself if he was just as guilty, for not wanting to give the herbs to Littlecloud. That’s different,he told himself firmly. The health of my Clan has to come first
Squeals from nearby told Jayfeather that Icecloud and Briarlight were getting overexcited.
“I’ll see to them,” Brightheart mewed, touching his shoulder with the tip of her tail. “Hey, knock it off, you two! Icecloud, do you want to be stuck in here until greenleaf?”
“But we’re having fun!” Icecloud protested.
Jayfeather left Brightheart to deal with them and padded over to the mouth of the den, where he sat beside the bramble screen. Cats passing through the entrance had worn away the twigs that blocked the gap after the beech tree fell, and once again he could feel the breeze on his face.
It’s about time the twigs were cleared. I hated not knowing where to put my paws every time I had to go in and out
He raised his head, whiskers quivering as he checked what was going on in the hollow.
Poppyfrost was rounding up her kits, shooing them back to their nests as the sun went down and the scant warmth of the day began to fade. Sandstorm emerged from the warriors’ den and climbed the rocks to join Firestar in his den. Near the mouth of the thorn tunnel, Lionblaze and Cinderheart were instructing their former apprentices about their night vigil.
The camp was peaceful, but Jayfeather’s paws itched to be moving. He knew exactly where he wanted to go: to check out the hole that Icecloud had fallen down. He could almost feel the earth beneath him teeming with lost cats, the ones who never made it out of the tunnels to become sharpclaws.
And Rock! Maybe Rock is there, too!
Jayfeather remembered how the ancient cat had come to him in the lake when he was trying to rescue Flametail, and told him that it wasn’t his time to die. Maybe that meant that Rock was prepared to speak to him again.
“Remember, you have to keep silent.” Lionblaze’s voice drifted across the camp to Jayfeather’s ears. “But nothing says you can’t help each other. If one of you looks sleepy, the other can prod her awake.”
“Off you go, then,” Cinderheart meowed.
Jayfeather heard the two new warriors pushing their way out through the thorn tunnel, while Cinderheart headed for the warriors’ den. As Lionblaze turned to follow her, Jayfeather rose to his paws and bounded across to intercept him.
“Take me to the hole,” he demanded.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.” Jayfeather lashed his tail. “Why do you think I asked, mouse-brain?”
“Okay, okay.” Lionblaze huffed out his breath. “Keep your fur on. I’ll go with you.”
“Then let’s get moving.”
As Jayfeather emerged into the forest behind his brother, he picked up curiosity from both the young she-cats who were on watch by the entrance to the hollow. He guessed that they would be asking questions if they hadn’t been on silent vigil.
“We’ve got…er…stuff to do,” Lionblaze mewed to the new warriors.
Jayfeather sniffed. Sounding awkward will only make themmore curious!“Medicine cat stuff,” he snapped. “And I need a warrior with me.”
He could feel the she-cats’ gazes boring into his back as he padded after Lionblaze toward the old Twoleg nest. It was a relief when the undergrowth closed around them and he knew he was out of their sight. But as Jayfeather followed his brother down the old Thunderpath and veered off to climb the slope, he felt his paws growing heavier. Too many memories were thronging into his mind. He seemed to hear Hollyleaf again as she fled into the tunnel, the underground river roaring behind her.
We couldn’t stop herShe wouldn’t listen when we tried to warn her
Jayfeather felt Lionblaze’s pelt brushing warmly against his side, jerking him out of the memory. “Stay close to me,” his brother murmured. “The ground is rough here, and there are brambles.”
Jayfeather doubted that Lionblaze was just trying to guide him across difficult terrain. He must have the same misgivings, the same memories. There was comfort for both of them in the touch of a littermate’s pelt. But Jayfeather stopped himself from spying on his brother’s memories. He didn’t want to relive that terrible moment over and over again.
Once was enough. And I don’t think I’ll ever be free of it
“We’re passing the old entrance,” Lionblaze mewed after a few moments. “At least, I think this is the place. It’s covered over with brambles now; no cat will ever get into the tunnels that way again.”
For several fox-lengths the two cats went on climbing; Jayfeather felt the ground grow smoother beneath his paws, and he picked up the pace until he was almost running.
“Watch out!” Lionblaze yowled, pushing him aside just as Jayfeather’s whiskers touched the outermost sticks of the temporary barrier that had been piled up around the hole.
“Watch it yourself,” Jayfeather retorted, ruffling up his fur as he regained his balance. He stretched out one paw and felt the sticks shift. “I thought Dustpelt and Brackenfur were building a proper cover.”
“They’ve started,” Lionblaze meowed. “But they haven’t had time to get all the way around. We can still get through.”
“Good.”
“I’llgo in first,” Lionblaze continued. “You wait here until I’ve checked it out.”
Jayfeather opened his jaws for a stinging retort. I’m not a kit! You don’t need to take care of me!But he bit back the words; Lionblaze sounded tense and angry, and Jayfeather guessed that he was struggling with his memories of Hollyleaf, rather than worrying about a blind littermate. He heard the rattle of sticks as Lionblaze pushed his way through the temporary barrier. He followed, whiskers quivering as he tried to sense the edges of the hole
“Careful!” Lionblaze warned him.
“I’m beingcareful,” Jayfeather insisted as he skirted the hole, getting an idea of how big it was. He stretched out his head and let out a loud meow, listening for the echo as it came up from below. “Deep,” he muttered. “I’m not surprised Icecloud couldn’t climb out.” His ears flicked forward as he listened for the roar of the underground river, but he couldn’t hear anything today. The water must be lower
“I have to get down there, into the tunnel,” Jayfeather announced.
He heard his brother’s sigh of resignation. “I think you’re completely mouse-brained.” There was anger in Lionblaze’s voice, but fear, too: fear of what they might find if they looked too hard.
“Don’t you want to know the truth?” Jayfeather asked.
“What truth?” Lionblaze challenged him. “It’s been hidden for this long; it can stay hidden forever. Hollyleaf has gone, and we both know that’s for the best. What’s the point in stirring it all up again?”
Jayfeather stretched out his tail to touch his brother on the shoulder. “The caves below the hills have been giving up secrets ever since the Clans arrived here,” he mewed. “Nothing stays hidden down there—nothing.”
Down below, in the distance, Jayfeather thought that he could hear the faint voice of Falling Leaves, trapped forever in the tunnels when he failed to become a sharpclaw.
“Help me! Help me find the way out!” the ancient cat’s voice echoed.
Lionblaze let out a heavy sigh. “Have it your way. But if you insist on going down there, you’re not going alone. I’m coming with you.” He stood beside Jayfeather where he could look down into the tunnel. “It’s too far to jump,” he reported after a moment. “Unless we want a wrenched shoulder like Icecloud.”
“What about the ivy tendril they used to pull Icecloud and Dovepaw up?” Jayfeather suggested, his paws itching with a mixture of apprehension and impatience. “Is that still here?”
“Yes,” Lionblaze replied. “But it won’t bear your weight, let alone mine. We need to think of something else.”
Jayfeather heard the sticks shifting as Lionblaze leaped back over the barrier. Frustrated, he clawed the loose earth at the edge of the hole. I’ll jump down on my own if he doesn’t get a move on!
Then he heard his brother returning, dragging something heavy. He hauled it over the remains of the barrier and let it drop with a thump beside Jayfeather.
“I found a fallen branch,” Lionblaze panted. “We can slide one end into the hole and then climb down it, like climbing down a tree.”
Jayfeather waited, his impatience rising with every heartbeat, while his brother maneuvered the branch into the hole. Finally Lionblaze let out a growl of satisfaction. “Done. I’ll go first and make sure it’s safe.”
A creaking sound told Jayfeather that Lionblaze was climbing down. His claws dug into the soft earth and he felt the hairs on his pelt begin to rise.
“I’m down!” Lionblaze’s voice came up from below. “Come on. The end of the branch is about a tail-length in front of where you’re standing.”
Jayfeather groped his way forward. He hated his helplessness in situations where other cats could at least see where the danger lay.
But you wanted to do this, mouse-brain! Get on with it!
Locating the end of the branch, Jayfeather dug his claws in and clumsily scrambled onto it. Dead leaves rustled against his fur, and the branch bounced under his weight. Slowly, tail first, he began to edge his way down.
“That’s it! You’re doing fine!” Lionblaze called.
To Jayfeather’s relief, the branch grew wider as he climbed down, with knots in the wood to provide places for his claws to grip. Gaining confidence, he started to move faster, only to halt and nearly lose his hold as a twig poked him in the side. He let out a yowl.
“Are you okay?” Lionblaze asked.
“No! Your branch is clawing my fur off!” Steadying himself, Jayfeather began to creep downward again, until Lionblaze called out, “You’re nearly there. You can jump now.”
Jayfeather pushed off from the branch and sprang away from it, landing awkwardly on a pile of loose earth. Staggering to his paws, he puffed out a breath. “Made it!”
“I’m not sure this was a good idea,” Lionblaze muttered. “It’s really dark down here.”
I can’t say that bothers me,Jayfeather thought. Blind cats see just as well in the dark
Cold, old air washed over him, carrying murmurs and half-memories from the ancient cats who had once lived here. His paws itched to head deeper into the tunnels. “Let’s go,” he meowed.
“Wait.” Jayfeather heard the scraping of rocks and realized that Lionblaze was heaving them away from the pile that blocked the way to the former entrance. “What are you doing?”
“Shifting the stones that fell last time,” Lionblaze growled. “Since we’re down here, we may as well look.”
But do you want to know what you might find?Jayfeather didn’t ask the question aloud. He knew very well that arguing with Lionblaze was useless once his brother had made up his mind. Crouching beside Lionblaze, he clawed at the barrier of earth and rocks. The hard edges hurt his paws and as the moments slipped by, his legs began to ache with exhaustion. He could hear Lionblaze panting beside him.
It’s like we’re trying to move the whole hill!
Jayfeather expected at any moment that his paws would encounter the soft pelt of Hollyleaf’s body. Memories of all the rotting crow-food he had ever scented raced through his mind, but the only scents he could pick up were of earth and water and stone. He paused in his scrabbling at the rocks, jaws parted to taste the air more carefully, but there was no trace left of his sister’s presence.
Lionblaze pushed a big rock aside and halted. “I can see something,” he mewed.
“What? Is it…?”
“No.” Lionblaze’s voice was tense. “It’s just a tuft of fur…black fur.”
“Hollyleaf’s fur…” Jayfeather breathed out.
“Then she was hit by the rockfall.”
“But she’s not here.” Jayfeather struggled to keep his voice steady. “If these are the stones that struck her, they didn’t trap her.” He turned to strain his senses farther down the tunnel. But all he could hear was the whispering, too faint to make out, of the ancient cats. If they knew what had happened to Hollyleaf, they weren’t sharing it with him.
“You know what this means, don’t you?” Lionblaze spoke close to Jayfeather’s ear. “Hollyleaf is alive!”
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER4
For a heartbeat, pure joy floodedthrough Jayfeather. My sister isn’t dead!It was almost like being swept back to the time when they were kits in the nursery, when they still believed that Squirrelflight was their mother and they had no idea that one day Ashfur might be a threat to their safe, peaceful lives.
But reality rushed back all too soon. “We can’t know that for certain,” he argued. “Hollyleaf might have been badly injured; she could have crawled away to die somewhere else in the tunnels. Or maybe she couldn’t find the way out.”
“True.” Lionblaze’s voice was sad. “We both know how hard that is, especially since WindClan blocked off their entrance.”
“And even if she did get out alive, where would she go?” Jayfeather tried to imagine his sister crawling out of the tunnels, shaking earth out of her pelt, maybe sitting down for a while to clean her wounds. What would she have done then? ThunderClan would always be closed to her. Even if no cat ever discovered the truth about Ashfur’s murder, Hollyleaf had been torn apart by the discovery that Leafpool was her mother and her father was Crowfeather of WindClan. She could not bear knowing that the cats she had trusted had lied to her, and that forced her to give up everything she had trained and hoped for as a loyal ThunderClan warrior.
“She couldn’t come back to the Clan,” he murmured.
“But she was good at hunting, and fighting to defend herself,” Lionblaze pointed out. “She might have settled down somewhere as a loner.”
Jayfeather shook his head. “The Clan—the warrior code—was everything to Hollyleaf.” Besides,he added to himself, wouldn’t I have picked up some sense of her if she was still alive? Ishould have
“Come on,” Lionblaze urged him. “We must explore the tunnels. We’ve got to find out what happened.”
But Jayfeather hung back. The whispering of the ancient cats was louder now, and he thought he could hear the pad of paws growing ever more frantic: Fallen Leaves in his eternal search for the way out, and the start of his life as a sharpclaw. Jayfeather recalled how he had padded through the tunnels and found himself living among those ancient cats at the moment they were considering abandoning their home for the stone hills in the distance. Undecided, they had left the lake because of Jayfeather’s casting vote.
What would I say to Fallen Leaves now? Does he know that his Clanmates deserted him because of me?
“What are you waiting for?” Lionblaze demanded. He was already standing at the mouth of the tunnel. Reluctantly Jayfeather took a paw step to join him, only to halt as a fat drop of rain splashed onto his head.
“It’s raining,” he meowed. “We can’t go down there now. It’s too dangerous. The river might flood.”
“Mouse dung!” Lionblaze growled.
Jayfeather felt slightly ashamed that he couldn’t share his brother’s annoyance. Instead, he was relieved. As he scrambled back up the branch with Lionblaze behind him, the rain grew heavier. By the time the two cats pulled themselves out of the hole, it was pelting down, plastering their muddy fur to their bodies.
Jayfeather stood shivering while Lionblaze, grunting with effort, pushed the end of the branch down into the hole. “There,” he panted. “No other cat will be lost down there. Dustpelt and Brackenfur will finish the barrier in the morning.”
Jayfeather followed his brother back to camp, rain driving into their faces as they splashed through mud and lashing wet undergrowth. When they reached the entrance, he located Ivypool and Dovewing still on watch, huddled in the shelter of the thorn barrier. Neither of them paid any attention to the two toms as they brushed through the tunnel and headed for their dens.
“We’ve got to talk about this again,” Lionblaze muttered before they separated.
Jayfeather replied with a curt nod. Between the struggle in the hole, the discovery about Hollyleaf, and being soaked through on his way back to camp, he was exhausted.
Briarlight sat up as Jayfeather brushed past the bramble screen and staggered toward his nest. “Where have you been?” she meowed.
“Out,” Jayfeather replied brusquely, then realized that he could scent only one cat inside the den. “Where’s Icecloud?”
“She went back to the warriors’ den. She said she could rest just as well there.”
Jayfeather shrugged. He was too tired to say what he thought about warriors who thought they knew better than their medicine cat. He would check on Icecloud in the morning.
“You’re all wet and muddy!” Briarlight exclaimed.
Yeah, and claws are sharp! Anything else obvious you want to point out?
“I’m fine,” Jayfeather said aloud.
“No, you’re not fine,” Briarlight insisted. “You’re as wet as a drowned mouse, and asleep on your paws. Come over here and let me clean you up.” When Jayfeather didn’t reply, she added with a hint of mischief in her voice, “I promise I won’t nag you about where you’ve been.”
Too weary to argue, Jayfeather padded over to Briarlight’s nest and flopped down beside her. A moment later he felt the rough lap of her tongue, stroking rhythmically over his shoulder. For a moment he felt embarrassed that she was the one looking after him, but the young cat’s licks were so soothing that he dozed off, wondering if his mother had ever licked him like this.
But which mother? Leafpool or Squirrelflight?
He could see a face gazing down at him; at first he thought it was Leafpool, but it blurred and became Squirrelflight, then changed to Hollyleaf, her green eyes glowing as they stared at him. Jayfeather jerked awake, half sitting up. His fur felt dry and warm, and his whole body was more relaxed.
“Are you okay?” Briarlight’s anxious voice reminded him where he was.
“I’m fine.” Jayfeather sighed. Suddenly he wished there was some cat he could talk to: not a cat from StarClan, but a real friend like Lionblaze had in Cinderheart. He didn’t think Briarlight could be that cat.
“It must be hard, when you do so much for the Clan, and you have to keep all StarClan’s secrets,” she murmured.
StarClan’s secrets are much easier than our own!
“I’m a medicine cat; it’s what I do,” he responded. “You’ll never have to worry about anything like that.”
“Yeah, right,” Briarlight muttered in such a low tone that Jayfeather wasn’t sure he was meant to hear. “Because I’ll never be anything useful, will I?”
Jayfeather rose to his paws. He knew that even though Briarlight had been helping him with medicine cat duties, nothing would make up for not being a warrior. “Thanks for licking my fur dry,” he mewed, and padded off to his own nest.
Curled up among the bracken, Jayfeather opened his eyes to find himself back at the bottom of the hole. The rain had stopped. High above, clouds scudded fast across the sky, though Jayfeather couldn’t feel any wind. Padding deeper into the tunnel, he saw that the way ahead was dimly lit, as if the stars were shining through the earth and rock above his head. He walked farther in, his ears pricked to catch the slightest sound, but the air around him was empty and silent.
Where are all the ancient cats?
Jayfeather padded on and on into the silver light, until he reached the cave where the river flowed. This time it was thin and black, rushing swiftly between the rocks, not swollen and angry as it had been last time he was here. Hope tingled through his paws as he glanced up at Rock’s ledge, but it was bare.
A soft paw step sounded behind Jayfeather. He spun around to see a faint shape slipping out from a different tunnel. “Fallen Leaves?” he meowed.
“No,” rasped a familiar voice.
“Rock!”
The ancient cat padded up to Jayfeather, his long, twisted claws clicking on the stone floor. His blind eyes bulged and the pale light glistened on his furless body. His face was solemn as he halted in front of Jayfeather.
“Why did you break my stick?” Rock asked. His tone revealed no anger or sadness, nothing to tell Jayfeather how he was feeling.
“I—I wanted to talk to you, and you weren’t there,” Jayfeather stumbled. “What was the point of keeping a piece of wood with scratches on it?” Even as he spoke he knew that the stick had been much more than that.
“I am always here,” Rock responded, and now Jayfeather could hear sadness in his voice. “I will come to you when I have something to say. It is not for you to summon me.”
Jayfeather bowed his head, feeling like a kit being scolded for sneaking out of camp.
“That stick was your history,” Rock continued. “You cannot throw that away. The past is all around you, and cats who once were warriors will be warriors again.”
Jayfeather tensed and his claws scraped on the rock floor of the cave. “Do you mean Hollyleaf?” he asked urgently. “Have you seen her? Is she still alive?”
Rock blinked, and Jayfeather shivered at the thought that the ancient cat’s blind gray eyes could still see him very well. “Your past lies in the mountains,” Rock told him. “The place where I was born, the place where cats have returned before. You must go there once more to complete the circle.”
“Back to the Tribe of Rushing Water?” Now Jayfeather couldn’t get his questions out fast enough. “Are they in trouble?”
Rock didn’t reply. The clink of a stone behind him distracted Jayfeather for a heartbeat, and when he turned back, the ancient cat had disappeared.
“Rock!” he called, but the echoes of his voice died away into silence, and there was no answer.
As Jayfeather stood beside the stream, seething with frustration, he heard quiet paw steps approaching and looked around to see a young ginger-and-white tom emerging from a tunnel.
Fallen Leaves padded up to Jayfeather and dipped his head. His eyes were full of sadness. “Greetings, Jay’s Wing,” he mewed.
Jayfeather tensed as Fallen Leaves called him by the name he had borne in the ancient time. “Greetings.”
“The other cats have left, haven’t they?”
His tone was quiet, not accusing, but Jayfeather felt even guiltier because of the part he had played in the ancient cats’ departure from the lake. I wonder if Fallen Leaves knows what I did?“Yes, they’ve gone,” he admitted.
“I feel their absence inside me, like a silence,” Fallen Leaves meowed. “But your cats are still here. Come, let me take you to them.” Without waiting for Jayfeather to reply, he headed across the cave into the mouth of a different tunnel. Jayfeather hesitated for a heartbeat, then bounded in pursuit
Fallen Leaves led him along the tunnels, and before Jayfeather thought it could be possible, they were standing in the hole again, in front of the branch. Of course—he has wandered these tunnels for so long. He knows the quickest way
Suddenly, Jayfeather couldn’t bear the thought of leaving the young tom alone there again. “Come with me,” he urged.
Fallen Leaves shook his head. “We both know that can’t happen.” He raised his head and looked up at the sky. The clouds had cleared away, and the warriors of StarClan shone in a blaze of icy light. “The stars are still shining,” Fallen Leaves whispered with wonder in his eyes. “I never thought I would see them again. It’s good to know that they are still there, just as they have always been. The past is all around us.”
Jayfeather jumped, startled. That’s what Rock said!
“Your destiny lies up there, doesn’t it?” Fallen Leaves meowed, gesturing with his tail toward the sky. “You don’t belong here.” He reached out with his tail, and Jayfeather raised his own tail so that they touched for a moment.
“I wish you luck, my friend,” Fallen Leaves continued. “If ever you need me, I will be here.”
“Thank you,” Jayfeather murmured. He picked his way across the loose earth and scrambled up the branch. When he looked down into the hole again, Fallen Leaves had gone. “Hey, Fallen Leaves!” Desperate to see him once more, Jayfeather leaned out over the hole.
Something sharp jabbed into his side. Darkness slammed down over his vision as he opened his eyes and found himself leaning over the edge of his nest, his cheek pressed against the stone floor of his den.
“Jayfeather?” Briarlight’s voice was muffled, and Jayfeather realized that she was prodding him with a twig held in her mouth.
“Stop that,” he mumbled, sitting up and shaking the moss out of his pelt.
“I thought you were having a bad dream,” Briarlight mewed, more clearly now. “You were saying weird things…something about leaves falling. What was happening to you?”
Jayfeather ignored her question. Hauling himself to his paws, he stumbled past the bramble screen and out into the camp, almost barging into Mousewhisker as he headed for the fresh-kill pile. “Sorry,” he muttered, as the young tom whisked around him.
Over by the nursery, Poppyfrost’s kits were squeaking and tumbling about while their mother sat watching. Ivypool and Dovewing brushed through the thorn tunnel and staggered across to the apprentices’ den, their paws heavy with weariness after their night’s vigil.
Briefly Jayfeather wondered why they were still heading for their old den, until he remembered how little space there was in the warriors’ den. With no other apprentices, they’ll get a good sleep there
In the middle of the hollow, he could hear Brambleclaw’s voice raised as he gave out the instructions for the first patrols of the day. “Graystripe, you can lead the dawn patrol. Take Squirrelflight, Birchfall, and Brightheart.”
“We’re on our way,” Graystripe responded.
“Keep an eye on the ShadowClan border,” Brambleclaw warned him. “We don’t want any more trouble.” As Graystripe’s patrol moved off, the deputy continued, “Thornclaw, you can take a hunting patrol along the stream that borders WindClan. There might still be some prey sheltering along the bank.”
“Okay, Brambleclaw. Which cats should I take with me?”
The deputy hesitated for a heartbeat, then meowed, “Blossomfall, Berrynose, and Lionblaze. Cinderheart, you lead another patrol down toward the lake….”
As soon as Jayfeather heard his brother’s name mentioned, he stopped listening to Brambleclaw and headed across the camp to intercept Lionblaze before he reached the thorns. “Lionblaze, wait! We have to go to the mountains!”
“What?”Lionblaze radiated shock and impatience. “Jayfeather, I’m headed out on patrol. You can’t spring something like that on me now.”
Jayfeather flicked his tail dismissively. “I had a dream,” he insisted. “Our destiny lies there!”
He could tell that he had aroused his brother’s interest. “Was it a dream from StarClan?” Lionblaze queried.
“No, from a cat even older than that. I think he knows where the prophecy comes from. Lionblaze, we have to go!”
PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE
Water thundered down from the mountaintop,screening the entrance to the cave with a shimmering cascade. Gray light filtered through it and shadows gathered in the corners of the cavern like soft black wings. Near the sheet of falling water, two kits were scuffling over a bunch of feathers, batting it back and forth and letting out shrill squeals of excitement. The pale tabby fur of the little she-cat and the tom’s brown pelt almost blended into the dark stone floor.
At the back of the cave, an old brown tabby tom was crouching in the mouth of a tunnel. His eyes were narrowed, and his amber gaze never left the kits. He was motionless, except for the occasional twitch of his ears.
The tabby kit leaped high into the air, clawing at the feathers; as she landed with the bunch in her paws her brother flung himself on top of her, rolling over and snapping at the feathers with teeth like tiny white thorns.
“That’s enough.” A gentle voice came from close by as a graceful brown tabby she-cat rose to her paws and padded across to the kits. “Mind you don’t get too close to the water. And Pine, why don’t you try jumping high like Lark? You need to practice for when you’re a prey-hunter.”
“I’d rather be a cave-guard,” Pine mewed. “I’d fight every cat that tried to trespass on our territory.”
“Well, you can’t, because I will,” Lark retorted. “I’m going to be a cave-guard andhunt prey, so there!”
“That’s not how we do things,” their mother began; a swift glance over her shoulder showed that she was aware of the old cat watching from the shadows. “Every Tribe kit has to—”
She broke off at the sound of paw steps coming from the narrow path that led behind the waterfall and into the cave. A broad-shouldered gray-furred cat appeared, followed by the rest of his patrol. Instantly the kits let out squeals of welcome and hurled themselves at him.
“Careful!” Their mother followed and gathered the kits in with her tail. “Your father has been on border patrol. He must be tired.”
“I’m fine, Brook.” The gray tom blinked at her affectionately and gave her ear a quick lick. “It was an easy trip today.”
“Stormfur, I don’t know how you can say that!” a black tom put in, shaking water from his pelt as he left the cliff path. “We waste our time and wear out our paws patrolling that border, and for what?”
“Peace and quiet,” Stormfur replied, his voice even. “We aren’t going to get rid of those cats, even though we do think they’re intruders. The best we can hope for is to protect our own territory.”
“The whole of the mountains should be our territory!” the black tom spat.
“Give it a rest, Screech,” a dark ginger she-cat meowed, with an irritable twitch of her tail. “Stormfur’s right. Things aren’t like that anymore.”
“But are we safe?” asked Brook. She glanced at the kits, who were now tussling over a morsel of rabbit fur.
“The borders are holding, mostly,” Stormfur told Brook, a worried look in his amber eyes. “But we did pick up the scent of other cats in a couple of places. And there were eagle feathers scattered on the rock. They’ve been stealing prey again.”
The ginger she-cat shrugged. “There’s nothing we can do about that.”
“We can’t just let it go, Swoop,” Stormfur murmured. “Otherwise they’ll think they can do exactly what they like, and there was no point in setting the borders in the first place. I think we should increase the patrols and be ready to fight.”
“More patrols?” Screech lashed his tail angrily.
“It makes sense to—”
“No!”
Stormfur jumped as a voice rasped out from the shadows and he saw the old tabby cat standing a tail-length away.
“Stoneteller!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t see you there.”
“Evidently.” The old cat’s neck fur was bristling and there was a trace of anger in his eyes. “There will be no more patrols,” he went on. “The Tribe has enough to eat, and with the thaw approaching, there will soon be more prey: eggs and young birds stolen from nests.”
Stormfur looked as if he wanted to argue, but he picked up a flickering glance from Brook and a tiny shake of her head. Reluctantly he dipped his head to Stoneteller. “Very well.”
The old cat stalked away. Making an effort to flatten the ruffled fur on his neck, Stormfur turned to his kits. “Have you behaved yourselves today?”
“They’ve been very good,” Brook told him, her eyes warm. “Lark is growing so strong and sturdy, and Pine jumps really well.”
“We’ve been hunting,” Lark announced, pointing with her tail toward the bedraggled lump of feathers. “I caught three eagles!”
“Didn’t,” Pine contradicted her. “I killed one, or it would have flown away with you!”
Brook met Stormfur’s eyes. “I can’t seem to make them understand that they’ll have separate duties when they’re to-bes.”
“They shouldn’t have to decide now,” Stormfur began, only to break off as Brook flicked her tail toward Stoneteller, who was still in earshot. He let out a sigh. “They’ll learn,” he murmured, a trace of regret in his tone. “Is there any fresh-kill left? I’m starving!”
As Brook led Stormfur over to the fresh-kill pile, to-bes and their mentors headed back into the cave, and Stormfur’s kits shot across the cavern floor to intercept them.
“Tell us about outside!” Lark squeaked. “Did you catch any prey?”
“Iwant to go out,” Pine added.
One of the to-bes butted his shoulder gently with his head. “You’re too small. An eagle would eat you in one bite.”
“No it wouldn’t! I’d fightit,” Pine declared, fluffing up his brown fur.
The to-be let out a mrrowof laughter. “I’d like to see that! But you still have to wait until you’re eight moons old.”
“Mouse dung!”
Stoneteller stood watching the to-bes and kits romping together for a few heartbeats before he headed back toward his tunnel. As he approached it, a gray-brown she-cat rose to her paws and padded up to him.
“Stoneteller, I must talk to you.”
The old tabby glared at her. “I’ve said all I have to say. You know that, Bird.”
Bird did not reply, merely stood there waiting, until the old cat let out a long sigh. “Come, then. But don’t expect any different answers.”
Stoneteller led the way into the second tunnel, and Bird followed. The sounds of the young cats died away behind them, replaced by the steady drip of water.
The tunnel led into a cave much smaller than the one the cats had left. Pointed stones rose up from the floor and hung down from the roof. Some of them had joined in the middle, as if the cats were threading their way through a stone forest. Water trickled down the stones and the cave walls to make pools on the floor; their surface reflected a faint gray light from a jagged crack in the roof. All was silent except for the drip of water and the distant roaring of the falls, now sunk to a whisper.
Stoneteller turned to face Bird. “Well?”
“We’ve spoken about this before. You know you should have chosen your successor long ago.”
The old cat let out a snort of disgust. “There’s time yet.”
“Don’t tell that to me,” Bird retorted. “My mother was your littermate. I know exactly how old you are. You were chosen from that litter by the Tribe’s previous Healer, the last Teller of the Pointed Stones. You have served the Tribe well, but you can’t expect to stay here forever. Sooner or later you will be summoned to the Tribe of Endless Hunting. You mustchoose the next Stoneteller!”
“Why?” Bird flinched at the harshness of the old cat’s retort but Stoneteller continued. “So that the Tribe can go on, generation after generation, scrabbling their lives from these uncaring stones?”
Bird’s voice quivered with shock when she replied. “This is our home! We have earned the right to live here many times over! We fought off the trespassers, remember?” She padded closer to Stoneteller and held out one paw appealingly. “How can you think of betraying our ancestors by not preserving what they began?”
Stoneteller turned his head away; there was a flash of something in his eyes that warned Bird he was not telling her everything.
At that moment a thin claw-scratch of new moon appeared from behind a cloud; its light sliced down through the hole in the cave roof and struck one of the pools of water, turning its surface to silver. Stoneteller gazed at it.
“It is the night of the new moon,” he murmured. “The night when the Tribe of Endless Hunting speaks to me from the sky, through reflections in the water. Very well, Bird That Rides the Wind. I promise you I will look for signs tonight.”
“Thank you,” Bird whispered. Touching Stoneteller affectionately on the shoulder with her tail-tip, she padded quietly out of the cave. “Good luck,” she mewed as she disappeared into the tunnel.
When she had gone, Stoneteller approached the edge of the pool and looked into the water. Then he raised one paw and brought it down with force on the surface, shattering the reflection into shards of light that flickered and died.
“I will never listen to you again!” Each word was forced out through bared teeth. “We trusted the Tribe of Endless Hunting, but you deserted us when we most needed your help.”
Turning his back on the pool, he paced among the pointed stones, his claws scraping against the rough cave floor. “I hate what the Tribe has become!” he snarled. “I hate how we have taken on Clan ways. Why could we not survive alone?” Halting beneath the rift in the roof, he raised his head with a burning gaze that challenged the moon. “Why did you bring us here if we were doomed to fail?”
引子
引子
瀑布从山顶倾泻而下，宛若一道珠玉四溅的水帘遮住了洞口。昏暗的光线透过水帘，在洞内的角落里洒下婆娑光影，宛如柔软的黑翼。水帘边上，两只幼崽正嬉戏争抢着一团羽毛。随着羽毛被抢来抢去轻忽飘动，幼崽发出阵阵兴奋的欢呼声。小母猫的浅色虎斑皮毛和小公猫的棕色皮毛几乎与暗色的石头地面融为一体了。
山洞深处，一只年迈的棕色虎斑公猫蜷缩在通道口，双眼微眯，但那双绿色的眸子却目不转睛地盯着远处的幼崽，他的身子一动不动，只有耳朵偶尔抽搐一下。
突然，小虎斑猫腾空一跃，伸出爪子扑向羽毛。可等她刚抓住那团羽毛落回地面，她的兄弟却猛地扑到她头顶上空，一个转身，张嘴用他那白色小刺般的尖牙把羽毛抢了过来。
“不要再闹了。”一个温柔的声音从不远处传来，一只体态优雅的虎斑母猫站起身，朝幼崽们走了过来，“注意不要离水边太近。对了，岩松，你怎么不试试像晨雀那样跳高呢？你得多加练习，为成为狩猎者做准备。”
“我更想当山洞卫士，”岩松说道，“我要和每一只想要闯进我们领地的猫战斗。”
“哼，你可不行，我才行，”晨雀反驳道，“我既要当山洞卫士，还要当狩猎者，等着瞧！”
“你们俩这样可不行，”他们的母亲赶紧说道，快速地回头一瞥表明她注意到了阴影里看向这边的老猫，“所有的部落幼崽都必须——”
她的话还没说完，就听见通往瀑布和山洞的那条狭长小径上传来一阵脚步声。一只肩宽体阔的深灰色公猫走了出来，身后还跟着巡逻队。幼崽们立刻欢呼着朝他怀里扑去。
“小心点儿！”他们的母亲跟在后面，用尾巴将幼崽们拦了下来，“你们的父亲刚巡逻回来，肯定很累了。”
“没关系，溪儿，”深灰色公猫温柔地冲她眨了眨眼睛，飞快地在她耳边舔了一下，“今天的巡逻还算轻松。”
“暴毛，我不知道你怎么能说出这种话。”一只黑色公猫打断了他们，抖了抖一路走来溅在身上的水花，“我们浪费时间，在那个边界上巡逻到脚掌都要断了，到底有什么意义呢？”
“少安毋躁，”暴毛答道，他平静异常，“尽管我们确实认为那些猫是入侵者，可我们并不打算把他们赶走。保护我们自己的领地是目前我们能做到的最好方式。”
“整座山都应该是我们的！”黑色公猫喊道。
“闭嘴，怒枭！”一只暗姜黄色母猫说道，很是不耐烦地抽动了一下尾巴，“暴毛说得对，现在情况不一样了。”
“那我们现在安全吗？”溪儿一边问，一边用余光瞥着那两只正在争夺一绺兔毛的幼崽。
“大部分边界都在我们控制下，”暴毛答道，琥珀色的眼睛里流露出担忧，“不过我们在几处地方发现了他们的气味标记，而且还在岩石上发现了老鹰的羽毛。那些猫又来偷猎物了。”
姜黄色母猫耸耸肩：“但我们对此无能为力。”
“不能就这么算了，鹰扑。”暴毛小声说道，“否则他们会认为他们可以为所欲为，那我们的边界也就没有存在的意义了。所以当务之急，我认为应当加强巡逻，做好战斗的准备。”
“加强巡逻？”怒枭愤怒地甩着尾巴。
“有必要——”
“不行！”
一道尖厉的声音从阴影中传来，把暴毛吓了一跳，他这才发现那只年迈的虎斑公猫正站在距离他们一尾远的地方。
“尖石巫师！”他惊呼道，“我没看到你在那儿。”
“显然你没看到！”老猫脖颈儿处的皮毛竖起，眼里闪过一道怒火，“不用加强巡逻，”他继续说道，“部落里食物充足，等到冰雪消融之后，很快就会有更多的猎物，例如我们可以从鸟窝里偷些鸟蛋和小鸟。”
暴毛刚想争辩一番，随即瞥见溪儿给他使了个眼色，并轻轻摇了摇头。他只好很不情愿地对尖石巫师低下头说道：“好的。”
老猫迈开大步走开了。暴毛努力平复下脖颈儿处因愤怒而竖起的皮毛，转向幼崽们：“你们今天乖不乖呀？”
“他们今天表现得都很好，”溪儿温情脉脉地答道，“晨雀现在练得身强体壮，岩松跳得也很好。”
“我们一直在狩猎呢，”晨雀用尾巴指着那团脏兮兮的羽毛，大声答道，“我抓到了三只老鹰！”
“才不是呢，”岩松揭穿了她，“有一只是我杀的，要是没有我，它早就飞跑了！”
溪儿望着暴毛的眼睛说道：“我怎么说他们都不明白，等他们成了预备之后，会有不同的职务。”
“他们现在还不用急着做决定——”暴毛刚要继续说，就看见溪儿用尾巴指了指不远处能听见他们讲话的尖石巫师。他只好叹了口气。“他们将来会明白的，”他咕哝道，语气中透着些许的落寞，“还有没有什么猎物？我快饿死了！”
溪儿带着暴毛向猎物堆走去，刚好碰上预备们和他们的老师也回到了山洞。暴毛的两只幼崽飞快地跑过去截住了他们。
“跟我们讲讲外面的世界吧！”晨雀尖声喊道，“抓到猎物了吗？”
“我想到外面去。”岩松加了一句。
其中的一只预备用脑袋轻轻蹭了一下他的肩膀，说道：“你太小了，老鹰一口就能把你吃掉。”
“才不会呢！我会和它战斗！”岩松抖了抖棕色的皮毛，大声喊道。
预备发出一阵大笑：“那我就等着那一天！不过要等你到八个月大才行。”
“老鼠屎！”
尖石巫师站在那里看了一会儿预备和幼崽们的嬉戏打闹，然后朝他的洞穴走去。他刚走到入口处，一只棕色母猫起身向他走来。
“尖石巫师，我必须跟你谈一谈。”
老虎斑猫瞪了她一眼：“该说的我都说过了，你应该很清楚这一点，飞鸟。”
飞鸟没有说话，只是站在那里静静地等着，直到老猫长叹一声：“好吧，来吧。不过谈了也不会改变什么。”
尖石巫师走向另一条通道，飞鸟跟在他身后。他们身后，年轻猫们的声音渐渐淡去，取而代之的是有规律的滴水声。
通道的尽头是个山洞，看上去比刚才离开的那个小很多。这里尖石林立，洞顶到处都是倒挂的石锥，还有些在中间连在了一起。猫儿们仿佛是在石林中穿行。涓涓细流从石柱和洞穴的石壁上滴下来，在地上汇集成了片片水洼，倒映着从洞顶参差的岩缝中投下的微弱的灰色光线。万籁俱寂，只有水声滴答，连远处那咆哮奔腾的瀑布声，此时也变成了窃窃私语。
尖石巫师转身看着飞鸟：“你要谈什么？”
“我们之前讨论过的，你知道你早就应该选继任者了。”
老猫厌恶地喷了个响鼻：“时间还多得很。”
“你别跟我说这个，”飞鸟反驳道，“我母亲跟你是同窝手足，所以我很清楚你的岁数。当时的部落巫医，也就是上一任尖石的预言者，把你从那一窝刚出生的幼崽中选了出来。你一辈子为部落鞠躬尽瘁，但你也不可能长生不老，迟早有一天，你会被杀无尽部落召唤。你必须选定下一任的尖石巫师！”
“为什么？”老猫严厉的声音让飞鸟禁不住退缩了一下，但尖石巫师仍继续说道，“就为了部落能够一代代繁衍生息，在这些冷冰冰的石头堆里艰难生活吗？”
飞鸟的声音因震惊而颤抖。“可这里是我们的家！我们一代又一代都在这里生活！我们打败了那些入侵者，难道你都不记得了吗？”她又向前靠了一步，恳求地伸出一只脚掌，“你怎么可以不顾我们的祖先，背弃他们的初衷呢？”
尖石巫师转过头去，眼中似乎闪过什么东西，这让飞鸟感觉他可能隐瞒了什么。
此时，一弯宛若爪痕的新月从云后显现。月光透过洞顶的缝隙倾洒下来，映照在那一洼清水上，银光闪闪，熠熠生辉。尖石巫师凝视着水中的弯月。
“又到新月之夜了，”他自语道，“杀无尽部落会在天上通过水中的倒影和我交谈。很好，飞鸟。我答应你，今晚会寻找预示下一任尖石巫师的征兆。”
“谢谢你！”飞鸟轻声答道，她用尾尖温柔地碰了碰尖石巫师的肩膀，然后悄悄退出了尖石洞，“祝你好运。”说完她便消失在了洞口。
在她走后，尖石巫师走近那片水洼，低头看向水中。他抬起一只脚掌用力拍向水面，水中的倒影立刻变成了片片碎影，闪烁摇曳了几下便消失得无影无踪。
“我再也不会听你们的了！”他咬牙切齿地说道，“我们相信过杀无尽部落，可是，在我们最需要你们帮助的时候，你们却抛弃了我们。”
说完，他转身离开水洼，在尖石林中来回走着，脚掌划过山洞粗糙的地面。“我讨厌部落现在的样子！”他咆哮道，“我讨厌族群的那些规矩，为什么我们就不能自由自在地活着呢？”他在洞顶缝隙下停了下来，抬头仰望着新月，炽热的目光中充满着挑衅，“如果我们注定失败，为什么还要把我们引到这里来呢？”
第一章
第一章
鸽爪从荆棘通道里滑出来，到小树林去等姐妹藤爪以及她们的老师们。寒霜把她脚掌下的每一片草叶变成了锋利的尖刺，光秃秃的树枝上挂满了冰锥，在曙光中闪着微光。脚掌下传来的几乎刺穿皮毛的寒意让鸽爪颤抖。新叶季仍然遥遥无期。
鸽爪心烦意乱，紧张到肚子抽搐，耷拉着尾巴。
这是我的武士测评。她告诉自己，对一位学徒来说这是最棒的事情了。所以，为什么不兴奋一点儿？
她知道这个问题的答案。在她当学徒的这几个月里，发生了太多的事情，件件关系重大，以至于连即将成为武士的兴奋感也要靠后站。她深吸了一口气，赶紧竖起尾巴打起精神，因为她听到通道那边传来了脚步声。她不能让那些来测评她的猫看出她有多么忧虑，她得全力以赴向他们证明，她已经准备好要成为一位武士了。
最先出现的是鸽爪的老师狮焰。他正在抖松那身金色的虎斑皮毛以抵御清晨的寒意。蛛足紧随其后。鸽爪狐疑地看了一眼这位身形瘦长的黑色武士，不知道一会儿他会不会跟狮焰一起测评她。他的样子看上去很是严厉可怕。
我希望只有狮焰。鸽爪心里想，如果火星决定有两个考官的话就太糟糕了。
接着出现的是炭心和她的学徒藤爪，走在最后面的是米莉，她是藤爪的第二个考官。看到姐妹时，鸽爪的胡须颤了颤：藤爪看上去瘦小而恐惧，深蓝色的眼睛里布满疲惫的阴影。
鸽爪走过去，温柔地舔了舔藤爪的耳朵。“嘿，你肯定能行的。”她小声说道。
藤爪把头扭向一边。
她连话都不愿意跟我讲，鸽爪难过地想着，每次我想靠近她，她却总是很忙的样子。她还在梦里哭出了声。鸽爪还能记起当她们在学徒巢穴里肩并肩睡在一起时，姐妹的脚掌痉挛乱挥的样子。她知道藤爪受命于狮焰和松鸦羽，去黑森林替雷族当卧底。可是每次当她想问问黑森林的情况时，藤爪却总是回答说没什么新情况。
“我建议去那个废弃的两脚兽巢穴，”蛛足提议道，“那里周围有遮挡，非常适合狩猎。”
狮焰目光闪过一丝惊讶，他没想到蛛足会试图主导测评，但他还是点了点头，率先穿过树林朝着两脚兽巢穴的方向走去。鸽爪赶紧加快脚步跟在他身旁，其他的猫也都跟了上来。
“你准备好了吗？”狮焰问道。
鸽爪吓了一跳，从对姐妹的担忧中惊醒过来。“对不起，”她说道，“我刚刚在想藤爪，她看上去好像很累的样子。”
狮焰回头看了看那只银白相间的母猫，又转过来看着鸽爪，琥珀色的眸子里交杂着惊讶和不安。“我猜是黑森林的训练有点儿麻烦。”他小声说道。
“可这应该怪谁呢？”鸽爪扑闪着眼睛看着他。不管探明黑森林里的猫的阴谋这件事多么紧急，狮焰和松鸦羽把所有担子全压在她姐妹肩上都是不公平的。
藤爪甚至还不是武士呢！她心想。
狮焰叹了一口气，鸽爪知道他心里赞同她的看法，但他并不准备说出来。“我现在不打算说这个，”他说道，“该把精力集中在你的测评上了。”
鸽爪烦躁地耸了耸肩膀。
破旧的两脚兽巢穴映入眼帘，狮焰停下脚步。尽管大部分的叶茎都已被寒霜冻死了，鸽爪还是闻到了松鸦羽花园里那些草药的气味。她还听到从草丛里还有树下的残骸中传来了猎物跑动的沙沙声。蛛足说得对，这里的确会是个狩猎的好地方。
“好了，”狮焰说道，“首先，我们想要先测评一下你们的追踪能力。炭心，你想要藤爪抓什么猎物？”
“老鼠吧。行吗，藤爪？”
银白相间的虎斑母猫紧张地点了点头。
“不过两脚兽巢穴里面的不算，”米莉补充道，“那个太简单了。”
“明白。”鸽爪心想她姐妹的声音听起来像累得连脚掌都抬不起来，更不用说抓什么老鼠了。但藤爪还是毫不犹豫地朝着远处的大树的方向跑去，炭心和米莉远远地跟在后面。
鸽爪目不转睛地盯着远去的藤爪，直到被那些冻坏了的蕨叶挡住视线。于是她一边释放出感知，探寻藤爪的位置，一边沿废弃巢穴的后侧朝那些松树走去。老鼠就在那些掉落的松针里尖叫打斗，鸽爪希望姐妹能够闻到它们的气味，完成一次不错的狩猎。
她一心想着藤爪，却忘记了自己也在接受测评，这时，蛛足用尾尖扫了一下她的耳朵。
“嘿！”她大叫一声，转向黑色武士。
“狮焰说，他想让你抓一只松鼠。”蛛足说道，“如果你真的想成为武士的话，那就照做。”
“当然想。”鸽爪低声吼道，“对不起，狮焰。”
狮焰就站在蛛足身后，此时的他看上去有点儿恼火。鸽爪对自己没听见他的指令感到很是气恼，不过相比之下，她更讨厌蛛足的恶劣嘴脸。
安排两个考官真是鼠脑子，她对自己发着牢骚，从树上长叶子的很多个季节以来，就一直是老师们来测评他们的学徒！
她抬起头感受着周围的气息。突然，她眼睛一亮，闻到有松鼠的气味从荆棘丛旁飘了过来。她轻手轻脚绕过荆棘，来到一小块空地上，看到爬满藤蔓的橡树下有只松鼠正在那里啃坚果。
起风了，光秃秃的树枝被一阵风吹得飒飒作响。鸽爪悄悄绕过空地，躲在蕨丛后面，移动到了猎物的下风向。松鼠的气味扑鼻而来，馋得她口水都要流下来了。
鸽爪摆出她最漂亮的狩猎姿势，慢慢地靠近松鼠。但她还是忍不住再次释放出感知，想看看藤爪怎么样了。当她听到一只老鼠在姐妹的利爪下微弱地尖叫一声，很快就没了声响时，忍不住跳了起来。
她失控的动作使得一片枯叶沙沙作响，立刻把松鼠惊得逃回了树上，只剩下浓密的大尾巴还露在外面晃动着。鸽爪迅速跃过草丛，扑上树干，可松鼠早就在树枝间消失得无影无踪了。她紧紧抓住一根藤蔓，想要在风声和哗哗响的树枝间找出松鼠的动静，但一无所获。
“老鼠屎！”她啐了一口，跳回地面上。
蛛足大步向她走来。“看在星族的分上，你到底知不知道自己在做什么？”他责问道，“连刚从育婴室出来的幼崽都能抓住那只松鼠！还好其他族群的猫没有看见，否则的话，他们会以为雷族连怎么训练学徒都不会！”
鸽爪气得脖子上的皮毛都竖了起来。“难道你就没有失手过吗？”她咬牙切齿地问道。
“那又怎么样？”黑色武士继续诘责道，“让我们听听你做错了什么！”
“也有值得赞扬的地方，”狮焰打断正要说话的鸽爪，“你移动到松鼠下风向的做法很不错。”
鸽爪感激地看了他一眼。“我想我是走神了，”她承认道，“我碰到了一片叶子，松鼠听见了我的动静。”
“追它的时候你应该再快点儿，”蛛足告诉她，“再快点儿兴许就能抓到了。”
鸽爪闷闷不乐地点了点头。我们又不是都有你那么长的腿！“这是否意味着我没通过这次测评？”她问道。
蛛足轻轻弹了一下耳朵，没有回答。“我去看看米莉和藤爪怎么样了。”说完，他便朝废弃的两脚兽巢穴方向奔去。
鸽爪看着她的老师。“对不起。”她说道。
“我想你是太紧张了，”狮焰回答道，“你平时狩猎巡逻的时候比刚才做得好。”
直到面对失败的这一刻，鸽爪才意识到，她是多么地想通过她的武士测评。比起拥有超力量成为预言中的一部分，当一位武士要好太多了。只是她脑子里又想到另外一个问题，让她突然紧张了起来，万一藤爪成了武士而我没有呢？
这是她姐妹应得的，鸽爪很清楚这一点。姐妹虽然没有任何超力量，但多少个夜晚，她都将自己置身于危险之中，去黑森林里执行狮焰和松鸦羽交给她的密探任务。
藤爪比我强多了，我甚至连只蠢笨的松鼠都抓不到！
“别灰心，”狮焰说道，“你的测评还没结束，但是看在星族的分上，集中注意力！”
“我会尽我所能。”鸽爪保证道，“接下来要做什么？”
狮焰没有回答，将耳朵转向他们来时的方向。鸽爪转过身去，看见冰云正从结霜的草地上一步一步小心地走来。
“嘿，”雪白色母猫打了声招呼，“黑莓掌让我来协助你们。”
“你来得正好，”狮焰点了点头，“测评的下一道题目，就是小组狩猎。”他对鸽爪解释道。
鸽爪又振作了起来。她喜欢和大家一起狩猎，而且冰云应该是个很好相处的伙伴。可是，当冰云挺胸抬头问她“你想让我做些什么”时，鸽爪心里却是一阵的慌乱。
“我……哦……”鸽爪还不太习惯向一位武士发号施令。加油，鼠脑子，好好干！
“那就抓一只乌鸫吧。”她提议道，“不过冰云，你的雪白色皮毛可能会是个问题。”
“我也是这么想的。”雪白色母猫悲伤地答道。
“那么，我们得先找个地方让你藏起来，然后等到了关键时刻你再跳出来。我们先找到鸟，我来追踪它，然后再想办法把它赶到你这边来。”
“你得先确保这只鸟不会飞走，否则的话——”
狮焰刻意咳嗽了两声，打断了冰云的提醒。
“哎呀，不好意思，”冰云说，“我忘了规矩了。你继续说，鸽爪。”
“乌鸫经常会在两脚兽巢穴上方筑巢，”鸽爪想了想继续说道，“我知道眼下不是它们筑巢的季节，但是我们可以找找看，说不定能有所发现。”
狮焰冲她点点头，表示鼓励，接着问道：“然后呢？”
“嗯——那儿有个斜坡，冰云可以在斜坡后面藏起来。”
“好，那就开始行动吧。”狮焰说道。
鸽爪刚走几步，就看见蛛足用肩膀挤开蕨丛，折返了回来。他什么都没说，鸽爪的脚掌好奇得痒痒起来，想知道姐妹那边进行得到底怎么样了。只是现在，她没时间管那么多了。走在冰云前面让她感觉怪怪的，就好像带领了一支巡逻队；而出谋划策调度指挥则更是让她浑身不舒坦。鸽爪感到有些惊慌，仿佛皮毛里爬满了蚂蚁。她的大脑此刻一片空白，像是飘着回声的洞穴；她感觉自己以前所学的那些本领，就像树上的鸟儿一样，一下子就都飞得不见踪影了。
我花太多时间偷听其他族群的动静了，我该专心在武士训练上！
鸽爪打算不在这次测评中使用超力量。藤爪没有超力量，我只是为了公平。但是，想要屏蔽超力量真的很难，尤其是她总想知道姐妹那边的进展情况。还有，每当她想要集中精力仔细聆听近处的声音时，却总是感觉自己被困在森林里无法呼吸。
其他猫都是怎么做的呢？她思忖着，我快喘不上气了！
鸽爪带头走上旧雷鬼路，然后又折到乌鸫喜欢筑巢的小树林里。冰云紧随其后，狮焰和蛛足则在后面不紧不慢地跟着，观察四周。走进一片榛木丛时，鸽爪竖起尾巴，示意冰云停下，以防她那雪白色的皮毛惊扰了猎物。当准确定位那只正在榛木丛下的地面上觅食的乌鸫时，她的爪子因兴奋而刺痛。
鸽爪后退了几步。“去那里，山坡下面，”她摆摆尾巴悄声对冰云说道，“我来吓唬那只鸟，把它赶到你那边去。”
冰云点点头，像一团白雾一样悄然离开。鸽爪看着她消失在视线之外，便下意识地释放出感知，想要追踪已经消失的雪白色母猫。可不知怎么回事，她发现冰云的脚步声有些异样。
哪里不对劲。
鸽爪不再理会那只乌鸫，她穿过茂密的榛木丛，朝同族猫的方向奔去。蛛足不赞同地喷了个响鼻，可鸽爪已经顾不了那么多了。冰云的脚步声如同雷点一样，在她的耳边阵阵作响，让她忘记了周围的一切。
怎么会是这种声音呢？就好像是从地下很深的地方传过来的一样。鸽爪突然回过味来：“哦，不！那里地下是空的！”
她加快脚步，硬是挤出灌木丛，冲下斜坡。那只乌鸫拍拍翅膀飞进了树丛。
“看在星族的分上，到底是怎么——”蛛足看得目瞪口呆。
鸽爪刚才跑开的时候，听到狮焰也尴尬地低咒了一声。她冲过荆棘，终于在斜坡下面发现了惊声尖叫着的冰云，眼看她就要掉下去了。刹那间，地面裂开，冰云的身子开始下沉。
“冰云！”鸽爪大吼一声，“我来了！”
她身子向前一跃，刚好用牙齿咬住了冰云的后颈，这才没让雪白色母猫掉进塌陷的泥土里。冰云的前脚掌疯狂地挣扎着，想要把自己从里面拉出来。可是，整个斜坡似乎都已经塌陷了下去，再也没有什么坚固的东西能让她牢牢抓住了。
鸽爪想要拉族猫上来，可她脚掌下的地面也在下沉，而冰云悬在洞口的重量对她来说太沉了。渐渐地，她的牙齿再也咬不住冰云的后颈。最后，她只能眼睁睁惊恐地看着雪白色武士掉进那一眼望不到底的黑暗深处。起初她还可以听到冰云发出的惊恐的哀号声，但很快她的声音便被坍塌的泥土淹没了。
第二章
第二章
狮焰使劲撞向荆棘丛。此刻，他多么希望自己的身体能小一些，那样就可以像鸽爪一样，直接钻过去了。他气喘吁吁地在另一侧停下了脚步。鸽爪已经跑过了半个斜坡，趴到了洞口。突然，她身子向后踉跄了一下。狮焰听到一声尖叫，瞥见冰云消失在了地下，视野里只划过一只挣扎着的白色脚掌。
是那些隧道中的一条！狮焰心里一阵慌乱。他想起了他的姐姐冬青叶。恍惚间，他仿佛又看到她不顾他和松鸦羽的提醒，飞奔进隧道里去的情形。而最后，他只能眼睁睁地看着无数的沙石不断地陷落，将她永远埋葬在了地底。
“怎么了？”蛛足喊了一声，将狮焰唤回到现实中。
黑色武士飞奔到鸽爪身旁，后者正呆呆地朝洞里望着。狮焰环顾四周，看到了一片熟悉的金雀花丛和两块大石头中间汩汩而出的泉水。他意识到他们现在身处的斜坡，就是当初冬青叶消失的地方。冰云掉进了同一条隧道！
狮焰腹部一阵翻搅。伟大的星族啊，他们究竟能在下面找到什么啊？
他冲下斜坡跑到洞口，一肩膀把蛛足顶到一旁。鸽爪向后跳开，很显然，她被狮焰脸上可怕的表情给吓坏了。洞里的光线刚好能够让狮焰看清下面的情形。几尾长的深处，冰云正挣扎着从土堆和沙石里往外爬，抖掉皮毛上的泥土。
“快把我拉上去！”她抬头看着狮焰，冲他喊道。
“你有没有受伤？”他问道。
“还好，只是肩膀受了点儿伤。”冰云吐出嘴里的泥土说道，“快把我拉上去。”
狮焰趴在洞口，尽可能地把身子向前倾。他仔细打量着洞里的这个隧道，发现它深入山腹，尽头只能望见一片黑暗，塌陷的泥土和岩石封住了原本在下面的入口。
冬青叶会不会在那下面呢？狮焰心里想着，努力压抑着体内那阵激动的战栗。“蛛足，去找猫来帮忙。”他指挥道。
黑色武士迅速离开，狮焰再次低头凝望着冰云。她蜷缩在那里，周围全是土，雪白色的皮毛乱糟糟的，眼睛也瞪得大大的，满是惊恐。“很快就好。”狮焰向她保证道。
“谢谢你，狮焰。”年轻母猫的声音有些颤抖，“这里真的太暗了。”
“那我把洞口挖大一些，”鸽爪说道，“这样光线就能多照进去一点儿了。”
可是当她刚一开挖，更多的泥土便像雨点般落在冰云的身上。
“别挖了！停下！”冰云哀号道。
“对不起。”鸽爪只好停下来，坐在洞口干等着。
狮焰靠到她耳边悄声说：“除了我，你们都别下去。听懂了吗？”
浅灰色学徒的眼睛惊讶地瞪大了，但她还是点了点头。狮焰轻舒了一口气。他很清楚，如果隧道里真隐藏着什么天大的秘密，那他需要做第一个发现者。他等着蛛足搬来救兵，腹中一阵翻腾。这是许多个月来，他第一次开始担心，他的族猫是否真的相信了他们的那套说辞——过路的泼皮猫杀死了蜡毛，而冬青叶的消失与此无关。
我不想让族群再次回想起那些事情，我得保护冬青叶在他们记忆中的形象！
终于，他听见从灌木丛传来横冲直撞的脚步声。蛛足回来了，后面还跟着云尾、桦落和狐跃。狐跃一个箭步冲到了洞口边缘，趴下身子去看他的同窝手足。
“我们来了！我们马上救你出来！”他大声地鼓励冰云。
冰云抬头向他眨眨眼睛：“快一点儿！”
“我们得找东西把她拉上来，”桦落自言自语道，“最好是根又长又粗的藤蔓。不要黑莓藤，常春藤或者旋花草的那种就行。”
“那棵树上就有常春藤。”云尾甩了甩尾巴，指着一棵树干上爬满绿油油叶子的老橡树。狐跃爬上去，一口咬住一根长长的藤蔓。当他快要咬断的时候，云尾使劲儿一拽，藤蔓就落了下来。他拖着藤蔓跑了回去。
“把它的一头系在那棵小树上，”桦落指挥道，歪了歪耳朵指着洞口的那棵小白蜡树，“然后我们把另一头放下去给冰云。”
狐跃系好藤蔓，把另一头放下去给他的手足。冰云赶紧用牙咬住藤蔓。可是等几只猫刚一开始往上拉，冰云就松开藤蔓，落回到土堆上。
“我太沉了！”冰云喘息着，“我咬不住！”
“那就把藤蔓绑在身上。”狮焰提议道。
冰云试图照做，可是很显然，她那受伤的肩膀动不了。“没有用的！”她的声音变成了哭号，“我要永远被困在这里了！”
“别胡说，”狮焰说道，“我们再想点儿别的办法。”
“我们往下面再填些土石怎么样？”蛛足向下看了看，提议道，“我们可以把土石堆得足够高，这样她就可以爬出来了。”
“这样可能行，”桦落咕哝道，“不过也很可能会把她埋在里面……”
“不，不要！”冰云惊恐的声音从下面传来。
更多的脚步声传来，转移了狮焰的注意力。他转过身，看见松鸦羽和梅花落绕过荆棘丛，然后转头爬上山坡与他们会合。
“我听到蛛足回族群说的话了。”狮焰跑过来时，松鸦羽对他说道。突然，他愣住了。狮焰知道，松鸦羽肯定感觉出了这条隧道跟冬青叶掉下去的是同一条。
狮焰等梅花落也来到洞口和其他猫会合后才开口。“在下面，除了冰云，我什么也看不见。”他低声说，“泥土落在了远比斜坡深的地方。”
“不能再让其他猫下去了！”松鸦羽嘶嘶地说道。
“我知道！”狮焰回了一句。他的肚子又开始翻搅。他走了几步，把松鸦羽领到其他猫跟前。
“我要下去！”狐跃大喊道，“你们可以把我放下去，我把藤蔓绑在冰云身上，然后你们再把她拉上来。”
“不行！”狮焰向前迈了一步，说道，“太危险了，还是我去。”
“什么？”桦落抽动着尾巴，“别鼠脑子了，你太沉了！”
“下面能有什么危险？”狐跃也向前迈了一步，和狮焰争辩道，“下面除了冰云，什么也没有。”
“你懂什么！”狮焰厉声说道。
云尾一直趴在洞口，好奇地打量着下面的隧道。终于，他退了回来，说道：“风族是不是就是用这条隧道来入侵我们的？”
狮焰点了点头，一种熟悉的愧疚感再次在他腹中翻涌，他想起了自己和石楠尾第一次发现这些隧道时的情形。
狐跃惊得倒吸了一口冷气：“伟大的星族啊！那现在下面岂不是还会有风族的武士，在那里伺机攻击冰云！”
云尾转了转眼珠：“哈，说得真对！风族肯定闲得没事干，一辈子都待在下面，就等雷族武士掉下去呢！”
尽管白色武士言语尖刻，狮焰依然感受到了在洞口附近的众猫中蔓延开来的紧张情绪加剧了。冰云的哀叫又从下面传了上来：“快救我出去，求求你们了！”
“让我去！”鸽爪自告奋勇地说道。她目光坚定地望着狮焰，就好像忘了他刚刚说过谁也不准下去。她的眼神似乎在问：不包括我，对吗？
松鸦羽点了点头。“鸽爪去确实比较合适。”他对狮焰轻声说道。
“可她还只是位学徒！”狐跃反对道。狮焰感觉有那么几个心跳的时间里，狐跃恨不得马上亲自跳下去，管这些资深武士同不同意呢！
“我的身体最轻巧，”鸽爪指出，“而且我只需要跳下去，把藤蔓绑在冰云身上而已。”说完，她仿佛这事儿已经决定了一样，转身轻声问狮焰，“还有什么需要我特别注意的吗？”
是的，还有我那死去的姐姐。狮焰艰难地把这句话咽了回去，回答道：“一定睁大眼睛万分小心，这些隧道不是族猫的地盘，所以必须像走在敌对族群的领地上那样严阵以待。”
桦落把藤蔓捆在鸽爪身上，然后和云尾一起把她放了下去。鸽爪一下到洞中便瞪大了眼睛。狮焰低头看见她把藤蔓松开，然后又紧紧地绑在冰云身上。
“好了！”鸽爪大声喊道。
桦落和云尾开始往回拉藤蔓，冰云痛得叫了一声，但很快又忍住了。“对不起，”她咬紧牙关说道，“我的肩膀真的很疼。”
一点一点地，雪白色母猫终于被拉了上来。她刚从洞口上来，狐跃就冲过去用肩膀支撑住了她。“来吧，”他说道，“我们带你回营地，松鸦羽会检查你的身体的。”
“我没事。”冰云咕哝道。可是她的一只前脚掌根本无法着地，而且一喘气就感觉伤口阵阵作痛。她只好倚靠在狐跃身上，朝着营地方向走去。
云尾在另一侧撑着冰云，当他回头望见松鸦羽在原地纹丝不动时，蓝眼睛里闪过惊讶。雷族巫医仍然在洞口边缘弯下身子，伸长脖子好像在那里仔细倾听着什么。
“快来吧，”云尾催促他说，“其他猫会把鸽爪拉上来的。”
松鸦羽犹豫了一下，然后跟着他们离开了。
与此同时，桦落和蛛足已经把藤蔓再次放了下去，准备把鸽爪拉上来。不一会儿，鸽爪挣扎着爬到了洞口边缘。狮焰弯下身去，咬住她的后颈，把她从离洞口一尾远的地方拉了上来。
“谢谢！”鸽爪气喘吁吁地说道，她抖了抖身上的泥土，“那下面太可怕了。”
狮焰非常想问她在隧道里看见了什么，可他知道他什么都不能说，尤其不能在其他猫还在场的时候。何况，如果鸽爪真的看见了那下面有一只死猫的话，那整个石头山谷都能听见她的尖叫的。
“这个洞怎么办？”桦落问道，“我们可不能再让其他猫也掉进去了。”
“这个洞太大了，我们没办法填平。”蛛足评说道，“可如果我们只是把它遮盖起来，万一有猫走到了上面，也还是会掉进去的。”
“要不我们把它围起来吧？”梅花落建议道。
“好主意！”狮焰冲年轻的武士赞许地点点头，“我们现在暂时堆些树枝把它围起来，等以后我们再讨论怎样让它更坚固。”
在他们收集树枝搭建围栏时，狮焰却渴望到洞穴底下看看，想得脚掌都疼了。但他知道这又会招来其他猫的疑问。最后，等围栏搭好了，他不得不跟着其他猫一起离开。爬上山坡的时候，他又依依不舍地回头望了一眼。
鸽爪走在他旁边，狮焰能感觉出她对隧道很好奇，但他还没有想好要告诉她多少。好在走到旧雷鬼路上的时候，鸽爪看到了蛛足，注意力完全被吸引了过去。
“噢，不！”她哀号一声，“我的测评。我搞砸了，是吗？”
“我也不确定，”狮焰实话实说，“你狩猎时的确不在状态，但是你救了冰云一命。你非常勇敢，能不怕危险下到洞里去。”
鸽爪看起来十分沮丧，她又望了蛛足一眼，可是黑色武士离得太远，根本就听不到他们的谈话。狮焰想要安慰她几句，可在跟蛛足商议之前，他却什么都不能对她说。他们刚一进入石头山谷，藤爪就冲过营地跑向鸽爪，在她身前一个立定刹住了脚。
“怎么了？”藤爪问道，“你去哪里了？冰云出什么事了？”说完又补充了一句，“我看见她一瘸一拐地进了松鸦羽的巫医巢穴。”
“她掉进洞里了。”鸽爪答道，然后就把他们如何营救冰云的经过给她讲了一遍。
榛尾也跑过来听，后面还跟着炭心和米莉。亮心和黄蜂条也从武士巢穴里挤了出来，小鼹鼠和小樱桃也跳出了育婴室，罂粟霜追在他们身后。鼠须、莓鼻还有白翅也都凑了过来，挤在后面听着。
“我听说冰云掉进了一条地下河！”黄蜂条叫着，打断了鸽爪的故事，“他们说你也在她后面掉下去了。”
“不对，”白翅纠正他，“桦落说只是掉到洞里了。”
“鸽爪没有掉下去，”狮焰一心维护自己的徒弟，“她是爬下去救冰云了。”
“哇，那真是太勇敢了！”黄蜂条钦佩地看了鸽爪一眼。
“冰云的脊椎可能断了，就像荆棘光那样！”小樱桃气喘吁吁地说道，大眼睛里充满了恐惧。
亮心用尾巴扫了一下她的耳朵：“鼠脑子！她是自己走进松鸦羽的巢穴的。”
鸽爪抖了抖胡须，问道：“你们还想不想知道到底发生了什么？”
“你没能完成测评真是太不走运了。”鸽爪讲完后，黄蜂条说道。
鸽爪的尾巴耷拉了下来，目光焦虑：“我知道，火星可能不会授予我武士名号了。”她抖了抖，转身问藤爪，“你那边怎么样？”说完她又追问道，“和你一组狩猎的是谁？”
“榛尾，”藤爪答道，她两眼放光，“特别棒！我们抓到了两只老鼠。”
“太棒了！”
狮焰能看出来，鸽爪努力地想要为她的姐妹感到高兴，可失落还是如同树枝上的积雪一样沉甸甸地压在她的心头。他刚想上前安慰她几句，却见藤爪凑到姐妹身旁，将口鼻放在鸽爪的肩膀上。
“别担心，”她小声说道，声音轻柔得只有鸽爪和狮焰能听到，“火星知道你对族群有多重要，所以你不需要通过抓松鼠来证明自己。”
鸽爪推开了她。“我想被当成普通的猫来对待一次！”她反驳道。
藤爪瞪着她，一脸的困惑。“可你和我们大家就是不一样的呀！”她指出。
“别说了！”狮焰提醒她俩。他刚刚看到火星从松鸦羽的巫医巢穴里出来了，肯定是去看冰云了。
雷族族长飞奔着穿过空地，跃过挡路的山毛榉树枝，最后爬上落石堆，站到了高石台上。他那火焰般的皮毛闪烁着光芒，在秃叶季寒冷的光线里散发着阵阵暖意。
“所有年龄够大，能自行狩猎的猫到高石台下集合，参加族群会议。”他宣布道。
已经来到空地上的猫面对高石台坐了下来。小鼹鼠和小樱桃则在前面蹦跳嬉戏着，直到罂粟霜用尾巴把他俩拉了过来，让他们安静坐好。黛西和香薇云出现在育婴室入口，紧贴着皮毛并肩坐下。鼠毛从环绕着长老巢穴的山毛榉树枝间探出脑袋，接着朝空地走来，波弟艰难地跟上她的步伐。狐跃迈步走出巫医巢穴，松鸦羽则拨开遮挡巢穴口的黑莓屏风，让荆棘光能够看到外面。沙风、尘毛、云尾还有栗尾全都从武士巢穴里跑了出来，在高石台脚下找了个位置坐好。栗尾抬起一只后脚掌挠着耳朵，似乎是在找虱子。
火星竖起尾巴示意大家安静。“雷族众猫们，”他开口说道，“我想你们都听说了冰云发生的意外。她掉进洞里肩膀脱臼了，但是松鸦羽已经帮她把骨头复位了。”他的声音坚定而有力。狮焰看得出来，在发生了荆棘光那样的意外之后，火星非常理解他的族群在害怕什么。“松鸦羽说她需要休息，”火星继续说道，“她只是有四分之一个月的时间脚掌不能活动而已。”
猫群中传来了安心的议论声，有几只还大声地喊了起来：“松鸦羽！松鸦羽！”
“等一下我会亲自去看看那个洞。”雷族族长继续说道。他明亮的翠绿色眼睛看向狮焰，显然是要让狮焰带他去那里。狮焰点头回应了一下。“同时，尘毛和蕨毛，你们俩最擅长搭建。我想让你们在今天日落之前在那个洞口周围建个更结实的围栏。我们没办法把它填起来，但我们也不想再有其他猫掉进去了。”
“没问题，火星。”尘毛大声回答道，“等蕨毛巡逻回来，我们马上就去。”
“你们俩都不许靠近那个洞口。”罂粟霜警告自己的幼崽，又用尾巴轻拍了下他们的耳朵以示强调。
“就好像我们能出去似的！”小鼹鼠抱怨道，“我们连石头山谷都出不去。”
“这太不公平了！”他的妹妹也附和道。
“把族群召集到一起还有一个原因，”火星继续说道，“今天有两位学徒完成了她们的武士测评。”
猫群里又是一阵兴奋的骚动。藤爪两眼亮晶晶的，但是鸽爪却只是低头盯着自己的脚掌。狮焰的心头闪过一丝担忧，他瞥了蛛足一眼，但黑色武士却面无表情，没有任何回应。
希望蛛足对她不要太严苛。他心里想，后悔自己刚才没赶在集会之前跟蛛足商量一下。
“炭心？”火星摇摇尾巴，示意藤爪的老师讲话。
灰色武士站了起来。“藤爪很努力，”她开口说道，“她的战斗技巧尤为出色，不过她的狩猎本领还有待加强。今天她自己抓住了一只田鼠，只是过程有点儿乱七八糟。她让田鼠跑到了她的下风向，田鼠差点儿逃掉。”炭心说完转向米莉，礼貌地冲她点了点头。“你觉得呢？”她问道。
米莉起身向前迈了一步，站到了炭心身旁。“我赞同炭心的意见。”她说道，“而且藤爪和榛尾一起狩猎的时候，不太好意思发出指令。如果她要带领一支巡逻队的话，她得表现得更像样。”她友善地看了看睁大眼睛满目忧愁的藤爪。“但是藤爪和榛尾的团队协作很好，她们俩抓住了两只老鼠，做得非常漂亮，老鼠一点儿逃跑的机会都没有！”她的声音很温暖，“所以我认为，藤爪够格成为一位雷族武士。我们很幸运拥有她！”
猫群中爆发出阵阵喝彩，鸽爪轻舔了一下姐妹的耳朵。“恭喜。”她咕噜道，“米莉说得没错，你当得起！”
藤爪的眼中闪过一丝轻松。“炭心说起田鼠的时候我好紧张，”她坦承道，“我的表现确实很糟糕。”
“狮焰？”火星再次开口，猫群安静了下来，“鸽爪的表现怎么样？”
狮焰忧心忡忡地站起身，他很想帮自己的学徒，但却无法掩盖她一无所获的事实。“鸽爪是最出色的学徒，”他开口说道，“她非常努力，学得很快。今天她的第一个任务是抓松鼠。她很快就找到了一只，并且迅速追踪过去找好位置，松鼠一点儿也没有觉察到她。”他迅速看了一眼鸽爪，后者仍然没有看他。“但是后来，”他继续说道，“她悄悄往前爬过去的时候，不小心踩到一片树叶。松鼠看到了她，然后就逃到树上去了。”
“如果她再快点儿兴许就能追上松鼠了，”蛛足也站起来说道，“不过既然已经逃到树上去了，也就没有什么抓住它的机会了。”
狮焰瞪着黑色武士。不用说得那么糟糕！
“那她的小组狩猎怎么样？”火星又问道。
“她把自己和冰云的分工安排得不错。”狮焰说道，“她让冰云先躲到灌木丛下，好掩藏那一身白毛，然后她开始把乌鸫赶往冰云藏身的地方。但是后来……”狮焰犹豫了。他意识到接下来的事情听起来一点儿都不好。他不能提鸽爪的特殊力量，也无法解释她为什么突然去追冰云。“接着她肯定是听到什么了，”他继续说道，“然后她就抛下那只乌鸫，冲过荆棘丛去救掉到洞里的冰云，所以乌鸫也飞走了。”
“那就是说鸽爪今天什么也没有捕到？”火星问道。
狮焰摇了摇头，感到皮毛发热：“没有。”即便鸽爪是雷族里最棒的猎手之一，他难过地想，她能否成为一位武士，仅仅取决于她今天的表现。
“连一根羽毛一根胡须都没有。”蛛足证实道，“依我看，她太容易分心了。如果她能集中精力做事，那她早就抓住那只松鼠和那只乌鸫了。”
狮焰在族长的眼睛里看到了与自己同样失望的神情。“既然如此……”火星开口说道。
“等一下，火星，我还没说完，”蛛足打断了他，“鸽爪确实是把狩猎弄得一团糟。但她跑去营救情况危急的族猫，而那会儿她甚至对荆棘丛后面有什么危险一无所知；当我们没法把冰云从洞里拉上来时，她又立刻主动让我们把她放下去帮助冰云，当时谁也不知道下面究竟有什么。”他赞许地看了鸽爪一眼。“这些正是雷族最需要的，”他继续说道，“勇气、忠诚，还有一颗愿为族猫赴汤蹈火的心。所以我认为，不让她成为武士真是太鼠脑子了。”
鸽爪难以置信地瞪着他，族猫们都欢呼着表示赞同。她的眼睛里闪着光芒，因为她知道，从今天开始，她就要成为武士了！藤爪也兴奋得像只幼崽似的，围在她身旁跳来跳去。
火星摆了摆尾巴示意大家安静。“谢谢你，蛛足。”等到大家都平静下来之后，他说道，“雷族会因为我今天命名的这两位武士，而变得更加强大！”他跳下落石堆，站到族群面前，用尾巴示意藤爪向前一步。整个族群都安静下来，等待他们的族长开始武士命名仪式。
火星抬头环视着他的族猫，宣读着古老的誓词，声音清朗。“我，火星，恳请武士祖先俯瞰这位学徒。她已接受过严格的训练，理解了你们崇高的守则，因此，我向你们郑重推荐她成为武士。”他低头看着藤爪，继续说道，“藤爪，你愿意发誓遵守武士守则，保卫族群，即使献出生命也在所不惜吗？”
“我愿意。”藤爪回答道，她的声音激动得颤抖。
冰凉的爪子从狮焰的身上擦过，他突然意识到，藤爪一直都在履行着自己刚刚的誓言。很少有谁能像她那样，每天夜里冒着那样大的风险在梦中和黑森林的猫待在一起。
“那么，凭着星族赋予的权力，”火星继续道，“我将赐予你武士名。藤爪，从现在起，你将被称作藤池。星族将以你的勇气和忠诚为荣，欢迎你成为雷族真正的武士。”说完，火星向前迈了一步，将口鼻抵在藤池的头上。作为回应，藤池舔了一下火星的肩膀。
“藤池！藤池！”整个族群热烈高呼着新武士的名字。欢呼声渐渐安静下来后，藤池退回到尘毛和炭心中间站定。灰色武士将尾巴搭在她曾经的学徒肩上以示祝贺，尘毛则冲她赞许地点点头。
紧接着，火星竖起尾巴示意鸽爪上前。狮焰看着自己的学徒走上前去，在火焰色皮毛的族长面前站定。当火星请求星族俯瞰她的时候，鸽爪目不转睛地看着火星的眼睛。“鸽爪，”他问道，“你愿意发誓遵守武士守则，保卫族群，即使献出生命也在所不惜吗？”
“我愿意。”鸽爪回答道。
狮焰意识到了对他的学徒来说这个誓言的分量。鸽爪已经为族群付出了很多，而成为一位武士，则意味着更多的重担将会压在这只年轻母猫的肩上。他很好奇，不知道火星会选什么词来形容鸽爪的品质。他没法提到她的特殊力量，尤其不能当着整个族群的面。
“那么，凭着星族赋予的权力，”火星继续说道，“我将赐予你武士名。鸽爪，从此刻起你将被称作鸽翅。星族将以你的智慧和进取心为荣，欢迎你成为雷族真正的武士。”
族长再次低头将口鼻抵在新晋武士的头上，而鸽翅也同样舔了一下族长的肩膀。
“鸽翅！鸽翅！”族群再次爆发出热烈的欢呼声。
鸽翅向后退了一步，然后转身跳到狮焰身旁。
“好样的！”他轻声说道，“你是当之无愧的武士！”
鸽翅咕噜着，已经激动得说不出话来，眼睛里闪着光。
当喧闹声安静了下来，火星竖起了尾巴。“我想提醒大家，族群现在已经没有学徒了，”他说道，“所以年轻武士仍需暂时承担学徒的职责。”
“知道啦！”黄蜂条叹了口气，“又要帮长老们捉虱子！”
“我们可以当学徒！”小鼹鼠大喊道，“我们也会很努力的！”
“我相信你们会的，”罂粟霜咕噜道，“不过得等到你们六个月大的时候才行。”
“为什么？”小樱桃问道。
“因为我们都要遵守武士守则，”火星说道，声音里含着一丝打趣，“到时候你们自然就会成为出色的学徒。眼下，各项职责可能执行得比平时慢一些，还请大家保持耐心。另外，每天的巡逻务必保证准时准点。”
“说到这个，我们可以自己捉虱子的，”波弟一边抖了抖身上乱蓬蓬的虎斑皮毛，一边主动说道，“我们年龄是大了，可并不是什么都干不了。”
“谢谢你，波弟。”火星接着朝猫群点了点头，“大会结束。”
族猫们各自散去，狮焰走到了炭心旁边。“祝贺你，”他说道，“我们俩的学徒都成了武士，真是可喜可贺。”
炭心点了点头：“也祝贺你，狮焰。我就知道鸽翅肯定能成为武士的。”
她的语气很是客气，但带着一丝疏远，仿佛她是来自另外一个族群似的。闻着她身上飘来的甜美气息，狮焰的心脏不禁一阵抽痛。
你明明知道我的心意，炭心，为什么就不能接受我呢？
不过，他心里非常清楚炭心为什么会拒绝他。他把预言的事情告诉了她。从那时起，炭心就觉得自己不够特别，配不上他。
对我来说，你是族群里最特别的存在。狮焰恨自己不能向心爱的炭心袒露心声。如果炭心觉得她分散了狮焰作为三力量之一的注意力，她一定会很震惊的。我宁愿自己就是一只普普通通的族群猫，这样就可以和你在一起了。
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 5
Ivypool thought her paws might dropoff as she stumbled into her den and flopped down on her nest of moss and bracken. “I’m glad that’s over! I could sleep for a moon.”
“But it was worth it,” Dovewing mewed as she curled herself around her sister. “We’re warriors!” As Ivypool pressed gratefully into her warm pelt, she added softly, “Don’t go to the Dark Forest tonight. You need to rest.”
I wish I had the choice,Ivypool thought wearily. Didn’t Dovewing understand that she couldn’t control her visits to the Place of No Stars? I’d give anything not to have to wake up there ever again. But she didn’t speak the words aloud. She didn’t want to make Dovewing even more worried about her safety.
Warmed by her sister’s fur, Ivypool drifted into sleep. When she opened her eyes she hoped for a heartbeat that she would see her familiar den around her, with sunlight filtering in through the grasses that overhung the entrance. Instead, she found herself surrounded by the pale, sickly light of the Dark Forest. She was crouching in the shadow of a clump of bracken, the dead gray fronds arching over her head. A narrow path wound through the undergrowth a tail-length in front of her paws.
Ivypool let out a sigh. I should have known
Before she could move, she heard approaching meows and the sound of several cats brushing through undergrowth. Ivypool waited as the first of them burst into the open.
“Did you see the move Thistleclaw taught me?” Breezepelt boasted. “Wait till I get the chance to try it out on one of those ThunderClan mange-pelts!”
“Thistleclaw’s great.” His Clanmate Sunstrike followed Breezepelt into the open, along with a gray-and-white apprentice Ivypool didn’t recognize. “I can’t believe he was ever a ThunderClan cat!”
The WindClan cats raced past Ivypool without noticing her and vanished into the distance. Of course, it’s dawn,she thought. They’re going home. She was about to emerge from the clump of bracken when she heard the paw steps of more cats approaching, and picked up ShadowClan scent.
Tigerheart!
Ivypool stayed in the shadows as Tigerheart skirted a nearby bramble thicket and padded toward her. Ratscar and Applefur were with him. As he drew level, Tigerheart hung back, letting his Clanmates go on without him. He waited, nostrils flaring, until they were out of earshot.
“I can smell you,” he meowed at last. “So there’s no point hiding.”
Ivypool sprang out of the gray bracken clump and faced the tabby warrior. “I wasn’t hiding!” she retorted. “I only just got here.”
“And why are you here now?” Tigerheart asked icily. “Do you think you can avoid me if you come here at a different time? But it’s too late for that,” he went on before Ivypool could reply. “I know the truth about you. What would Dovepaw say if she knew that you were prepared to kill an innocent cat?”
For a heartbeat Ivypool froze at the terrible memory of how Brokenstar had tried to make her kill Flametail, wandering in unexpectedly from StarClan, as proof of her loyalty.
Would I have done it, if Tigerheart hadn’t interrupted?
“I had no choice—” she began.
Tigerheart lashed his tail. “There is alwaysa choice,” he hissed.
Anger pulsed through Ivypool like a fire through dry grass. “You mean, like you had a choice about using my sister to find out about ThunderClan’s store of herbs? No wonder she doesn’t want to see you anymore!”
“I didn’t use her.” Tigerheart’s amber eyes grew shadowed. “But I don’t expect you to believe me.” He spun around and stalked after his Clanmates.
Ivypool watched him until he disappeared around a bend in the path, then turned and padded in the opposite direction. She had covered only a few fox-lengths when she rounded a clump of thornbushes and almost crashed into Thistleclaw.
“How good to see you,” the gray-white warrior purred. “So glad that you decided to join us after all, Ivypaw.”
“My name’s Ivypool,” she retorted with a flash of pride. “I’m a warrior now.”
“Not here, you’re not,” Thistleclaw told her. “Not until I say so.” His voice dripped with sarcasm. “And that won’t be for a long time if you can’t be bothered to turn up on time for practice.”
“I’ve been keeping my vigil.” Ivypool kept her head up, though inwardly her belly fluttered.
“Follow me” was all he replied. Leaving the path, Thistleclaw led her through thick undergrowth until they came to a clearing overhung by gnarled oaks. In the middle of the clearing was a heap of fallen trees, covered by slimy moss. Pale fungus grew on the trunks, seeming to give off its own sickly light.
“Now—” Thistleclaw began.
He was interrupted by the sound of a cat pelting through the bracken; Ivypool picked up WindClan scent a heartbeat before Antpelt burst into view.
“Sorry, Thistleclaw!” he panted. “Onestar sent me on a moonlight patrol. I’ve only just gone to sleep.”
A chill crept through Ivypool’s pelt. Just like her, Antpelt had been awake all night. It was daylight in the waking world, with the pale sun of leaf-bare angling through the trees. But darkness still covered the Dark Forest.
Is it always night here?she wondered.
“I’ve got a new task for you,” Thistleclaw meowed, ignoring Antpelt’s apology. “See these fallen trees? You’re going to attack them, and you”—he swung around to Ivypool, his mottled gray-and-white muzzle a mouse-length from her face—“are going to defend. Antpelt, you’ve won if you can force Ivypool up to the top of the heap.”
Obeying a flick of Thistleclaw’s tail, Ivypool bounded onto the lowest tree trunk. A tingle of anticipation ran through her from ears to tail-tip. She was proud of her battle skills.I’ll show this WindClan warrior what ThunderClan cats are made of!
Antpelt leaped at her, his claws sheathed as if this was a Clan training session. Ivypool reared up, balancing briefly on her hind paws while she batted him over the ears with her forepaws, her own claws sheathed, too. Antpelt took a pace back, then dived at her again, trying to unbalance her by crashing into her side. Ivypool sidestepped neatly and raked a soft paw over his shoulder.
“What? Are you kits?” Thistleclaw snarled. “I said fight!”
Antpelt launched himself at Ivypool again. His claws were out this time and his teeth bared as he leaped on her and tried to grab her by the scruff. Pain clawed at Ivypool’s flank as she swiped at him; he was too close for her blows to count, and as she struggled to free herself Antpelt shoved her up onto the next log.
Thistleclaw let out a hiss. “Is this the sort of warrior ThunderClan is training now?” he jeered.
Furious, Ivypool hurled herself at Antpelt with an earsplitting screech. But as she leaped, her paw slipped on one of the pale patches of fungus and she fell clumsily sideways, the breath driven out of her as she landed on the lowest log. Ivypool braced herself for Antpelt to renew his attack, but when she looked up he had stepped to one side, waiting for her to get up and continue the fight.
Giving him a grateful nod, Ivypool struggled to her paws, but before she could attack again Thistleclaw leaped past her, his teeth bared in a snarl. Antpelt’s eyes stretched wide and he backed away from the furious warrior until he balanced precariously on top of the heap of trunks.
“Coward!” Thistleclaw taunted, lashing at him with one immense forepaw. “Show some courage, can’t you?”
Snarling, Antpelt leaped on the gray-white tom, sinking his teeth into Thistleclaw’s scruff and raking his claws across his shoulder. Thistleclaw threw him off like a dead leaf and pinned him against the logs. Antpelt battered at him with his hind paws, scattering tufts of Thistleclaw’s belly fur.
“That’s better!” Thistleclaw growled. “Nowyou’re fighting like a warrior!”
His powerful claws sank into Antpelt’s shoulders and he shook him like a fox. Ivypool watched in dismay as blood sprang into the WindClan warrior’s fur; the hot reek of it caught in her throat.
“Thistleclaw, that’s enough!” she yowled.
The warrior ignored her. Stretching out his neck he fastened his teeth in Antpelt’s scruff and tossed him down the heap, to land hard on the ground in front of Ivypool.
Antpelt was moving feebly, trying to rise to his paws, only to flop down again with a groan. Horrified, Ivypool crouched beside him, reaching out to part his fur and find out where the blood was coming from.
“Leave him!” Thistleclaw ordered from the top of the heap. “He lost the battle, that’s all.”
“But he’s hurt!” Ivypool protested.
“He’ll mend,” the warrior growled. He began pacing down the trunks toward the two young warriors.
Before he could reach them, Ivypool bent over Antpelt and whispered close to his ear, “Wake up! You’re not really here, you’re in your nest in WindClan.”
Thistleclaw’s paw steps were growing closer.
“Quick!” Ivypool hissed.
Antpelt replied with a whimper. Ivypool stroked her paw across his shoulder and to her relief he let out a long sigh and his eyes closed. As he sank into sleep, his shape quivered, then vanished, leaving nothing behind but a few clots of blood on the grass.
At the same moment, Thistleclaw sprang to the ground, his green eyes blazing with fury. “Coward!” he spat, glaring at the spot where Antpelt had vanished. “Is that why WindClan cats run so fast—so they can flee?”
“I always knew he was fox-hearted.” Ivypool was well aware that she had to agree with Thistleclaw. “Now I haven’t got any cat to practice with.”
“Oh, yes, you have.” Thistleclaw turned his gaze on her and swiped his tongue around his lips as if he was anticipating a particularly juicy piece of prey. “You can fight me.”
Ivypool’s heart began pounding so hard that she thought it would leap out of her jaws. “Okay,” she mewed, trying to sound eager.
Before she could take a breath, the warrior hurled himself at her, carrying her off her paws so that she landed with a thump on the ground, his weight on top of her. His claws lashed at her shoulders. Instinctively, Ivypool went limp. When she felt Thistleclaw relax she wriggled out from under him and aimed a couple of swift blows to his side before she sprang out of range.
Her head was spinning with weariness and her paws felt heavy as stones, but Thistleclaw’s hiss of annoyance gave her strength. As he swung around to attack her again, she crouched down, waiting for him, her tail lashing from side to side. When Thistleclaw leaped, Ivypool slid forward underneath his belly and came up behind him, clawing his hindquarters. His tail lashed across her face and she bit down on it hard, rejoicing to hear his yowl of pain. Yanking his tail free, Thistleclaw spun around on her faster than she would have thought possible. Through blurred, tired vision Ivypool watched him, trying to work out where he would spring. As he launched himself into the air she dodged aside, but he flung out one paw and batted her to the ground. Ivypool let out a screech as they rolled on the grass together, clawing at each other’s fur.
Pushing her head against Thistleclaw’s neck, Ivypool struggled to sink her teeth into his throat. With a grunt of effort he flung her off, and she slammed against the bottom of the log pile. Fighting for breath, Ivypool clawed her way upward, moss and fungus crumbling in her fur, until she stood on the topmost tree trunk.
“I win!” she yowled.
Thistleclaw scrambled to his paws and glared up at her. “The cat on top of the heap loses, mouse-brain,” he spat.
“But you didn’t force me up here,” Ivypool meowed triumphantly. “I climbed up myself. And I’m ready to leap down on you again—so I win!”
“I set the rules—” Thistleclaw began.
“The young one is right.” A growl interrupted him, and the shadowy form of Mapleshade stepped out from behind one of the old oaks. Ivypool wondered how long she had been standing there. “Admit defeat, Thistleclaw. Go lick your wounds.”
Thistleclaw let out a snort of disgust and spun around. As he stalked across the clearing and into the trees Ivypool was delighted to see that he was limping.
Mapleshade padded up to the bottom of the log pile and flicked her ears at Ivypool, a signal for her to descend. “I had my doubts about your loyalty,” Mapleshade rasped as Ivypool joined her. “But I’m starting to change my mind. When the battle comes, you will fight alongside me.”
“When will the battle be?” Ivypool asked, trying to sound eager in the hope that Mapleshade would give her some information she could take back to Jayfeather and Lionblaze.
“Not so fast,” Mapleshade murmured with a glint of approval in her eyes. “You may have beaten Thistleclaw, but you still have more to learn before you can take on the Clans’ most experienced warriors.”
“I just want to be ready,” Ivypool assured her.
“You will be,” Mapleshade promised. “And it won’t be long now….”
To Ivypool’s relief, Mapleshade gave her a nod of farewell and faded away into the trees. Weakened by fighting and loss of sleep, Ivypool slumped to the ground, feeling the Dark Forest fade around her as she closed her eyes.
The dusty tang of dry moss and her sister’s familiar scent tickled her nose. Letting out a long sigh, Ivypool opened her eyes. Dovewing was still asleep, lying close beside her with one paw flung over her belly. Careful not to wake her, Ivypool wriggled out from her sister’s grasp and limped out into the clearing. The sky was gray, but she guessed it must be close to sunhigh. Brackenfur, Sorreltail, and Spiderleg were gossiping beside the fresh-kill pile. Ferncloud was dozing in the entrance to the nursery while just outside the elders’ den Purdy was sitting beside Mousefur; Ivypool guessed the former loner was telling her one of his endless stories.
Brambleclaw emerged from the gorse tunnel with a squirrel dangling from his jaws, followed by Birchfall and Whitewing, both carrying mice. Rosepetal brought up the rear with a vole.
It’s all so peaceful,Ivypool thought.
But her mind was filled with images of the final battle: cats screeching, claws lashing, blood soaking into the earth floor of the hollow, cats lying dead with their pelts ripped off…
Is it up to me to prevent the battle? What if I can’t? Will I really be able to save my Clanmates?
第三章
第三章
“有感觉吗？”松鸦羽用脚掌戳了戳荆棘光的后肢。
“没有，”荆棘光答道，烦躁地动了动肩膀和前肢，“情况还是那么糟，对吗？”
“你肯定能好起来的，”在巫医巢穴里给松鸦羽帮忙的亮心轻轻舔了一下荆棘光的耳朵，温柔地说道，“你一天比一天强壮。”
“是吗？”荆棘光的声音听上去高兴了很多，“冰云，你想不想跟我学一些锻炼方法。”
“现在还不行。”松鸦羽告诉她，看到年轻母猫有点儿失落，他又补充道，“或者过一段时间吧，等冰云的腿和肩膀恢复得好一些。但现在她需要多休息。”
冰云蜷缩在巫医巢穴另一端的窝里，松鸦羽走过去蹲伏在她的身边，伸出脚掌轻抚着她肩上的伤口。“亮心，你看这里，伤口没有肿胀，也没有发烧的迹象。恢复得不错。”他满意地点头说道，“你要是觉得疼就吃颗罂粟籽。”
“不了，我没事。”冰云强调道，“我想快点儿回到岗位上去，我现在应该去狩猎，而不是在这里吃白食。”
“够了。”亮心轻声叱责她，“你介意替荆棘光，或是其他得了白咳症的族猫去狩猎吗？”
“不介意，可是——”
“亮心说得对。”松鸦羽弹了一下尾巴打断了她，“如果我们都不去帮助生病或者受伤的猫，那就和独行猫或者泼皮猫没什么两样了。”
冰云叹了口气：“我明白。可我还是想做点儿什么我能做的，哪怕在这里也行啊。我可以给荆棘光扔苔藓球。”
“好啊！”荆棘光兴奋地扭动了一下身子，“你扔什么我都能接得住！”
“可以，不过得悠着点儿。”亮心提醒冰云，“好好休养，才能尽快回到岗位上去。”
冰云于是开始用爪子把苔藓聚拢成团，松鸦羽退开几步让年轻猫有足够的空间。他在水池边坐了下来。岩壁上滴下涓涓细流，他伸长脖子舔了几滴。
“我很高兴沙风在逐渐恢复，”他对走过来坐在他身边的亮心说道，“不过她的咳嗽还是没好利索，希望新叶季到来时她能彻底康复。”
亮心点点头。“小樱桃已经完全恢复活力了，”她说道，“其他猫也都熬过白咳症最严重的时期了。”
“没错。”松鸦羽站起身来，拱起背伸了个懒腰，接着又坐了下来，尾巴环在脚掌边，“比起最近几个月来的这些病症，我更愿意处理各种跌打损伤。”
“我也是，”亮心由衷地感叹了一句，“至少我们不用担心冰云受伤的肩膀会传染其他的族猫。”
松鸦羽被逗乐了。“我现在只希望新叶季快点儿到来，”他继续说道，“温暖的天气和丰富的猎物，能让族群恢复到最佳战斗力的状态。而且，到时候草药也会多起来，两脚兽巢穴附近的植物也都能长出来了。”他突然想起不得不跟影族交换草药的事情，幽默渐渐消失，咕噜声变成了喉咙深处的一声叹息。
“怎么了？”亮心问道。
“我只是想起为了交换藤爪，哦，我是说藤池，不得不把猫薄荷给影族的事情。”松鸦羽说道，“小云生病我也很难过，但我更不能置我的族猫于不顾。”
现在有些巫医的行为处事让我不大高兴。他心里又加了一句，不愿跟亮心提起其他族群的巫医听从他们祖先的告诫，想要各自为营的事情。他们正和巫医世代以来的行事准则背道而驰。有那么一刻，他也扪心自问，自己是否也会为不想给小云草药而感到愧疚呢。那不一样，他坚定地告诉自己，我必须把我的族猫的健康放在第一位。
近处传来的欢叫声提醒松鸦羽，冰云和荆棘光有点儿玩得兴奋过头了。
“我去看看她们。”亮心说道，尾尖轻抚了一下他的肩膀，“喂，快停下来，你们两个！冰云，你想在这里一直休养到绿叶季吗？”
“可是我们玩得真的很开心啊！”冰云抗议道。
松鸦羽留下亮心去对付这两个病号，自己则走到巫医巢穴入口，在黑莓屏风旁坐了下来。山毛榉树倒下之后，来往的族猫把挡住缝隙的枝条都碰掉了，他再次感受到了拂过脸颊的微风。
这些枝条也该被清干净了。我讨厌每次出入时，脚掌都不知道该往哪儿放！
他抬起头，脸上的胡须轻轻颤动着，感受石头山谷正在发生的事。
太阳落山，暖意渐少，罂粟霜围拢着她的幼崽，把他们赶回了窝里。沙风从武士巢穴出来，攀过落石堆去了火星的巢穴。而在荆棘通道的入口，狮焰和炭心正在指点他们曾经的学徒如何守夜。
此时的营地一片安宁，可松鸦羽脚掌刺痛，跃跃欲试。他很清楚自己想去哪里：他想去看看冰云掉下去的那个洞。他几乎可以感受到脚掌下的这片土地里满是那些失踪的猫，他们没能从隧道里出来成为利爪。
还有岩石！说不定岩石也在那下面！
松鸦羽还记得当他在湖里试图救焰尾的时候，远古猫出现在他身旁并告诉他，他的死期还未到。或许那意味着岩石准备好再次和他交谈了。
“你们要记得保持安静，”狮焰的声音从营地那边飘进松鸦羽的耳朵，“但这并不是说，你们不可以互相帮助。如果你们有谁打盹儿，那么另一个就要把她弄醒。”
“那么，你们出发吧。”炭心说道。
松鸦羽听到两位新晋的年轻武士挤过荆棘通道，炭心则朝着武士巢穴走去。狮焰正要转身去追她，松鸦羽起身跳过去拦住了他。
“带我去那个洞。”他请求道。
“你确定？”
“当然，非常确定。”松鸦羽抽动着尾巴，“要不然我怎么会问你呢，鼠脑子？”
“行行行，”狮焰气呼呼地说道，“你先别急，我带你去就是了。”
“那我们赶紧走吧。”
松鸦羽跟在哥哥身后走进森林，他感觉在石头山谷入口站岗的那两只年轻母猫在好奇地往这边张望，他猜想她们要不是得静静守夜，早就会跑过来问东问西了。
“我们有……嗯……有点儿事情要做。”狮焰冲两位新晋武士悄声说道。
松鸦羽哼了一声。这蹩脚的理由只会让她们更好奇！“我去找点儿巫医用的东西，”他疾声说道，“需要武士陪我一起去。”
可他跟在狮焰后面朝废弃的两脚兽巢穴方向走去时，还是能感觉到母猫们的目光如芒在背。走进灌木丛中后，他这才松了一口气，因为他知道自己终于走出她俩的视线了。但是，等他跟在哥哥后面顺着旧雷鬼路往下走，然后又猛然转了方向爬上山坡的时候，他感觉自己的脚步越来越沉重。往昔的记忆如潮水般涌入他的脑海，他似乎又听见冬青叶逃到隧道里时地下河水在她身后咆哮的声音。
我们没能拦住她。我们试着提醒过她了，可她根本就不听。
松鸦羽正想着，狮焰用身子亲昵地蹭了蹭他的侧腹，把他拉回了现实。“靠我近一点儿，”哥哥低声说道，“这里的地面高低不平，而且还有荆棘丛。”
松鸦羽怀疑狮焰应该不只是领着他穿越复杂地形那么简单，他应该也有着同样的顾虑和回忆。两兄弟并肩靠在一起，心里都感觉到一丝慰藉。不过松鸦羽放弃去想他哥哥心里究竟在想些什么。他再也不想重历那可怕的时刻了。
一次就够了，一次就足以让我这辈子再也忘不掉了。
“我们快到之前的那个洞口了，”过了一会儿，狮焰说道，“至少我觉得应该就是那儿。现在它被树枝给盖住了，再也不会有猫突然掉进去了。”
两只猫又继续向上攀爬了几狐狸身长的距离，松鸦羽感觉脚掌下的地面变得松动起来，他赶紧加快脚步，几乎是跑了起来。
“小心！”狮焰大喊道，眼看松鸦羽就要撞上堆在洞口周围临时搭建起来的树枝围栏，狮焰赶紧把他推开。
“你管好自己就行，”松鸦羽还嘴道，皮毛奓起，重新稳住了身子。他伸出一只脚掌，感觉到树枝像是被挪动过了。“我以为尘毛和蕨毛是要搭建一个结实点儿的围栏。”
“他们已经开始建了。”狮焰说道，“不过他们还没来得及全部完成，所以我们还能钻下去。”
“好。”
“不过我先进去，”狮焰继续说道，“等我检查好了你再下来。”
松鸦羽张开嘴巴想要讽刺几句。我不是幼崽了！用不着你来照顾我！但是他把这些话又都咽回了肚子里，狮焰的声音听上去焦虑而又气恼，松鸦羽猜想他肯定不是因为担心盲眼弟弟，而是因为想起冬青叶了。他听见狮焰稀里哗啦地把临时围栏推开了，就赶紧跟上去，胡须颤动试图确定洞口的位置。
“小心！”狮焰再次提醒他。
“我很小心。”松鸦羽一边抗议，一边在洞口绕来绕去，估量着洞口的大小。他大喊一声，然后伸出脑袋仔细聆听从下面传上来的回音。“洞很深，”他自言自语道，“难怪冰云会爬不上来。”他两耳前倾，想听听地下湍急的水声，可是今天却什么也听不到。肯定是水位下降了。
“我得下去，进到隧道里。”松鸦羽大声说道。
他听见哥哥妥协地叹了一口气。“我看你就是个彻头彻尾的鼠脑子。”他的声音含着一丝怒意，还有恐惧——他们不知道如果他查过头了会发现什么。
“难道你不想知道真相吗？”松鸦羽问道。
“什么真相？”狮焰反问他，“这个秘密被我们藏到了现在，而它也可以被永远尘封。冬青叶也已经走了，而我们都知道，这样才是最好的处理方式。为什么还要再揭开伤疤追查到底呢？”
松鸦羽把尾巴放在哥哥的肩膀上。“自从族群来到这里，山下面的这些洞里就没什么秘密可言了。”他说道，“这下面什么也藏不住的——什么也藏不住。”
松鸦羽感觉自己似乎隐隐约约听到下方的洞穴深处传来落叶那微弱的声音。他失败了，没能成为一名利爪被永远困在了这些隧道里。
“帮帮我！帮我找到路出去！”洞里回荡着远古猫的喊声。
狮焰重重地叹了一口气。“想去就去吧。但如果你坚持要去，我跟你一起去。”他站到松鸦羽身旁，这样他能够看到隧道里面。“洞太深了，不能直接跳下去，”他看了一会儿说道，“否则，我们会像冰云一样摔断肩膀的。”
“那就用把冰云和鸽翅拉上来的那根藤蔓怎么样？”松鸦羽建议道。他知道狮焰说得对，可他却已经有点儿迫不及待了。“那根藤蔓还在吗？”
“在，”狮焰答道，“可它可承受不住你的重量，更不用说我了。我们得想别的办法。”
说完狮焰跃过围栏，松鸦羽听到他跳下时围栏的树枝互相碰撞发出的响动。他沮丧地刨着洞口边上松散的泥土。如果他再不麻利点儿，我就自己跳下去！
不过很快他就听到了哥哥回来的声音，像是还拖着什么沉重的东西。他用力将它拖过围栏的残留部分，把它重重地放在松鸦羽身边。
“我找到一根断枝，”狮焰喘着粗气说道，“我们可以把一端放下去，然后再像爬下树一样顺着树枝爬下去。”
松鸦羽在一旁等着，听着哥哥在洞口一点点试着把树枝放下去，他的心却躁动得早就飞了出去。终于，狮焰满意地大喊了一声：“好了。我先下去看看是否安全。”
“嘎吱嘎吱”的声音让松鸦羽意识到狮焰开始往下爬了，他的爪子深深插入松软的地面，感觉自己紧张得皮毛都要竖起来了。
“我下来了！”狮焰的声音从下面传来，“你也下来吧，树枝就在离你大概一尾远的地方。”
松鸦羽摸索着前行，他讨厌这种情形下自己的无助感，换成其他猫，至少可以看见前方有什么样的危险在等着他们。
谁让你自己想来呢，鼠脑子！赶紧吧！
当摸到树枝的一端时，松鸦羽赶紧用爪子牢牢地抓住它，然后开始笨拙地往下爬。枯叶划过他的皮毛，树枝也因他的重量而不时晃动。慢慢地，他尾巴朝下开始倒着往下爬。
“就是这样！你做得棒极了！”狮焰喊道。
让松鸦羽感到轻松的是，越往下爬树枝变得越粗，树枝上的疙瘩让他的脚掌有了支撑点，也让他充满了信心。他开始爬得越来越快，直到有个枝杈在旁边扎了他一下，让他失去平衡。他嚎了一声。
“你还好吗？”狮焰问道。
“不好！你弄的树枝快把我的皮毛扯下来了！”稳了稳身子，松鸦羽又开始往下爬，直到他听见狮焰喊道，“快到头了，你现在可以跳下来了。”
松鸦羽推开树枝一下子跳了下去，笨拙地落在一堆松软的泥土上。他摇摇晃晃站起身，气喘吁吁地说了一声：“成功了！”
“我不知道这是不是个好主意，”狮焰咕哝道，“这里实在是太黑了。”
我觉得这对我没什么影响，松鸦羽心想，瞎子在黑暗里一样活动自如。
阴冷、陈腐的空气席卷他全身，仿佛还夹杂着曾在此停留过的远古猫们的喃喃低语以及过去那些支离破碎的回忆片段，松鸦羽的脚掌隐隐作痛，渴望探索藏在隧道深处更多的秘密。“我们走。”他说道。
“等等。”松鸦羽突然听到石头刮擦的声音，紧接着他就意识到，狮焰是在搬动之前堵在隧道入口处的石头，“你在做什么？”
“把上次掉下来的石头搬开，”狮焰喊道，“既然我们下来了，就进去看看。”
但你真的想知道那些有可能被你发现的事情吗？松鸦羽没有大声说出自己的疑问。他很清楚，一旦哥哥打定了主意，任谁都拦不住。于是，他蹲在狮焰旁边，用爪子把堵在那里的土石扒开。尖利的石头划破了他的脚掌，过了一会儿，他的腿也开始累得酸痛起来，他听到身旁的狮焰也喘着粗气。
感觉我们像要把整座山都挖开了！
松鸦羽时时刻刻都在渴望着他的脚掌能再次触及冬青叶那柔软的皮毛。他脑海里回忆着所有腐烂的鸦食可能的气味，但却只闻到了泥土、水和石头的气息。他停下扒拉土石的动作，张着嘴更加仔细地品尝着周围的空气，但是却连一丝姐姐的气息都没有闻到。
狮焰将一块大石头推到一旁，停了下来。“我发现东西了。”他说道。
“什么？是不是……”
“不是，”狮焰的声音听上去有点儿紧张，“只是一簇皮毛——黑色的皮毛。”
“是冬青叶的……”松鸦羽惊呼一声。
“她应该是被滚石给砸到了。”
“可她不在这里。”松鸦羽努力想让自己的声音保持镇定，“如果击中她的是这些石头，那她是不会被困住的。”他把意识释放到更远的地方，但是却只能听到远古猫模糊的低语声。可即便他们知道冬青叶的下落，也不会与他分享的。
“你知道这意味着什么，对吗？”狮焰附在松鸦羽的耳边说道，“冬青叶还活着！”
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER6
Dovewing sat outside the apprentices’ den,giving herself a quick grooming while her Clanmates milled around her, waiting to leave for the Gathering. The last of the daylight was fading from the stone hollow, and already the full moon was rising in the sky. Craning to reach the fur on the back of her neck, Dovewing tried to stifle her feelings of apprehension. I’d be happier to go to this Gathering if Ivypool were with me
But Ivypool was still recovering from the injuries she had received in the Dark Forest several days ago, just after they became warriors. Dovewing had been shocked to see the state her sister was in when she woke, with deep scratches on her sides and shoulders and her fur clotted with blood. The wounds had been bad enough for Dovewing to call Jayfeather. He had treated Ivypool with cobwebs and horsetail, and invented a story about her falling into a bramble thicket to explain her injuries to her Clanmates.
Remembering how Icecloud had fallen into the hole, Mousefur had spent some time muttering about clumsy youngsters, but Ivypool had endured it silently. She had refused to tell any cat, even Dovewing, exactly how she came by her injuries.
Worry for her littermate prickled right through Dovewing’s pelt. With no sign that the Clan would be leaving soon, she slid back into her den. Ivypool was curled up in her nest; she raised her head as Dovewing entered, her eyes deep pools of weariness.
“Promise me you won’t go to the Dark Forest tonight,” Dovewing begged.
“I don’t have any choice,” Ivypool replied with a stubborn shake of her head. “And even if I did, I have to go because we don’t know enough about the battle yet.”
“But—” Dovewing broke off in frustration, wishing that her sister would confide in her like she used to. Is she still unhappy with me because I kept my powers a secret from her?“I’m worried about you, that’s all.”
“I’ll be fine,” Ivypool meowed with a hint of pride in her voice. “I can cope.”
Dovewing had to fight a twinge of jealousy. Does she think she’s better than me because she’s doing this for our Clan? “Ivypool, I just want—” she began.
“There you are, Dovewing!” Brambleclaw’s voice interrupted her; Dovewing turned to see the ThunderClan deputy peering through the grass that masked the entrance to the den. “Come on, we’re ready to leave.”
“Sorry,” Dovewing mewed. “See you later, Ivypool.” Scrambling out of the den, she raced across to the thorn barrier, where her Clanmates were waiting to file through the tunnel.
“Hi, Dovewing,” Hazeltail greeted her. “Is Ivypool okay?”
“She’s fine,” Dovewing replied.
She spotted Cinderheart heading her way, a worried expression on her face, and guessed that she wanted to ask about her former apprentice. But there was no time to talk; Cinderheart had to turn and plunge into the tunnel, and Dovewing followed her.
Firestar set a brisk pace through the forest. The moon cast shadows over their path, and frost glittered on every blade of grass and frond of bracken. Dovewing gasped when she broke out of the trees and stood at the top of the slope that led down to the lake. The moon traced a path of molten silver from one side to the other. Ripples washed softly against the pebbled shore.
Following her Clanmates, she raced along the water’s edge, splashing through the stream on the WindClan border and heading for the horseplace. She thought back to the shimmering covering of ice, broken by the jagged cracks that had swallowed Flametail. Before that, the lake had been a stretch of drying mud, dotted by dwindling pools where fish flapped and thirsty cats gathered for the last drops of water.
Nothing stays the same,Dovewing realized. Nothing except the prophecy, and that’s no clearer than it ever was
“Hey, Dovewing!” Foxleap’s voice broke into her thoughts. “Race you to the tree-bridge!”
Thrusting aside her worries, Dovewing sprinted after him, catching up as they crossed the RiverClan scent markings. Panting, they drew to a halt at the end of the tree-bridge, ahead of all the rest of the Clan.
“You’re fast!” Foxleap panted admiringly.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” Dovewing replied, giving him a flick on the shoulder with her tail.
The rest of the Clan reached them, and Firestar leaped onto the tree-bridge to lead the way over to the island. Sending out her senses, Dovewing realized that the three other Clans were already there. She picked up a strong feeling of uneasiness; her paws prickled with it as she padded along the fallen tree trunk and ran across the shore to push her way through the bushes that encircled the Great Oak.
In the clearing, the cats from the other Clans were milling around restlessly; Dovewing realized they were still in their Clan groups, rather than gossiping with other Clans as they usually did at Gatherings. When ThunderClan appeared, she felt a wave of hostility from the ShadowClan cats. One or two of them stretched out their necks to let out furious hisses, or pointedly turned their backs.
Dovewing couldn’t help looking for Tigerheart, and spotted him in the shade of a holly bush. His amber gaze met hers, and at once she looked away, heat washing through her pelt. She could never forgive the tabby tom for using her to get at Jayfeather’s supply of herbs. He turned me into a spy for ShadowClan!
But Dovewing couldn’t forget the time she and Tigerheart had spent together, playing in the old Twoleg nest at the edge of ShadowClan’s territory. Their moonlight meetings had been more important to her than anything else.
“Dovewing?” She turned at the soft touch of a tail-tip on her shoulder, and turned to see Bumblestripe. “Don’t let those ShadowClan cats upset you,” the young tom went on. “They’re all fox-hearts!”
Dovewing murmured agreement. When Bumblestripe angled his ears toward their own Clanmates, she let him lead her into their midst, though she couldn’t resist a last glance back at Tigerheart. He was deep in conversation with a RiverClan cat she hadn’t seen before.
Probably another Dark Forest warrior,she guessed with a shudder. How could I ever have trusted Tigerheart? He is Tigerstar’s kin, after all. And every cat knows how evil Tigerstar was!
Then guilt gusted over her as she remembered that Brambleclaw was Tigerstar’s kin, too. And Brambleclaw isn’t evil! He’s ThunderClan’s loyal deputy!
By now all four leaders had taken their places in the Great Oak. Firestar was balancing in the fork of a branch, with Mistystar crouched on the branch below. Onestar sat on a higher branch, his tail hanging down. At first Dovewing couldn’t see Blackstar at all, until she finally spotted him in a clump of dead oak leaves that clung to the bough, casting dappled shadows on his white pelt; his eyes gleamed, glaring down into the clearing.
Dovewing sat beside Bumblestripe, shivering in the chill, damp air, as Onestar called the Gathering to order.
“Prey is running well in spite of the cold weather,” he reported. “And Whiskernose has been made a warrior.”
“Whiskernose! Whiskernose!” WindClan welcomed the young tom, who ducked his head, looking pleased and embarrassed.
Dovewing joined in, though she noticed that not many cats from other Clans were doing the same. Gatherings should be a time for the Clans to be at peace with one another. What is happening to us?
Onestar sat down again, his gaze raking across the cats as if he was asking himself the same question. Blackstar emerged from his clump of leaves. He surveyed the cats below him in silence before he spoke. “Our medicine cat Littlecloud had a brief attack of whitecough,” he announced. “But he is now as strong as ever, and so is ShadowClan.” He closed his jaws with a snap and retreated.
“Huh—brief attack of whitecough!” Dovewing muttered. “Littlecloud was dying, and all ThunderClan knows it. Would it have hurt too much for Blackstar to thank us?”
Bumblestripe blinked at her. “That’s ShadowClan for you.”
Mistystar rose to her paws. “RiverClan is happy to see the ice gone from the lake,” she meowed. “It’s good to catch fish again. And our Clan has welcomed two new warriors this past moon: Rushtail and Troutstream.”
“Rushtail! Troutstream!” More cats from the other Clans joined in this time, as if they were beginning to relax. Or perhaps, Dovewing reflected as she joined her yowls to theirs, Mistystar’s confident and friendly manner had begun to win them over. The RiverClan leader had always been willing to work with other Clans.
“Also,” Mistystar went on when the noise had died down, “a badger was seen in our territory, but Reedwhisker tracked it with Robinwing and Petalfur, until it went away.”
“Which way?” Ashfoot, the WindClan deputy, called out. “Do we need to watch out for it?”
“I don’t think so,” Mistystar replied. “It went out past the horseplace, heading for the hills. If I’d thought there was danger,” she added politely, “I would have sent a message.”
Mistystar finished her report with a nod to Firestar. Dovewing admired his well-muscled body and sleek flame-colored pelt as he stood on the branch. “ThunderClan has good news, too,” he meowed. “A few sunrises ago I named two new warriors: Dovewing and Ivypool.”
Dovewing felt warm with pride as the Clans called out her name and her sister’s. I wish Ivypool were here to share this
“Hey, where’s Ivypool?” Sedgewhisker of WindClan asked as the cats fell silent again.
“Yeah, she should be here for her first Gathering as a warrior,” Mallownose of RiverClan added.
“Ivypool had an accident,” Firestar mewed, before Dovewing could speak. “She had a quarrel with a bramble thicket while she was out hunting. But our medicine cat has treated her scratches, and she’ll be back on patrol soon. She’ll be here for the next Gathering.” There were a few murmurs of sympathy.
Dovewing jumped when Bumblestripe nudged her. “Look at the medicine cats!” he whispered. “They look really uncomfortable. Do you think they’ve had an argument?”
Dovewing realized that he was right. While the other cats were beginning to mingle, the medicine cats were keeping strictly to their own Clans. Mothwing and Willowshine were talking quietly together, while Littlecloud was staying close to Blackstar, and Kestrelflight crouched under a thornbush, his eyes narrowed as if he was giving the whole Gathering a suspicious glare. Jayfeather sat near the roots of the Great Oak, his tail wrapped around his paws.
“I bet it’s Jayfeather’s fault,” Dovewing whispered to her Clanmate, half joking. “He’s so prickly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s upset all the others!”
But a small worm of apprehension nagged in her belly. Medicine cats don’t have the same Clan boundaries that we do. What’s gone wrong?
Looking around, she saw Tornear and Webfoot from WindClan sharing tongues with Tallpoppy from ShadowClan, and wondered if the elders were discussing the Great Journey, which seemed to be their favorite subject when they met at Gatherings. Two or three apprentices had started a mock fight at one side of the clearing. Sedgewhisker and Petalfur were deep in conversation, maybe sharing memories of the battle against the beavers. Dovewing’s sense of uneasiness faded.
“Hey, Bumblestripe!” Grasspelt, a young RiverClan tom, bounced up. “What’s happened to Briarlight? I haven’t seen her at a Gathering for moons!”
Bumblestripe looked startled. Firestar had never announced Briarlight’s injuries at a Gathering; Dovewing guessed he thought it would make her, and ThunderClan, seem vulnerable. And this wasn’t the right time to pass on the news to other Clans.
“Oh, you know,” she jumped in, saving Bumblestripe from having to reply. “She’s fine, but she’s busy, like the rest of us.”
Grasspelt blinked. “Okay,” he meowed, sounding disappointed, and headed off toward his own Clan.
Bumblestripe let out a long sigh as he watched the young tom pad away. “Thanks,” he murmured to Dovewing.
Dovewing shrugged. “I was only telling the truth.”
Bumblestripe’s eyes widened. “You know you weren’t.”
Dovewing could hear the pain in his voice. She reached out with her tail and touched him gently on the shoulder. “It must be hard for you, to see your sister injured like that.”
“You don’t know what it’s like.” Bumblestripe bowed his head.
“Oh, yes, I do.” Dovewing was thinking of Ivypool. I worry about my sister, too
“I try not to feel sorry for Briarlight,” Bumblestripe went on. “I know that’s the last thing she’d want. But I dofeel sorry for her. Even though I’m really proud of her for fighting on when she knows there’s no hope that she’ll ever walk again.”
“I’m sure Briarlight would understand,” Dovewing responded awkwardly, wishing there was something more she could say to ease her Clanmate’s grief. “She’s lucky to have such a great littermate.”
Bumblestripe blinked, his eyes shining. “Thanks, Dovewing.”
Mintfur and Robinwing from RiverClan padded up, dipping their heads as they approached. “How’s the prey running in ThunderClan?” Mintfur inquired.
Dovewing stepped back a pace as Bumblestripe replied, and glanced around the clearing at the groups of cats. I’m not looking for Tigerheart. Not at all!Heading for the island’s dirtplace, she found herself close to a thornbush where Webfoot and Tornear were sharing tongues with Tallpoppy.
“…never seen wounds like them, outside a battle,” Webfoot was meowing.
“Poor Antpelt,” Tallpoppy murmured. “I met him at the last Gathering, and he seemed such a promising young cat. How did he come to be hurt?”
Tornear shook his head. “No cat knows, and Antpelt isn’t fit to tell us. It must have been a dog, though. The bites aren’t healing, and he’s very sick.”
Webfoot’s voice was hushed as he added, “Kestrelflight doesn’t expect him to pull through.”
Poor WindClan,Dovewing thought sympathetically. I’m glad we don’t see many dogs in ThunderClan territory
Their voices died away behind her as she pushed through the bushes to the dirtplace. As she finished making her dirt and scratched earth over it, she heard Brambleclaw’s yowl.
“ThunderClan! It’s time to leave.”
Heading out through the bushes, Dovewing spotted a shadow across her path; as she drew closer Tigerheart stepped forward to cut her off.
“We need to talk,” he meowed.
“We have nothing left to say to each other,” Dovewing hissed.
“Please!” Tigerheart’s amber eyes were wide and distressed. “I didn’t use you, I promise I didn’t. Okay, I told Blackstar about Jayfeather’s herbs, but that doesn’t change how I felt about you.” He paused and added in a lower voice, “How I still feel about you.”
Dovewing worked her front claws into the ground. Agitation prickled beneath her pelt, a terrible temptation to give in to Tigerheart and believe what he was telling her. “We can’t talk about this now,” she replied defensively. “Not when any cat could hear us.”
“Then meet me in the usual place,” Tigerheart urged her.
“No. Tigerheart, I don’t have any feelings left for you.” Dovewing’s heart was heavy as she lied.
Anger glowed in the ShadowClan tom’s eyes. “Has your sister been saying things about me?”
Shock crackled through Dovewing. “Like what?”
“Never mind. But maybe you don’t know your sister as well as you think you do.”
Dovewing stared at him. He can’t mean that Ivypool is training in the Dark Forest. Tigerheart knows I know
Suddenly Tigerheart drew closer to her, so that his familiar scent flooded over her. “Ivypool isn’t the cat you think she is,” he murmured.
And I’m not the cat you think I am. Dovewing wanted to speak the words aloud, but somehow Tigerheart’s gentleness frightened her. It’s as if he’s sorry for me, and wants to help me!
To her relief, another yowl from Brambleclaw broke into their conversation, calling the ThunderClan cats together.
“I have to go,” Dovewing mewed. “And I don’t want to listen to another word from you.”
Tigerheart didn’t protest, just dipped his head as she stalked away. But even though she had escaped from him, Dovewing felt as though she had left half of herself behind.
Why can’t I get him out of my fur?
On the way back from the Gathering Dovewing noticed that Bumblestripe was padding alongside her, a bit closer than usual. But Tigerheart’s scent still wreathed around her; she still seemed to see his amber eyes gazing into hers, and hear the warmth of his meow.
She jumped when she realized that Bumblestripe was saying something. “What?” she snapped.
Bumblestripe blinked. “I—I only said I hope Ivypool can be with us next time.”
“Sorry.” Dovewing tried to push Tigerheart to the back of her mind. “I didn’t mean to sound sharp. I guess I’m just tired.”
Bumblestripe nodded. “Me too.”
He quickened his pace until he caught up to Berrynose and Mousewhisker. Dovewing padded along in silence for a few moments, until she realized that Blossomfall had taken her brother’s place at her side.
“You know, you’ve stolen my brother’s heart,” the young tortoiseshell warrior murmured. Her tone was teasing, but the gaze she turned on Dovewing was serious.
It sounded as if there was a warning in her words. “Bumblestripe? You’re not serious!” When Blossomfall didn’t reply, Dovewing added, “Honestly, I’m sure he doesn’t think of me like that.”
To her relief, Blossomfall seemed to accept what she said. “It’s great that you’re a warrior now,” she went on. “We can go on patrol together, and all sorts of stuff!” Her eyes widened, reflecting the moonlight. “I don’t know how loners and rogues manage on their own, do you, Dovewing?”
“No, being a warrior is great,” Dovewing replied, but her heart wasn’t in her words. She wished that she could feel the same enthusiasm as Blossomfall.
What was Tigerheart trying to tell me? What could Ivypool be hiding?
Even before Dovewing slid into her den, she could hear her sister whimpering. Ivypool was twitching in her nest of bracken, her tail lashing from side to side. Dovewing crouched into the nest beside her and gave her shoulder a gentle shake.
“Hey, Ivypool, wake up!”
Ivypool started, blinked, then scrambled to her feet, her eyes wide and her claws out. “What? What is it?”
“It’s okay,” Dovewing murmured, though anxiety prickled every hair on her pelt. “It’s only me. Were you in the Dark Forest again?”
Ivypool shook her head. “No, just dreaming.” She sat down in her nest and started to groom her fur. “How was the Gathering?”
Dovewing shrugged. “You didn’t miss much. None of the leaders had anything unusual to report.”
“Firestar must have announced that we’re warriors now,” Ivypool meowed.
“He did! And lots of cats were sorry you couldn’t be there. WindClan and RiverClan have new warriors, too,” Dovewing reported. “Oh, and I think WindClan must be having trouble with dogs. Onestar didn’t announce it, but I overheard a couple of their elders saying that a dog had savaged Antpelt.”
“Antpelt!” Ivypool froze. “What else did they say?”
Dovewing blinked. Oh, StarClan, don’t tell me she’s in love with a WindClan warrior!
“Tell me!” Ivypool insisted.
“I wasn’t paying much attention,” Dovewing admitted. “They weren’t talking to me. They said…Antpelt was wounded too badly to tell them what happened, and Kestrelflight didn’t think he would pull through.”
“Oh, no!” Ivypool let out a horrified wail. “It’s all my fault!”
“What do you mean?” But even as she asked the question Dovewing was beginning to understand. “This has something to do with the Dark Forest, doesn’t it?”
Ivypool nodded. Her claws worked in the bracken of her nest for a couple of heartbeats before she began to speak. “Thistleclaw was training Antpelt and me,” she meowed quietly. “We were fighting like you and I would—practicing the moves, but not trying to hurt each other. When I slipped, Antpelt waited for me to get up.” She swallowed. “But that made Thistleclaw call Antpelt a coward, and he went on mocking him and WindClan until Antpelt attacked him. Thistleclaw just shreddedhim. I think he would have killed him, but I told Antpelt to wake up and he vanished back to WindClan.”
“Then it wasn’tyour fault,” Dovewing declared. She was trying to suppress the horror she felt, but shivers ran through her as if she had just been dunked in icy water. “Ivypool, you’re in real danger,” she mewed. “You have to tell Lionblaze and Jayfeather that you can’t spy for them anymore.”
“I’m not giving up now!” Ivypool protested. “I’m so close to finding out when the battle will be. Mapleshade—she’s a really old Dark Forest cat, and all the others seem afraid of her, even Tigerstar—well, Mapleshade is taking a special interest in me. She trusts me now, and I’m so close to the truth!”
Dovewing thought that Mapleshade sounded like the last cat she would want to take an interest in her. Instead, she murmured, “I won’t say anything yet, I promise. Why don’t you get some more sleep? It won’t be dawn for a while.”
Ivypool stretched her jaws in an enormous yawn. “I think I will.” She curled up in the bracken and closed her eyes; soon her regular breathing told Dovewing that she was asleep.
Lying beside her sister, Dovewing couldn’t rest. Her sister’s story, and the discovery that yet another warrior was being trained in the Dark Forest, buzzed in her head like a swarm of bees. Any cat at the Gathering could have allegiance to the Dark Forest.
Even some of our Clanmates…
Sighing, Dovewing wondered if she would be certain about anything ever again.
第四章
第四章
有那么一瞬间，喜悦冲刷着松鸦羽全身。姐姐还活着！他仿佛一下子回到了过去。那时候他们还都是育婴室里的幼崽，以为松鼠飞就是他们的母亲，根本就没想到将来有一天，蜡毛会给他们平静安宁的生活带来威胁。
但现实很快又让他清醒了过来。“我们现在还不确定，”他争辩道，“冬青叶有可能受了重伤，爬到隧道的别处死掉了，也可能她没找到出口。”
“没错，”狮焰的声音听上去很是悲伤，“我们都很清楚，想要活着出来几乎是不可能的，尤其是风族还封住了他们领地上的入口。”
“而且，即便她活着逃了出来，她能去哪儿呢？”松鸦羽试图想象姐姐爬出隧道，抖掉身上的泥土，说不定还坐下来清理了身上的伤口。可她接下来能做些什么呢？雷族她是回不去了。即便蜡毛之死的真相永远不被发现，冬青叶也因为发现叶池就是她的母亲，而她的父亲是风族的鸦羽而伤透了心。她肯定无法忍受被一直以来信任的猫所欺骗，而这迫使她不得不放弃曾经想要成为一位忠诚的雷族武士的希望。
“她不会再回族群了。”他呢喃道。
“不过她狩猎和战斗本领都很强，足够保护自己的。”狮焰说道，“或许她已经在别处安顿了下来，成了独行猫。”
松鸦羽摇了摇头。“她把族群，还有武士守则看得比什么都重要。”不过，他心里又加了一句，如果她还活着，我怎么也应该会嗅到她的一丝味道吧，应该会的。
“好了，”狮焰催促他，“我们得进隧道去看看里面到底是怎么回事。”
可松鸦羽有些犹豫。远古猫的低语声越来越大，他感觉自己听到了愈发狂乱的脚步声：落叶一刻不停地在寻找着出口，想要出来成为一名利爪。松鸦羽回想起了自己当初来到隧道里时，远古猫们正计划着离开家园，迁徙到远处山区的石洞里去。犹豫未决之时，正是松鸦羽的建议让他们最终决定离开湖区。
见到落叶我要说些什么呢？他知道他的族群是因为我的原因才抛弃了他吗？
“你还在等什么？”狮焰催促道。他已经站在了隧道入口，松鸦羽只好不情愿地迈步走向他。这时，一大滴雨点落到了他头上，他停了下来。
“下雨了，”他说道，“我们现在不能进去，太危险了，河水会暴涨的。”
“老鼠屎！”狮焰怒吼一声。
松鸦羽心里稍感愧疚，可他心里并不像哥哥那样气恼，反而舒了一口气。狮焰跟在他后面，两只猫顺着树枝往上爬时，雨下得越来越大。等爬出洞口，两只猫浑身早已被滂沱大雨浇透了。
松鸦羽瑟瑟发抖地站在那里，听着狮焰哼哧哼哧地把树枝全部推进了洞里。“这样，”狮焰气喘吁吁地说道，“就不会有谁再掉进去了。尘毛和蕨毛明早就能把围栏建好。”
松鸦羽跟着哥哥往营地返。一路上，他们蹚着泥泞，大雨打在脸上，穿过湿漉漉像鞭子一样抽打在身上的灌木丛。当他们到达石头山谷入口时，松鸦羽注意到藤池和鸽翅挤在荆棘屏障的阴影里，还在站岗。两只猫都没注意到一闪而过朝各自巢穴奔去的两只公猫。
“这事儿我们以后再说。”分开时，狮焰对松鸦羽说道。
松鸦羽微微点了下头。爬下洞去寻找冬青叶，回营地时又被浇了个透心凉，这一趟下来让他心力交瘁。
松鸦羽刚穿过遮挡巢穴口的黑莓屏风，摇摇晃晃朝他的窝走去时，荆棘光坐了起来。“你去哪里了？”她问道。
“出去了。”松鸦羽坦白道。他突然意识到只在巢穴里闻到一只猫的气息，便问道：“冰云去哪里了？”
“她回武士巢穴了，说在那里也可以休养。”
松鸦羽耸耸肩膀，他太累了，懒得去说自以为比巫医懂得还多的武士了。还是明早再去检查一下冰云的情况吧。
“你浑身都湿透了，还溅了一身泥！”荆棘光惊呼道。
是啊，而且爪子还很尖利呢！那么明显还用你说？
“我没事。”松鸦羽大声说道。
“怎么会没事呢，”荆棘光坚持道，“你看你全身湿得像落水的老鼠，而且困得站着就能睡着。过来让我帮你清理一下吧。”看松鸦羽没有说话，她又俏皮地加了一句：“我保证不打听你刚才去哪儿了。”
松鸦羽累得不想争辩。他走到荆棘光的窝跟前，扑通一下倒在了她身旁。不一会儿，他就感到荆棘光用舌头一下一下有节奏地舔他的肩膀。一开始，她的照顾让他有些不好意思，但这感觉令他放松得昏昏欲睡，心里不禁在想母亲是否也这样舔过他。
可是是哪个母亲呢，叶池还是松鼠飞？
他仿佛看到一张脸正注视着他。起初他以为是叶池，可那张脸渐渐模糊又变成了松鼠飞，最后变成了冬青叶，正用她那亮晶晶的绿色双眸凝望着他。松鸦羽一个激灵清醒了过来。他半坐起来。身上的皮毛已经干了，全身暖暖的很舒服。
“你还好吗？”荆棘光焦急的声音把他拉回了现实。
“我没事。”松鸦羽叹了口气。此时此刻，他突然希望能找只猫说说话：不是星族猫，而是像狮焰和炭心那样的朋友，可荆棘光却不是他心里想要的那只猫。
“你为族群做了那么多，还要保守星族的秘密，肯定很艰难吧？”她低语道。
星族的秘密可比我们自己的秘密简单得多！
“我是巫医，这些都是我应该做的。”他回答道，“你永远没必要担心这些。”
“是啊，没错，”荆棘光的声音低沉得让松鸦羽都不确定自己听到的是什么，“因为我永远都是个废物了，对吗？”
松鸦羽站了起来。他知道，虽然荆棘光一直在巫医巢穴帮忙，却无法弥补她不能再做武士的遗憾。“谢谢你帮我把毛舔干。”他说完便走回了自己的窝。
蜷缩在铺满蕨叶的窝里，松鸦羽睁开眼睛发现自己回到了那个洞底。雨已经停了，洞口上方白云涌动，可松鸦羽却感觉不到一丝风。走进隧道深处，他看见前方的道路忽隐忽现，就仿佛星星在他头顶上方的土石间闪烁照耀着一般。他一边往深处走去，一边竖起耳朵不放过任何细小的声音。可周围似乎连空气都凝滞了，一切都是静悄悄的。
那些远古猫都去哪里了？
松鸦羽继续走着，走进了那片星光中，一直到了那条河流过的那处断崖。跟他上次来这里时的汹涌咆哮不同，此时的河面又窄又黑，河水在岩石间疾速流淌着。希望在他脚掌间跃动，他朝岩石的平台望去，可那里却什么都没有。
身后传来了轻微的脚步声，松鸦羽转身看到一个模糊的身影从另外一条隧道中走了出来。“是落叶吗？”他问道。
“不是。”一个熟悉的声音粗声回答道。
“岩石！”
远古猫走到松鸦羽面前，尖长扭曲的爪子踩在石头地面上，发出阵阵声响。他那失明的双眼鼓了出来，没有毛的身体上闪烁着微光。他一脸肃穆地走到松鸦羽面前站定。
“你为什么折断我的棍子？”岩石问道，声音里听不出是生气还是难过，这让松鸦羽无从判断他此时的情绪。
“我……我想和你说说话，可你不在。”松鸦羽嗫嚅着，“只留一根有刮痕的木头有什么用？”他说着，心里却很清楚那根棍子的含义远不止这个。
“我一直都在。”岩石答道，此时松鸦羽从他的声音里听出了一丝悲伤，“那不是让你用来召唤我的，有事我自然就会来找你。”
松鸦羽垂着头，感觉自己像一只偷偷溜出营地被责罚的幼崽。
“那根棍子是你的过去，”岩石继续说道，“你不能把它扔掉。过去永远都会伴随着你，曾经的武士也将会再次成为武士。”
松鸦羽紧张起来，爪子使劲儿地抓着洞穴的岩石地面。“你是说冬青叶吗？”他急切地问道，“你见到她了吗？她还活着吗？”
岩石眨了眨眼，松鸦羽不禁颤抖了一下，突然感觉远古猫那失明的灰色眼睛能清清楚楚地看见他。“你的过去就在那山区里。”岩石告诉他，“那是我出生的地方，也是猫曾经回去过的地方。你也必须重新回到那里，来完成这个轮回。”
“回急水部落吗？”松鸦羽没听明白他话里的意思，“他们有麻烦了吗？”
岩石没有回答。突然咣当一声，松鸦羽被身后一块石头吸引了过去，等他再转过身时，远古猫已经不见了踪影。
“岩石！”他大喊道。没有得到任何回应，只剩他的呼喊声还回荡在洞里，渐渐归于平静。
松鸦羽沮丧万分地坐在河边。他听到有轻微的脚步声向他走来，转身一看，一只姜黄色和白色相间的年轻公猫正从一条隧道中走来。
落叶朝松鸦羽走来。他低下头，眼神忧伤。“你好，松鸦翅。”他说道。
听到落叶叫了他在远古时期的名字，松鸦羽心里很不安：“你好。”
“其他猫都离开了，对吗？”
他的声音听上去很平静，没有丝毫的责备之意。可松鸦羽心里却感觉更内疚了，因为远古猫离开湖区，很大一部分原因是因为他。我想知道落叶知道我做了什么吗？“是的，他们都走了。”他承认道。
“他们走了我心里空落落的，”落叶说道，“不过你的猫们还在这里。来，我带你去找他们。”不等松鸦羽回答，落叶便穿过洞穴，走进另一条隧道入口。松鸦羽犹豫片刻，便跑着追了过去。
落叶带着他穿过很多隧道，还没等松鸦羽弄明白怎么回事，他们已经又站在了洞口，面前是狮焰之前推下去的那根树枝。他一直都在这些隧道里来回穿梭，当然知道哪条路最快。
一想到又要把年轻公猫独自留在这里，松鸦羽突然有些不舍。“和我一起回去吧。”他劝道。
落叶摇了摇头。“我们都知道这是不可能的。”他抬头仰望天空，乌云已经散去，星族武士在寒光中闪闪发亮。“星星还在闪耀。”落叶低声说道，眼中有些惊讶，“我从没想过还能再见到他们。不过很高兴知道他们和过去一样，一直都在那里。过去永远都会伴随着我们。”
松鸦羽惊讶得跳了起来。岩石也这么说过！
“那里有你未完成的使命，不是吗？”落叶用尾巴指向天空说道，“你不属于这儿。”他伸出尾巴，松鸦羽也竖起自己的尾巴，两只猫互相碰了碰。
“祝你好运，我的朋友。”落叶继续说道，“无论你何时需要我，我都会来这里。”
“谢谢。”松鸦羽喃喃道。说完，他小心翼翼从松软的泥土上走过，然后顺着树枝爬了上去。等他回过头再往洞里看时，落叶已经不见了。“喂，落叶！”他迫切地想要再见他一面，于是趴在洞口边，身体往前探去。
不知是什么尖锐的东西猛地戳到了他的身侧。他睁开了眼睛，眼前一片漆黑，发现自己正从窝边探出身子，脸颊贴在了巢穴的石头地上。
“松鸦羽？”耳边传来了荆棘光低沉的声音。松鸦羽这才意识到，她正用嘴里叼着的一根小树枝戳他。
“别戳了。”他嘟哝道，坐起来抖了抖身上的苔藓。
“我以为你做噩梦了呢。”荆棘光说道，她的声音现在听上去清晰多了，“你刚才嘴里念叨着一些奇怪的东西——好像是落下的叶子什么的。你怎么了？”
松鸦羽没有回答她的问题。他挣扎着站起身，摇摇晃晃地穿过黑莓屏风，来到了营地，差点儿一头撞上要去猎物堆的鼠须。“对不起。”年轻公猫从他身边疾步走过时，他咕哝了一声。
罂粟霜正坐在育婴室旁，看着她的幼崽们尖叫着打闹。藤池和鸽翅正穿过荆棘通道，蹒跚着走向学徒巢穴。通宵守夜让她们疲惫不堪，步履沉重。
松鸦羽一时觉得奇怪，她们怎么还回自己的学徒巢穴呢？接着他就想起武士巢穴有多么拥挤。学徒巢穴里没有其他学徒，她们在那里能睡个好觉。
在石头山谷中央，他听见黑莓掌的声音传来，黑莓掌正给当天的第一批巡逻队下达命令：“灰条，你率领黎明巡逻队，带上松鼠飞、桦落和亮心。”
“我们马上出发。”灰条回答道。
“注意影族边界，”黑莓掌提醒他，“我们不想再有任何麻烦。”等灰条带着巡逻队离开了，副族长继续说道：“刺掌，你带一支狩猎队去风族边界的小溪边，那里岸边可能还藏着些猎物。”
“好的，黑莓掌，我都带谁去呢？”
副族长稍加思索说道：“梅花落、莓鼻和狮焰吧。炭心，你带另一支巡逻队去湖边……”
松鸦羽一听哥哥的名字被点到，赶紧停止听黑莓掌讲话，穿过营地，在狮焰走到荆棘通道前拦住了他：“等等，狮焰！我们得去山区！”
“什么？”狮焰有些震惊，也有些不耐烦，“松鸦羽，我得出去巡逻了。你不能像现在这样突然就把事情抛给我。”
松鸦羽不屑一顾，弹了弹尾巴。“我做了个梦，”他坚持道，“梦里说我们的命运就在那儿！”
他能感觉到哥哥对他的话很感兴趣。“是星族托给你的梦吗？”狮焰问道。
“不是，是比星族还要老的猫。我想他知道那预言的来历。狮焰，我们必须得去！”
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 7
As Jayfeather emerged from the barrierof thorns, he located Firestar heading for his den, side by side with Sandstorm. Though Jayfeather was tired, he knew that he had to talk to his Clan leader right now. He had spent too long wondering what he could say to get Firestar to agree to another journey. He sprinted ahead and caught up to Firestar at the bottom of the tumbled rocks.
“Firestar, I need to speak to you,” he called.
He could sense his leader’s surprise. “Now? Can’t it wait until morning?”
“No.”
Firestar hesitated for a heartbeat, then replied, “Okay. Come up to my den.”
“I’ll go check on Poppyfrost and her kits,” Sandstorm mewed tactfully. “They had bellyache last night from eating too much squirrel.”
“I gave them watermint,” Jayfeather meowed after her as she padded toward the nursery. “Call me if they need more.”
Firestar was already climbing the rocks; Jayfeather followed, careful to let his pelt brush the cliff so that he didn’t stray too close to the edge of the path.
“What’s so urgent that it can’t wait?” Firestar’s voice came from his nest at the back of his cave.
Jayfeather slipped inside to join him. “I have to go to the mountains,” he announced. “I’ve been summoned.”
“By StarClan?”
“No, another cat.”
“Oh?” Curiosity radiated from Firestar; Jayfeather could feel it as if he was sitting in a beam of sunlight. “What other cat?”
“That’s…sort of hard to explain,” Jayfeather confessed. Would the ThunderClan leader believe that he had been able to speak with such an ancient cat? “But it’s not something I can ignore.”
Firestar let out a sigh of exasperation; Jayfeather pictured the tip of his ginger tail twitching. “We can’t go on helping the Tribe,” he meowed at last. “StarClan knows, I have a lot of sympathy for them, but they have their life and we have ours.”
“This isn’t about helping the Tribe,” Jayfeather told him. “It’s about discovering something from the past that’s important for the future. Our future, not the Tribe’s.”
“You couldn’t be a bit vaguer, could you?” Firestar’s claws scraped on the floor of the den. “Honestly, Jayfeather, you expect me to—”
“I’m sorry, Firestar,” Jayfeather interrupted. “I’m telling you everything I can. You have to trust me because of the prophecy.”
“No.” There was an edge to Firestar’s voice. “I trust you because you’re a loyal medicine cat who serves his Clan above all else.”
Jayfeather took a breath. “And as a loyal medicine cat, I’m asking you to let me go to the Tribe of Rushing Water, because I believe it’s in our best interests.”
Firestar was silent, though Jayfeather could almost hear the turmoil of thoughts whirling through his leader’s mind. “You need an escort,” he mewed at last. “And I’m not happy about leaving ThunderClan without its best warriors or its medicine cat when we’re bracing ourselves for an attack.”
Though the ThunderClan leader didn’t mention the Dark Forest, Jayfeather knew that was where his thoughts lay. And he’s right. But I have to do this!
“Are you sure this cat isn’t trying to lure you away?” Firestar added.
Jayfeather shook his head. “I’m positive.” Rock is the last cat who would be involved in a Dark Forest plot. “I trust the cat who gave me this message,” he went on. “He isn’t interested in our battles. He doesn’t care who wins. He just knows that this is our destiny, and he has to make it happen.”
“Very well,” Firestar meowed. “You can go. And I’ll choose some warriors to go with you—but you can’t have Lionblaze.”
“What?” Jayfeather’s feeling of triumph was swallowed up in outrage. “But Lionblaze hasto go. He’s one of the Three!”
“You can have Dovewing.” Firestar’s tone was uncompromising. “But Lionblaze stays here. He’s our greatest asset in a battle. And you’re not going to the mountains to fight, are you?”
“How do we know that?” Jayfeather muttered mutinously. He was well aware that there was no point in trying to argue when the ThunderClan leader had made up his mind. “Okay,” he meowed aloud. “But I don’t like it.”
“No cat is asking you to,” Firestar retorted. “You can have Dovewing, as I said, and…let’s see…Foxleap and Squirrelflight.”
“Squirrelflight!” Jayfeather didn’t want to travel with the cat who had lied to him and his littermates season after season, the cat he had believed was his mother.
“I don’t care what you think about Squirrelflight’s actions in the past,” Firestar growled as if he could read Jayfeather’s mind. “What’s done is done. She knows the mountains better than any of us, and she has friends in the Tribe.”
Jayfeather dipped his head. “Okay, Firestar.” He sighed.
“And while you’re away,” Firestar went on, “I’ll ask Leafpool to step in as medicine cat. Just in case there are any emergencies. If there is a battle, we’ll need her trained paws.”
Jayfeather felt his neck fur bristle at the mention of the other she-cat who had betrayed him and his littermates. Yeah, right…. Like StarClan will ever speak to Leafpool again, after what she did
But he could see the point in making use of Leafpool’s vast knowledge of healing, so he just replied with a curt nod. “Brightheart has had some training, too,” he pointed out.
“True. Then that’s settled.” Firestar still didn’t sound happy, but Jayfeather knew that he wouldn’t go back on what he had agreed. “You can leave tomorrow.”
As Jayfeather reached the bottom of the tumbled rocks, Lionblaze padded across to him; Jayfeather picked up his mingled curiosity and excitement. You’re not going to like this,he thought. “You’re up late,” he remarked out loud.
“I spotted a hole in the barrier near the dirtplace tunnel, so I went to fix it,” Lionblaze explained. “Nothing to worry about,” he added. “Just a few loose branches. There’s no sign that any cats had tried to break in.”
Jayfeather nodded. A moon or two ago, the idea of any cats trying to break into the ThunderClan camp, deep inside their territory, would have been unthinkable. Now relations between the Clans were so strained that it was all too possible.
“Have you been talking to Firestar?” Lionblaze asked eagerly. “When do we leave for the mountains?”
“You don’t,” Jayfeather replied, bracing himself for his brother’s disappointment.
“What?”
“I’m sorry, but Firestar says he needs you here. If there’s a battle with the Dark Forest cats, then you’re the strongest warrior we have.”
“But I’m one of the Three!” Jayfeather heard his brother’s claws raking furiously in the earth, and pictured his golden neck fur bristling with anger. “Surely I have to go to the mountains as well?”
“I wish you could, but…well, I think Firestar has a point.” Jayfeather reached out with his tail to touch Lionblaze on his shoulder. “If the Dark Forest cats attack, you’re the best defense ThunderClan has.”
Lionblaze snorted. “Who is going with you, then? Dovewing, I hope.”
“Yes, and Foxleap and Squirrelflight.”
Lionblaze was silent for a moment. Jayfeather knew his brother would understand how reluctant he was to travel with the cat who had pretended to be their mother. But all Lionblaze said was “I’ll give Foxleap some extra training.”
“There’s no time,” Jayfeather told him. “We leave in the morning.”
As he spoke he felt a sudden chill; wind swirled around the hollow, making his eyes water and flattening his fur to his sides. He heard the clatter of branches high above as the blast stirred the trees at the top of the cliffs.
“Clouds across the moon…” Lionblaze murmured.
Could that be an omen?Jayfeather wondered, suppressing a shiver. “Time is running out for all of us.”
Jayfeather padded back to his den. His muscles ached with weariness, but he knew that he couldn’t sleep yet. Checking on Briarlight, who was peacefully curled up in her nest, he headed for the cleft in the rock where he kept his supply of herbs. Since he had received Rock’s message, he had gathered what he could in preparation for the time when he would be away.
“Plenty of juniper berries,” he muttered, identifying each herb by scent and touch. His stores were sparse, but at least he had more than in the previous moon. “Some catmint left…the tansy is a bit low…And lots of yarrow.” He remembered the bunch of yarrow that had been left outside the camp; he had never identified the cat who had found it. Whoever it was, they have a good nose for herbs
Carefully he selected sorrel, daisy, chamomile, and burnet, the traveling herbs that he and his Clanmates would need for the journey, and made four leaf wraps for the morning. Then he checked on Briarlight once more. She was deeply asleep, worn out by the new exercises he had given her.
Knowing how important it was for him to get some rest before setting out, he stumbled into his nest and curled up, wrapping his tail over his nose. Instantly, as it seemed, he opened his eyes and realized that he was in StarClan. He lay in long grass on the bank of a stream that gurgled over stones. The water reflected red light; Jayfeather looked up to see the sky stained with bars of scarlet as the sun went down in a brilliant blaze. All around him the shadows of evening were gathering, and a chilly wind whispered through the grass and ruffled the surface of the stream. As Jayfeather rose to his paws and looked around, a nearby clump of bracken quivered and a cat emerged into the open. Jayfeather studied the messy, clumped gray fur and snaggly teeth.
“Yellowfang,” he greeted her.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” Yellowfang rasped. “What’s all this nonsense about going to the mountains?”
Jayfeather flicked up his ears in surprise. “You know about that? Did Rock speak to you too?”
Yellowfang let out a snort of disgust. “That one doesn’t speak much to any cat.”
Jayfeather wondered how much the former medicine cat knew about Rock. “You don’t think I should go?”
“I think it’s a mouse-brained scheme,” Yellowfang replied, baring her teeth. “The Dark Forest is rising. You should stay in ThunderClan and protect your Clanmates.”
“The Tribe of Rushing Water is linked to the destiny of the Clans,” Jayfeather argued.
“That’s not your responsibility,” Yellowfang snapped.
“But what if it is?” Jayfeather insisted. Yellowfang might change her opinion if she knew that Jayfeather had traveled back to the time of the ancient cats who had once lived beside the lake.
But she doesn’t know, and I’m not going to tell her. Not yet. Not here.
Yellowfang let out a sigh. “Come, walk with me,” she meowed, abandoning the argument.
Jayfeather padded at her shoulder as she led him along the bank of the stream beside thick clumps of bracken and herbs. Jayfeather breathed in their scents, trying to identify each one, and wishing with all his heart that he could take some of them back with him to ThunderClan.
Comfrey…celandine…marigold. And I’m trying to cope with a few dried-up leaves!
Other cats brushed through the undergrowth, dipping their heads as they passed. Some of them looked strong, their colors as vivid as if they were still alive. Others were pale, like wisps of vapor, as if the next stiff breeze would blow them into nothingness. Jayfeather spotted Lionheart and Whitestorm from ThunderClan, sharing tongues in the shadow of an elder bush. A beautiful white she-cat, unknown to Jayfeather, was with them, and a tiny kit frolicked around her paws. He would have liked to stop and talk but Yellowfang stalked on with nothing more than a passing nod.
Crookedstar, the former RiverClan leader, was sitting beside the stream, staring down into the water. As Jayfeather watched, he flashed out a paw and hooked a gleaming silver fish. It flapped helplessly on the bank until Crookedstar killed it with a single bite.
“Well caught,” Yellowfang remarked.
“Come and share?” Crookedstar invited her.
“Maybe later.” Yellowfang didn’t look back.
A little farther on, Jayfeather spotted Barkface, the old WindClan medicine cat; his heart gave a leap of sorrow when he saw that the cat with him was Flametail. They stood beside a clump of thyme; Barkface was pointing something out to the younger cat.
“Hey, Jayfeather, come and join us!” Flametail called.
Jayfeather’s paws were tugging him toward the medicine cats, but Yellowfang let out an annoyed hiss, and he had to follow her. “Sorry!” he replied. “Another time.”
As he turned back to follow Yellowfang, Jayfeather spotted a gray tom running swiftly through the trees. He halted, staring; as if aware of his gaze the other cat stopped and glanced back over his shoulder, returning Jayfeather’s stare with burning blue eyes. Then he turned and ran on, vanishing behind a clump of hazel saplings.
“Ashfur!” Jayfeather exclaimed, spinning around to face Yellowfang. He felt cold to the tips of his claws. “He’s here?”
“Why not?” The old cat’s voice was steady. “His only fault was to love too much.”
Jayfeather let out a snort of disbelief. “Hardly. He tried to push us off the cliff!”
“But he didn’t,” Yellowfang pointed out. “Squirrelflight stopped him—and maybe her only fault is that she loved too much, as well.”
“What do you mean?”
Yellowfang shrugged. “Work it out for yourself, mouse-brain. And get a move on. I haven’t got all day.”
Sighing in exasperation, Jayfeather followed her along a winding track that climbed through the trees until they emerged at the foot of a grassy hill. Yellowfang bounded up the slope and waited for Jayfeather to join her, panting, at the top.
“You need more exercise,” she commented, giving him a prod with one paw.
“I’ve been on my paws all night,” Jayfeather retorted. “StarClan cats might not get tired, but I do. What are we doing here, anyway?”
“Just look.” Yellowfang waved her tail at the scene below them.
Jayfeather gazed over the tops of the trees. StarClan’s forest looked open and inviting, dotted with clearings and lighter-colored trees, and cut through by a sparkling river. Cats were playing in the shallows, throwing up spray and splashing one another with the shining droplets. Jayfeather recognized the strong bodies and sleek pelts of RiverClan
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Yellowfang prompted after a few moments.
“Yes,” Jayfeather whispered.
The old medicine cat padded so close to him that their pelts brushed. “All this depends on you, Jayfeather,” she mewed. “You’re not just protecting ThunderClan now but all the Clans, including this one.”
Me?Jayfeather wanted to wail out loud like a lost kit, but he forced himself to stand still, looking across the peaceful landscape. “You don’t want me to go to the mountains because you’re scared of what will happen to the Clans.”
The old cat bowed her head. “Sometimes the right choice can be the hardest one,” she rasped.
Scenes flashed through Jayfeather’s mind, and he realized that he was seeing her memories: a younger Yellowfang, suckling a dark brown tabby kit; the same kit, big enough now to be an apprentice, fighting savagely with a young black she-cat; then muscular and full-grown, brushing through bracken with a terrified, mewling kit in his jaws; older now, with scarred, blinded eyes, crouched against a thorny barrier with a much younger Dustpelt guarding him. Last of all, Yellowfang herself, casting glances at the dark tom and snagging a scarlet deathberry on one claw.
Jayfeather shivered. Yellowfang’s life was so hard, but she faced it with courage
“I’m sorry,” he mewed gently. “I understand how you feel, but I have to go to the mountains. It’s the right thing to do. I’ll come back, I promise.”
Yellowfang didn’t reply, just gazed at him with scared and sorrowful eyes as she began to fade from Jayfeather’s sight. Her gray fur seemed to melt into one enormous shadow, as the last of the light left the sky above StarClan’s forest. As darkness swallowed Jayfeather’s vision, he blinked open his eyes and found that he was in his den, with a frond of bracken from his nest tickling his nose.
Sneezing, Jayfeather sat up. A sharp dawn breeze ruffled his fur, and he could hear the sound of early-rising cats beginning to move around the clearing. Briarlight was stirring, too; Jayfeather rose to his paws and padded over to her.
“I’m so tired,” she complained, her words muffled by an enormous yawn. “Do I have to do my exercises today?”
“Of course you do! You can’t miss a single day!”
“Okay.” Briarlight sounded surprised that he was so vehement. “Just let me wake up a bit first.”
Jayfeather heard her scramble upright in her nest and start to groom her fur. “Briarlight, there’s something I have to tell you,” he mewed more quietly. “I have to go away for a while.”
“No!” Briarlight stopped grooming; her voice was terrified. “You can’t!”
“I have to,” Jayfeather repeated. “But it won’t be for long, I promise. Brightheart and Millie will take good care of you.”
“It’s not the same,” Briarlight whispered. “What if…?”
Her voice trailed off. Jayfeather understood very well what she was too scared to ask. “I wouldn’t go if I thought you were going to die,” he meowed bluntly.
He could feel Briarlight relaxing a little. “That’s why you’ve given me all these new exercises,” she murmured. “I will do them, I promise.”
“Good.” Jayfeather touched her ear with his nose. “Look, I’ve made four leaf wraps of traveling herbs, they’re at the entrance to the store. Show the other cats where they are when I send them in.”
“Okay.”
Leaving her to start her exercises, Jayfeather brushed past the brambles and padded into the clearing. Blossomfall was hurrying past him on her way to join a patrol; Jayfeather checked her with his tail.
“Have you seen Foxleap?”
“Yes, he’s still in the warrior’s den,” the young tortoiseshell replied. “Sleeping like a dead hedgehog. He’s not on early patrol.”
“Get him for me, would you?”
“But I’m—” Blossomfall began to protest, then sighed. “Okay.”
Jayfeather heard her bounding off. A few moments later Foxleap staggered up to him, yawning widely. “What is it, Jayfeather? I thought I’d catch up on my sleep after the Gathering.”
Yes, wouldn’t that be nice?“You’re going on a journey,” Jayfeather announced.
“A journey?” Foxleap suddenly sounded wide awake. “Where?”
“To the mountains.”
“Really?Me?” Excitement made Foxleap’s voice quiver and he gave a little bounce of anticipation. “You mean I get to meet the Tribe of Rushing Water, like the cats who made the Great Journey? Wow! I promise I’ll protect you, Jayfeather. I’ll be the best warrior you can imagine. I’ll stay on watch all night—”
“No need to overdo it,” Jayfeather murmured, suppressing a small mrrowof amusement. “I’ve made some leaf wraps of traveling herbs in my den,” he continued. “Briarlight will show you where they are.”
“You mean we’re going right now?” Foxleap sounded as if he was about to burst with excitement. At Jayfeather’s nod he bounded off toward the medicine cat’s den.
Firestar’s scent drifted over Jayfeather as the Clan leader padded up. “I see you’ve told Foxleap,” he meowed. “What about Squirrelflight and Dovewing?”
“I haven’t seen them yet.”
Firestar paused, then called out, “Hey, Squirrelflight! Over here a moment.”
“I’m just going to lead the dawn patrol.” Squirrelflight’s voice came from the direction of the thorn barrier.
“No, you’re not,” Firestar corrected her.
“What’s all this about?” Squirrelflight bounded up.
“Jayfeather had a sign,” Firestar began. He explained how he wanted her to go with Jayfeather on a journey to the mountains.
“That’s great!” Squirrelflight’s enthusiasm bubbled over. “I’ll be glad to lead the patrol, Firestar. It’ll be a chance to catch up with my friends in the Tribe. I can’t wait to see Stormfur and Brook again!”
And who said you wereleading the patrol?Jayfeather asked himself sourly. But he couldn’t say anything aloud: Squirrelflight was the oldest cat to be chosen, and by far the most experienced in the mountains. It made sense for her to take the lead.
“Who else is going?” Squirrelflight asked. “Lionblaze, I suppose, and—”
“No, Lionblaze is staying here,” Firestar interrupted. “You don’t need him, because you’re not going to fight. Jayfeather’s omen didn’t give him any reason to expect trouble.”
“Hmm…” Squirrelflight sounded surprised, and not too pleased. “You know best, I suppose. But I hope you don’t expect Jayfeather and me to trek all that way by ourselves.”
“No,” Firestar told her. “Foxleap is going with you, and Dovewing.”
“What? Me!”
Jayfeather jumped as an excited squeal sounded behind him. More cats were beginning to gather around to hear what was going on, and he hadn’t noticed Dovewing’s approach. He turned and explained quickly what had been decided.
“That’s so cool!” Dovewing exclaimed. “I’ve heard so many stories about the mountains, and now I’m really going there! Can Ivypool come, too?”
“No,” Jayfeather retorted. Great StarClan, any cat would think those two were joined at the tail!
“Why not?” Dovewing hissed close to his ear. “Don’t you trust her?”
“That’s not the issue at all,” Jayfeather answered through gritted teeth. “And we can’t discuss it now, not in front of every cat. It’s just the four of us and that’s all.”
“Okay.” Dovewing’s disappointment made her voice bitter.
“Come on,” Jayfeather mewed briskly. “I’ve prepared traveling herbs for all of us. Let’s go and get them.”
“You mean, we’re going right now?” Squirrelflight asked, astonished.
“There’s nothing to wait for,” Firestar began.
“Hey, Squirrelflight! Dovewing!” Brambleclaw’s voice cut across Firestar’s as the deputy came bounding up. “Why haven’t you joined your patrols? And why is every cat standing around here?”
It was Squirrelflight who replied. “Firestar is sending us to the mountains. Jayfeather has had a sign.”
“I see.” Brambleclaw’s voice was level. “Firestar, I hope you’re not sending too many cats. All of our warriors may be needed here.”
“No, just these three and Foxleap,” Firestar replied.
“Brambleclaw, do you have any messages for the Tribe?” Squirrelflight asked hesitantly. “I could say hi to Stormfur and Brook for you.”
Jayfeather heard something else beneath her words, something she dared not ask for out loud. She wants Brambleclaw to wish her luck, or tell her to be careful…anything to show that he still cares about her
But all Brambleclaw said was “Sure. Tell them they’re missed in ThunderClan.”
Jayfeather could almost taste Squirrelflight’s disappointment. Brambleclaw doesn’t seem to feel anything. Has he forgotten that he once thought he was our father?
Several cats were circling them by now, excitedly asking questions. The dawn patrols hadn’t left, and more warriors were pushing their way between the branches of their den.
“What’s all the racket about?” Dustpelt asked irritably. “Can’t a cat get a wink of sleep around here?”
“Going to the mountains?” That was Cinderheart’s voice, filled with longing. “Oh, I wishI were going. I can just imagine it…bare peaks, the endless blue sky with eagles swooping like specks in the air, and the water so cold and clear…”
Jayfeather blinked at the vivid picture her words called up. Of course, Cinderhearthas seen it,he thought. She just doesn’t know she’s remembering
“I remember hunting with the Tribe,” Cloudtail meowed. “When we passed through there on the Great Journey. I’d like to hunt eagles again.”
“So would I,” Sandstorm agreed. “Lionblaze, you’re so lucky!”
“I’m not going,” Lionblaze replied, still sounding disgruntled. “Firestar wants me to stay here and help guard the camp.”
“Oh, bad luck,” Sandstorm sympathized.
Jayfeather’s nostrils twitched at the scent of herbs as Foxleap padded back into the group. He was passing his tongue across his jaws, over and over again. “Why do the traveling herbs have to taste so yucky?” he complained.
Jayfeather jumped as a paw prodded him in the shoulder and he picked up Purdy’s scent. “So you’re off on your travels again, young’un,” the old loner rasped. “I wish I could go back wi’ you and see my old home.”
Jayfeather tensed. Please, StarClan, not that!
Purdy let out an amused snort. “No need to look so shocked. I don’t reckon my old paws would carry me that far. Mind you, I could tell you a thing or two—”
“There isn’t time, Purdy,” Jayfeather interrupted. “We’re leaving now.”
“Oh.” Purdy hesitated, then added, “Well, mind you stay clear of that farm where your littermates an’ that nuisancy WindClan apprentice met the dogs.”
“We will, Purdy, don’t worry,” Jayfeather assured him. Leaning closer to Purdy, he added in an undertone, “Take care of Mousefur while I’m gone.”
“Sure I will.” Jayfeather heard the pride in Purdy’s voice. “You can rely on me.”
Jayfeather beckoned with his tail to Dovewing and Squirrelflight, and led them to his den to give them their traveling herbs. Sudden misgivings seized him as he licked up the leaves.
Am I doing the right thing, taking these cats all the way to the mountains, leaving the rest of my Clan vulnerable? Can Ireally trust Rock?
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 9
Dovewing’s pelt prickled with excitement asshe followed Squirrelflight past the horseplace and up the hill. She had never been this way before. New sensations crowded in on her from all sides: the scent of horse, and the way the huge creatures slammed down their hooves as they cantered across their field; strong RiverClan scent borne on the wind that blew from their territory; the scents of reeds and stagnant water from the marshes that bordered the lake.
“This is so cool!” she exclaimed to Jayfeather, who was padding beside her, setting down his paws unerringly in spite of his blindness. Jayfeather just let out a faint grunt and twitched an ear.
Be like that!Dovewing thought crossly. She turned to look at Foxleap, who was gazing around with wide, wondering eyes.
“You can see so much from up here!” he meowed.
Dovewing fell back to walk beside him. “There’s a really good view of the island from here,” she remarked, flicking her tail to where she could see the Gathering place far below; at this distance the tree-bridge looked like the thinnest twig
“And there’s ShadowClan territory.” Foxleap angled his ears toward the dark pines bordering the lake beyond the island.
Dovewing let her senses reach out until she found the ShadowClan camp. Blackstar and his deputy, Rowanclaw, were deep in conversation, while Littlecloud was in his den, muttering under his breath as he counted juniper berries.
I wonder what Foxleap would say if I told him exactly what I can see from here?
“There’s RiverClan,” she mewed aloud. “You can just see their camp—there, between the two streams.”
“Too bad there are so many trees and bushes,” Foxleap responded, letting out a mischievous mrrow. “We could spy on them!”
I can do that just fine, thanks, trees or no trees. Dovewing located Minnowtail giving her apprentice a fishing lesson. “No, Mossypaw, sit where your shadow is behindyou, not stretching over the water.”
“And the WindClan camp is over there” was all she meowed to Foxleap, waving her tail toward the moorland on their other side. “It’s in a hollow, but you can’t see it from here.”
“I forgot, you’ve been there.” Foxleap’s voice held a trace of envy. “Was it scary?”
“Pretty much,” Dovewing confessed. “I shouldn’t have—”
She broke off, her pelt bristling as a grief-stricken screech sounded in her ears. For a heartbeat she looked around wildly, half fearing that one of the patrol had been grabbed by a fox. But Squirrelflight and Jayfeather were still walking quietly a few tail-lengths ahead. Foxleap was staring at her as if she had gone mad.
The screech came again. “Antpelt! No!”
Dovewing froze. The dreadful cries of grief sounded so close, but they were coming from the WindClan camp.
Then she heard Kestrelflight’s voice. “Give me more cobwebs.” She was aware of blood pouring from Antpelt’s wounds, and sensed the fever raging inside the young tom’s body.
“Kestrelflight, do something!” Now Dovewing recognized Swallowtail’s voice; she had been the cat who had cried out before. “You can’t let him die.”
“I’m doing everything I can,” the medicine cat hissed. “I’ve given him horsetail and borage, but I can’t stop the infection from spreading.”
“Then give him more!”
Dovewing picked up the sound of a cat chewing borage leaves into a pulp and pushing them down Antpelt’s throat, but the dying warrior was too weak to swallow.
“Oh, StarClan!” That was Onestar’s voice, quiet but full of sorrow. “This is a young cat. Do you have to take him now?”
“I still don’t understand how he got wounds like that.” Dovewing wasn’t sure which cat was speaking now. Maybe Torn ear; I heard him at the Gathering. “I thought it was a dog bite, but none of the patrols have reported seeing dogs in the territory.”
“I know.” Dovewing recognized the other elder, Webfoot. “And those wounds don’t look like any dog bite I’veever seen. You’d almost think he’d been attacked by a cat.”
A disbelieving snort came from Tornear. “That’s impossible! He would have said something if it had been a rogue.”
“Antpelt…” Swallowtail whimpered. Dovewing remembered seeing her with Antpelt at a Gathering, and guessed that they had been mates. “Antpelt, please…”
“It’s no use.” Kestrelflight’s voice, heavy with defeat. “He hunts with StarClan now.”
Swallowtail let out another grief-stricken screech, but it seemed to fade into the background; Dovewing heard another cat much more clearly.
“Sunstrike, Furzepaw, come over here.” It was Breezepelt, his voice a low mutter. “Say nothing about the Dark Forest,” he warned. “Antpelt may be dead here, but he’ll still be in the Place of No Stars. Nothing’s changed; he’s still on our side.”
Oh, Ivypool!Horror shook Dovewing from ears to tail-tip. Cats from the Clans were dyingbecause of what was happening in the Dark Forest! Should I go back to ThunderClan and tell her what happened to Antpelt?
“Dovewing!”
A yowl from Squirrelflight jerked Dovewing back to her surroundings. The ginger she-cat was standing farther up the hill, looking back at her with annoyance in her green eyes. Jayfeather was beside her, his claws plucking impatiently at the grass.
“You’re being left behind!” Squirrelflight scolded. “Get a move on!”
“Sorry! I’m coming!” Dovewing called back, forcing her paws to move. She hated feeling as if she was abandoning the Clans to the Dark Forest, but there was nothing she could do to help Antpelt. She just had to pray that Ivypool would be careful. Her sister wasn’t stupid; she’d know soon enough that Antpelt had died from his injuries. Deliberately Dovewing closed her ears to the sounds of grief coming from the WindClan camp.
Foxleap stayed beside her as she plodded up the hill. “It’s okay to be spooked when you’re so far away from home,” he reassured her. “Don’t worry. I’ll look after you.”
I can look after myself, thanks!Dovewing just stopped herself from snarling the words out loud. It’s not like I can tell him what the real problem is
Still quivering from the shock of Antpelt’s death, Dovewing drew closer to the top of the hill. A couple of fox-lengths below her, Jayfeather stumbled over a rock. Instantly Squirrelflight was by his side, steadying him.
Jayfeather turned on her with a hiss. “I don’t need your help!”
Squirrelflight’s tail lashed. “Fine! Sprain your paw and finish your journey before it’s started. There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” she added more quietly. “Even sighted cats trip.”
Jayfeather let out a growl of annoyance and stomped away toward the hilltop.
As Dovewing took the final paw steps that brought her up to the ridge, she began to feel strong wind buffeting her fur. Behind her the lake looked small and distant, the different territories blending into one another. Ahead, thick forest covered the downward slope, leading to wide stretches of grass cut through by Thunderpaths. Everywhere she looked, she could see Twoleg dens: some standing alone, some clustered in groups.
All those dens together must be Twoleg camps
Dovewing stood in a line with her Clanmates, wind flattening their fur and whistling around their ears. Instantly noise blasted through her mind, almost driving her back down the hill. Chaotic visions spiraled in front of her eyes; she froze, paws digging into the ground, as she tried to make sense of what she could see and hear. But the solid hilltop seemed to melt away under her paws, and she was whirled into a storm of noise and color.
A glittering red monster growled out of a flat-roofed Twoleg den; Twoleg kits ran and screeched; a huge black-and-white animal she’d never seen before stared at her from liquid eyes, its jaws moving rhythmically; a male Twoleg pushed a tiny, snarling monster across a stretch of grass, snapping at the stems; more dogs than she’d ever imagined were barking all together; somewhere water was gushing; the scent of crow-food washed over her.
Sick and giddy, Dovewing squeezed her eyes shut, but the whirl of images continued.
“Dovewing! Dovewing!” Foxleap’s voice cut faintly across the turmoil.
Dovewing couldn’t move. She tried to reply to Foxleap, but she couldn’t form the words. Then she became aware of another cat standing close to her.
“Dovewing!” It was Jayfeather’s voice, quiet but incisive. “Focus on me. Block out the rest of the noise.”
“Can’t—” Gasping out a single word was a huge effort.
“Yes, you can. Come on—concentrate!”
His voice was sharp, like a splash of icy water. One by one, Dovewing drew her senses back in. She dared to open her eyes and made out the blurred shape of Jayfeather in front of her.
“That’s better.” She could hear his voice more clearly now. “Focus harder. Don’t let go.”
There was still a dull, aching roar in Dovewing’s head, but she could feel the ground under her paws again, and see her companions; Squirrelflight and Foxleap were staring at her in alarm.
Foxleap drew his tail-tip gently down her side. “It’s all right,” he whispered.
“Are you okay to go on?” Squirrelflight demanded bluntly. “If you’re not, just tell us. It’s not too late for you to go back.”
Dovewing couldn’t stop trembling. She guessed that down by the lake, the hills had shielded her special senses from the outside world. There would be nothing to protect her now. So she’d have to learn to protect herself. The dull roar inside her head threatened to increase, but she pushed it back down. She took a deep breath and faced Squirrelflight, struggling to keep her voice even. “I’ll be fine. I want to keep going.”
Squirrelflight gave her a hard look, then nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.” She began to lead the way down the slope into the trees.
Foxleap padded close beside Dovewing, their pelts brushing. “Walk with me,” he murmured. “There’s nothing to be scared of.”
Dovewing was still so shaken that she didn’t have the strength to be angry with him for assuming she was frightened of leaving familiar territory.
As they reached the first of the trees, Jayfeather signed to Dovewing to halt, and let Foxleap pad on alone for a few paw steps. “Did you see the mountain cats?” he hissed into Dovewing’s ear.
She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
Jayfeather let out a frustrated snort. Guilt weighed down Dovewing’s paw steps even more. I should have tried to find out something helpful for the journey
As she padded farther into the trees, her feelings of uneasiness faded. She was growing used to blocking out the rush of sensations, and she thought that the surrounding trees were cutting off some of the images that assailed her. This forest was very like ThunderClan territory, too; she began to feel at home, and even to enjoy the journey.
“Bet you can’t leap over that!” Foxleap challenged her when they came to a shallow stream.
“Bet I can!” Dovewing retorted, racing up to the bank and pushing off strongly so that her paws landed squarely on the cool moss beyond.
Foxleap jumped after her, but one hind paw slipped as he took off, and he landed with his hindquarters in the stream, droplets splashing up his legs and into his belly fur.
“Clumsy furball!” Dovewing called with a mrrowof laughter.
Foxleap hauled himself out, shaking his reddish tabby pelt. “I’ll show you who’s a furball!” he meowed, launching himself after Dovewing.
With a squeal of excitement, Dovewing pelted away, hiding behind the drooping branches of a willow tree. Foxleap dived after her, chasing her around the trunk and batting at her tail with his forepaws, his claws sheathed.
“Honestly! Are you kits?” Squirrelflight’s voice came from outside the screen of willow boughs.
“Oops!” Dovewing exchanged a guilty glance with Foxleap. She poked her head out through the branches to see Squirrelflight standing a couple of tail-lengths away, her tail-tip twitching. “Sorry.”
Squirrelflight rolled her eyes. “There’s a long way to go,” she meowed, not sounding as angry as Dovewing had expected. “You need to save your energy. We’re going to hunt now and then rest.”
“But I’m not sleepy!” Foxleap protested, popping his head out of the willow screen beside Dovewing. “I could run forever.”
Squirrelflight just heaved a long sigh and stalked away. Cautiously Dovewing extended her senses until she found a vole scuffling under the bank of the stream she had just crossed. Setting her paws down as light as leaves falling, she crept up on it. It has no idea that I’m here,she thought. I guess the prey in these woods aren’t used to cats hunting
Reaching the edge of the stream, she pounced and straightened up with the vole in her jaws. Glancing around, she spotted Jayfeather sitting on the bank a little farther upstream. “Here,” she meowed, padding over and dropping the vole at his paws. “I can easily catch more.”
“Thanks. And we need to talk.”
Dovewing nodded, then remembered that Jayfeather couldn’t see her. “Okay. Just wait for me to find some more prey.”
Within a few heartbeats she had located a thrush pecking at the ground near the foot of a beech tree. This was a harder bit of stalking than the vole, she reflected as she slid across the forest floor, alert for any twitching grass or crackling leaf that might betray her presence. She leaped on the thrush from a fox-length away, slamming both her forepaws down on it and snapping its neck.
When she returned to Jayfeather, she spotted Squirrelflight and Foxleap sharing a squirrel nearby. Dovewing padded past them and sat beside Jayfeather, taking a hungry bite of her fresh-kill. “What do you want to say?” she mumbled with her mouth full.
Jayfeather was eating the vole with quick, neat bites. He swallowed before replying. “You need to cast your senses ahead and find the mountain cats as soon as you can.”
“I know.” Irritation swelled up inside Dovewing, and she had to stop her tail from twitching. “Give me a chance, Jayfeather. I need time to get used to being out here.”
Jayfeather grunted. “Don’t take too long.”
Annoying furball,Dovewing thought as she finished her thrush and curled up for a nap. Then she reminded herself that all the weight of this expedition lay on Jayfeather’s skinny shoulders; it wasn’t surprising that he was getting impatient. I’ll do my best,she promised silently.
Sending out her senses again, she explored the woodland: Small creatures were scuffling in the grass; a couple of foxes were asleep in their den. Let’s hope they stay asleep. Farther into the woodland the stream grew wider, and by the time it reached the other side there were pools deep enough for fish.
It’s good here. I wish Ivypool were with me,she thought drowsily as she sank into sleep.
Heartbeats later, it seemed, Squirrelflight was poking a paw into her side. “Come on. It’s time to go.”
Dovewing staggered to her paws and blinked sleep out of her eyes. Though the sky was cloudy, she guessed it was just past sunhigh. Foxleap was arching his back in a long stretch while Jayfeather waited, impatiently tearing at the grass with his claws.
Following the stream, Squirrelflight led the way to the other side of the wood. The trees ended in an untidy border of bramble and hazel bushes. Beyond them stretched a dusty slope leading into a valley. Dovewing spotted Twoleg nests in the distance, and made sure that her senses were closed down so she didn’t pick up any of the Twoleg racket. On the other side of the valley were more hills covered in trees. Above them, gray peaks rose into the sky. At first Dovewing thought that she was looking at some sort of weird clouds, until Squirrelflight pointed at them with her tail.
“There. The mountains.”
“That’s where we’re going?” Foxleap’s tone was a mixture of excitement and apprehension. “They’re huge!”
And we have to climb them?Dovewing didn’t speak—she didn’t want Squirrelflight thinking she was scared again—but she suddenly felt very small and insignificant.
“Last time we came, we spent the night here,” Squirrelflight meowed with a glance at the sky. “But I think we can go on a bit longer.” She led the way down the slope and into the valley. A few horses were cropping the sparse grass; they were smaller than the ones Dovewing had seen at the horseplace, and their pelts were shaggier. They stood under a tree, their tails swinging as they watched the cats with curious eyes. But to Dovewing’s relief none of them came closer.
Just beyond the horses was a single Twoleg nest, surrounded by a wall of gray stone. As the patrol padded past, a furious hiss came from the top of the wall above their heads. Dovewing looked up to see a fat ginger kittypet, its back arched and its fur bristling.
“Get out of here!” it snarled. “This is my place!”
“Oh really?” Foxleap spun around to face the kittypet, ready to leap up onto the wall. “You want to prove it, kittypet?”
“No!” Squirrelflight thrust herself in front of Foxleap. “Calm down. We’re not looking for trouble.”
“But it’s a kittypet!” Foxleap protested. “I could beat it with one paw!”
“Come up here and try!” the kittypet yowled. “You’ve no business here, flea-pelts!”
“Are you going to let it talk to us like that?” Foxleap asked, outraged.
It was Jayfeather who replied. “Use the sense you were born with, Foxleap. If you get hurt, what am I supposed to do for you out here? Do we know where the nearest cobweb is? Can I find horsetail before you bleed to death?”
“But—” Foxleap was still glaring up at the kittypet.
“Ignore it. We keep moving. Now,” Squirrelflight meowed.
She turned and padded forward. Jayfeather lashed his tail, gesturing to Foxleap to follow. The young warrior obeyed, though not without a last angry hiss at the kittypet. Dove wing brought up the rear.
“Cowards!” the kittypet screeched after them. “Go away and stay away!”
Dovewing was relieved when they hurried out of earshot, but her relief vanished as Jayfeather turned to her.
“I wish you’d given us some warning,” he muttered.
“What?” Dovewing couldn’t believe he was blaming her for the encounter with the kittypet. “I don’t know this area,” she defended herself. “I can’t just listen for things up ahead, because I have to watch where I’m putting my paws!”
The medicine cat let out an annoyed growl and lapsed into sulky silence.
“I can scout ahead if you like,” Foxleap offered.
“Oh, fine.” Squirrelflight’s tone was sarcastic. “And then we arrive to find you’ve got into a fight. No thanks.”
“I won’t, honestly,” Foxleap promised.
“No.” Now Squirrelflight sounded calmer. “I trust you to obey orders, Foxleap, but it’s better if we stay together.”
The patrol walked on. Not much later, the line of a hedge crossed their path, the thorny bushes gray and bare, with grass tangled at their roots.
“We go through here,” Squirrelflight explained, “and cross the field beyond. But stay in the shelter of the hedge. It’s safer.”
Jayfeather murmured agreement. “We’re near the farm where Lionblaze and Hollyleaf had trouble with dogs,” he meowed. “Let’s keep a good lookout.” He gave Dovewing a hard gaze as he spoke.
Squirrelflight led the way along the hedge until they came to a gap between two bushes, big enough for a cat to squeeze through.
“Dovewing, you go first,” Jayfeather ordered.
“Who’s leading this patrol, Jayfeather?” Squirrelflight inquired. Turning to Dovewing, she added, “Okay, but be careful.”
Dovewing knew why Jayfeather had chosen her. She was already sending a tendril of her special senses through the hedge and into the field beyond. No dogs. But some other weird animals…oh, I know! Sheep. She remembered seeing them in the distance on her visit to WindClan. They won’t do us any harm
Flattening herself on her belly, she crawled through the gap, feeling thorns rake through the fur on her back. Rising to her paws on the other side, she found herself facing two big white woolly animals, with sharp hooves and placid, incurious faces.
It feels strange seeing them so close,she thought. They look a bit mouse-brained
“Dovewing?” Squirrelflight’s voice came anxiously through the hedge. “Are you okay?”
“Fine!” Dovewing replied. “You can come through.”
Jayfeather appeared next, shaking his ruffled pelt as he rose to his paws and stepped into the field. Foxleap followed him, and lastly Squirrelflight, panting as she pulled herself through the clustering thorns.
“See?” she mewed triumphantly as she straightened up. “I’m not stuck!” Then she looked disconcerted.
It’s like she was talking to a cat who isn’t here,Dovewing thought.
Shaking her head as if to clear it, Squirrelflight led the patrol along the line of the hedge. The field was huge; Dovewing couldn’t even see the other side. Everything’s so big here,she thought, suppressing a shiver. I can’t even see the edges of the sky
Suddenly loud barking clattered into her ears. She froze, astonished for a heartbeat that the rest of the patrol were quietly plodding on. The scent of dog filled her nostrils. Then she realized that her special senses were giving her advance warning. “Dog!” she yowled. “Take cover!”
Squirrelflight whipped around, gazing across the field. “Where?”
“Over there.”
As Dovewing stretched out her tail to point, a dog appeared at the crest of a gentle rise in the middle of the field. Yapping loudly, it raced toward the cats, its tail flying and the wind ruffling its black-and-white pelt.
“Fox dung!” Squirrelflight hissed. “Dovewing, Foxleap, get Jayfeather into the hedge.”
Foxleap was already pushing Jayfeather into the bushes. Dovewing spotted a branch where the thorns weren’t quite so thick, and slid into the hedge beside Jayfeather. “Put your paws there,” she ordered, guiding him with her tail. “Now climb!”
As Jayfeather hauled himself upward, spitting annoyance, Dovewing glanced back to see Squirrelflight standing with her back to the hedge. Her fur was fluffed out so that she looked twice her size; her back was arched and she was snarling as the dog galloped closer.
“Stay back, mange-pelt!” she growled.
Safe for the moment in the tangle of bushes, Dovewing admired Squirrelflight’s courage. She thought of Jayfeather first,she mused, remembering the stories of how the ginger warrior had raised Jayfeather and his littermates as if they were her own, even though Leafpool was their real mother.
Squirrelflight still feels as if sheis their mother,Dovewing realized with a pang of sympathy. Even now
Peering out through the thorny branches, she saw that the dog had halted in front of Squirrelflight, letting out a flurry of excited yelps but not making any move to attack. StarClan, please make it go away
“Oh, no!” Foxleap’s voice broke in on her prayer.
Dovewing peered out again and saw another dog crest the rise and bound across the field toward them. Two of them!
They’re bound to attack now
Squirrelflight stayed on guard, and Dovewing started to struggle out of the thorns again to help her. But before she cleared the hedge, the second dog halted beside the first and started barking at him. Noticing that his muzzle was gray with age, Dovewing realized that the second dog was much older. “He sounds like a mentor telling off an apprentice!” she whispered to Foxleap.
The younger dog crouched low to the ground and let out a whimper. After a few heartbeats, while all the cats waited tensely, both dogs turned and ran off across the field. They started to run after the scattered sheep, herding them into a flock
“He did!” Foxleap’s eyes were sparkling with amusement. “He said, ‘Leave those cats alone, you stupid furball, and get on with the job!’”
Sighing with relief, Dovewing clambered out of the hedge, while Foxleap helped Jayfeather down. The medicine cat emerged into the open with a grunt of indignation, craning his neck to pick debris out of his pelt.
“I’ve got a thorn in my pad,” he muttered. “Some cat look for a dock leaf.”
Dovewing detected the scent of a clump of dock at the bottom of the hedge and tore off a couple of leaves to give to Jayfeather. While he rubbed the soothing juice on his pad, she sent her senses out after the dogs and the sheep. They had disappeared from view, but she could still track them; the dogs were herding the sheep in a tight cluster to the far end of the field and through a gap into another field. A Twoleg was with them.
“I don’t think we’ll have any more trouble with them,” she mewed.
“I hope you’re right.” Squirrelflight was smoothing down her pelt. She was the only one of them not to look shaken. “We’ll get out of this field and then make camp for the night,” the ginger warrior went on. “We could all do with a rest after that.”
Dovewing glanced back the way they had come as Squirrelflight set out again along the hedge. Sunlight had broken through a gap in the clouds, bathing the field in scarlet as it went down. Dovewing could still see the range of hills they had crossed, and she tried to picture the lake and the Clans on the far side. Her Clanmates would be returning from the evening patrols and settling down in their dens for the night.
She sent out her senses and felt a shudder deep within her as she discovered that for the first time she couldn’t connect with the world she had left behind. There were too many sounds, too many impressions in between.
I’m a long, long way from home
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 8
Lionblaze emerged from the thorns andtrotted toward the old Thunderpath at the head of his hunting patrol. Cinderheart, Birchfall, and Leafpool followed him, keeping up easily. After a gray, damp dawn, the clouds were beginning to break up, and ragged scraps of blue sky were appearing through the trees. A breeze blew into Lionblaze’s face, bringing with it the scent of prey, but he found it hard to concentrate on hunting. He was still stunned by the speed of Jayfeather’s departure, and struggling not to feel angry that he hadn’t been allowed to go, too.
“I wonder why Jayfeather has to go to the mountains,” Birchfall mewed, bounding up to pad beside Lionblaze. “Did he tell you?”
“He had a sign,” Lionblaze grunted. “Don’t forget, he’s a medicine cat.”
“I wish I could have gone,” Birchfall continued wistfully. “I was only a kit when we made the Great Journey, but it was so exciting! I’d love to go back there now that I’m a warrior.”
“I guess most of the Clan feels like that,” Cinderheart remarked, joining them. “I know I do, even though I wasn’t on the Journey.”
“There were cliffs that went down forever,” Birchfall murmured, his eyes clouded with memory. “And wind that nearly blew your fur off, and the biggest birds I’ve ever seen….”
You don’t have to go on about it,Lionblaze thought. “We’re talking too much. It’s time we started looking for prey,” he reminded them, as the walls of the abandoned Twoleg nest appeared through the leafless trees. “Why don’t we split up? Birchfall, you go with Leafpool, and I’ll hunt with Cinderheart.”
He felt a stab of sadness. If only he could walk beside her for more than just a morning patrol. For all our life, until we go to hunt with StarClan
Birchfall led Leafpool off in the direction of the lake, while Lionblaze veered into the woods behind the Twoleg den.
“You must be worried about Jayfeather,” Cinderheart meowed as they paused on the edge of the pine trees. “But remember the prophecy: Nothing will happen to him. He’s far too important for the destiny of the Clans.”
Lionblaze didn’t want to be reminded of the prophecy, especially by Cinderheart, when that was what had come between them. “Jayfeather is an ordinary cat,” he argued, desperate for that to be true. “Just like me.”
“But you’re not ordinary, either of you!” Cinderheart protested. “You’re special and different.”
Lionblaze dug his claws into the earth, anger tensing every muscle. “Why can’t you see past that stupid prophecy to the cat I really am?” he snapped at Cinderheart. “You saw it before, so what has changed?”
“Everything,” Cinderheart replied. Her voice was full of pride and excitement. “Because I never knew who you really were. The prophecy is part of you—it was here before you were born!”
She sounds as if she has no regrets at all that we aren’t together anymore. “What about you?” he challenged. “Don’t you matter, too?”
“Of course I do.” Her excitement ebbed and Lionblaze began to sense the sorrow behind her words. “Believe me, I wish that you weren’t part of this prophecy. But you are, and we just have to live with it.”
“But—” Lionblaze tried to interrupt, but Cinderheart swept on.
“You can’t lead your Clanmates into battle worrying about a mate and kits. You’re like a medicine cat—your loyalty must be to the whole Clan, equally.”
“You could say that about any warrior,” Lionblaze retorted.
“No, because you’re one of the Three.” Cinderheart stretched out her tail as if she was going to touch his shoulder, then drew it back at the last moment. “This is the way things are.” Abruptly she turned away. “Let’s hunt.”
Lionblaze gazed helplessly after her. His heart was full of what he wanted to tell her, but the words wouldn’t come. Besides, Cinderheart had already spotted a blackbird, and had dropped into the hunter’s crouch, creeping up on it with stealthy paw steps. Suppressing a sigh, Lionblaze began working his way around to the other side of the blackbird, careful not to make a sound. The bird was intent on pecking at the moss beneath a tree, unaware of the cats closing in on it. When Cinderheart was within a couple of tail-lengths, Lionblaze let out a yowl. The blackbird fluttered up in alarm, straight into Cinderheart’s claws. She batted it out of the air and gave its neck a swift bite.
Lionblaze padded up to see Cinderheart stroking the bird’s limp brown feathers with one paw, her claws sheathed. “It’s a female,” she mewed softly. “Look, there’s moss in her beak. She must have been collecting it for her nest. And now her eggs will never be laid. She’ll never go back to her mate.”
Lionblaze blinked. He couldn’t understand why any warrior would grieve over a piece of fresh-kill. “It was a good catch,” he mewed encouragingly.
“That’s not the point.” Cinderheart was still looking down at the dead bird. “I always wanted a mate and kits,” she whispered. “But it wasn’t my destiny. Never to feel the warmth of fur…never to suckle….”
“You’ll find another mate,” Lionblaze told her, trying to comfort her even though it wrenched his heart. “You can still have kits.”
Cinderheart spun around to face him, blue flame in her eyes. “You don’t understand!” she spat. She gouged at the earth with her hind claws, burying the blackbird. “I’ll hunt alone!” Without waiting for a response from Lionblaze, she plunged away into the trees.
Lionblaze looked after her, baffled. What was all that about?Movement caught his eye and he glanced around to see Leafpool padding toward him. How much of that did she hear?
“Are you okay?” Leafpool asked gently as she drew close to him.
Lionblaze was too dazed to reawaken his old grudge against her. “Not really,” he confessed. “Things aren’t working out with Cinderheart.”
Leafpool nodded, and to his relief she didn’t ask him to explain why. He knew that he couldn’t tell her about the prophecy.
“Why don’t we look for prey beside the lake?” she suggested, turning in that direction with an inviting twitch of her tail.
Surprising himself, Lionblaze fell in beside her and they shouldered through the undergrowth together, the tang of water in the air growing stronger as they drew closer to the waterside.
“Cinderheart seems to think we have different destinies,” he meowed after a few moments. “I don’t understand her.”
“I think I do.” Leafpool blinked sympathetically. “And I really believe that she loved you—in fact, I think she still does.”
Lionblaze clawed in frustration at a tendril of bramble that snaked across their path. “Then why can’t she just be with me? Why does she have to make it all so difficult?”
Leafpool shook her head but didn’t reply. For a while they padded along together in silence. As they reached a narrow track that wound its way toward the lake, Leafpool halted, tasting the air. Lionblaze thought she had detected prey, and winced as she darted noisily to the edge of a bramble thicket.
You won’t catch anything like that!
But Leafpool was pushing dead leaves aside with one paw, to reveal three bright yellow coltsfoot flowers. “The first this season!” she exclaimed. “I’d better take these back to camp. They’ll be good for Mousefur’s cough.”
“Do you miss being a medicine cat?” Lionblaze asked, as Leafpool carefully nipped off the stems.
“With every breath I take,” she murmured.
“Then what was yourdestiny?” Lionblaze mewed, the words tumbling from his jaws. “I mean, if you were meant to be a medicine cat, then you wouldn’t…StarClan wouldn’t have let you and Crowfeather…”
Leafpool bowed her head. “Destiny isn’t a path that any cat follows blindly,” she meowed. “It is always a matter of choice, and sometimes the heart speaks loudest.” She paused, then added, “Deep down, I always knew what I had to do, and that’s why I came back to the Clan. Lionblaze, whatever else happens, I trust you to know the right thing to do as well. Listen to your heart, because that’s where your true destiny lies.”
第五章
第五章
藤池步履沉重地回到学徒巢穴，她感觉自己的脚掌都要断了。她一头扑进铺满苔藓和蕨草的窝里：“我好高兴守夜终于结束了！我能睡一整个月。”
“但是这一切都是值得的，”鸽翅蜷缩在姐妹身边说道，“我们成为武士了！”看着藤池舒适地靠在她温暖的皮毛上，她又轻声补充说道，“今晚还是不要去黑森林了吧。你需要休息。”
我希望我有选择的权利。藤池疲倦地想。鸽翅难道还不明白吗，造访无星之地根本就不是她能控制的。如果可以不用再去那里，我愿意付出一切代价。可她最终还是把这些话藏在了心里，她不想让鸽翅再为她的安全担惊受怕了。
靠在姐妹暖暖的皮毛上，藤池渐渐进入了梦乡。等她再次睁开眼睛时，有那么一瞬间，她希望看到的是自己熟悉的那个巢穴，阳光会透过挂在巢穴口的草丛照进来。可目力所及之处，她发现自己周围依然是黑森林幽暗苍白的光线。她正蹲伏在一簇蕨丛的阴影中，头顶是已经枯萎的灰白色蕨叶。离她一尾远的地方，一条小路从低矮的灌木丛中蜿蜒穿过。
藤池叹了口气。我就知道会是这样。
她刚要走开，这时听见灌木丛里传来了由远及近的猫的声音和窸窸窣窣的穿行声。于是她停下来，等着第一只猫跑到空地上来。
“你们看到蓟掌教我的那个动作了吗？”风皮炫耀道，“等有机会我一定要在雷族那些癞皮猫身上试试！”
“蓟掌真厉害。”他的族伴日击跟着风皮走到空地上，后面还有一只藤池不认识的灰白色学徒，“我真不敢相信他以前居然是只雷族猫！”
风族猫没注意到她。他们从藤池身边跑过，很快便消失在远处。怪不得，现在天快亮了，她想，他们这是要回家吧。她刚想要从那堆蕨丛跟前站起来，却听到更多的猫朝着这边跑来，她还在他们之中闻到了影族的气味。
是虎心！
藤池继续躲在暗处。只见虎心绕过附近的黑莓丛朝她走来，后面还跟着鼠痕和苹果毛。快走近她的时候，虎心故意落在后面，让自己的族猫继续往前走。他等在那里，鼻孔张着，直到族猫走远听不到什么。
“出来吧，别藏了，”最后，他说道，“我闻到你的气味了。”
藤池从灰色蕨丛中跳出来，看着虎斑武士。“我才没藏呢！”她不服气地说道，“我只是刚到这里而已。”
“那你为什么这个时间来这里？”虎心冷冰冰地问道，“你是不是以为换个时间来就能躲开我了？但已经太晚了。”还没等藤池开口回答，他又继续说道：“我可是知道你的秘密。如果鸽爪知道你曾经想要杀死一只无辜的猫，她会怎么说呢？”
藤池的心猛地一揪。断星当初为了让她证明自己的忠诚，曾逼她去杀死焰尾，后者当时不知什么原因在星族领地外游荡。那段记忆是她一直以来的梦魇。
如果虎心没有阻止的话，那我会不会已经把焰尾杀了呢？
“可我别无选择……”她开口说道。
虎心抽动着尾巴。“选择总还是有的。”他嘶嘶地说道。
愤怒如同烈火燎原般一下子从藤池心底升了起来：“你的意思是说，就像你利用我姐妹来打探雷族草药库存那样的选择吗？难怪她再也不想见到你了！”
“我没有利用她。”虎心那琥珀色的眼睛变得暗淡起来，“不过我也没指望你能相信我。”说完，他转身大步去追自己的同伴去了。
藤池看着他消失在小路尽头的拐弯处，然后转身朝相反的方向走去。她才走了几狐狸身长，刚绕过一片荆棘丛，便迎头撞上了蓟掌。
“见到你真是太好了。”灰白色武士咕噜道，“很高兴你最终决定加入我们，藤爪。”
“我的名字是藤池了，”她骄傲地纠正道，“我现在也是一位武士了。”
“在这里，你还不是，”蓟掌说道，“得我说行才行。”他的语气里透着一丝讥讽：“但也不会花太多时间，只要你别总是被什么事情干扰，来不了训练。”
“我一直都在守夜。”虽然心里很紧张，但藤池还是昂首挺胸正视着他。
“跟我来。”他只回复了这一句话。蓟掌带她离开小路，穿过茂密的灌木丛，来到几棵老橡树下的空地上。空地中间横着一堆倒下的大树，上面布满了黏滑的苔藓。树干上还长着一些灰白色的蘑菇，似乎也在为这幽暗的黑森林贡献着自己微薄的光芒。
“现在——”蓟掌开口道。
他的话被蕨丛中传来的响动打断，有只猫在蕨丛中穿行。藤池刚刚闻到风族的气味，蚁皮就出现在了眼前。
“抱歉，蓟掌！”他喘息道，“一星派我夜里巡逻。我刚刚才睡着。”
一股寒意在藤池身上蔓延开来。和她一样，蚁皮也是整夜未眠。在外面的世界里，现在应该是白天，苍白的阳光依然会洒在秃叶季的树枝上。但黑森林里仍然被黑暗笼罩着。
难道这儿就只有夜晚吗？她猜想道。
“我有个新任务给你。”蓟掌没理会蚁皮的道歉。“看见这些折断的树木了吗？你负责攻击它们，而你——”他转身看着藤池，斑驳的灰白色口鼻离她的脸只有一老鼠远，“你负责防御并保护它们。蚁皮，只要你能把藤池逼到这堆木头的最高处，就算你赢了。”
蓟掌尾巴一扫发出命令，藤池立刻跳到最低的那根木头上。她感觉一股期待从耳尖漫延到尾巴尖。她对自己的战斗能力充满信心。我要让这只风族的武士看看雷族猫的威力！
蚁皮向她扑来，爪尖并未伸出，仿佛这是一堂族群的训练课。藤池猛地一跳，用后肢保持住身体平衡的同时，前脚掌拍向他的耳朵。她也没有伸出尖爪。蚁皮后退一步，然后又反扑回来，想要从一侧推倒她。藤池往旁边来了个漂亮的腾跃，轻轻地抓了一下他的肩膀。
“干什么呢？你们都是幼崽吗？”蓟掌咆哮道，“我说的是战斗！”
蚁皮又向藤池扑来。这次他挥舞着利爪，露出尖牙，想要抓住藤池的后颈。藤池还击的时候感觉身体一侧被抓得剧痛。他离她太近了，以至于她攻击力度不大。正当她想要挣脱他的钳制时，蚁皮猛地把她推到了第二根木头上。
蓟掌发出了嘶嘶的低吼。“现在雷族训练出的武士就是这样的吗？”他嘲笑道。
愤怒的藤池发出一声震耳欲聋的嘶吼，接着便扑向了蚁皮。可她跳起来时踩到了蘑菇上，脚掌一滑，笨拙地向一边摔了下来，落在最下面的一根木头上，差点儿摔断气。藤池赶紧起身以防蚁皮再次发起攻击。可当她抬头去看时，却发现他站在一侧等着她起身，然后再接着战斗。
藤池感激地冲他点了点头，挣扎着站起身来。可还没等她发起进攻，蓟掌就已经从她身旁掠过，龇着牙咆哮着冲了出去。蚁皮的眼睛瞪得大大的，连连后退，躲避着暴怒的武士，直到退到最高处的树干上勉强站稳。
“胆小鬼！”蓟掌讥讽道，并伸出巨大的前脚掌去打他，“拿出点儿勇气来，听明白了吗？”
蚁皮咆哮着向灰白公猫扑去，一口咬住蓟掌的后颈，尖利的爪子深深划过他的肩膀。蓟掌像抖掉一片落叶似的一下子把他甩了出去，然后把他摁在木头上。蚁皮用后脚掌攻击他，将蓟掌肚子上的皮毛扯下了好几绺。
“这还差不多！”蓟掌吼叫道，“现在你终于能像武士一样战斗了！”
蓟掌的尖爪有力地抓着蚁皮的肩膀，像摇晃狐狸一样把他甩来甩去。藤池一脸惊恐地看着鲜血从风族武士的皮毛下不断地涌了出来，喉咙里仿佛回荡着难闻的血腥味。
“够了，蓟掌！”她吼道。
可那位武士根本就没理会她。他伸长脖子咬住蚁皮的后颈，然后一下子把他朝下抛去，重重地摔在了藤池前面的地面上。
蚁皮虚弱地动了动，想要撑着脚掌爬起来，可最后却还是重重地摔了回去，发出一声痛苦的呻吟。藤池吓坏了，蜷伏在他身边，伸出脚掌拨开他的皮毛，想要看看伤口在哪里。
“别管他！”蓟掌站在那堆木头的最高处命令道，“他输了。”
“可是他受伤了！”藤池抗议道。
“他会好起来的。”武士吼道。他开始迈步走下原木堆，朝着两位年轻武士走来。
趁着他还没走过来，藤池俯身贴近蚁皮，在他耳边悄声说道：“醒醒！你根本就不在这里，你在风族自己的窝里。”
蓟掌的脚步声越来越近了。
“快醒过来呀！”藤池催促道。
蚁皮发出一声呜咽，藤池赶紧用脚掌晃晃他的肩膀。让她欣慰的是，蚁皮终于长长地吐了一口气，闭上眼睛陷入了沉睡，然后身体一颤便消失了。草地上除了几处凝结的血迹，什么也没有留下。
与此同时，蓟掌跳回到地面上，绿眼睛里迸发着怒火。“胆小鬼！”他怒视着蚁皮消失的地方，骂道，“难怪风族总是跑得很快呢，他们天生就为了逃跑吗？”
“我早就知道他是狐狸心肠，”藤池意识到她现在必须得附和蓟掌的说法，“不过现在没有猫和我一起训练了。”
“谁说没有，有的，”蓟掌看向她，伸出舌头舔了舔嘴边，就像是看见了一只格外多汁的猎物，“你可以跟我打。”
藤池感觉自己的心怦怦直跳，快要从嗓子里蹦出来了。“好啊。”她说道，尽可能让自己的声音听上去热切些。
还没等她喘过气来，那位武士就已经向她扑了过来，撞得她四脚离地，然后重重摔到了地上。蓟掌的身子整个压到了她身上，尖爪划过她的肩膀。藤池故意使自己瘫软下来。当她感觉蓟掌放松了戒心，压在她身上的重量有所减轻时，她抓住机会从他身下挣脱出来，在跳出他的攻击范围之前，还在他的身侧补了几下。
极度的疲劳让她的脑袋天旋地转，四肢也重得像石头一样，但是蓟掌的嘶嘶声让她又重新燃起了斗志。等蓟掌转身向她再次扑来时，她摇着尾巴，伏下身子伺机而动。当蓟掌一跃而起，藤池一下子钻到他的腹部下方，朝他扑去，抓向他的后腿。他的尾巴甩在她的脸上，她使劲儿一咬。听到他疼得叫了起来，她忍不住心花怒放。蓟掌奋力将尾巴挣脱出来，然后以始料未及的速度快速朝她扑来。尽管视线已经模糊，眼皮也累得抬不起来了，藤池依然紧盯着他，判断着他下一步往哪边跳。等他刚刚一跃而起，她便闪到了一旁。可他又伸出一只利爪，猛地将她打倒在地。藤池发出一声尖叫，他们便在草地上扭打起来，彼此紧紧地抓着对方的皮毛。
藤池用头使劲儿顶着蓟掌的脖子，想要咬住他的喉咙。蓟掌奋力挣脱，将藤池一下子甩在了那堆木头下。藤池一边大口喘着粗气，一边用脚掌奋力向上爬去，全然不顾那些蹭在身上脏兮兮的苔藓和蘑菇。最后，她终于站在了树堆的最高处。
“我赢了！”她大喊道。
蓟掌挣扎着爬起来，怒视着她，骂道：“我说的是谁站在最高处谁就输了，鼠脑子！”
“可也不是你把我逼上来的呀，”藤池得意扬扬地说道，“我是自己爬上来的。而且我还打算再跳到你身上呢。所以，是我赢了！”
“规矩是我定的——”蓟掌还想再说什么。
“那只小猫说得没错！”一声咆哮打断了他的话。老橡树后面走出来一个身影，是枫荫。藤池不知道她在那里站了多久。“认输吧，蓟掌。赶紧去舔舔你的伤口吧。”
蓟掌愤恨地哼了一声，然后便转身离去了。当他大步穿过空地走进森林的时候，藤池很开心地发现他腿脚发软。
枫荫走到树堆下，朝藤池抖了抖耳朵，示意她下来。“我以前的确怀疑过你的忠诚，”等藤池下来，枫荫对她说道，“但是现在我开始改变主意了。所以，等战斗开始时，你可以和我并肩战斗。”
“战斗什么时候开始呢？”藤池试图让自己的语气听起来够热切，希望枫荫能给她透露点儿消息，这样她就可以回去告诉松鸦羽和狮焰了。
“不会那么快。”枫荫低声说道，眼中闪过一丝赞赏，“你虽然打败了蓟掌，但还需要学习更多的本领，才能成为族群最有战斗经验的武士。”
“我只是想做好准备。”藤池向她保证道。
“你会的，”枫荫肯定道，“不会太久了……”
枫荫朝她点了点头，很快就消失在森林里了。藤池松了一口气。睡眠不足，再加上刚才那番激战，藤池虚脱得倒在了地上。她闭上了眼睛，感觉周围的黑森林慢慢地消失了。
干苔藓的尘土气息和姐妹身上那熟悉的味道，让她的鼻子痒痒的。她长长地舒了一口气，睁开了眼睛。鸽翅一只脚掌搭在她的肚子上，还没睡醒。为了不把姐妹吵醒，藤池小心地从姐妹身边挣出来，然后一瘸一拐走到外面的空地上。天灰蒙蒙的，不过她估计应该快到日高时分了。蕨毛、栗尾，还有蛛足正在猎物堆旁闲聊；香薇云则在育婴室口打着盹儿；长老巢穴外，波弟和鼠毛肩并肩坐着，估计这只前独行猫又在给鼠毛讲他那些没完没了的故事吧。
黑莓掌从荆棘通道走进来，嘴里叼着只松鼠。他身后跟着桦落和白翅，他俩各自叼着老鼠。玫瑰瓣叼着只田鼠跟在最后面。
这一切是多么的安宁啊。藤池想道。
但她满脑子里都是最后那场战斗的画面：猫在尖叫、爪子乱飞、鲜血染红了山谷的地面、横尸遍野，被扯掉皮毛的猫儿比比皆是……
难道真的要我来阻止这场战斗吗？可如果我做不到怎么办？我真的有能力拯救我的族猫吗？
第六章
第六章
鸽翅坐在学徒巢穴外，快速梳洗着自己的皮毛。族猫们都围在她身边，等着去参加森林大会。山谷里的最后一缕阳光终于消失殆尽，满月渐渐爬上了夜空。鸽翅一边伸长了脖子舔舐着后颈上的毛，一边努力地想要将心里那股忧虑赶走。要是藤池能一起去参加森林大会，我会更开心。
但是，藤池的伤仍然没有恢复。前几天，她们刚被命名为武士，她就在黑森林里受了伤。那天，鸽翅醒来看到姐妹的样子，惊得目瞪口呆。藤池的身体两侧和肩膀上都有深深的抓痕，皮毛上散布着凝结的血块。伤势太严重，鸽翅赶紧把松鸦羽叫了过来。松鸦羽用蛛丝和马尾草来给她治疗，还编了个故事来跟族猫们解释她的伤情，说她是不小心掉进荆棘丛里去了。
鼠毛听说藤池受伤时，想到了冰云也曾掉进过洞里，于是有好一阵子都在念叨年轻猫们太莽撞。藤池只能默默听着不语，她拒绝对任何猫透露她受伤的原因，甚至对鸽翅也绝口不提。
鸽翅心里很担心姐妹的伤情，看到族猫们暂时还没有要出发的迹象，就又返回自己的巢穴。藤池蜷缩在窝里。看到鸽翅进来，她抬起头，双眼中透着满满的疲惫。
“你一定要答应我，今晚别再去黑森林了。”鸽翅乞求道。
“我别无选择。”藤池坚决地摇了摇头，“而且即便我有，我也还是非去不可，因为我们对那场战斗的了解还不够多。”
“可是……”鸽翅沮丧地停住了，她多么希望姐妹能像从前那样对她无话不谈啊。她还在生气我之前没有把超力量的事告诉她吗？“我只是很担心你，真的。”
“我没事，”藤池说道，语气中透着一丝骄傲，“我能应付的。”
鸽翅强忍着内心的一丝妒忌。就因为她是在为族群做这件事情，她就觉得自己比我强吗？“藤池，我只是想——”她开口道。
“你在这里呀，鸽翅！”黑莓掌的声音打断了她。鸽翅转过身，看见雷族的副族长正透过遮挡巢穴的草丛望进来。“快来吧，我们准备出发了。”
“抱歉，”鸽翅说道，“过会儿见，藤池。”她爬出巢穴，跑到荆棘通道那里，族猫们正在那里排队，准备穿过通道出发了。
“嘿，鸽翅。”榛尾跟她打了个招呼，“藤池还好吗？”
“她好多了。”鸽翅回答道。
她看到炭心正朝她走来，一脸的担心，估计也是来问前任学徒的情况的。但是现在显然没时间说话，炭心只好转身冲进通道，鸽翅紧随其后。
火星迈着轻快的步伐穿过森林。月亮在前方的小径上拉出长长的影子，地上的草丛和蕨叶结了霜，在月色里闪闪发亮。出了密林，站在通往湖边的山坡高处，鸽翅大口喘着粗气。月光泼洒下一条银带，从湖面的一端一直延伸到另一端，湖水轻轻拍打着布满鹅卵石的岸边，荡起阵阵的涟漪。
鸽翅跟在族猫身后，沿着湖边奔跑着，蹚过风族边界的那条小溪，直奔马场而去。她想起湖面曾是白茫茫一片的薄冰，后来冰面突然开裂吞没了焰尾。而在那之前，大湖所在的地方是一片干涸的泥沼，零星散落着几个不断缩小的水洼，还有几条鱼在里面奋力求生，口渴的猫们聚在这里争抢最后一滴水。
一切都变了。鸽翅心里想，除了那个预言，一切都变了。只有那个预言还像以前一样不清不楚。
“嘿，鸽翅！”狐跃的声音打断了她的回忆，“比比谁先跑到那边的树桥！”
鸽翅将愁绪暂时搁在一边，跟在他后面往前冲，终于在越过河族气味标记的时候追上了他。两只猫跑到树桥的另一头，把族群的其他猫全都抛在后面，然后便停了下来大口喘着粗气。
“你跑得真快！”狐跃一边大口喘气，一边佩服地说道。
“你也不慢啊。”鸽翅回答道，用尾巴轻轻点了一下他的肩膀。
族群的大部队终于赶了上来，火星一跃而起，跳到树桥上率领大家朝小岛走去。鸽翅释放出感知，发现其他三个族群的猫已经到了。她赶紧朝着倒下的树干走去，穿过湖边，挤过老橡树周围环绕着的灌木丛。只是，她感觉到一种强烈的不安，连脚掌也跟着刺痛了起来。
在面前的空地上，其他族群的猫正不安地来回走动着。鸽翅发现他们都是跟自己的族猫在一起，而不是像以往森林大会时，大家都是和别族的朋友闲聊。当雷族到达时，她甚至感觉到一股来自影族猫的敌意。其中一两只影族猫还伸长了脖子，发出愤怒的嘶嘶声，或直接故意转身背对着他们。
鸽翅忍不住寻找虎心的身影，发现他正站在冬青树丛的阴影里。当他那琥珀色的眸子望向她时，她赶忙看向旁处，浑身不由得一阵发烫。她永远无法原谅这只虎斑公猫居然利用她去打探松鸦羽的草药库存。是他让我变成了影族的密探！
可是，她也忘不了和虎心一同度过的那些美好时光，忘不了他们在影族领地边废弃的两脚兽巢穴里玩耍的情形。曾经在月光下，他们的约会对她而言比任何事情都来得重要。
“鸽翅？”一条柔软的尾巴轻轻拍了一下她的肩膀，她转过身来，看到了黄蜂条，“别让那些影族猫影响你的心情。”年轻公猫继续说道：“他们都是些狐狸心肠！”
鸽翅低声附和了一句。黄蜂条动动耳朵，示意他们的族猫的所在之处。于是她跟着他走到了他们中间，但依然还是没能忍住，又回头看了一眼虎心。他跟一只她不认识的河族猫聊得正欢。
估计又是一位黑森林武士。她想到这里，不禁打了个寒战，我以前怎么会这么相信虎心呢？他可是虎星的至亲，谁都知道虎星有多么的邪恶！
她意识到黑莓掌也是虎星的至亲，感到十分愧疚。黑莓掌才不邪恶呢！他可是雷族最忠诚的副族长！
此时，四位族长均已静候在大橡树上。火星稳稳地站在一根树杈上；雾星在他下面的树枝上蹲伏着；一星则垂着尾巴，坐在他们上面的树枝上。起初鸽翅根本没看见黑星，后来才在树枝上的一大片枯叶中找到了他，斑驳的树影洒在他的白色皮毛上。此时，他目露凶光，正盯着下方的空地。
鸽翅坐在黄蜂条身旁，在湿冷的空气中打着哆嗦。正在这时，一星宣布森林大会开始。
“天气虽冷，但猎物还算丰富，”他汇报道，“另外，须鼻已经被命名为武士。”
“须鼻！须鼻！”风族欢呼着这位年轻公猫的名字，他低下了头，看起来既兴奋而又有点害羞。
鸽翅也欢呼了起来，尽管她注意到其他族群的猫大多都没有欢呼。森林大会不应该是各个族群和平相处的场合吗？大家到底怎么了？
一星重新坐了回去，他的目光扫过在场的所有族猫，仿佛有着同样的疑问。黑星从那堆树叶中露出了身子。他先静静地看了看树下的猫们，然后才开口说话。“我们的巫医小云曾患了轻微的白咳症，”他宣布道，“不过他现在体力恢复了，影族也恢复过来了。”说完他就退了回去，不再说话。
“哈！轻微白咳症！”鸽翅咕哝道，“小云当时都快要死了，这是整个雷族都知道的。让黑星感谢一下我们就那么难吗？”
黄蜂条朝她眨了眨眼睛：“影族从来都是这样的。”
雾星站起身来。“河族很高兴湖上的冰已经消融了，”她说道，“所以我们又能抓鱼了。另外，我们河族在过去的一个月里，又新增了两位武士。她们是冲尾和鳟溪。”
“冲尾！鳟溪！”这次其他族群一起欢呼的猫多了起来，就好像大家都开始放松了起来。鸽翅也跟着欢呼了起来，她猜可能是雾星自信友好的态度，赢得了大家的好感。毕竟河族族长一直都很愿意跟其他族群合作。
“另外，”雾星等声音平息下来后，继续说道，“我们的领地里发现了一只獾，但是芦苇须带着知更翅和花瓣毛追踪过它，直到确保它离开我们领地为止。”
“它往哪儿去了？”风族副族长灰脚大声喊道，“我们要不要也小心点儿呢？”
“我觉得不用，”雾星回答道，“那家伙跑过马场，朝山里去了。”说完，她又礼貌地补充了一句：“如果有危险，我一定会通知大家的。”
雾星朝火星点了点头，结束了她的汇报。火星站在树枝上，鸽翅羡慕地看着他那强健的身体和火焰色的光滑皮毛。“雷族也带来了好消息，”他说道，“几天前，我们刚刚命名了两位武士，她们是鸽翅和藤池。”
当各个族群的猫大声呼喊着她和姐妹的名字时，鸽翅感到无比的骄傲，心里暖暖的。我多么希望藤池也能在这里和我分享这份快乐呀！
“嘿，藤池在哪儿？”当猫群的欢呼声再度归于寂静时，风族的莎草须问道。
“对啊，这是她第一次以武士的身份参加森林大会，她应该来参加的。”河族的锦葵鼻也跟了一句。
“藤池出了点儿状况，”还没等鸽翅回答，火星说道，“她外出狩猎的时候掉进了荆棘丛里。不过我们的巫医已经帮她处理了伤口，所以她很快就能重新参加巡逻了，下次森林大会就能来了。”现场响起同情的低语声。
黄蜂条戳戳鸽翅，后者吓得跳了起来。“快看那些巫医！”黄蜂条小声说道，“他们看上去很不高兴的样子，你说他们是不是吵架了？”
鸽翅觉得他说得没错，因为其他的族群猫都开始聚在一起闲聊了，只有那些巫医依然死守在自己的族群里。蛾翅和柳光在轻声交谈；小云则紧跟着黑星；隼飞蜷伏在荆棘丛下，眼睛微眯，仿佛在对整个森林大会表示质疑和不满；松鸦羽坐在大橡树的树根处，尾巴环住自己的脚掌。
“我敢打赌是松鸦羽的问题。”鸽翅半开玩笑地小声跟黄蜂条说道，“他那个臭脾气，把大家都惹恼了，我也毫不奇怪！”
可是她心里却升起一丝担忧。巫医又不像我们，他们不是应该不分族群吗？到底是哪里不对劲呢？
环顾四周，她看见风族的裂耳和网脚正跟影族的高罂交头接耳。她不知道这几位长老是否在谈论大迁徙，那可是以往每次森林大会时，他们见面就聊的话题。还有三两位学徒已经开始在空地的边上你追我赶地模拟作战了。莎草须和花瓣毛也聊得正欢，兴许是在回忆驱赶河狸的时光吧。鸽翅心里那股不安的感觉渐渐消失了。
“嘿，黄蜂条！”河族的年轻公猫草皮跃了过来，“荆棘光出什么事了？我都好几个月没见她来参见森林大会了！”
黄蜂条看起来很吃惊。火星从未在森林大会上宣布过荆棘光的伤情，鸽翅猜想他应该是不想让其他族群觉得荆棘光，还有整个雷族软弱可欺吧。而且，现在也不是对外公布这个消息的好时机。
“哦，是这样的，”鸽翅跳过来，免得黄蜂条尴尬，“她很好，就是跟我们大家一样，有点儿太忙啦。”
草皮眨了眨眼睛。“哦。”他说道，听上去有点儿失望，然后朝自己的族群走去。
黄蜂条目送着那只年轻公猫离开，终于长长地舒了一口气。“谢谢。”他小声对鸽翅说道。
鸽翅耸了耸肩：“我也只是实话实说嘛。”
黄蜂条瞪大了眼睛：“你知道你说的不是事实。”
鸽翅从他的声音里听出了一丝痛苦，她抬起尾巴，轻轻抚过他的肩膀：“看到自己的姐妹伤成那样，你心里肯定很难过。”
“你是不会了解那种心情的。”黄蜂条低下了头。
“哦，不，我懂。”鸽翅想起了藤池。我也很担心我的姐妹。
“我努力忍着不让她看到我难过，”黄蜂条继续说道，“我知道那是她最不想看到的，可是我真的很为她感到难过。尽管我也为她感到骄傲，在得知自己不能走路之后，她表现得那么坚强。”
“我相信荆棘光会明白的。”鸽翅笨拙地说道，想着再说点儿别的什么来抚慰族猫的悲伤，“能有你这样的同窝手足，她很幸运。”
黄蜂条眨了眨眼睛，眸子里微光闪动：“谢谢你，鸽翅。”
风族的薄荷毛和知更翅走了过来，向他们点了点头。“雷族的猎物怎么样？”薄荷毛问道。
黄蜂条答话的时候，鸽翅后退了一步，环顾空地周围的猫群。我不是在找虎心，不是！她朝小岛上的排便处走去的时候，发现自己离网脚、裂耳和高罂分享舌抚的荆棘丛很近。
“……从来没见过那样的伤，不是战斗造成。”网脚正在说话。
“可怜的蚁皮，”高罂轻声说道，“上次森林大会我还见到过他，是只非常有前途的年轻猫。他是怎么受伤的？”
裂耳摇了摇头：“谁也不知道，蚁皮的伤势太重，他无法开口。一定是碰到狗了。他的伤口一直没有愈合，病得很严重。”
网脚压低音量补充道：“隼飞觉得他可能挺不过去。”
可怜的风族，鸽翅同情地想道，还好雷族的领地里没有发现那么多的狗。
鸽翅挤开灌木丛来到排便处，风族猫的声音渐渐模糊。她方便完毕，正准备刨土掩埋时，便听见黑莓掌的喊声。
“雷族众猫们！我们该回去了！”
鸽翅走出灌木丛，看到小路上远远站着一个身影。等她走近，虎心便上前一步拦住了她。
“我们需要谈一谈。”他说道。
“我们已经没什么好谈的了。”鸽翅嘶嘶道。
“求你了！”虎心深琥珀色的眼睛瞪得大大的，眼里满是痛苦，“我没有利用你，我发誓我没有。好吧，我确实把松鸦羽草药的事情告诉了黑星，但那并不能改变我过去对你的感情。”他顿了一下，压低声音补充道：“也不会改变我现在对你的心意。”
鸽翅的前爪抓进了地里，心里有些动摇，她很想原谅虎心，想相信他对自己说的这些话。“我们现在不谈这个，”她语带防备地说道，“我不想在这里让大家都听见。”
“那我们就去老地方。”虎心迫切地说道。
“不，虎心，我对你已经没有感情了。”鸽翅违心地说道。她的心情顿时变得沉重起来。
影族公猫的眼中闪过怒火：“是不是你姐妹说我什么了？”
鸽翅浑身一震：“说什么？”
“没什么。不过你也许并不像自己想象的那样，那么了解你的姐妹。”
鸽翅盯着他。他应该不是指藤池在黑森林接受训练的事情。他知道我清楚这件事。
突然，虎心靠近她，他身上那熟悉的气味顿时淹没了她。“藤池不是你想象的那种猫。”他低语道。
我也跟你想象中的不一样。鸽翅想大声把这些话说出来，可不知怎的，虎心的温柔让她害怕了，他好像只是在同情我，是想帮助我！
这时，黑莓掌又喊了一声，打断了他们之间的谈话，鸽翅松了口气。
“我得走了，”鸽翅说道，“而且我不想再听你说任何话了。”
虎心没再说什么，只是点点头，让她离开。可是，尽管她已经摆脱了他，可鸽翅却感觉自己的心像是留在了他那里。
我为什么就不能彻底忘了他呢？
从森林大会回去的路上，鸽翅注意到黄蜂条走在她旁边，靠得比平时要近一些。虎心的气味还萦绕在她鼻息间，她仿佛依然能看见他凝视自己的琥珀色眸子，听见他那温暖的声音。
这时她发现黄蜂条正对她说了些什么，鸽翅吓了一跳。“你说什么？”她没好气地问道。
黄蜂条眨了眨眼睛：“我……我只是说希望藤池下次能跟我们一起来。”
“对不起，”鸽翅竭力把虎心抛到一边，“我刚才不是故意要大声喊叫的，我想我只是有点儿累了。”
黄蜂条点点头：“我也是。”
说完，他加快步伐去追莓鼻和鼠须。鸽翅独自静静地走了一会儿，直到梅花落走过来，像她兄弟刚才那样，走在了鸽翅旁边。
“你知道吗？我兄弟的心都被你偷走了。”年轻的玳瑁色和白色相间武士轻声说道。虽然她的语气听着像是开玩笑，但眼神却是认真的。
她的话听上去像有点儿提醒她的意思。“黄蜂条？别开玩笑了！”看梅花落没有作声，鸽翅又补充道，“说实话，我觉得他对我没那个意思。”
好在梅花落似乎接受了她的看法。“太好了，你现在是一位武士了，”梅花落继续说道，“我们可以一起巡逻，一起做所有的事情了！”她眼睛睁得大大的，映照着皎洁的月光，“我真搞不懂那些独行猫和泼皮猫是怎么靠自己过活的。你知道吗，鸽翅？”
“不知道。还是当武士好。”鸽翅回答的时候，有点儿心不在焉。她也希望自己能像梅花落那样听起来对这个话题很感兴趣。
虎心刚刚想要跟我说什么？藤池会隐瞒什么呢？
鸽翅还没走进自己的巢穴，便听见了姐妹的哭声。藤池正在窝里的蕨叶上抽搐着，尾巴也不停地来回抽动着。鸽翅爬进她的窝里，在旁边轻轻摇晃着她的肩膀。
“嘿，藤池，醒醒！”
藤池惊醒过来，眨了眨眼，然后挣扎着爬了起来。她的眼睛瞪得大大的，利爪已经伸出：“怎么了？怎么了？”
“没事，”尽管焦虑万分，鸽翅还是轻声答道，“是我。你是不是又去黑森林了？”
藤池摇了摇头。“没有，就是做了个梦而已。”她重新趴回窝里，开始梳理自己的皮毛，“森林大会怎么样？”
鸽翅耸了耸肩：“你没错过什么，族长们也没汇报什么大事儿。”
“火星肯定宣布我们现在是武士了。”藤池说道。
“没错！很多猫都很遗憾你没能去参加。风族和河族也都有新武士了。”鸽翅向她汇报道，“噢，还有，我觉得风族一定是遇到狗了。一星没有提，不过我偶然听见他们的两个长老说，蚁皮被狗咬伤了。”
“蚁皮！”藤池身子一僵，“他们还说什么了？”
鸽翅眨了眨眼。噢，星族啊，千万别告诉我她爱上了风族武士！
“快告诉我吧！”藤池催促道。
“我也没太注意他们的话，”鸽翅实话说道，“他们也不是在跟我讲话。他们说——蚁皮伤得很重，没法儿开口说话，所以也就没法儿告诉他们发生了什么，而且隼飞觉得他可能熬不过去了。”
“哦，不！”藤池惊恐地哀号了一声，“全都是我的错！”
“什么意思？”鸽翅刚问出这句话，马上就明白怎么回事了，“跟黑森林有关，对吗？”
藤池点点头，爪子紧紧抓着窝里的蕨叶。过了一会儿，她开口讲了起来。“蓟掌在训练我和蚁皮。”她轻轻说道，“我和蚁皮就像你和我那样战斗——练习各种动作，但并不真正去伤害对方。我倒在地上，蚁皮于是就等我站起来。”她艰难地吞咽了一下：“可是因为这个，蓟掌就说蚁皮是胆小鬼，还嘲笑他和风族。结果蚁皮就和他打了起来，可是差点儿被蓟掌撕成碎片。我怕蓟掌杀了他，所以赶紧把他叫醒，然后他就消失回到风族去了。”
“那就不是你的错。”鸽翅坚定地说道。她想压下心里的那种恐惧，但还是浑身战栗不已，仿佛被泡进冰冷的水中。“藤池，你这样真的很危险，”她说道，“你得告诉狮焰和松鸦羽，你不能再为他们当卧底了。”
“我不能现在放弃！”藤池反对道，“我就快要知道他们开战的时间了。枫荫是黑森林里资格很老的猫，大家好像都很怕她，连虎星都——嗯，总之就是枫荫对我很感兴趣。她现在很信任我，所以我就快知道真相了！”
鸽翅心想，她怎么听都觉得枫荫不可能对藤池感兴趣。但她没说出来，只是喃喃道：“我不会说出去的，我保证。不过你要不要多睡一会儿？离天亮还得有一会儿呢。”
藤池张开嘴巴打了个大大的哈欠。“我确实还想睡会儿。”她蜷缩进蕨叶里闭上了眼睛，很快便发出均匀的呼吸声。鸽翅知道她已经睡着了。
鸽翅躺在姐妹身旁，毫无睡意。姐妹的话，以及发现黑森林里还有其他武士在接受训练……这一切就像一群蜜蜂一样在她脑袋里嗡嗡作响。森林大会上的任何一只猫都有可能在效忠黑森林，也包括我们的族猫……
鸽翅叹了一口气，不禁怀疑她以后还有什么可以相信。
第七章
第七章
松鸦羽从荆棘屏障后钻出来的时候，看见火星和沙风正肩并肩朝他的巢穴走去。虽然松鸦羽已经累了，但他明白，他必须马上找族长谈谈。他已经花了太多时间犹豫自己怎么开口，才能让火星同意他再次开始一段旅程。他加快脚步，在落石堆下追上了火星。
“火星，我需要跟你谈一谈。”他喊道。
他感觉得到族长的惊讶：“现在吗？不能等明天早上吗？”
“不能。”
火星犹豫片刻，接着回答道：“那好吧，到我的巢穴说吧。”
“那我去看看罂粟霜和她的幼崽，”沙风很是知趣地说道，“他们昨晚吃了太多松鼠，肚子一直疼。”
“我给他们吃过水薄荷了，”沙风朝育婴室走去的时候，松鸦羽在她身后喊，“如果他们还需要的话就来叫我。”
火星已经攀爬上落石，松鸦羽跟在后面，小心地傍着岩壁走，以防自己走偏，从路边掉下去。
“什么事情那么紧急，连等都等不了？”火星的声音从洞穴后方他的窝那边传来。
松鸦羽也钻进洞里，走到他身边。“我必须去一趟山区，”他大声说道，“我是被召唤的。”
“星族的召唤吗？”
“不，是另外一只猫。”
“哦？”火星好奇心大起。松鸦羽感觉火星的目光像道刺眼的阳光照射在自己身上。“另外一只猫？”
“那是……很难解释清楚。”松鸦羽承认道。雷族族长会相信，他能跟那只远古猫交谈吗？“可我不能置之不理。”
火星略有不悦地哼了一声，松鸦羽想象得到他那姜黄色的尾巴一定在抽动。“我们不能再去帮急水部落了。”最后，火星终于开口说道，“星族很清楚，我非常同情他们，可是他们有他们的生活，我们有我们的。”
“这次不是去帮急水部落，”松鸦羽说道，“而是从过去的历史中找出关系到未来的蛛丝马迹，是我们的未来，不是急水部落的。”
“你能说得更清楚一些吗？”火星的爪子挠着地面，“说实话，松鸦羽，你是希望我——”
“对不起，火星，”松鸦羽打断他道，“我已经把所有能说出来的都告诉你了。想想那个预言，你必须得相信我。”
“不行，”火星的声音到了要爆发的边缘，“我信任你，是因为你是族群忠诚的巫医，把族群利益看得高于一切。”
松鸦羽深吸了一口气：“那作为忠诚的巫医，我请求你让我去急水部落吧，因为我相信这对我们很重要。”
火星沉默不语，但松鸦羽几乎能够听出族长的各种想法在他脑海中翻滚。“你需要个同伴，”最后，他妥协道，“不过我真不愿意让雷族最好的武士或是巫医离开，因为我们现在正在随时准备迎战。”
尽管雷族族长没有提黑森林，但松鸦羽知道他的想法。他说得没错，可我必须得这样做！
“你确定那只猫不是在引诱你，想让你离开？”火星接着问道。
松鸦羽摇摇头。“我很确信。”岩石是最不可能卷入黑森林阴谋的。“我相信那只将信息传递给我的猫，”他继续说道，“他对我们的战斗不感兴趣，也不在意输赢。他只是知道这就是我们的使命，所以他必须让这一切发生。”
“那好吧，”火星说道，“你可以去，我会选几位武士陪你去——但是狮焰不行。”
“什么？”松鸦羽刚感到点儿欣喜，又被气了回去，“可狮焰必须得去，他是三力量之一！”
“你可以带鸽翅去，”火星的语气很是坚决，“但狮焰必须留下。他是我们最强大的战斗力量，而你去山区不需要战斗，不是吗？”
“那谁知道？”松鸦羽没好气地咕哝道。不过他也清楚，雷族族长已经决定了的事情是绝对不容争辩的。“好吧，”他大声说道，“不过我很不喜欢这个结果。”
“谁也没逼你喜欢。”火星反驳道，“我说过，你可以带上鸽翅，还有，嗯，让我想想，狐跃和松鼠飞。”
“松鼠飞！”松鸦羽可不想跟那只猫一起去。那么多年来，他一直以为她是自己的母亲，可她却对自己和哥哥姐姐撒了谎。
“我不管你对松鼠飞过去的行为怎么想，”火星像是能读懂松鸦羽的心思，低吼道，“过去的已经过去了。她比我们任何一个都要了解山区，而且她在急水部落里有朋友。”
松鸦羽垂下了头。“好吧，火星。”他叹了一口气。
“另外，你离开后，”火星继续说道，“我会让叶池暂代巫医的职责，以防有什么紧急情况。如果要打仗，我们需要她那训练有素的脚掌。”
松鸦羽一想到那只曾背叛过他和哥哥姐姐的猫，脖子上的毛立刻就竖了起来。是啊，没错……就好像她做过那样的事以后，星族还会跟她说话。
不过他也知道叶池那渊博的治疗知识对族群很重要，于是他僵硬地点点头说道：“亮心也接受过一些训练。”
“没错，那就这样定了。”火星的声音依然听起来不太高兴，不过松鸦羽知道，他答应过的事情肯定不会反悔的，“你明天就可以动身。”
松鸦羽到高石台下面的时候，狮焰朝他走了过来。松鸦羽感觉到了他的好奇和兴奋。你不会喜欢这个结果的。他心道。“你还没睡啊！”他大声问道。
“我发现排便通道附近的屏障上有个洞，所以就去修了一下。”狮焰解释道。“不过不用担心，”他补充道，“只是几根树枝松了，没有外敌入侵的迹象。”
松鸦羽点点头。一两个月前，谁也不会想到会有猫深入处在领土中央的雷族营地。可现在，族群之间的关系那么紧张，一切皆有可能。
“你跟火星谈过了吗？”狮焰迫切地问道，“我们什么时候动身去山区？”
“你去不了。”松鸦羽回答道，不忍感受到哥哥的失望。
“什么？”
“对不起，可火星说他需要你留下来。如果我们要和黑森林的猫战斗，你将是我们最强大的战斗力。”
“可我是三力量之一！”松鸦羽听到哥哥怒气冲冲地刨着地上的土，他能想象狮焰脖子上金色皮毛被气得竖起来的样子。“我也应该去山区，不是吗？”
“我当然希望你能去，可是——嗯，我想火星这么做有他的道理吧。”松鸦羽伸出尾巴放到哥哥的肩膀上，“如果黑森林发起进攻，你是雷族最强大的守护者。”
狮焰哼了一声：“那谁陪你去？我希望是鸽翅。”
“是的，还有狐跃和松鼠飞。”
狮焰沉默了片刻，松鸦羽知道，哥哥也明白他很不愿意跟那只曾假装是他们母亲的猫一起去山区。但最后，狮焰只是说了句“我会给狐跃进行一些额外的训练”。
“没时间了，”松鸦羽告诉他，“我们明早就出发。”
说完他打了一个冷战。山谷里冷风吹过，吹得他的眼睛直流泪，身上的皮毛也都被吹得往两边倒。他听到头顶上方树枝哗啦哗啦的摇曳声，那是悬崖上的大树被狂风吹动的声音。
“乌云遮月……”狮焰喃喃道。
会是什么预兆吗？松鸦羽猜想道，强压下心头的寒意：“我们的时间都不多了。”
松鸦羽回到巢穴。他浑身肌肉酸痛，疲惫不堪，但他知道自己现在还不能睡。他检查了一下荆棘光的情况，见她蜷缩在窝里睡得正香，便朝他存放草药的岩石缝走去。自从得到岩石的讯息，他就开始尽可能多地收集一些草药，以备不时之需。
“杜松果足够了。”他一边咕哝着，一边通过气味和触感来辨别着每种草药。他的库存不多，但至少比上个月多了点儿。“还剩下些猫薄荷……艾菊有点儿少……蓍草还挺多的。”他想起放在营地外面的那束蓍草，一直都不知道是谁找到的。但不管是谁，对方的嗅觉一定很好。
他小心仔细地挑选了些酸模叶、雏菊、甘菊和地榆，用树叶包成四包，让远行猫第二天早上带着，路上他和族猫们可能会用到这些。然后他又去看了一下荆棘光。她还在沉睡着，估计是他不在的时候，被他安排的新练习累坏了。
他知道出发前自己必须得休息好，于是便脚步蹒跚着爬进窝里蜷缩起来，尾巴盖住鼻子。但恍惚间，他很快又睁开了眼睛，发现自己来到了星族。他躺在河岸边高高的草丛里，河水从石缝间汩汩流过，映着红色的霞光。他抬头看去，太阳光芒万丈，西沉天际。周围夜幕笼罩，寒风在草丛间低声细语，吹皱了河面。松鸦羽起身四处张望，正在这时，旁边的蕨丛一阵窸窣，一只猫出现在空地上。松鸦羽看向那一团毛球，认出了对方那浑身乱糟糟的灰色皮毛和参差不齐的牙齿。
“黄牙。”他跟她打了声招呼。
“我一直在等你。”黄牙粗声粗气地说道，“你无缘无故去山里做什么？”
松鸦羽惊讶地弹了弹耳朵：“你怎么知道的？岩石也告诉你了吗？”
黄牙厌恶地哼了一声：“那家伙跟谁都不多说话。”
松鸦羽不知道眼前这位雷族前巫医对岩石了解多少，便问道：“你也觉着我不应该去山区吗？”
“我觉得这就是个鼠脑子的计划，”黄牙龇牙回答道，“黑森林的势力正在壮大，你应该留在雷族保护你的族猫。”
“可急水部落与族群命运息息相关。”松鸦羽争辩道。
“那不是你的职责。”黄牙驳斥道。
“可如果是呢？”松鸦羽固执地说道。如果黄牙知道他去过远古猫们在湖边生活的时代，那她或许就会改变看法了。
但她不知道，而且我也不会告诉她。还不到时候，不能在这里说。
黄牙叹了口气，不再争辩。“来吧，跟我来。”她说道。
松鸦羽走到她身旁，跟着她沿长满蕨丛和草药的河岸走去。他一边闻着气味，一边辨别着每一种草药，希望能带一些回雷族去。
紫草……白屈菜……金盏花。这里什么都有，而我却只有几片干叶子！
灌木丛中还有其他猫经过，他们冲他俩点点头。其中有些猫看着很强壮，身上的毛色栩栩如生。还有一些猫很苍白，仿若一团雾气，看着好像随时都会被吹跑似的。松鸦羽看到了雷族的狮心和白风，他们正跟一只他不认识的漂亮的白色母猫聊天，还有一只幼崽在她脚掌边玩耍。他很想停下来过去聊两句，可黄牙只是冲他们点点头便继续大步往前走去。
河族前族长钩星正坐在河边凝视着下方的河水。就在松鸦羽看他的时候，他突然快速伸出爪子，捉住了一条鳞光闪闪的鱼。鱼在岸边绝望地来回扑腾，最后还是被钩星一口咬死了。
“漂亮！”黄牙赞叹道。
“过来一起吃吧？”钩星邀请道。
“过会儿再说吧。”黄牙没有回头。
又走了一会儿，松鸦羽看见了风族老巫医青面，接着又看到他旁边的焰尾，心里不禁一阵难过。他们正站在一簇百里香旁边，青面正把什么东西指给年轻猫看。
“嘿，松鸦羽，快到我们这儿来！”焰尾喊道。
松鸦羽很想走向他们俩，可黄牙不悦地哼了一声，他只好又跟上她。“抱歉，”他回答道，“下次吧。”
他转身追上黄牙，看见一只灰色公猫正飞速地在树丛间奔跑。他停下脚步，紧盯着那个身影。那只猫仿佛像是感受到了他的目光，也停下来回头用一双蓝色眼睛看向他。可他接着又转身跑了，最后在一丛榛树后消失了。
“蜡毛！”松鸦羽惊呼道，猛地转身看向黄牙。他浑身一片冰凉，寒意涌向爪尖：“他怎么会在这儿？”
“为什么不会？”老猫的声音很是平静，“他唯一的过错就是爱得太深。”
松鸦羽难以置信地哼了一声：“不会吧，他可是企图把我们推下悬崖！”
“可他没那么做，不是吗？”黄牙指出道，“松鼠飞拦住了他。或许，她唯一的过错也是爱得太深。”
“你什么意思？”
黄牙耸了耸肩膀：“自己去想，鼠脑子。现在快点儿走，我可没有一整天时间陪你。”
松鸦羽恼怒地叹了口气，然后随她沿着蜿蜒曲折的小路，穿过树林，最后来到一座绿草茵茵的青山脚下。黄牙率先跳上山坡，等松鸦羽跟上来。等他爬到坡顶，已经气喘吁吁。
“你需要加强锻炼。”她评论道，伸出一只脚掌戳戳他。
“我整个晚上都在忙，”松鸦羽反驳道，“星族猫可能不会累，可我会累啊。我们来这里做什么？”
“只是来看看。”黄牙挥动尾巴，看着山下的风景。
松鸦羽将目光投向远处的森林。星族的森林看上去辽阔而美丽，到处点缀着片片空地和浅色的树木，森林里还有一条小河蜿蜒穿过，闪烁着粼粼波光。几只猫都在浅水处玩耍，互相往彼此身上泼溅着水花，洒下莹莹点点的水珠。松鸦羽从他们强壮的身体和光滑的皮毛判断出，那些都是河族的猫。
“漂亮吧？”黄牙沉默了片刻，突然说道。
“是的。”松鸦羽低声道。
老巫医走近他，和他皮毛相擦。“这一切都要靠你了，松鸦羽。”她说道，“你现在不光是在保护雷族，还要保护所有的族群，包括星族。”
我吗？松鸦羽很想像只迷路的幼崽那样大喊出来，但他忍住了，只是看着那片宁静祥和的景色：“原来你不想让我去山区，是怕族群发生不测。”
老猫垂下头。“有时候，正确的选择，往往是最艰难的。”她粗声说道。
松鸦羽脑海中闪过一幕幕场景，他意识到自己正在看到的是黄牙的回忆：年轻的黄牙，正在给一只深棕色虎斑幼崽哺乳；之后幼崽长大当上了学徒，凶残地跟一只年轻的黑色母猫大打出手；接着成年了，体格健壮，嘴里叼着一只被吓得喵喵直叫的幼崽，正在蕨丛中快速穿行；现在那只猫老了，双目失明且疤痕累累，在荆棘屏障下蜷缩着，身旁年轻的尘毛正在看守他。最后黄牙出现了，瞥了深色公猫一眼，脚掌里握着一颗鲜红的死亡浆果。
松鸦羽浑身颤抖着。黄牙的一生太艰难了，但她却一直勇敢面对。
“抱歉，”他轻声说道，“我明白你的感受，但我必须得去山区一趟。这也是正确的选择。我会回来的，我保证。”
黄牙没有说话，只是用忧虑而又悲伤的眼睛注视着他，直到慢慢地消失在松鸦羽的视野中。她那灰色的皮毛像是融入一团巨大的阴影中，终于变成星族森林上空最后的一缕光芒。当夜幕完全遮住了松鸦羽的视线，他睁开眼睛，发现自己又回到了巢穴。窝旁一簇蕨叶把他的鼻子搔挠得痒痒的。
松鸦羽打了个喷嚏，坐了起来，清晨凛冽的微风吹动着他的皮毛。他能听见早起的猫已经开始在空地周围活动了。荆棘光也在窝里动了动，松鸦羽站起身走向她。
“我好累啊，”她抱怨道，打了个大大的哈欠，“这些练习我每天都要做吗？”
“当然得做了！一天都不能停！”
“那好吧，”荆棘光没想到他反应那么激烈，有点儿惊讶，“不过得让我先醒醒神儿。”
松鸦羽听到她从窝里爬起来，开始梳理自己的皮毛。“荆棘光，我要跟你说件事情。”他轻柔地说道，“我得离开一段时间。”
“不！”荆棘光停下梳理皮毛，声音里满是恐慌，“你不能走！”
“我必须得走，”松鸦羽重复道，“但不会太久，我保证。亮心和米莉会好好照顾你的。”
“那不一样，”荆棘光低声说道，“万一……”
她的声音越来越小，松鸦羽非常明白，她是害怕所以才不敢多问。“如果我认为你会死，那我绝对不会离开的。”他坦承道。
他感觉荆棘光好像放松了一点儿。“所以你才给我安排了那么多练习对吗？”她喃喃道，“我保证好好练。”
“好样的。”松鸦羽用鼻子碰碰她的耳朵，“听我说，我已经准备好了四份旅行草药，就放在草药库的入口。等我叫其他猫进来的时候，你指给他们看。”
“好的。”
说完，松鸦羽让荆棘光开始做练习，自己则绕过黑莓屏风，来到了空地上。梅花落从他身边匆忙跑过，正要去巡逻，松鸦羽用尾巴拦住了她。
“看见狐跃了吗？”
“看到了，他还在武士巢穴呢。”年轻的玳瑁色和白色相间的母猫回答道，“睡得死死的，像只刺猬似的。他今早没有巡逻任务。”
“能帮我把他叫来吗？”
“可是我……”梅花落本想拒绝，但又叹了口气，说道，“好吧。”
松鸦羽听见她跑走了。过了一会儿，狐跃打着哈欠，摇摇晃晃地走了过来。“什么事儿，松鸦羽？我本想从森林大会回来后补个觉的。”
是啊，谁不想睡觉啊？“你要去旅行了。”松鸦羽宣布道。
“旅行？”狐跃突然像一下子彻底醒过来了一样，“去哪里？”
“去山区。”
“真的吗？我吗？”狐跃的声音激动得颤抖了起来，还满怀期待地蹦了一小下，“你是说我要去急水部落，就像那些经历过大迁徙的猫一样？哇，我保证一定会保护好你，松鸦羽。我会成为你能想象到的最棒的武士。我会整晚站岗放哨……”
“不需要做那么多。”松鸦羽忍住笑，低声说道。“我做了几个路上用的旅行药包放在我的巢穴里，”他继续说道，“荆棘光会告诉你它们在哪里。”
“你是说我们现在就要启程了吗？”狐跃听上去像是要乐昏过去了。看到松鸦羽点头，他赶忙朝巫医巢穴跑去。
火星走了过来，松鸦羽闻到了他的味道。“我看见你告诉狐跃这件事了。”他说道，“那松鼠飞和鸽翅呢？”
“我还没见到她们。”
火星停了一下，接着大喊道：“嘿，松鼠飞！到这儿来一下。”
“我正要带黎明巡逻队出发呢。”松鼠飞的声音从荆棘屏障的方向传来。
“不，你不用了。”火星纠正道。
“怎么了？”松鼠飞跳了过来。
“松鸦羽收到了预兆。”火星开口说道。他向她解释为什么想让她跟松鸦羽去一趟山区。
“太好了！”松鼠飞热情高涨，“我很愿意带队远征。这是跟部落的朋友见面的好机会。我已经迫不及待地想要再见到暴毛和溪儿了。”
谁说你要带队了？松鸦羽在心里尖酸地想道。可他什么也不能说，因为松鼠飞是被选中的猫中最年长的，而且也是迄今为止对山区最为熟悉的。所以要她带队也是合情合理。
“还有谁去？”松鼠飞问道，“我猜，有狮焰，还有——”
“不，狮焰留在这里。”火星打断了她，“你们不需要他，你们又不是去作战。松鸦羽的预兆没告诉他会有任何的麻烦。”
“嗯……”松鼠飞听上去很惊讶，也不是很开心，“我想你最清楚。但我希望，你该不会只让松鸦羽和我去一路长途跋涉吧？”
“不，”火星告诉她，“还有狐跃和鸽翅。”
“什么？还有我？”
松鸦羽被身后一声兴奋的尖叫声吓了一跳。更多的猫都向这边凑过来，想要听听怎么回事儿，而他一点儿也没注意到鸽翅过来。于是他转过身，简单快速地跟她解释了一下情况。
“太酷了！”鸽翅惊呼道，“我听过很多关于山区的故事，现在我也要去那里了！藤池能去吗？”
“不能。”松鸦羽反对道。伟大的星族啊，这两姐妹简直就是连体的！
“为什么不行？”鸽翅凑到他耳边嘶嘶道，“你不信任她吗？”
“不是这个问题。”松鸦羽咬牙切齿地说道，“我们现在不要当着大家的面讨论这个好不好。只有我们四个去，就这样。”
“好吧。”鸽翅很失望，声音听上去很是苦涩。
“好了，”松鸦羽轻快地说道，“我给大家准备好了旅行药包，你们去拿吧。”
“你是说，我们现在就走吗？”松鼠飞惊讶地问道。
“不能再耽搁了。”火星开口道。
“嘿，松鼠飞！鸽翅！”黑莓掌的声音打断了火星的话，副族长走了过来，“你们为什么没去巡逻呢？怎么大家都站在这里？”
是松鼠飞回答了他：“火星要派我们去山区，松鸦羽得到了一个预兆。”
“明白了。”黑莓掌的声音很平静，“火星，我希望你不要派太多的猫去，这个时候我们需要所有的武士都留在这里。”
“没有很多，只有他们三个，还有狐跃。”火星回答道。
“黑莓掌，你有什么口信要带给急水部落吗？”松鼠飞迟疑地问道，“我可以替你向暴毛和溪儿问好。”
松鸦羽听出她话里有话，只是她不敢大声问出来而已。她是想让黑莓掌祝她好运，或者叮嘱她万事小心……总之说些在乎她的话，说什么都行。
但是黑莓掌只说了一句：“当然，告诉他们雷族想念他们。”
松鸦羽几乎能感受到松鼠飞的失望心情。黑莓掌好像什么感觉都没有，难道他忘了他曾经一直以为他是我们的父亲吗？
几只猫围着他们，兴奋地问这问那。黎明巡逻队还没有走，更多的武士从武士巢穴外的枝条中钻了出来。
“怎么那么吵啊？”尘毛生气地问道，“难道就不能让我合会儿眼吗？”
“去山区？”这是炭心的声音，语气里充满着渴望，“哦，我希望我也能去，可惜只能想象一下了……光秃秃的山峰，无边无际的蓝天，还有老鹰在空中盘旋，冰凉而清澈的水……”
松鸦羽眨眨眼，想象着她所描绘的画面。当然，炭心见过那一切，他想，只是她不知道那是自己的前世记忆。
“我还记得我跟急水部落一起狩过猎。”云尾说道，“大迁徙时我们路过那里，我还想再去抓一次老鹰。”
“我也是。”沙风表示赞同，“狮焰，你的运气真好。”
“我不去，”狮焰回答道，声音听上去还是不太高兴，“火星想让我留下保卫营地。”
“哦，那真糟糕。”沙风同情地说道。
松鸦羽皱皱鼻子，闻到狐跃带着一身草药气味回到猫群。狐跃一遍遍用舌头舔着下巴，抱怨道：“为什么旅行草药那么难吃啊？”
一只脚掌碰了碰松鸦羽的肩膀，把他吓了一跳。他闻见了波弟的气味。“这么说你们又要出远门了，小年轻，”老独行猫粗声粗气地说道，“我真希望能跟你们一起回去，再看看我的老家。”
松鸦羽一下子紧张了起来。求求你星族，不要啊！
波弟好笑地打了个喷嚏：“不要露出那么惊讶的表情来，我这老胳膊老腿的也走不了那么远了。听我说，我还有一两件事想告诉你——”
“时间来不及了，波弟，”松鸦羽打断了他，“我们现在就要出发了。”
“哦。”波弟犹豫了一下，“好吧，注意离那个农场远一点儿。你哥哥姐姐还有那个讨厌的风族学徒都曾在那里遇到过狗。”
“我们会的，波弟，放心吧。”松鸦羽向他保证道，说完他靠向波弟，悄声加了句，“我不在的时候，照顾好鼠毛。”
“我当然会的，”松鸦羽听出了波弟声音中的骄傲，“相信我没错的。”
松鸦羽用尾巴示意鸽翅和松鼠飞跟过来，然后便带她们回到了自己的巢穴，并把路上要用的草药包给了她们。可是当他舔食草药时，一股莫名的疑虑突然在他心里冒了出来。
我这样做对吗？带这些猫去山区，让雷族变得更加脆弱？岩石的话真的可信吗？
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 10
Ivypool blinked open her eyes tosee the pale light of the Dark Forest all around her. She was curled up in the shade of an elder bush, its leaves casting dark patterns on her silver-white fur. Yawning, she scrambled to her paws and slid out. The trees clustered close together here, their branches entwined over Ivypool’s head. It was a relief not to be able to see the starless sky, always the most frightening reminder that she wasn’t in ThunderClan.
“But it still feels a long, long way from home,” she muttered.
Tasting the air, she picked up the scent of many cats, and heard voices coming faintly from among the trees several fox-lengths away. Ivypool padded in that direction and found herself on the edge of a clearing. Halting, she peered out from the shelter of a clump of bracken. Hawkfrost stood in the center with a ragged circle of younger cats around him. Ivypool recognized Tigerheart and Breezepelt, and a white RiverClan she-cat whose name she couldn’t remember. Others weren’t familiar at all.
Hawkfrost’s ice-blue eyes shone in the pallid light. “In a battle, you won’t be fighting one-on-one,” he meowed. “Cats will come at you from all directions, and you have to be ready. Now, I want all of you to attack me at once.”
“All of us?” Breezepelt sounded disbelieving.
“That’s what I said.” Hawkfrost’s voice had an edge. “I’ll take you on by myself later, if you want.”
“No, that’s fine, Hawkfrost,” Breezepelt answered hastily.
Mouse-brain!Ivypool thought.
“Okay.” Hawkfrost’s icy gaze traveled over the group of younger cats. “Attack—now!”
For a moment Ivypool lost sight of the dark tabby warrior as he was buried under a squirming heap of screeching, yowling cats. Then his head reappeared, as if he was trying to swim in a lake of fur. In spite of her dislike of Hawkfrost, Ivypool drew in a breath of admiration as he recovered his paws, lashing out at his attackers. His legs were a blur of motion. His jaws seemed to be everywhere, snapping and tearing. First one, then another of the attacking cats reared back, until Hawkfrost stood alone once again, ruffled and panting but with no injuries that Ivypool could see.
That was awesome,she admitted reluctantly. Almost against her will, her paws were itching to learn how Hawkfrost had managed that.
“Now,” the tabby warrior went on when he had caught his breath, “who can tell me what you’ve learned today?”
“Stay away from your claws,” Tigerheart muttered, licking one bleeding paw.
A murmur of amusement rose from the young cats, but Hawkfrost didn’t share it. “Anything useful?” he prompted.
The white RiverClan warrior raised her tail. “It looked as if you were fighting with all four paws,” she mewed.
“Good, Icewing.” Hawkfrost gave her an approving nod. “That’s exactly what I was doing.”
“But how?” another cat demanded.
“Watch, and I’ll show you. I’ll do it slowly.” Hawkfrost balanced on his hind paws and reached out with his forepaws, claws extended. Then with a swift movement he raked them downward. The moment his forepaws touched the ground, he struck out with his hind paws; any cat unlucky enough to be behind him would have received a blow hard enough to knock them to the ground. “Like that,” he finished. He repeated the move, faster this time. “Now you try.”
Watching the Clan cats practice, Ivypool realized that there were more of them than she had ever seen at one time in the Dark Forest. So many!she thought, her belly tight with apprehension. As well as Tigerheart, his Clanmates Redwillow and Ratscar were there, Sunstrike from WindClan, and a RiverClan apprentice with the white warrior Icewing.
“I always thought Ratscar looked a bit shifty,” Ivypool muttered under her breath. “I’m not surprised he’shere. And Breezepelt has always been an annoying lump of fur. But I sort of liked Sunstrike when I met her at Gatherings, and Icewing looks friendly. What are they doing here?”
What amI doing here?she reminded herself. I’m a spy. So maybe some of these cats are spies for their Clans as well
But judging by the eagerness with which they were practicing Hawkfrost’s moves, all the young cats wanted to be there for the same reasons as Ivypool first had: to train to be better warriors than their Clans could make them, to be the best they could at fighting and defending their home.
Ivypool knew that if she stayed much longer hiding in the bracken, some cat would scent her. She didn’t want to be accused of skulking around. Even if that’s what I’m doing!Emerging from the bracken clump, she skirted the training cats and padded up to Hawkfrost, giving him a polite nod as she halted in front of him. “Greetings,” she mewed.
Hawkfrost’s eyes were chips of ice. “You’re late,” he snapped.
“Sorry. I found it hard to get to sleep.”
The dark tabby twitched his ears. “Is your Clan not working you hard enough?” he inquired, his voice a menacing purr. “We can soon take care of that.” He raised his voice. “Cats of the Dark Forest!”
At once the cats stopped what they were doing and gathered around him again. Hawkfrost surveyed them approvingly. “Well done,” he meowed. “Now you need a chance to practice your new skill in battle. Ivypool is ready to help you. Strike!”
He leaped out of the circle as the Dark Forest cats converged on Ivypool. She hardly had time for a protesting screech before Breezepelt was on her. He tried the balance-and-slash part of Hawkfrost’s move, but Ivypool sprang backward and he missed, losing his balance and striking the ground so hard that he staggered.
“Tough, mange-pelt!” Ivypool snarled.
Claws raked down her back; she tried to spin around but another cat landed on top of her and she fell to the ground, the breath driven out of her body as the other cat pressed her down. She saw Tigerheart’s amber eyes a mouse-length from her own.
“I’ll teach you to attack my brother!” he growled.
Ivypool lashed out with her hind paws, battering at Tigerheart’s belly. He rolled away, catching her blow over the ear as he did so. Another cat replaced him, and yet another had teeth fixed in her tail. Ivypool could scarcely move. The vicious yowls and caterwauls were so loud they hurt her ears.
I’m fighting for my life!
Suddenly a shadow fell across the battling cats. The screeching was abruptly cut off. Ivypool felt the weight that was pinning her down vanish. She scrambled to her paws, briefly blinded by blood that trickled down from a scratch above her eye. Swiping at it with a paw, she looked up to see Brokenstar standing at the edge of the clearing. Another cat stood behind him in the shadows.
“Don’t let me interrupt,” Brokenstar meowed.
Hawkfrost took a pace toward him, dipping his head respectfully. “Welcome, Brokenstar. Can we do anything for you?”
“The question should be, what can I do for you?” the former ShadowClan leader replied. “I have a new apprentice for you to meet.” He paced forward into the center of the clearing, and the cat behind him followed. As the brown tabby emerged into the light, Ivypool drew in a horrified breath.
“This is Blossomfall of ThunderClan,” Brokenstar went on. “Some of you know her already. Blossomfall, these are your new Clanmates.”
Blossomfall glanced around nervously. Recognition flared in her eyes as her gaze fell on Ivypool, but she said nothing, just gave her a curt nod. Ivypool guessed she didn’t want to give the Dark Forest cats the idea that she would be more loyal to a ThunderClan cat than any of the others.
Some of the Dark Forest cats murmured greetings to Blossomfall, but none of them said anything more. Ivypool recoiled from how false everything was in the Dark Forest. Are all the cats here supposed to be a Clan? We don’t behave like one! And how can another ThunderClan cat be here? ThunderClan cats are loyal!
“So,” Hawkfrost drawled, “are you going to show us what this new cat is made of, Brokenstar?”
In answer, the ShadowClan cat beckoned to Ratscar with his tail. “Fight,” he rasped.
Ratscar had a torn ear from his bout with Hawkfrost, but he didn’t hesitate. He hurled himself at Blossomfall, who was so surprised by the sudden attack that she let him carry her off her paws. Ratscar let out a screech of triumph and slammed one paw down on her throat. Ivypool watched, her belly churning with tension, as Blossomfall lashed out with her hind paws and managed to throw Ratscar off. While he still lay on the ground she darted past him and got in a soft blow to his side before she spun around and waited for his next move.
You have to unsheathe your claws!Ivypool thought anxiously This isn’t a ThunderClan training exercise
Ratscar crouched and leaped for Blossomfall; she dived underneath him, but at the last moment he twisted in the air and landed on her haunches, sinking his teeth into the base of her tail. Blossomfall yowled in pain and shock. The Shadow Clan warrior had pinned her down again, and this time Blossomfall couldn’t free herself. She struck out blindly at Ratscar’s head and shoulders, but Ivypool could tell that her blows were growing weaker.
Ivypool couldn’t watch her Clanmate being torn to pieces by the bigger, more experienced ShadowClan cat. She darted forward, thrusting her shoulders against Ratscar and rolling him off Blossomfall, raking his ears with her claws as she did so. Ratscar turned on her with a disbelieving snarl as Blossomfall stumbled to her paws.
“Stop!” Brokenstar’s voice rang out across the clearing before Ratscar could strike another blow.
All three cats froze as the black cat paced across the open ground to join them. Dismissing Ratscar with a flick of his ears, he loomed over Ivypool and fixed her with a baleful amber gaze. “Just what do you think you were doing?” His voice was low, but the menace in it made Ivypool tremble from ears to paws. “What gives you the right to interfere?”
Striving not to show how frightened she was, Ivypool lifted her head and returned glare for glare. “We’re loyal to one another, right?” A gush of genuine anger began to drive out her fear. “Should we stand by like cowards and let one another be defeated in battle?”
Brokenstar narrowed his eyes; every hair on his pelt was proclaiming his distrust of her. “You saved your Clanmate,” he pointed out.
“Here, they are all my Clanmates,” Ivypool retorted. StarClan, let him believe me!“I don’t see why an apprentice should be lost on her first visit.”
Brokenstar stood still for a moment more, his gaze boring into her, then let out a snort and stepped aside. Ivypool was left facing Blossomfall.
“You didn’t have to do that,” the tortoiseshell warrior hissed, smoothing her ripped fur. “I could have beaten Ratscar in the end.”
And hedgehogs can fly,Ivypool thought. Turning away, she spotted a brown tom in the group of Dark Forest cats and recognized him by his one black ear.
“Antpelt!” she exclaimed, bounding over to him. “I didn’t see you there. It’s great that you’re okay.”
The WindClan warrior’s wounds had healed, leaving long scars that sliced across his back and throat, but he looked strong and free from pain. He gave Ivypool a puzzled look. “This is my home now,” he meowed.
For a heartbeat Ivypool didn’t understand him; then she felt as though she had fallen into an icy stream. “You—you died?” she gasped.
Antpelt shrugged. “You can see it that way if you want.”
“Did you choose to come here?” Ivypool asked, trying to keep the shock out of her voice. Iliked Antpelt! He doesn’t belong with these evil cats
“These are my Clanmates, more than WindClan ever was,” Antpelt told her with a trace of regret in his voice. “Where else would I go?”
Ivypool couldn’t answer that question. “I’m sorry you died,” she mewed awkwardly.
“This is where I want to be,” Antpelt responded with another shrug.
“Ivypool, come here!”
Almost relieved to hear Hawkfrost calling her, Ivypool dipped her head to the WindClan warrior and ran across the clearing to Hawkfrost. A RiverClan apprentice was standing beside him, looking wide-eyed and anxious.
“This is Hollowpaw,” Hawkfrost told her. “He’s new. Teach him a move or two, will you?”
“Sure,” Ivypool replied. She was pleased that Hawkfrost didn’t stay to watch, but padded across the clearing to where Tigerheart and Sunstrike were beginning a practice bout.
“Hi, Hollowpaw,” she meowed. “Is this your first visit?”
“Second.” Hollowpaw squeaked out the word like a kit, and cleared his throat. “I came here in a dream, and talked to Hawkfrost,” he added. “I told him how the other apprentices were bullying me, and he said he’d teach me how to stand up to them.”
“Oh, yes, we can do that,” Ivypool promised, her heart aching for the nervous apprentice. He doesn’t know what he’s getting into, but neither did I. Still,she thought, teaching him some good fighting techniques won’t do him any harm
Hollowpaw brightened up as she spoke. “Great! Troutstream and Mossypaw will get a major surprise! Troutstream is even more of a pain in the butt since he was made a warrior,” he added.
“For now, you’d better keep your claws sheathed,” Ivypool advised, hoping that Hawkfrost and Brokenstar wouldn’t notice. I’ve been in enough trouble for one night. “Okay,” she continued briskly, “I’m a fox coming to attack the RiverClan camp. What are you going to do?”
In response, Hollowpaw flung himself at her, his teeth bared in a snarl and his paws outstretched, leaving himself completely open to attack. Ivypool sidestepped, hooked his paws out from under him, and pinned him to the ground with one paw on his shoulder and another on his belly. Hollowpaw squirmed helplessly underneath her.
Great StarClan! What do they teach them in RiverClan?
Aloud, she mewed, “And now I’m a fox that’s going to carry you off to my den and eat you.” She released the apprentice, who scrambled to his paws and stood with his head bowed, front claws scraping the ground in his embarrassment.
“Sorry,” he mumbled.
“Don’t be.” Ivypool glanced over her shoulder to make sure that Hawkfrost and Brokenstar were still out of earshot. “You’re here to learn, after all. Now you be the fox, and I’ll show you what you should have done.”
She taught Hollowpaw a fairly basic move, showing him how to dart in, rake the enemy with his claws, and dart out of range again. “Remember that a fox or—StarClan forbid—a badger is much bigger and heavier than you are. Brute strength won’t get you anywhere. You have to be fast and clever. Try it.”
Hollowpaw sprang at her with an eager look in his eyes, lashed at her side with a sheathed paw, and bounced away again. “Like that?”
“Very good. Again.”
While the apprentice practiced, Ivypool shot another glance at Brokenstar and Hawkfrost. They had split up and were padding around the clearing, watching the other practice bouts. Just don’t come over here, okay?
She had called a halt, and was starting to explain another move to Hollowpaw, when she heard Hawkfrost’s voice. “Ivypool!”
Oh, no!
But when Ivypool spun around, the tabby warrior was beckoning all the training cats into the center of the clearing. Ivypool heaved a sigh of relief as she realized that the session was over.
“You’ve all done well,” Hawkfrost meowed when the cats were gathered around him. “Especially you, Blossomfall,” he added, giving the new ThunderClan recruit an approving nod. “That leap-and-twist is coming on nicely.”
Blossomfall’s eyes shone with pride. “Thanks, Hawkfrost,” she mewed, ducking her head to the Dark Forest warrior.
“I think you’re going to fit in here really well,” Hawkfrost told her.
With a sinking heart, Ivypool let her gaze travel around the circle of lean, muscled, battle-hungry warriors. Oh, StarClan help us,she thought. The Dark Forest is trying to recruit an army of loyal warriors from inside all the Clans—and they’re succeeding!
第八章
第八章
狮焰率领狩猎队穿过荆棘通道，快步走向旧雷鬼路。炭心、桦落还有叶池，都脚步轻快地跟在他身后。灰蒙蒙湿漉漉的黎明过后，雾霭散去，片片蓝天从树林间露了出来。微风吹拂着狮焰的脸，带来了猎物的气味。但他发现自己很难集中精力在狩猎上。松鸦羽的突然离去还是让他很震惊。他努力控制住自己不因为没有被选中而怒火中烧。
“我在想，松鸦羽为什么要去山区呢？”桦落说道，跳上前来和狮焰并肩前行，“他告诉过你吗？”
“他得到了一个预兆，”狮焰咕哝道，“别忘了，他可是巫医。”
“我希望我也能去。”桦落继续道，声音里带着一丝怀念，“大迁徙的时候我还只是幼崽，不过真的太刺激了！我真想以武士的身份回那里去看看。”
“我想大部分族猫都想去。”炭心评论道，走过来加入他们，“我知道我也想去，尽管我没参加过大迁徙。”
“那里全是深不见底的悬崖，”桦落小声说道，眼睛里蒙上了一层回忆的雾气，“风大到能把你的皮毛吹下来，还有我这辈子见过的最大个儿的鸟……”
你还是别再说了吧！狮焰想。“我们说得太多了，现在该开始寻找猎物了。”他提醒道。光秃秃的树枝间露出了废弃的两脚兽巢穴的石墙。“我们分开行动怎么样？桦落，你跟叶池一组，我跟炭心一组。”
他心里感到一阵难过。多希望除了早上的巡逻外，其他时间也能和炭心走在一起。最好是一辈子，一直到我们去星族狩猎。
桦落带着叶池朝湖边走去，而狮焰则掉转方向走进两脚兽巢穴后面的树林里。
“你肯定很担心松鸦羽吧？”等他们在一棵松树旁停下时，炭心问道，“但是还记得那个预言怎么说的吗？他不会有事的，对于族群的命运来说，他至关重要。”
狮焰不想去想那个预言，尤其是不想被炭心提起，因为那就是他们无法在一起的原因。“松鸦羽只是一只普通的猫，”他争辩道，他多么希望那是真的啊，“就像我一样。”
“但是你并不普通，你们俩都不是！”炭心反驳道，“你们都是与众不同的。”
狮焰的爪子插进泥土里，愤怒令他身上的每块肌肉都绷紧起来。“为什么你就不能把那些愚蠢的话丢在一边，好好看看真正的我呢？”他冲炭心发火道，“你以前都是那样看我的，现在又有什么不一样吗？”
“一切都变了，”炭心回答道，她的声音充满了自豪和激动，“因为我以前看到的并不是真正的你。预言是你的一部分——甚至你还没出生它就已经在那里了！”
我们不能再在一起，而她听上去好像一点儿也不后悔。“那你呢？”他挑衅道，“你就一点儿也不在乎吗？”
“我当然在乎！”她的激动渐渐褪去，狮焰开始感受到她话里隐藏的悲伤，“相信我，我也希望你不是那个预言的一部分，但你的的确确就是，所以我们只能接受这个事实。”
“可是——”狮焰想要打断她的话，但被炭心抢了先。
“有了伴侣和幼崽的牵挂，你就无法安心地带着族猫们冲锋陷阵。你和巫医一样，必须忠诚于整个族群，每一只猫。”
“你这句话对任何一位武士都适用。”狮焰反驳道。
“不一样，因为你是三力量之一。”炭心伸出尾巴像是要去碰他的肩膀，但在最后一刻又收了回去。“事实就是这样，”她快速转过身，“我们狩猎吧。”
狮焰绝望地看着她的背影。他有满肚子的话想对她说，可最终还是没能说出来。那边，炭心已经发现了一只乌鸫，并摆好狩猎姿势，准备悄悄向它靠近。压抑住一声叹息，狮焰开始绕到乌鸫的另一边，小心地不发出一丝声音。那只鸟正在一棵树下啄食苔藓，根本就没注意到正在悄然靠近它的两只猫。炭心走到离乌鸫只剩两尾长的距离时，狮焰发出一声吼叫，那只乌鸫警觉地拍动翅膀想要飞走，结果却一头撞进炭心的爪子里。炭心一掌把它拍晕过去，然后迅速在它脖子上咬了一口。
狮焰走过来，看见炭心正在用一只脚掌拍打着乌鸫那瘫软的棕色身体，爪子落在上面。“是只雌鸟，”她轻柔地说道，“看，它嘴上还有苔藓呢。它一定是在采集苔藓做窝，可是现在它永远没机会下蛋了，也再也回不到伴侣的身边了。”
狮焰眨眨眼，他不明白为什么会有武士对着一只刚刚捕到的猎物那么悲伤。“抓得漂亮。”他鼓励她。
“我说的不是这个。”炭心仍然低头看着死去的鸟。“我一直都想有个伴侣，生几只幼崽。”她低语道，“可我没有那个命，永远也无法感知伴侣皮毛上的温暖……也不会有机会哺育幼崽……”
“你会找到别的伴侣的，”狮焰想要安慰她，尽管他的心在撕心裂肺地痛，“你会有幼崽的。”
炭心转身面朝着他，深蓝色的眼睛里燃烧着怒火。“你根本就不明白！”她怒喝道，并用后爪刨了个坑将乌鸫埋下。“我自己去狩猎！”说完没等狮焰回答，她就冲进了树林。
狮焰看着她的背影，一脸不解。这是怎么了？他眼角的余光觉察到动静，然后瞥见叶池朝他走来。不知道她听到了多少？
“你还好吗？”叶池走过来轻轻问道。
狮焰现在一团乱麻，不想再去想跟她的恩怨。“不太好，”他承认道，“跟炭心发生了点儿争执。”
叶池点点头，好在她也没继续追问原因。他知道自己也不可能告诉她有关预言的事情。
“我们为什么不到湖边去找猎物呢？”叶池建议道，转身朝那个方向走去，邀请般地冲狮焰抽了抽尾巴。
狮焰惊讶地发现自己不但走到她身边，还和她一起并肩穿过了灌木丛。越靠近湖边，空气中水的气味就更浓了。
“炭心看样子认为我们的命运不同。”过了一会儿，他说道，“我也不明白她是什么意思。”
“我想我明白，”叶池同情地眨眨眼，“而且我确信她以前是爱你的。事实上，我认为她现在依然爱着你。”
狮焰沮丧地用爪子去戳一根伸到他们路上的黑莓藤：“那她为什么就不能跟我在一起呢？为什么她要把这一切弄得那么复杂？”
叶池摇了摇头没有回答。他们默默地一起朝前走了一会儿。快到一条通往湖边的狭窄小道上时，叶池停下来，闻了闻空气。狮焰以为她闻到猎物了，却见她冲向旁边的黑莓丛，弄出了很大声的响动。
你那样什么也抓不住！
但是叶池用一只脚掌拨开枯叶，里面露出三朵亮黄色款冬花。“这个季节还是第一次见呢，”她惊呼道，“我最好把这些都带回营地，它们对鼠毛的咳嗽有好处。”
“你还想当巫医吗？”狮焰问道，看着叶池小心翼翼地把花掐下来。
“每时每刻都在想。”她喃喃道。
“那你的命运是怎样的？”狮焰语无伦次地问道，“我是说，如果你注定要当巫医的话，那你就不会……星族就不会让你和鸦羽……”
叶池垂下了头。“命运不是一条让大家都盲目遵从的路。”她说道，“它通常需要你做出选择，有时候还要遵从内心那最强烈的声音。”她顿了一下，接着又补充道：“在我内心深处，我一直都知道自己该做什么，所以我才回到雷族。狮焰，不管发生什么事情，我都相信你会做出正确的选择。遵从内心的指引，因为那才是你真正的命运所在。”
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 11
Dovewing halted, her gaze going upand up. She thought that the stretch of snow-covered slopes and jagged rocks would never come to an end, but finally she saw the topmost peaks crisply outlined against a pale blue sky. Clouds drifted around the summit.
“I don’t believe it!” she breathed.
“It’s just…just awesome!” Foxleap’s voice was the squeak of a startled kit.
“The mountains are pretty amazing, especially when you first see them,” Squirrelflight agreed, coming to stand beside the two younger cats. “I’ll never forget my first visit.”
“Nor will I.” Jayfeather’s neck fur was rising and he spat out the words as if he had unexpectedly bitten into crow-food. “It’s cold and windy and hard underpaw up there, but we have to go, so we may as well keep moving.”
It was the third sunrise since they had left the lake. The sky was clear, but Dovewing fluffed up her fur against the icy wind that blew down from the peaks. “How do cats live up there?” she asked. “Is there any prey?”
“Not that you’d notice,” Jayfeather retorted.
“Of course there’s prey,” Squirrelflight meowed, with an exasperated glance at the medicine cat. “But it’s different, and there are different ways of hunting. You’ll see.” Waving her tail, she set off with Jayfeather just behind her. Dove wing exchanged a wide-eyed glance with Foxleap and followed. Their path led them into gently rolling foothills, covered with rough moorland grass and the tough, springy stems of heather. Rocky outcrops poked through the thin soil.
“This feels like WindClan territory,” Foxleap grumbled. “I don’t like it.”
Dovewing murmured agreement. She was uneasy without the cover of trees and she missed the dense, prey-scented undergrowth of the forest. “At least we can see if anything is trying to creep up on us,” she pointed out.
Sending out her senses, alert for danger, she encountered nothing but the small sounds of distant, hidden prey and the trickle of streams. A harsh cry rang out from overhead; Dovewing looked up to see a bird hovering high above. She didn’t recognize the wide wingspan, but it felt vaguely threatening.
“Eagle,” Squirrelflight mewed. “We’ll see a lot of those where we’re going. We’ll need to watch out, because they’re big enough to attack a cat.”
Dovewing shivered. What sort of place is this, where thebirds are dangerous?
The cats trekked through the hills for the rest of that day, with only a short stop at sunhigh. Squirrelflight and Foxleap, working together, caught a rabbit, which all four cats shared in quick, uneasy bites. Gradually the slope grew steeper and the grass thinned out, until the cats were toiling over rock with only tufts of grass and scrawny bushes rooted in cracks. The sun was going down, casting stretched-out shadows ahead of them and flooding the snowy mountain slopes with scarlet light.
I hope we find shelter before it gets dark,Dovewing thought.
Squirrelflight led them along a narrow track that twisted among sharp-sided rocks, where snow still drifted in the hollows, then across an open stretch of ground covered with big, smooth boulders. The cats had to scramble over them, Jayfeather spitting with annoyance because he kept slipping, unable to see where he was putting his paws. At the other side of the boulders, snow lay deeply in a dip in the ground. At the bottom was a pool of water, frozen at the edges, with snow-laden grass growing more thickly around the edges.
“Great, a drink!” Foxleap exclaimed, bounding forward. “My tongue feels as dry as these rocks.”
“Watch out!” Squirrelflight warned.
Following Foxleap more slowly, Dovewing picked up a powerful scent of cats; her paw steps led her across the strongest part, and she realized it must be a border like the ones that separated the forest territories.
“We’re on Tribe territory now,” Squirrelflight explained, satisfaction in her voice as she added, “They’re still keeping the border markers fresh.”
All four cats padded up to the water to drink, but as Dovewing stretched out a paw to break the thin ice at the edge and lap up the first cold drops, a yowl split the air behind her.
“Intruders!”
At the same moment a body slammed into her, carrying her off her paws; she hit the ground at the edge of the pool, throwing up droplets from her flailing paws. Sliding out her claws, she scrambled up, tail lashing, to see a black tom, no bigger than an apprentice, staring at her with undisguised hostility.
“Get off our territory!” he spat.
“Wait—” Squirrelflight yowled.
“Dark! Stop!”
A gray-and-white she-cat emerged from behind a boulder halfway up the slope on the other side of the pool, followed by a dark tabby tom and another young cat, a she-cat with a gray speckled pelt.
“But they’re trespassing!” Dark, the black tom, protested.
“No, they’re not.” The she-cat stalked down the slope to stand beside Dark, and gave him a light cuff over one ear. “They are not intruders, they’re guests.” She turned to Squirrelflight, surprise in her voice and the set of her ears, and added more warmly, “Squirrelflight, it’s good to see you again—and Jaypaw.”
“Jayfeather,” the medicine cat corrected her with a twitch of his ears.
“It’s Wing Shadow Over Water, isn’t it?” Squirrelflight stepped forward to touch noses with the gray she-cat. “And Sheer Path Beside Waterfall,” she added with a nod to the dark tabby. “This is Dovewing, and this is Foxleap.”
Dovewing dipped her head in greeting, eyeing the Tribe cats curiously. They were much smaller than the Clan cats, and they all looked as if they could do with a good meal.
“This to-be,” Wing went on, pointing with her tail toward the black tom, “the one who has no more sense than to attack four cats all by himself, is Dark Shadow on Water, and this is Rain That Passes Quickly.”
The gray speckled cat ducked her head politely.
“To-be?” Dovewing murmured.
“Like our apprentices,” Jayfeather hissed into her ear.
“No cat expected to see you here again,” Sheer meowed to Squirrelflight. “Are the Clans in trouble? Do you need help?”
“No, everything’s fine,” Squirrelflight purred. “We just wanted to pay a visit to our old friends.”
Wing twitched her whiskers, and Dovewing figured she had guessed that the Clan cats had more reason than that for trekking so far in leaf-bare, but all she said was “We’d better take you to the cave. It will be dark soon.”
Following the Tribe cats, the ThunderClan patrol headed deeper into the mountains. The sun had disappeared, and the last streaks of scarlet were fading from the sky. Twilight gathered, making the path even harder to see, but the Tribe cats bounded confidently forward, standing poised on the top of rocks as they waited for the Clan cats to catch up. Wind whined among the peaks; Dovewing blinked as it drove showers of ice into her eyes.
“Why any cat wants to live in such a StarClan-forsaken place as this,” Jayfeather panted as he hauled himself over a boulder, “I’ll never understand.” He hesitated, crouching on the rock; the ground ahead was uneven and Dovewing realized that he could injure himself if he jumped down in the wrong place.
“Wait a moment,” she mewed. She let herself drop onto a patch of snow and checked that it was clear of sharp edges. “Jump over here,” she instructed Jayfeather. “Follow my voice.”
Jayfeather leaped, landing awkwardly; Dovewing steadied him as he staggered. “Thanks,” he mumbled.
As they began to toil up a long slope, following Squirrelflight and Foxleap, who had drawn a little way ahead, Dovewing picked up a new sound: a deep, continuous roar that grew louder with every paw step they took.
“What’s that noise?” she asked Jayfeather.
“Oh, you can hear it already?” Jayfeather spoke in a low voice, and Dovewing guessed that without knowing it she had been using her special senses. “It’s the waterfall. That’s where the Tribe of Rushing Water lives.”
Soon all the cats could hear the rumble of the falls. They scrambled up one last steep slope and came out onto a flat stretch of rock where a river flowed past between boulders. Wind scoured across it, buffeting Dovewing’s fur and threatening to sweep her off her paws, but the sound of it was drowned by the deafening thunder of the cascade.
Dovewing padded to the edge of the cliff, where water slid over the lip of the rocks in a smooth curve. “Wow!” she exclaimed to Sheer, who stood beside her, one paw stretched out as if warning her to be careful. “You really live here?”
“Our cave is behind the waterfall,” he explained with pride in his voice.
“Awesome!” We actually have to walk behind that wall of foaming water?she thought privately. That’s no place for cats to live!
Sheer guided the Clan cats down the rocks beside the falls. The surface was wet and slippery; Dovewing tried to dig her claws into the hard surface and waved her tail wildly for balance. Her heart beat fast as she fought not to show these strange cats how scared she was. Jayfeather struggled down between Wing and Squirrelflight, grunting with every paw step.
Finally, every cat stood on a narrow path that led behind the waterfall. Dovewing walked along it carefully, keeping to Sheer’s paw steps, with the rock face on one side and the endlessly falling water on the other. She shivered as spray soaked her fur.
By now it was almost completely dark. The waterfall was a screen of rippling gray, shot through with silver where it reflected the moon and the slowly emerging stars. As Dovewing padded forward, a dark space opened up on the opposite side from the water; Sheer vanished into it and his voice came back to Dovewing, echoing strangely.
“Welcome to the Tribe of Rushing Water!”
Blinking, Dovewing entered the cave, followed by Squirrelflight, Jayfeather, and Foxleap, with the other Tribe cats bringing up the rear. Shaking her pelt dry, she gazed at the soaring cave walls, the roof lost in shadows high above her head. At the far end, two tunnels led away into darkness. Cats were crouching on ledges, staring down at the new arrivals. Others stalked around one another on the floor of the cave; it looked to Dovewing as if they were in the middle of some kind of training exercise. All of them froze as the visitors halted, bunched together, near the entrance. Dovewing’s pelt prickled.
Almost at once a voice yowled from the other side of the cavern. “I don’t believe it! Squirrelflight! Jaypaw!”
“Jayfeather,” he muttered.
A dark gray tom, longer legged than the other cats, bounded out of the shadows and skidded to a halt in front of Squirrelflight. “It’s great to see you again,” he meowed.
“Crag.” Squirrelflight’s voice was a warm purr. “It’s great to be here.”
More cats started to crowd around, offering greetings and asking questions about the Clans. Dovewing’s head began to spin; Squirrelflight tried to introduce every cat, but it was hard to remember, or to tell them all apart when they looked so much like one another: small and skinny, and mostly with gray-brown pelts.
And they have such long names! No wonder they cut them short
“Remember when we ambushed you the first time you came here?” An old cat named Talon was speaking to Squirrelflight. “I nearly ripped your pelt off, but you managed to convince us you were on our side.”
“You might have been surprised at who did the pelt-ripping.” To Dovewing’s astonishment Squirrelflight butted the old tabby affectionately in the shoulder. “And we all fought on the same side against Sharptooth.”
Talon nodded, blinking sadly, then shook his head as if he was banishing painful memories. “Where’s Brook?” he asked, looking around. Pushing his way to the edge of the cats clustered around the visitors, he called out, “Brook, come see who’s here!”
A graceful tabby she-cat emerged from a corner near the back of the cave, herding two tiny kits in front of her.
Squirrelflight’s eyes widened, her green gaze sparkling. “Brook! You have kits!”
Brook padded up to Squirrelflight and touched noses with her, purring as if she would never stop. She parted her jaws to drink in Squirrelflight’s scent. “Welcome back,” she mewed, then added proudly, “This is Lark That Sings at Dawn, and Pine That Clings to Rock. Lark looks like her father, don’t you think?”
“I’m so happy for you and Stormfur!” Squirrelflight gasped. She bent her head to give each of the kits a sniff.
The two little creatures looked up at her with wide, curious eyes. “Have you come to join the Tribe?” Lark mewed.
Squirrelflight shook her head. “No, we’re just visiting.”
“You should stay,” Pine told her, his stumpy tail quivering eagerly. “Tribe cats are the best!”
“I’ll need some advice from you about raising kits,” Brook went on to Squirrelflight. “Your three turned out so well!”
Dovewing stiffened, waiting for Squirrelflight’s response. For a moment it looked as if Squirrelflight didn’t know what to say. Then she dipped her head. “You seem to be managing fine, without any help from me,” she mewed. “They’re lovely kits—so strong and healthy. Where’s Stormfur?” she added, clearly glad to change the subject.
“On border patrol,” Brook explained. “He should be back anytime now.”
“Yes, how are the patrols working out?” Squirrelflight asked. “Are you managing to defend the border against those rival cats?”
“It’s hard work,” a black tom replied; Dovewing remembered that his name was Screech of Angry Owl. “It doesn’t leave much time for catching prey when cats are tired from patrolling the border.”
“But you don’t have to go out all the time,” Foxleap protested, glancing around at the cave thronged with cats. “There are loads of you. Why don’t some of you patrol the border while others go hunting? That’s what we do.”
“The Tribe doesn’t work like that,” Squirrelflight explained. “They have two different kinds of cats, prey-hunters who catch prey and cave-guards who protect the prey-hunters. So more cats are needed to catch prey.”
“Yes, but they still could—”
Dovewing never found out what Foxleap was going to suggest. Her acute hearing picked up a soft paw step coming from the back of the cave. A voice rasped, “What are they doing here this time?”
Spinning around, Dovewing saw the crowd of cats part to reveal a skinny old tabby tom. He was no taller than a new apprentice, and his bony haunches strained at his patchy fur. As he paced forward, Dovewing was shocked to hear the uneven beating of his heart and his labored breathing. A whiff of scent like rotting crow-food came from his open jaws as he halted in front of Squirrelflight.
This cat is dying!Dovewing realized in alarm.
“Stoneteller…” Brook stammered. “Look who came to visit.”
“I can see who it is,” Stoneteller snapped. “I want to know what they’re doing here.”
Squirrelflight flashed a glance at Brook as she stepped forward and dipped her head courteously to the old tom. “Greetings, Stoneteller,” she meowed. “My Clanmates and I just came to visit. We wanted to see how you’re all getting on.”
“Do you think we can’t survive without you?” Stoneteller growled.
Dovewing could see that Squirrelflight was getting flustered, her claws scraping the hard floor of the cave. “It’s not like that—” she began.
Stoneteller cut her off with a snarl deep in his throat and a single lash of his tail. Foxleap’s eyes widened; he leaned over to Dovewing and hissed in her ear, “Who made dirt in his fresh-kill?”
Jayfeather stepped forward. Dovewing tensed; the short-tempered medicine cat was bound to make things worse with some cutting remark. Instead, she was surprised by Jayfeather’s even tones as he began to speak.
“Nothing is wrong, Stoneteller, believe me. We come in peace, as friends.” Waving his tail toward Foxleap and Dovewing, he added, “We thought it would be a good experience for these two young cats to see how the Tribe lives. We have as much to learn from you as you have learned from us in the past.”
Stoneteller let out a snort but didn’t challenge the visitors any further.
“Well done, Jayfeather,” Squirrelflight whispered.
Wing weaved her way through the cats and dipped her head to Stoneteller. “Healer, may these cats share today’s meal?”
“Today’s meal?” Foxleap sounded dismayed. “You mean you only eat once a day? Don’t you get hungry?”
“Don’t you get fat?” a young she-cat countered, looking Foxleap up and down.
Stoneteller gave his permission, though Dovewing could tell he wasn’t thrilled. He stood back as Wing and Brook led the visiting cats across the cave and halted in front of a fresh-kill pile.
“Help yourselves,” Wing invited.
Following Squirrelflight, Dovewing pulled a bird out of the pile and bit into it hungrily. A heartbeat later she was struggling to swallow. Great StarClan, that tastes bitter!She studied the prey carefully; the bird wasn’t any kind she had seen before: bigger than the forest birds, with brown feathers and a hooked beak.
“I don’t see how any cat could catch a bird like this alone,” she murmured, half to herself.
“That’s ridiculous!” Dark exclaimed, overhearing her. He blinked at her scornfully. “As if any cat would be expected to hunt alone. Prey-hunters work together; even kits know that. Watch; we’ll show you. Here—Rain, Snow!” He called to the other to-be who had met them in the mountains, and another young she-cat with a white pelt. “Snow, you be an eagle.”
“Okay.” Snow leaped up onto a ledge in the cave wall.
“Rain, be a prey-hunter with me,” Dark went on.
“But I’m a cave-guard,” Rain objected.
Dark sighed. “So? You can pretend, right? You know what prey-hunters do.”
Rain shrugged and crouched at the bottom of a boulder. Dark also dropped into a crouch a couple of tail-lengths away. The two young cats stayed where they were, quite motionless, while Dovewing watched, puzzled.
“They aren’t doing anything,” Foxleap whispered, looking up from his own prey.
At that moment, Snow dived off her ledge onto the cave floor below. Instantly Dark and Rain pounced in unison, bundling on top of her and slapping her to the ground with their paws when she tried to get up.
“Hey, not so hard!” she yowled.
“What are you doing?” A black she-cat, her belly heavy with kits, glanced over her shoulder with an irritated expression. “You to-bes! This is the time for eating, not for playing.”
“Sorry, Night,” Rain mumbled.
“We were only showing these strange cats—” Dark protested.
“I know, I know,” Night interrupted. “Always excuses…. Show them at sunrise, okay?”
Dark ducked his head and yanked a rabbit out of the pile, dragging it away to share with the other to-bes.
“Weird,” Dovewing murmured to Foxleap. She felt a pang of homesickness for her Clan, where any cat who was hungry could eat when they felt like it, provided there was enough prey, and no cat told apprentices off for playing, if they’d finished their duties. “The Tribe cats are really strict!”
Foxleap moved closer to her. “Strict andweird,” he agreed.
When the Clan cats had finished eating, Brook led them across the cavern. “You can sleep here,” she announced. Peering around Squirrelflight, Dovewing saw several shallow scoops in the cave floor, lined with feathers. Those are nests?she wondered, longing for the soft moss and crackly bracken in her own den in the stone hollow.
Brook’s kit Pine leaned over the edge of the biggest scoop and sniffed at the feathers. “That looks really cozy!” he mewed.
“I want to sleep there!” Lark announced, taking a flying leap into the middle of the nest. Feathers swirled up around her and she sneezed as one settled on her nose.
“Certainly not!” Brook exclaimed, her fur fluffing up. “Come out of there at once. We have a perfectly good nest of our own.”
Lashing her tiny tail, Lark scrambled out with feathers clinging to her pelt. Brook brushed them off with her tail and patted her daughter’s fur down again. “Sorry,” she murmured to Squirrelflight. “But you know what they’re like at this age. Sleep well,” she added, as she gathered her kits together with her tail and prodded them away.
“Good night!” Squirrelflight called after her.
Curled up in one of the scoops, Dovewing found it impossible to sleep. The thunder of the waterfall was so loud that it hurt her ears, and there was no way to shut it out. She felt trapped by it; the noise drowned out any other sounds that she might have picked up from beyond it. Never before had she been so closed in by stone and water.
This isn’t right,she thought.
Raising her head, she saw that her three Clanmates were already asleep; Jayfeather was twitching uneasily, as if he walked in some ominous dream with the cats of StarClan…or in the Dark Forest. Farther away in the cave, she could hear the Tribe cats as they settled down for the night.
“Close your eyes, Lark.” Brook’s voice. “Or you’ll be too tired to play tomorrow.”
“Good night, Bird.” That was the old tom, Talon.
“Good night,” an unfamiliar she-cat’s voice replied. “Dream well.”
“Snow, if you don’t take your paw out of my ear, I’ll scratch you!” Dovewing stifled a mrrowof amusement at Dark’s indignant mutter.
Gradually the voices died away to silence. Dovewing cautiously pulled herself out of her nest and padded across to the cave toward the waterfall. Her paws tingled and she kept casting glances over her shoulder, aware that if any of the Tribe cats spotted her they might think she was spying. But no cat called out to her as she reached the path that led behind the waterfall and slipped along it. The falling water glittered in the moonlight, and as Dovewing emerged onto the rocks beside the pool the spray filled the air with a mist of silver.
It’s beautiful,she realized, catching for the first time a glimpse of what kept the Tribe in their inhospitable home.
Climbing with extra care in the darkness, Dovewing hauled herself up the rocks beside the waterfall until she reached the cliff top. She gave herself a good shake to dry her pelt before sitting down and looking around. Her breath snagged in her throat. She was surrounded by mountain peaks streaked with snow, rolling away into the distance as far as she could see. The waterfall was below her now, its roar still louder than thunder, but not making her feel trapped in the way it had when she was inside the cave.
Dovewing cast her senses out over the snowy landscape, her sight and hearing sharpened in the clear air. She could hear the stir of huge birds—eagles?—in their twiggy nests on the bare precipices; ice thawing on small streams hidden among the rocks; white-furred hares scuffling among snow and pebbles to find blades of grass. The mountains that seemed so barren were full of tiny lives.
Then Dovewing realized she could hear cats, too. They were too heavy-footed to be Tribe cats; they sprang arrogantly over the rocks, padding up to a Tribe scent marker, and giving it a sniff.
“Ooh, this is the Tribe’s border.” A mocking mew reached Dovewing’s ears. “Should we cross it? I’m shaking in my fur!”
“These cats have bees in their brain,” another voice responded. “They think they can keep us out with a barrier of air!”
Dovewing listened, anger growing in her belly as first one cat, then the second, jumped across the border, then back again, and for a third time, ending up inside the Tribe’s territory.
“Where are you?” the first cat yowled. “Where’s your patrol to drive us out?”
“Hiding like scared rabbits,” the second cat meowed. “Let’s hunt.”
Dovewing heard them padding off in search of prey—prey that belonged to the Tribe. She slid out her claws, scraping them against the rock. Jayfeather and Lionblaze had told her about their previous visit, how they had established the border and made the intruding cats promise to respect it.
What’s the point?she wondered angrily. The other cats don’t have any kind of code, so how can we expect them to stay on their side of the boundary?
A soft paw step sounded behind her; expecting to see a Tribe cat, she rose to her paws and turned. To her surprise, it was Jayfeather.
“How did you get up the rocks?” she asked, her belly twisting as she realized how easily a blind cat could slip and fall into the pool.
“With difficulty,” Jayfeather growled, giving himself a shake and sending a mist of spray into the air. With a long sigh he sat down beside Dovewing and waved his tail at the peaks that encircled them. “Amazing, isn’t it?” he puffed.
“How do you know?” Dovewing meowed, startled. The words were hardly out before she answered her own question, guessing that he had walked here in his dreams. “Why are we here?” she added.
“The Tribe has ancestors, too,” Jayfeather replied as he wrapped his tail around his paws. “The Tribe of Endless Hunting. I think they have something to tell me—something to do with the prophecy.”
“If we truly have the power of the stars in our paws,” Dovewing mused aloud, “then maybe we have power over the Tribe, too.”
Jayfeather twitched his ears. “I don’t think it’s as straightforward as that. Remember that Stoneteller has a lot of power—more than a Clan leader or a medicine cat alone. But I’m convinced that our destiny has something to do with the Tribe.”
“We’ve helped them so much before,” Dovewing meowed. “Maybe now it’s their turn to help us.”
“Maybe,” Jayfeather agreed.
As he spoke, Dovewing picked up the sound of another cat scrambling up the rocks, and a broad-shouldered gray tom hauled himself onto the plateau. He padded over to Jayfeather and dipped his head. “Greetings. It’s good to see Clan cats again.”
“Stormfur.” Jayfeather dipped his head in response. “This is Dovewing, Whitewing’s kit.”
Dovewing blinked, impressed that she was face-to-face with a cat who was almost a legend among the Clans. Born of a ThunderClan father and RiverClan mother, Stormfur had made the journey to the sun-drown-place to meet Midnight, and later had taken part in the Great Journey when the Clans discovered their new home by the lake. But he had loved Brook so much that he had abandoned his Clan to live with her and make his home with the Tribe.
“How are things beside the lake?” Stormfur asked. There was a hunger in his voice, and Dovewing understood that even though he had decided to stay here in the mountains, part of his heart would always be with the Clans.
“Pretty good,” Jayfeather replied. “We had a drought last greenleaf, and the lake almost dried up, but Dovewing went with a patrol to bring the water back.”
Stormfur’s amber eyes shone as he looked at Dovewing. “Well done! That must have been hard.”
Dovewing ducked her head. “I was scared most of the time. We had a tree fall into the stone hollow, too,” she added, eager to change the subject. “All the dens look very different now.”
Stormfur nodded. “And RiverClan?” he asked.
“I think they’re okay,” Dovewing told him. “But Leopard-star died.”
Stormfur bowed his head. “I’m sorry to hear that. She was a great leader.” He paused, then continued. “So is Mistystar Clan leader now?”
Dovewing nodded. “She’s a great leader, too.”
“I can imagine. StarClan made the right choice.”
“So who will Stoneteller’s successor be?” Jayfeather asked, with an edge to his voice that hinted there was more to the question than Dovewing understood.
Stormfur shook his head. “Stoneteller has refused to name any cat as his successor,” he meowed. “You can imagine how the Tribe feels about that.”
Dovewing felt puzzled. “Why is that such a problem?”
Stormfur turned to her. “Each Tribe Healer has the same name,” he explained. “Teller of the Pointed Stones, or Stoneteller. Usually each future Stoneteller is chosen as a kit, to be mentored by the current Stoneteller for as long as possible. Now the Tribe is afraid that a new Stoneteller won’t have time to learn everything before the present Stoneteller dies.”
“That means you might not have a leader!” Dovewing exclaimed. She knew that Stoneteller was both leader and medicine cat of his Tribe. How would the Tribe cope without either?
“So what is the Tribe of Endless Hunting doing about this?” Jayfeather asked. “If they—”
Stormfur interrupted him, signaling for silence with a sharp flick of his tail. He crept to the edge of the rock and looked over. Dovewing slid up beside him. Less than a tail-length away, the waterfall thundered down into the pool below.
“Careful,” Stormfur warned her softly.
Far below, where the path led behind the water to the cave, a cat had emerged. Dovewing recognized the scrawny shape of Stoneteller. “What’s the matter?” she whispered to Stormfur. “Maybe he just wants some peace and fresh air.”
Stormfur shook his head. “The Healer neverleaves the cave,” he explained, “except to perform ceremonies here on the cliff top. And there aren’t very many of those…usually just when a cat dies. He’s supposed to stay in the cave the whole time, to receive messages from the Tribe of Endless Hunting.”
“He neverleaves the cave?” Dovewing echoed, suddenly sorry for the fragile old cat imprisoned in those walls of stone and water.
“Never. Especially at night, when the reflections of stars are most vivid. So by coming out now, Stoneteller is defying his ancestors and the ancient laws of his Tribe.”
Dovewing looked down at Stoneteller, who was sitting at the edge of the pool, gazing at the mountains. She wondered what he was thinking, and why he was so angry that the Clan cats had come. Would he feel differently if he knew that Jayfeather and Dovewing had been promised the power of the stars?
What if the prophecy means that we have to protect the future of the Tribe as well as the Clans?
第九章
第九章
鸽翅跟着松鼠飞走过马场，又爬上小山，一路上兴奋不已。她以前从来没有走过这条路，新的感知从四面八方涌来：马的气味、这些庞然大物慢跑过领地时蹄子击地的声响、夹杂在风里从河族领地飘来的河族气味，还有湖边沼泽地里芦苇和沼泽死水的气息。
“太酷啦！”她兴奋地冲松鸦羽大喊，后者就在她身旁，虽然眼盲但却每一步脚掌都落得非常准确。听到喊声，他只是抽动其中一只耳朵轻轻“嗯”了一声。
总是这样！鸽翅不高兴地想道。她于是又转身去看狐跃，后者正瞪大了眼睛，好奇地东张西望。
“从这上面往下看，视野可以更开阔！”他喊道。
鸽翅放慢脚步和他并肩走着。“从这里看小岛更美。”她赞叹着，用尾巴指了指下方远处召开森林大会的地方。从远处看，树桥就像根小树枝一样。
“那里是影族的领地。”狐跃侧了侧耳朵，指了指小岛另一端那片湖边上黑幽幽的松树林。
鸽翅释放出自己的感知，找到了影族的营地。黑星和副族长花楸掌正谈得入神，而小云则待在巢穴里，低声数着杜松果。
如果我告诉狐跃我实际看到的东西，那他会说什么呢？
“那边是河族，”她大声喊道，“他们的营地就在——在那儿，两条小溪之间。”
“糟糕的是这里树木和灌木丛太多了，”狐跃顽皮地回答道，“要不然我们就可以监视他们了！”
不必了，不管有没有树，我都可以看到他们。鸽翅看到鱼尾正在给学徒上捕鱼课。“不对，苔爪，坐下的时候要让影子在你身后，而不是跑到前面水面上去。”
“风族的营地在那边。”她冲着狐跃说道，用尾巴指向另一侧的那片荒原，“在一处洼地里，你从这里看不到。”
“我差点儿忘了，你以前去过那里。”狐跃的声音里带着一丝妒忌，“那里可怕吗？”
“很可怕，”鸽翅承认道，“我不应该……”
她突然一顿，耳边响起悲痛欲绝的哀号声，让她浑身的毛都竖了起来。她着急地四处寻找着，唯恐是队伍里哪只猫被狐狸给抓住了。松鼠飞和松鸦羽依然在前面几尾远处慢慢地走着，狐跃瞪着她，仿佛她像是疯了一样。
哀号声再次传来：“蚁皮！不！”
鸽翅一下子愣住了，可怕的哀号声听上去像是近在咫尺，但却是从风族营地传来的。
接着，她听见了隼飞的声音：“再给我拿些蛛丝。”她看到血正从蚁皮的伤口中喷涌出来，感觉到年轻公猫正在发高烧。
“隼飞，得想想办法啊！”鸽翅听出这是燕尾的声音，她就是之前发出哀号声的那只猫，“你不能让他死掉。”
“我已经尽力了。”巫医嘶哑地说道，“我给他用了马尾草和琉璃苣，但还是不能阻止感染继续扩散。”
“那就再多给他用点儿！”
鸽翅听见一只猫正在用力将琉璃苣叶咀嚼成汁，然后喂到蚁皮嘴里。可这位奄奄一息的武士已经虚弱得无法再咽下任何东西了。
“哦，星族！”这次是一星，虽然声音并不大，但非常悲痛，“他还那么年轻，你们非要现在就把他带走吗？”
“我还是不明白，他怎么会受了那么严重的伤。”鸽翅不太确定这次说话的猫是谁。可能是裂耳，我在森林大会上听见过他说话。“我觉得是狗咬的，但是巡逻队没有在领地里发现有狗啊。”
“我知道，”鸽翅认出这是另外一位长老网脚的声音，“那些伤跟我曾经见过的狗的咬伤一点儿也不像，更像是受到了猫的攻击。”
裂耳难以置信地哼了一声：“不可能！如果是泼皮猫，他早就说了。”
“蚁皮……”燕尾抽泣着。鸽翅记得在森林大会上见到过她跟蚁皮在一起，猜想他们应该是伴侣。“蚁皮，求求你……”
“没有用的，”隼飞语调沉重，“现在他已经去和星族一起狩猎了。”
燕尾又悲痛地哀号了一声，但她的声音渐渐模糊，鸽翅听到了另外一只猫更为清晰的声音。
“日击、荆豆爪，你们过来。”是风皮的声音，他低声道。“不要提起黑森林的任何事情，”他警告道，“蚁皮虽然现在死在了这里，但他仍会出现在无星之地。一切都没改变，他还在我们这一边。”
噢，藤池！恐惧从鸽翅的耳尖一直漫到尾梢。族群猫因黑森林而死！我是不是应该回雷族告诉她蚁皮的事情呢？
“鸽翅！”
松鼠飞的低吼将鸽翅唤回了现实。暗姜黄色母猫正站在远处山坡上回头看着鸽翅，绿色眼睛里带着一丝恼怒。松鸦羽站在她身旁，正不耐烦地用爪子揪着地上的草。
“你掉队了！”松鼠飞责备道，“走快点儿！”
“对不起！我马上就来！”鸽翅回答道，迫使自己迈开步子。她讨厌这种感觉，就好像把族群丢给了黑森林一样，但她也没办法帮助蚁皮，只能祈祷藤池能够小心一些。她姐妹不傻，很快就会知道蚁皮已经重伤而死了。于是她刻意闭耳不去听风族营地里传来的悲号声。
狐跃走过来跟她一起爬上山坡。“离家在外，受点儿惊吓在所难免。”他安慰她道，“别担心，我会照顾你的。”
我能照顾自己，谢谢！鸽翅忍住没把这些话吼出来，只是我不能告诉他我这到底是怎么回事。
快要爬到山顶上时，蚁皮的死依然让鸽翅感到震惊，浑身战栗不已。在她下方几狐狸身长的地方，松鸦羽被一块大石头绊了一下。松鼠飞立刻来到他身边扶住了他。
松鸦羽冲她发火道：“我不需要你的帮助！”
松鼠飞尾巴一甩。“好！那就尽管去扭伤你的脚掌，我们也不必去什么旅行了。这没什么不好意思的，”她又轻轻说了一句，“就连能看得见的猫也有可能摔一跤的。”
松鸦羽恼怒地吼叫一声，跺脚向山顶走去。
鸽翅又迈了几步来到山脊，立即感觉到强风吹过她的皮毛。此时，她身后的湖看起来又小又远，远处的领地也都交错在一起，看不出彼此。一眼望去，山坡上覆盖着茂密的森林，接着是一片宽阔的草地，雷鬼路就穿行其中。从她这个角度能看到两脚兽巢穴，有些是孤零零的一个，有些则成群地排在一起。
排在一起的那些肯定是两脚兽的营地。
鸽翅跟族猫们站成一排，强风吹平了他们的皮毛，并从他们耳边呼啸而过。突然，一阵噪声冲进她的脑海，吓得她差点儿滚下山去。接着，一个个杂乱的画面出现在她眼前。她愣在那里，爪子紧紧地插入地里，像是在努力感知自己听到和看到的究竟是些什么。但坚实的山顶在她脚掌下像是消融不见了，而她，却被卷入了一场视觉和听觉的暴风雪中。
在一座平顶的两脚兽巢穴外，一只闪闪发亮的红色怪物正低吼着；两脚兽幼崽们则尖叫着跑来跑去；一只她从未见过的黑白相间的巨型动物，正瞪着水汪汪的眼睛看着她，下巴也有节奏地一张一合；一只公两脚兽推着一只嗷嗷叫的小怪物越过草地。只见它咬噬着草茎；而多得她无法想象的狗在同时吠叫；某处水流湍急；鸦食的气味扑面而来。
鸽翅头晕目眩，浑身恶心，她赶紧闭上眼睛，但那些画面依然在她眼前盘旋。
“鸽翅！鸽翅！”混乱中传来了狐跃微弱的声音。
可鸽翅动不了。她想要回答狐跃，但却说不出话来。接着，她感觉到另一只猫也站在了她一旁。
“鸽翅！”是松鸦羽轻柔而又清晰的声音，“把精力集中到我身上，把那些噪声屏蔽掉。”
“做不到……”她费了好大力气才挤出一个词。
“不，你能做到。加油，集中精力！”
他的声音清冽得像冰水一样。一点儿一点儿地，鸽翅终于将自己的感知拉了回来。她壮着胆子睁开双眼，恍惚间看到了眼前松鸦羽的身影。
“好多了，”现在，松鸦羽的声音听得清楚多了，“再集中一点儿，别放弃。”
鸽翅的脑袋里还充斥着那些单调而又令人头疼的吼声，但现在她能感受到脚掌下的土地，看到眼前的同伴们了。松鼠飞和狐跃一脸警觉地看着她。
狐跃用尾尖轻抚着她。“没事了。”他轻声道。
“你还能继续走吗？”松鼠飞直截了当地问道，“如果不能就告诉我们，现在回去还来得及。”
鸽翅禁不住浑身颤抖着。她猜想在湖边时，小山阻隔着外面的世界，让她的感知不受干扰。但现在，再没什么可以保护她了，所以她必须要学会自己保护自己。脑袋里的吼叫声似乎越来越响，但她又把那声音强压了下去。她深吸了一口气，看着松鼠飞，努力保持语调冷静：“我没事，我想继续走。”
松鼠飞严厉地看了她一眼，接着点头道：“好，那我们走。”她开始带队下山进入树林里。
狐跃靠近鸽翅，他们的皮毛相擦。“跟我走，”他低语道，“没什么好害怕的。”
鸽翅惊魂未定，没有力气跟他发火。他居然以为她是因为离开领地而吓坏了。
当他们走进林子，到达第一棵树下时，松鸦羽示意鸽翅停下，让狐跃独自往前走。“你看见山地猫了吗？”他悄声在鸽翅耳边问道。
她摇摇头：“我想我没看到。”
松鸦羽失望地叹了一口气，这让鸽翅感到十分愧疚。我刚才应该多发现点儿对这次旅行有用的东西。
等她走进树林，那种不安的感觉渐渐消失了。她慢慢习惯了屏蔽那些喷涌而来的感觉，她想可能是周围的树木切断了一些困扰她的画面吧。这片森林跟雷族的领地很像，这让她开始放松下来，甚至开始享受这次旅行了。
“我敢打赌，你跳不过去！”他们来到一条浅浅的小溪旁，狐跃向她挑战道。
“我肯定能行！”鸽翅不服气地说道，她冲到岸边，两腿使劲儿一蹬，然后稳稳地落在对面清凉的苔藓上。
狐跃紧随其后也跳了过来，不过他跃起的时候后腿滑了一下，所以整个后半身子落到了水中，腿部和肚子上的皮毛全都溅上了水。
“笨毛球！”鸽翅笑着喊道。
狐跃从水中爬出来，甩了甩棕色的虎斑皮毛。“我会让你看看到底谁才是个毛球！”他喊道，然后追着鸽翅冲了出去。
鸽翅兴奋地尖叫一声，拔腿就跑，躲在了一棵柳树垂下的枝条后面。狐跃悄悄跟上来，绕着树干追着她跑，还用收着利爪的脚掌去抓她的尾巴。
“说实在的，你们是幼崽吗？”松鼠飞的声音从柳枝外传了过来。
“哎呀！”鸽翅和狐跃不好意思地互相看了一眼。鸽翅从柳枝中探出脑袋，看见松鼠飞正在几尾远的地方站着，尾尖抽动着。“对不起。”
松鼠飞瞪了他们一眼。“还有很远的路要走，”她说道，听起来并没有鸽翅想的那么生气，“你们需要保存体力。现在我们先去狩猎，然后休息一会儿。”
“可我不想睡！”狐跃也从柳枝间探出脑袋抗议道，“我能一直跑下去。”
松鼠飞叹了口气走了。鸽翅小心地释放出感知，然后在刚刚经过的那条小溪的岸边发现了一只田鼠。她赶紧放轻脚步，像落叶一样轻盈，朝它慢慢匍匐过去。它不知道我在这儿，她想，我猜这林子里的猎物还不习惯被猫抓吧。
快到小溪边时，她猛地一跃，然后一口咬住田鼠站起身来。她环顾四周，看见松鸦羽正坐在小溪上游不远处的岸边。“给，”她走过去，把田鼠丢在他爪旁，“我抓猎物很容易。”
“谢谢。不过，我们需要谈一谈。”
鸽翅点点头，接着想起来松鸦羽看不见她，便说道：“好的，稍等一会儿，我再多抓些猎物来。”
不一会儿，她又发现了山毛榉树下一只正在地上啄食的画眉。抓它可比抓田鼠要难点儿。她一边想一边悄悄穿过树林，小心着脚掌下任何的风吹草动或是嘎吱作响的树叶，以免它们暴露自己的行踪。离画眉约一狐狸身长时，她一跃而起，扑过去用前爪钳住了它的脖子。
回到松鸦羽身边时，她看见松鼠飞和狐跃正在附近分食一只松鼠。鸽翅从他们身边走过，坐到松鸦羽旁边，然后饥肠辘辘地咬了一口自己刚刚抓到的猎物。“你想说什么？”她嘴里塞得满满的问道。
松鸦羽正飞快地小口吃着那只田鼠。他咽了一口食物然后回答道：“你需要将感知释放到更前方，然后尽快找到那些山地猫。”
“我知道。”鸽翅心里升起一股不满，强忍住才没甩尾巴，“饶了我吧，松鸦羽，我需要时间来适应外面这一切。”
松鸦羽轻声说道：“不要让我们等太久。”
讨厌的毛球。鸽翅想道。她吃完画眉，便蜷起身子打个盹儿。但她没一会儿又提醒自己，此次远行的所有重任都压在了松鸦羽那瘦削的肩膀上，难怪他会烦躁。我会竭尽全力的。她默默发誓。
她再次释放出感知巡视着树林。小动物们都在草丛中觅食，有几只狐狸正在它们的巢穴里睡觉。希望它们不要醒过来。森林深处，小溪变宽，对岸有几口池塘，看水深应该有鱼。
这儿真好，多希望藤池能跟我一起来啊。昏沉间，她想着想着进入了梦乡。
似乎就在几个心跳之后，松鼠飞便用脚掌戳她的肚子：“起来了，该出发了。”
鸽翅摇摇晃晃地站起身，眨了眨眼睛赶走睡意。尽管天空乌云密布，但她猜想也不过才过日高时分而已。狐跃弓起身子长长地伸了个懒腰，松鸦羽则不耐烦地等在一旁，用爪子撕扯着草丛。
沿着小溪，松鼠飞带领众猫前往树林的出口。树林尽头，黑莓丛和榛树丛挡在眼前，像是一条弯弯曲曲的边界线。再往那边，尘土飞扬的山坡绵延直达山谷。鸽翅看见远处的两脚兽巢穴，赶紧封闭了自己的感知，以免听到两脚兽的喧嚣声。山谷的另一边还有很多树木遍野的小山。灰蒙蒙的山顶高耸入云。起初鸽翅以为那是些奇形怪状的云彩，直到松鼠飞用尾巴指着它们。
“山地就在那里。”
“我们就是要去那里吗？”狐跃的声音里夹杂着兴奋和担忧，“它们好大呀！”
我们要爬上去吗？鸽翅没有说话——她可不想再让松鼠飞觉得自己又被吓到了，但她突然感觉自己很渺小。
“上次我们来的时候，是在这里过夜的。”松鼠飞说道，抬头看了看天色，“但这次我觉得我们还可以再走得远一点儿。”她领着大家朝山谷走去。几匹马在啃着地上稀落的小草。它们比之前鸽翅在马场看到的个头要小，皮毛也更粗糙蓬乱。它们站在树下，甩着尾巴好奇地看着众猫。让鸽翅欣慰的是，它们都没有靠过来的意思。
离马不远处只有一座两脚兽巢穴，四周都用灰白石头围起了石墙。众猫从旁边经过的时候，头顶的石墙上传来一声狂怒的嘶嘶声。鸽翅抬头望去，看见一只肥胖的姜黄色宠物猫正弓着身子，浑身的毛竖着，充满了敌意。
“滚出这里！”他咆哮道，“这是我的地盘！”
“哦，是吗？”狐跃转身看着他，弓起身子准备跳上墙去，“想证明一下看看吗，宠物猫？”
“不！”松鼠飞赶紧冲过去挡在狐跃前面，“冷静，我们不是来找麻烦的。”
“可那只是只宠物猫！”狐跃反驳道，“我只用一只脚掌就能对付他！”
“来呀，试试呀！”宠物猫挑衅道，“这里你说了不算，跳蚤皮！”
“你打算就让他在那里大放厥词吗？”狐跃问道，难掩愤怒。
最后，还是松鸦羽说了一句：“狐跃，动动你的脑子好好想想吧。如果你受伤，你打算让我在这里怎么做？这里到哪儿去找蛛丝呢？如果你血流不止，我能找到马尾草吗？”
“可是——”狐跃还是怒视着宠物猫。
“别管他，我们继续走我们的。马上走！”松鼠飞说道。
她转身继续朝前走去。松鸦羽也摆了摆尾巴，示意狐跃跟上。年轻的武士只好遵命，临走之前最后冲那只宠物猫发出一阵愤怒的嘶嘶声。鸽翅走在最后。
“胆小鬼！”宠物猫在后面喊道，“滚远点儿！”
等宠物猫的声音听不见了，鸽翅总算舒了一口气。可是松鸦羽转身对她说了一句话，又让她紧张了起来。
“你要是早点儿给我们些警示就好了。”他低声说道。
“什么？”鸽翅没想到他会把碰见宠物猫的事情归咎于她。“我不熟悉这里，”她争辩道，“而且我也不可能总是去探听前面的情况，因为我还要注意脚掌下的路呀！”
巫医恼怒地咆哮了一声，然后便生起闷气来。
“如果你需要，我可以去前方打探情况。”狐跃自告奋勇道。
“嗯，好啊。”松鼠飞戏谑地说，“然后等我们到的时候，却发现你早就打起来了。还是不需要了，谢谢。”
“我不会打架的，我保证。”狐跃说道。
“算了吧，”松鼠飞的语气听上去平和了很多，“我相信你会服从命令的，狐跃，不过我们还是都待在一起更好。”
他们一行继续前进。不一会儿，一道树篱挡住了他们的去路，光秃秃灰蒙蒙的荆棘丛和地上的草丛纠缠在了一起。
“我们从这里过去，”松鼠飞指示道，“然后穿越前面那片田地，但是一定要沿着树篱下面走，那样更安全些。”
松鸦羽低声附和。“我们离狮焰和冬青叶遭遇狗的那个农场很近了，”他说道，“大家都小心。”说完，他使劲儿瞪了鸽翅一眼。
松鼠飞带头沿树篱走着，一直走到两片灌木丛中间有个大洞的地方，洞口大小完全可以让族群猫挤过去。
“鸽翅，你先来。”松鸦羽命令道。
“谁是领队，松鸦羽？”松鼠飞明知故问道。说完她又转向鸽翅，补充了一句：“好吧，但是要小心点儿。”
鸽翅知道松鸦羽为什么选择让她先来。她已经释放出自己的感知，透过那片树篱一直延伸到远处的空地里去。没有狗，不过有其他奇怪的动物……哦，我知道了！是羊！她记得去风族的时候曾经远远地看见过，它们不会伤害我们的。
她收紧肚皮，爬过那个洞口，感觉自己后背上的皮毛被荆棘划过。钻过去后她站起身，发现自己面前有两只通体雪白、毛茸茸的庞然大物，它们的蹄子尖尖的，表情冷冷的，很是平静。
这么近距离看它们感觉怪怪的。她想道，它们看着呆头呆脑的。
“鸽翅？”松鼠飞焦急的声音从树篱那边传来，“你没事吧？”
“我很好！”鸽翅回答道，“你们可以过来了。”
第二个钻过来的是松鸦羽。他抖了抖身上弄皱的皮毛，然后起身走向空地。紧接着是狐跃，最后一个是松鼠飞。她一边喘着粗气，一边把自己的身体从一堆荆棘里拔了出来。
“看见了吗？”她站起来得意扬扬地说道，“我没有被卡住哦！”可接着，她的表情变得十分尴尬。
她好像在跟一只不在这里的猫讲话。鸽翅想。
松鼠飞摇了摇头，像是要让脑袋清醒一些，然后带领大家继续沿着树篱往前走。这片空地很宽阔，甚至一眼都望不到头。这里什么都很大，鸽翅压下心头的震颤，忍不住想道，我甚至连天的尽头都看不到。
突然，一阵犬吠声在她耳边响起。她愣了一下，猛然意识到大部队的其他猫还在前面默默地走着。狗的气味扑鼻而来，她意识到这是特殊力量在给她警示。“有狗！”她大喊道，“快躲起来！”
松鼠飞左右打量了一番，盯着远处的空地问：“在哪里？”
“在那边。”
鸽翅用尾巴指了指，空地中间的一个小土堆上出现了狗的身影。它狂吠着朝族猫们冲过来，尾巴在后面翘着，黑白相间的皮毛被风吹得飘了起来。
“狐狸屎！”松鼠飞嘶叫道，“鸽翅、狐跃，你们俩带松鸦羽去树篱中。”
狐跃早已把松鸦羽推进灌木丛里。鸽翅顺着一根荆棘不多的树枝，溜到松鸦羽身旁。“把脚掌放在这里，”她命令道，并用她的尾巴指引着他，“现在，爬上来！”
松鸦羽很是恼火，不过他还是费力地爬了上去。鸽翅回头看去，松鼠飞正背对着树篱站在那里。她的皮毛全都蓬松开来，这让她看上去是平时的两倍大。只见她弓起身子，冲那只越来越近的狗咆哮着。
“滚开，疥癣皮！”她狂吼道。
鸽翅躲在缠绕着的灌木丛里暂时感到安全了些，她很佩服松鼠飞的勇气。她先想到的是松鸦羽。鸽翅沉思道。她想起以前的那些故事，说这只暗姜黄色武士是如何将松鸦羽和他的姐姐哥哥当成亲生幼崽抚养大，尽管叶池才是他们的亲生母亲。
即便是现在，松鼠飞还依然把自己当成他们的母亲。鸽翅同情地想道。
透过满是刺的树枝，她看见那只狗停在松鼠飞面前，发出阵阵兴奋的吠叫，但却没有向前发起进攻。星族啊，请让它走开吧。
“啊，不！”狐跃的声音打断了她的祈祷。
鸽翅赶紧往外瞧去，看见土堆上又出现了一只狗，朝他们跑了过来。两只！它们现在肯定要攻击我们了。
松鼠飞严阵以待。鸽翅开始挣扎着想爬出荆棘丛去帮她。可还没等她把身上的荆棘抖干净，第二只狗却已经跑到第一只狗旁边停了下来，并冲同伴狂吠起来。鸽翅注意到第二只狗口鼻灰白，年龄应该是更大些。“它听上去像是老师在训导学徒！”她悄声对狐跃说道。
年轻的狗伏在地上呜咽着，几个心跳之后，正当族猫们紧张地等待时，两只狗居然转身朝空地跑去。它们开始追赶那群分散开来的绵羊，想要把它们赶到羊圈里去。
“没错，它是在训斥它！”狐跃开心地眨着眼，“它说，‘别去管那些猫，你这个蠢毛球，赶紧回去干活儿！’”
鸽翅爬出灌木丛，总算松了一口气，而狐跃则帮着把松鸦羽弄出来。巫医来到空地上，一边恼怒地咕哝着，一边伸长脖子把皮毛上的碎屑抖下来。
“我的掌垫里扎了一根刺，”他嘟囔道，“谁能帮我找片酸模叶来。”
鸽翅闻见树篱下有酸模叶的气味，于是便揪了几片递给松鸦羽。他挤了几滴浆汁敷在掌垫上。鸽翅释放出感知去打探那些狗和绵羊的情况。它们已经消失不见了，但她还是能追踪到它们。狗把羊群聚在一起，然后正从这里赶到另一块空地上去，还有一只两脚兽跟它们在一起。
“我想它们不会再来找我们的麻烦了。”她说道。
“希望你是对的。”松鼠飞伏平身上的皮毛，她是他们中唯一没感到惊慌的。“我们走出这里，然后找地方过夜，”暗姜黄色武士继续说道，“我们都需要休息一下。”
说完她便开始沿树篱继续出发。鸽翅回头张望着他们来时走过的路，夕阳透过乌云，将这片土地染成了绯红色。鸽翅依稀能看见他们一路走来的那些小山，努力想象着山那边的湖区和族群的情形。她的族猫们这会儿应该已经结束了傍晚的巡逻返回了营地，到窝里休息了吧。
她释放出感知，感觉内心深处颤抖了一下，因为她发现，自己第一次无法联系到身后的那个世界，因为这中间隔着那么多的声音，那么多的影像。
我已经离家很远，很远了。
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 12
Lionblaze jumped onto a fallen treetrunk and arched his back in a long stretch, enjoying the feeling of sunlight on his golden fur. Buds were appearing on the trees, and in the clumps of dead brown bracken, vivid green fronds were beginning to unfurl. The branches seemed full of birdsong, and he could hear the scuffling of small creatures in the undergrowth.
Newleaf is almost here,he thought.
Behind him, his patrol emerged into the open: Cinderheart, ears and whiskers alert for the signs of prey; Toadstep, making more noise than a whole pack of badgers; and Rosepetal bringing up the rear.
“Right.” Lionblaze sprang down from the tree into the clearing on the other side. “This is a good place. Firestar asked Cinderheart and me to help you brush up your hunting techniques,” he added to the two younger cats.
“Oh, great!” Toadstep gazed at Lionblaze with shining eyes. “Will you teach us some fighting moves, too?”
“Please?” Rosepetal added eagerly.
“Another time, maybe.” Cinderheart gave her tail a flick. “Today we’re concentrating on hunting. Let’s see how much prey we can bring back for the Clan.”
Toadstep looked disappointed. “You’re the best at fighting,” he told Lionblaze. “ThunderClan’s so lucky to have you. I don’t think you’ll ever get hurt!” Brightening, he added, “I’m going to be like that one day. I’ll defend my Clan, and none of my enemies will be able to touch me!”
Lionblaze suppressed a sigh. If he tries to fight the way I do, he’ll get seriously injured.“Toadstep,” he began awkwardly, “you need to fight like yourself, not like me or any other cat.”
“But you’re so good, why wouldn’t I want to fight like you?”
Lionblaze’s pelt prickled with embarrassment. He cast a glance at Cinderheart, who was watching him with a sympathetic look in her blue eyes.
“Every cat is vulnerable,” he persisted. “Every cat has weaknesses. Part of being a good fighter is being aware of that and—”
“Watch this!”
Lionblaze broke off as Toadstep hurled himself at the fallen tree, battering it with his paws, scoring his claws down the bark and grabbing a protruding branch between his teeth.
“Stop!” Lionblaze yowled, bounding over to the younger cat and hauling him away by the scruff. “Throwing yourself into battle like that is the quickest way to get yourself killed.”
He stood over the younger warrior, who gazed up at him in shock. Lionblaze felt his anger spilling over, fueled by his resentment of the prophecy that had taken his life and twisted it without giving him any choice. I’d give up my fighting skills if I could just be an ordinary Clan cat…if I could have Cinderheart.
“Hey, Lionblaze, take it easy.” Cinderheart padded over and rested her tail-tip on Toadstep’s shoulder. “Toadstep is enthusiastic, that’s all.” Glancing at the young cat with a glimmer of amusement in her eyes, she added, “But you won’t get anywhere by trying to kill a tree.”
“Sorry, Lionblaze,” Toadstep stammered. “I only wanted to show you…”
“I know.” Lionblaze twitched his whiskers. “Just remember that every cat has limits, and you need to know what yours are.”
Toadstep nodded, withdrawing a pace or two into the clearing, his gaze still on Lionblaze as if he felt that the golden tabby was likely to spring at him without warning.
“Mouse-brained young idiot,” Lionblaze murmured to Cinderheart, his voice a soft, frustrated growl. “How do you think I would feel if he got his pelt ripped off trying to be like me?”
Cinderheart nodded understandingly. “You’ll sort him out,” she mewed.
Warmed by her response, Lionblaze turned back to the two younger warriors. “Right, let’s see if we’ve frightened off all the prey in the forest,” he began. “Can you scent anything?”
Toadstep raised his head at once, jaws parted to taste the air, while Rosepetal sniffed around the tangled roots of the fallen tree.
“Squirrel!” Toadstep exclaimed.
“Okay, but don’t tell the whole forest,” Lionblaze murmured. “The idea is that the prey doesn’t know we’re here.”
Toadstep ducked his head, forepaws scrabbling among the dead leaves. “Sorry. I forgot.”
“So where’s this squirrel?” Cinderheart asked.
Toadstep pointed with his tail toward a bramble thicket. The squirrel was almost completely hidden by a tangle of tendrils, only the tip of its tail visible. Toadstep had tracked it by its scent alone.
“Well done.” Lionblaze gave him an approving nod. “Now let’s see your hunter’s crouch. Both of you.”
Toadstep crouched down, and after a heartbeat’s pause Rosepetal padded to his side and joined him. Lionblaze and Cinderheart eyed their stance critically.
“Not bad,” Lionblaze told Toadstep, flicking his hindquarters with his tail. “Pull your hind legs in a bit farther. You’ll get more power in your pounce that way.”
“Rosepetal, that’s very good,” Cinderheart added. “Your weight’s nicely balanced.”
“Okay, we’ll practice hunting in pairs. Toadstep, it’s your squirrel,” Lionblaze went on, checking that the animal was still there. “You’ll creep up on it. Rosepetal, move over toward that tree”—he angled his ears toward an ivy-covered oak—“so if the squirrel tries to flee that way, you’ll be in the right place to catch it.”
Rosepetal nodded and began padding toward the oak, while Toadstep slid through the grass. He was almost within striking distance of the squirrel when one of his hind paws brushed against a bracken frond. The squirrel sat up, alert, at the faint rustling sound, then broke away from the thicket and fled across the clearing, straight toward Rosepetal’s oak.
Rosepetal reached out, but the squirrel shot past her a mouse-length from her paws and hurled itself up the tree. Rosepetal jumped and spun around, but by then only the shaking tendrils of ivy showed where the prey had gone.
“Fox dung!” Toadstep exclaimed, bounding over in a fury. “Rosepetal, you should have caught that!”
“Rosepetal, you have to focus,” Cinderheart admonished.
“Yes, anything could happen at any time.” Lionblaze looked sternly at the young warrior. “We have to be ready.”
“What could happen here?” Rosepetal flicked her ears dismissively as she looked around at the peaceful forest, the trees covered by the green mist of approaching newleaf. “Even the bees are sleepy!”
Her last few words were drowned by the screech of a cat from somewhere close by. “Help! Dog!”
Lionblaze froze. “That’s Bumblestripe!”
“Go!” Cinderheart urged him. When he cast a worried glance at the two younger cats she added, “I’ll keep them safe. Just go!”
Lionblaze leaped over the fallen tree and plunged through the undergrowth, back in the direction of the camp. His heart began to pound as he heard the deep-throated barking of a dog, a defiant cat-shriek cutting across it. Bursting out of a clump of bracken, Lionblaze halted at the edge of a clearing where Bumblestripe, his back arched and his pale fur bristling, stood nose-to-nose with a huge black dog.
“Stay back!” Bumblestripe yowled, stretching out one paw with claws extended. “Stay back or I’ll shred your ears!”
The dog’s mouth gaped, its tongue lolling out between sharp white fangs. It sprang at Bumblestripe; before Lionblaze could do anything, the young tom darted forward, away from the cover of the brambles behind him, and fled across the clearing with the dog snapping at his paws. Bumblestripe clawed his way up the nearest tree and balanced on the lowest branch, looking down. The dog jumped up at him, yelping; Bumblestripe’s dangling tail was no more than a mouse-length away from the deadly paws.
Lionblaze charged forward, letting out an earsplitting yowl. The dog stopped jumping and whipped around, fixing its yellow-eyed glare on him.
“Over here, mange-pelt!” Lionblaze jumped as a voice rang out beside him and he turned his head to see Toadstep scrambling to his side. “Come and get us!”
“You were supposed to stay with Cinderheart!” Lionblaze snapped.
Toadstep’s eyes were blazing. “I want to help you!”
“Get back!” Lionblaze shouldered the black-and-white tom back into the bracken. “Bumblestripe, you’ll be okay,” he called to his other Clanmate. “Try to climb a bit higher.”
He didn’t look to see if Bumblestripe obeyed. All his attention was on the dog. For a moment it had paused, looking baffled, its head swinging from Lionblaze to Bumblestripe and back again. Now it hurtled across the clearing, its jaws wide; Lionblaze could hear its panting breath.
“Stay there!” he hissed at Toadstep, who had lost his balance after Lionblaze shoved him, and was struggling to his paws in the middle of the bracken clump. Leaping out in front of the dog, Lionblaze swerved toward the other side of the clearing, hoping that he could draw it away from his Clanmates.
“No!” Bumblestripe screeched, bouncing on his low branch. “Don’t go that way—Briarlight is there!”
“What?” How could a crippled cat be out in the forest?He couldn’t see Briarlight, but the dog’s breath was hot on his tail, and there was no time to ask questions. Lionblaze knew that he could attack the dog and not be hurt, but that would give away too much with Toadstep and Bumblestripe watching. Especially Toadstep: He has to learn to be more defensive, not just blindly copy me.
As he doubled back, he spotted Cinderheart and Rosepetal at the edge of the clearing, with wide eyes and identical expressions of horror.
“Briarlight is over there!” Lionblaze yowled, gesturing with his tail.
Cinderheart gasped, then began to work her way around the edge of the clearing. The dog immediately veered away and raced after her with a flurry of excited yelps. Lionblaze hurled himself forward to intercept it, keeping his claws sheathed but brushing past its muzzle so that it picked up his scent and swerved away from the she-cats once again. Plunging into the trees, he led it away from the clearing, racing through the ferns in the direction of the lake, with the dog so close that he could hear the rasp of its breath and the pounding of its paws on the ground. He could have saved himself by climbing a tree, but he was afraid that if he did, the dog would turn back into the clearing where Briarlight was lying defenseless
He could see the glitter of the lake through the trees ahead.And what then?he asked himself. Do I start swimming?His heart thumped and his breath became short; a sharp pain pierced his paw as he trod on a thorn, but he still raced on.
A bramble thicket appeared in front of him; Lionblaze leaped over the outlying tendrils. But he had misjudged the leap; one tendril wrapped around his paw and brought him crashing to the ground. With a startled yowl Lionblaze rolled over and over, halting only when he thumped into a tree. He tried to struggle to his paws, but the tendril was still gripping him tightly. The dog pounded into view, its eyes gleaming when it saw he was trapped.
StarClan help me!Lionblaze prayed.
A screech from overhead made him look up. To his astonishment he spotted Toadstep balancing on the branch of a beech tree.He must have followed us through the forest, like a squirrel!
The black-and-white tom leaped down in front of the dog, his tail lashing. “Come and get me, flea-pelt!” he challenged.
The dog turned on its haunches, its paws spraying turf and soil as it bore down on Toadstep. Horror at the thought of seeing his Clanmate torn apart gave Lionblaze extra strength. He wrenched himself away from the brambles, leaving tufts of golden fur on the thorns. Racing toward the dog, he caught its tail in his jaws and bit down hard, before turning and fleeing toward the lake.
The dog let out a howl of pain and pounded after him. Lionblaze glanced over his shoulder and saw it was no more than a tail-length behind, with Toadstep bounding along in the rear.
“Stay back!” Lionblaze yowled, but the young tom ignored his order.
With the dog snapping at his paws, Lionblaze exploded out of the bushes and onto the lakeshore. He thought of flinging himself into the water, but he knew that dogs could swim.
I’ll never get away from it!
Then he spotted a male Twoleg a few fox-lengths farther along the shore. He was calling into the trees, and waving a long tendril gripped in one of his forepaws. When he saw the dog, he let out an angry yowl. The dog skidded to a halt, then turned and trotted off in the direction of the Twoleg with its ears down. The Twoleg fastened the tendril to its collar and dragged it away.
Lionblaze watched it go, then circled back and joined Toadstep in the undergrowth at the edge of the shore. “Thanks,” he panted, flopping down in a clump of ferns. “It would have got me for sure if you hadn’t been there.”
Toadstep sank down beside him. “I couldn’t leave you to face it alone.”
“Exactly.” Lionblaze realized that he had a chance to drive home the point he had been trying to make earlier. “It’s a good lesson in not trying to tackle enemies by yourself. It’s always better to fight in pairs.”
The younger warrior nodded, his eyes wide with wonder. “Yeah, but you fell in that patch of brambles, and you still don’t have a scratch on you!”
“It’s a good thing I have a thick pelt,” Lionblaze mewed, glad of the excuse. Glancing at his flanks, he added, “And I think I left most of it on the thorns!”
When Lionblaze and Toadstep returned to the clearing, they found Cinderheart, Bumblestripe, and Rosepetal clustered around Briarlight. The she-cat was lying crookedly beneath a holly bush; Lionblaze guessed that Bumblestripe had shoved her under there when the dog first appeared.
“Has it gone?” Cinderheart asked, swinging around as Lionblaze and Toadstep approached.
Lionblaze nodded. “A Twoleg took it away.” Peering under the bush, he called, “Are you okay, Briarlight?”
“I would be, if you’d just get me out of here,” Briarlight retorted, sounding fed up and embarrassed.
“We don’t want to hurt you,” Cinderheart meowed. “We’ll get you out now that Lionblaze is here to help.”
“Oh, just drag me out like an old stick!” Briarlight snapped. “It’s not like you can hurt me any more, can you?”
“Take it easy.” Cinderheart reached under the bush to rest a comforting paw on the young she-cat’s shoulder.
Briarlight shrugged her off. “I’m going to get into so much trouble!” she wailed. “But I can’t stand to be stuck in that den any longer.”
“It’s my fault,” Bumblestripe admitted. “I’m the one who brought you out here.”
Lionblaze looked at the young warrior, impressed by his dedication to his littermate. It must have been a struggle to drag her all the way from the camp.
“I won’t let any cat blame you, Bumblestripe,” Briarlight insisted, her voice strained and high-pitched. “I talked you into it!”
This isn’t getting us anywhere,Lionblaze thought. Feeling uncomfortable in the face of so much emotion, he added, “We need to get both of you back to camp.”
Working together, Lionblaze and Cinderheart gently drew Briarlight out of the holly bush. Lionblaze crouched down so that the other cats could drape her over his back. He rose to his paws, unsteady under her weight, and set out for the hollow, with Bumblestripe and Toadstep steadying her on either side.
“There’s some thyme.” Cinderheart pointed with her tail to where a few green leaves were growing in the shelter of a rock. “It’ll calm you down, Briarlight, and help if you have any muscle pain after this.” She bounded across to the herb and brought back some leaves.
“Thanks, Cinderheart,” Briarlight mumbled as she chewed them up. “You know a lot about herbs.”
When the entrance to the camp was in sight, Cinderheart halted. “Lionblaze, let’s stop for a moment.” She angled her ears to where a trickle of water sprang up among some rocks, falling to make a tiny pool. “We’ll all feel better if we have a drink.”
Lionblaze padded over to the water’s edge and slid Briarlight off his back so that she could drink. “Toadstep, Rosepetal,” he meowed when every cat had lapped up a few mouthfuls, “you go back to the camp first. It’ll create more of a fuss if we all arrive together.”
“And there’s no need to mention the dog,” Cinderheart added. “I don’t think it will come back, so there’s no point in scaring every cat.”
“Toadstep,” Lionblaze mewed as the young cats began to move off, “you were very brave today.”
“Thanks, Lionblaze.” The young warrior glowed.
“You learned a good lesson about fighting as a team,” Lionblaze went on. “Remember that no warrior needs to be a hero. The most heroic actions take more than one cat.”
Toadstep nodded earnestly before bounding after Rosepetal and slipping through the thorns.
“Thank StarClan,” Lionblaze muttered to Cinderheart. It was a relief to talk to a cat who understood his fears about others trying to copy his actions. “I think he’s got the point.”
Cinderheart murmured agreement and turned to Briarlight, who was lapping at the little pool again. “What were you doing so far from the camp?” she asked gently.
“I wanted to look for herbs, to help Leafpool and Brightheart while Jayfeather is away.” Briarlight’s fighting spirit flashed in her eyes, and her voice rose to a wail. “I just want to be useful!”
Lionblaze felt a stab of pity in his heart.
“I know I’m not going to get better,” Briarlight went on more quietly, her claws digging into the moss at the edge of the pool. “But I—”
“You don’t know that,” Cinderheart interrupted. “It’s early days yet.”
Briarlight shook her head. “I know. And I have to find a way to live like this, as half a cat.”
“You’re not half a cat!” Bumblestripe protested, drawing his tail-tip down his littermate’s flank. “You’re just…different.”
“Yeah, but not in a good way.” Briarlight’s tone was matter-of-fact. “And I can’t see why the Clan should care for me when I don’t contribute anything. I’m not an elder; I haven’t had a lifetime of hunting and fighting that needs to be rewarded. I’d only just become a warrior!”
“We’ll find a way for you to be useful, I promise,” Cinderheart meowed solemnly. “You are different,” she added with a glance at Lionblaze. “Because you’re more determined and braver than any other cat I know.”
Briarlight’s eyes widened with excitement.
“I can’t promise things will change overnight,” Cinderheart warned, “but I’ll speak to Firestar, and to Jayfeather when he gets back, and they’ll figure out everything that you can do.”
“But no more leaving the camp without any cat knowing,” Lionblaze added.
The young she-cat nodded. “I promise.”
“For now,” Cinderheart mewed, “we’ll just say that you went out a little way. And we won’t mention any scary meetings with dogs! If Millie hears about that, she’ll never let you out of your nest again.”
“Okay,” Briarlight agreed.
“I’ll remind Rosepetal and Toadstep not to say too much,” Lionblaze put in.
“I’m really sorry for taking her out in the first place,” Bumblestripe meowed, giving his sister an affectionate lick on her ear.
“No, you did a good thing,” Lionblaze told him. “You listened to what your sister wanted, when the rest of the Clan tried to decide for her.”
Bumblestripe crouched down beside his littermate and she wrapped her forepaws around his neck. “We’ll get you home now,” he murmured, beginning to drag her in the direction of the hollow.
Lionblaze’s heart ached for the injured she-cat as he watched their slow progress. “That was exactly the right thing to say,” he meowed to Cinderheart. “You’ve given her hope.”
“So did you,” Cinderheart responded. “And I’m glad I didn’t have to see you fight that dog!”
“Thank StarClan it didn’t come to that!” For a heartbeat Lionblaze imagined he could hear the dog barking again, and feel its breath hot on his pelt. “I don’t fight for the fun of it, you know.”
“I’m so glad you don’t,” Cinderheart murmured.
“Well,” Lionblaze meowed awkwardly, “I’d better see if Brambleclaw wants me on patrol.”
“Me too,” Cinderheart agreed.
The gray she-cat stayed near him as they pushed their way through the thorns. Lionblaze stumbled, anxious that their pelts shouldn’t brush against each other. Cinderheart seemed to be squeezing herself into the thorns, as if she was embarrassed, too. Inside the camp, Lionblaze spotted Bumblestripe setting Briarlight down gently just outside the medicine cat’s den, while Millie burst from the warriors’ den and bounded across to her.
“Where have you been?” she demanded, crouching beside Briarlight and covering her with anxious licks.
“I just wanted to go out for a bit,” Briarlight replied. “Honestly, I’m fine.”
Lionblaze exchanged a glance with Cinderheart.
“She’ll be okay,” the gray she-cat mewed.
“Are you sure?”
“I’ll make sure.” Cinderheart’s voice was determined. “She’s my Clanmate. Oh, and Lionblaze,” she added as he headed for the warriors’ den in search of Brambleclaw. “You got something wrong, what you said to Toadstep. To many cats, you are a hero.”
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER14
“Why did I ever want toleave the lake behind?” Dovewing panted as she scrambled up a narrow gully, her paws slipping on hard-packed snow. “I can’t believe cats actually live here!”
Foxleap, slogging up the gully a tail-length ahead of her, simply grunted in reply. The two ThunderClan cats were almost at the rear of the patrol; only Swoop, one of the cave-guards, followed them, glancing around as she moved confidently over the ice. Stormfur and the other two prey-hunters, Gray and Splash, were strung out ahead, while Crag took the lead. They were no more than blurred shapes to Dovewing, glimpsed through the flurries of snow.
It’s almost newleaf in the forest!she thought, shivering.
A shape loomed up beside her. “Are you okay? Do you want to lean on my shoulder for a bit?”
Dovewing recognized Stormfur. “No, I’m fine,” she gasped. “I can keep going.”
Stormfur dipped his head, his eyes warm and friendly, amber like the glow of tiny suns in this wasteland of white. “Just say if you need help.”
“They haven’t got their snow-paws yet,” Splash remarked, halting to let Stormfur, Foxleap, and Dovewing catch up. “Don’t worry,” she added with a gentle mrrowof laughter. “You’ll be snow cats before you know it.”
“I’m a snow cat now!” Foxleap meowed with a shiver, shaking lumps of snow from his pelt.
I wish Jayfeather would work out what we’re supposed to be doing here,Dovewing thought as she clambered out of yet another drift. Then we could all go home
To her relief the snow died to a few drifting flakes, then stopped, and the clouds began to clear, torn into tatters by the wind. A little farther on, the walls of the gully tapered off, leaving the cats at the top of an exposed peak. Dovewing gasped as she emerged from the shelter of the gully; the wind felt like thorns in her throat, and the blast almost carried her off her paws. Digging her claws into the ice and grit, she raised her head and looked around. They were surrounded by an endless roll of mountain peaks, covered with snow. There was beauty in the jagged shapes and stark colors, but it was nothing like home.
“Look!”
A sharp meow from Crag startled Dovewing; following the cave-guard’s gaze, she spotted two tiny dots circling far above them in the pale sky.
“What’s that?” Foxleap asked.
“Eagle attack!” Swoop’s voice was terse.
The two dots grew larger; Dovewing realized that they were circling lower, homing in on the group of cats.
“What should we do?” she mewed, fighting panic as she gazed around for cover, while Foxleap crouched and slid his claws out as if he was ready to do battle.
“This way!” Crag and Swoop shoved the two Clan cats back into the mouth of the gully and under the shelter of an overhanging rock. Stormfur, Gray, and Splash crouched down beside them, while Crag and Swoop backed under the outer edge of the overhang, their claws out and their teeth bared.
A heartbeat later the eagles swooped down, their wide brown wings brushing the rocky opening. Dovewing caught a glimpse of glaring yellow eyes and cruel hooked beaks before the birds pulled away again with angry screeches that echoed among the rocks.
“They’re our prey—but they’re attacking us!” she yelped.
“We don’t often hunt eagles,” Splash explained calmly. “But we hunt the things that eagles do, like hares and mice and smaller birds.”
“So we’re in competition,” Gray added.
And birds don’t respect borders,Dovewing realized with a shudder.
Crag was peering out from under the overhang. “They’ve gone,” he reported. “Let’s be on our way.”
Dovewing felt very exposed as she ventured out from under the rock. She imagined those cruel talons sinking into her shoulders, whisking her up into the sky. As she padded across the peak and down into a gully on the far side, she kept glancing up, trying to send out her senses to track the position of the eagles.
The next thing she knew, the ground gave way under her paws. She let out a yowl of alarm, cut off as she landed on soft snow. Blinking in confusion, Dovewing realized that she had fallen down a narrow cleft in the path. Foxleap was gazing down at her, his head and ears outlined against the sky.
“Are you okay?” he asked anxiously.
Dovewing floundered to her paws, the snow too loose to give her a proper footing. “I think so,” she mewed. Glancing up at the sheer stone walls that stretched up around her, she added, “I don’t think I can get out.”
“Okay, don’t panic.” Foxleap was replaced by Crag, his voice brisk and confident. “We’ll get you out.”
How?Dovewing wondered helplessly. She remembered what happened when Icecloud fell into the hole, back in the forest. They had used a branch and an ivy tendril to get her out. But there are no branches or ivy here!
“Here, I’ll do it. I’m the smallest,” Splash meowed. She backed over the edge of the gap, clinging to the top with her forepaws while she dangled her tail down to Dovewing. “Can you grab my tail?”
“But I’ll hurt you!” Dovewing exclaimed.
“No, I’ll be fine,” Splash assured her. “Just do it.”
Dovewing stretched up as far as she could and sank her teeth into Splash’s tail. Thankfully the wall of the cleft wasn’t as sheer as she had first thought; there were paw holds that she could use to balance herself and take at least part of the weight off Splash’s tail.
Crag and Stormfur were holding on to the she-cat, bracing her, as Dovewing scrambled over the edge of the cleft and collapsed on one side. “Thank you!” she gasped. “I’m really sorry!”
Splash gave her tail a couple of experimental flicks. “You’re welcome,” she replied. “No harm done.”
“Next time I’ll watch where I’m putting my paws,” Dovewing promised. Shivering, she hauled herself up. Her pelt was covered with snow and grit; she felt she would never be clean or warm again.
“Do you want to go back to the cave?” Stormfur asked. “Swoop will go with you.”
Dovewing shook her head. She didn’t want to be a nuisance and leave the patrol with only one cave-guard, especially with eagles about. “No, I can keep going,” she insisted.
Foxleap padded up and gave her ear a quick lick. “Just tell me if you need any help,” he whispered.
Dovewing’s muscles ached and her pads were sore from scrambling out of the cleft, but she kept pace with the others as Crag led the patrol down the gully and across a ridge before halting in front of a tall spike of stone where a narrow stream bubbled up from between two rocks and wound away into the distance. The surface was frozen, but Dovewing could hear water trickling underneath.
“This is a border marker,” Crag told the Clan cats, angling his ears at the rocky spike. “Gray, would you renew the scent markers?”
While they waited, Dovewing gazed across the rolling hills, the wind buffeting her fur. “Where’s the next marker?” she asked Crag.
The cave-guard pointed with his tail. “You see that dead tree, next to the stream? That’s it.”
On the far side of the valley, almost as far as the distance between ThunderClan’s camp and the ShadowClan border, was a tiny stunted tree clinging to the edge of a narrow gully. Dovewing stared at Crag; she hadn’t realized that the Tribe’s territory was so big. “But it’s so far away! How do you check the borders? It must take the whole day to do one patrol.”
“We patrol only certain sections,” Swoop explained, padding up to stand beside Crag. “Other groups will protect the rest of the border.”
Dovewing nodded, privately thinking that it wouldn’t take a lot of effort for enemies to figure out there were gaps between each patrol. She cast out her senses and almost at once picked up the sound of cats far away, beyond the border.
They must be the intruders the Tribe is always talking about. But they don’t sound threatening now. They’re hunting, but they’re not trespassing on Tribe territory
She tensed as she heard the raucous screech of an eagle and instinctively looked up, but the bird was no more than a speck in the sky, well away from where her patrol was standing. Farther away still, she could hear the answering call of eagle chicks and caught a glimpse of them, bald and scrawny, in a mountaintop nest.
Then Dovewing heard a scratching sound much closer by. She identified a vole, pushing its way through the moss at the edge of the frozen stream, hidden by the ice that overhung the bank. She could smell it, too, just a faint trace beneath the clean, sharp scent of snow.
“Vole!” she yowled, leaping for the stream.
To her amazement, Stormfur knocked her aside; Dovewing sprawled on the ice at the water’s edge.
“What—?” she began, scrambling up.
“If you fall through the snow into the stream, you’ll get dangerously cold,” Stormfur explained. “Sorry if I hurt you.”
Dovewing shook her head. “I’m fine.” Is he saying that I could die, just from getting wet?“But there’s prey under there,” she added, guessing that none of the others had heard the vole. Listening again, she realized that the vole had stopped moving. Mouse dung! It heard us. That will make it far more difficult to catch
Gray and Splash padded up, their ears pricked and their jaws parted to pick up the least trace of prey. “Well done for spotting it,” Splash murmured to Dovewing. “Can you hear it now?”
Dovewing stretched all her senses, and finally heard a faint, cautious scuffling that told her the vole was on the move again. Without speaking, she nodded toward the spot on the bank where she thought the vole was hiding.
“Just under the bank,” Gray whispered, and Splash nodded.
Taking up positions on either side of the vole, the two Tribe prey-hunters dug down into the snow with strong, thin legs. Crag and Swoop stood guard over each of their Tribemates.
“The cave-guards stay with the prey-hunters,” Stormfur explained to Dovewing and Foxleap. “See how they’re watching the sky? They’ll warn Gray and Splash if any eagles appear.”
Dovewing noticed that both prey-hunters were pushing through the snow at an angle, so that they left the top layer undisturbed. “They’re getting as close as they can to the vole without alerting it,” she murmured. “We might try that back home if we get snow next leaf-bare.”
“Right,” Stormfur meowed. “And when the vole doesrealize, there’s a cat waiting wherever it decides to run.”
Just as he spoke, there was a splash as both cats reached the stream. They sprang back, and the vole appeared scurrying downstream along the bank next to Splash. The she-cat pounced, but the vole darted to one side and her paws hit the icy surface of the stream.
“Mouse dung!” Splash snarled.
“Bad luck!” Foxleap called to her.
Meanwhile the vole fled back upstream, where Gray was waiting for it. He pounced from the bank right on top of it and killed it with a swift bite to the back of its neck. “Thanks to the Tribe of Endless Hunting!” he mewed.
“Great teamwork!” Foxleap exclaimed.
Dovewing murmured agreement, but privately she was a bit shocked that it had taken four cats to catch one miserable little vole.
“Are you going to bury it while we do the rest of the patrol?” Foxleap went on. “That’s what we do in the forest.”
Gray shook his head. “If we did that out here, it would freeze,” he pointed out. “I’ll take it back to the cave. In the Tribe, we like to eat our prey warm.”
He picked up the vole and bounded away, back in the direction they had come. Crag watched until he had gone, his lithe gray shape hidden by the rocks, then turned and headed toward the next border marker. Dovewing followed, and Splash came to pad alongside her.
“It must be really strange for you up here,” the tabby she-cat began in a friendly tone. “What’s it like, living in a Clan?”
For a few heartbeats Dovewing was silent, hardly knowing where to start. “There are more of us, to start with,” she replied at last. “Four Clans, not just one. We share our borders, but we live by the warrior code, and don’t often have to worry about other Clans invading us. And our territories aren’t as big as yours, so it doesn’t take as long to patrol the border.”
“We needa big territory,” Splash responded defensively. “Prey’s scarce up here, and we have to survive.”
“Oh, I understand that,” Dovewing assured her. “And we don’t have cave-guards or prey-hunters,” she went on. “In a Clan, every cat learns how to do all the duties.”
Splash nodded. “Stormfur told us about that. But surely it makes sense for each cat to specialize in what they do best?”
Dovewing was beginning to feel embarrassed. She wasn’t trying to say that Clan life was so much better than Tribe life, even though Splash seemed determined to defend her Tribe.
“Cats have survived here for many, many seasons,” Splash meowed quietly, as if she had guessed Dovewing’s thoughts. “I couldn’t live anywhere else. This is where I belong, between the snow and the sky.”
“I feel the same way about the forest,” Dovewing admitted. “I need grass and earth beneath my paws, and the rustle of branches over my head.”
Splash gave her a long, considering look. “I think you’d do just fine if you lived up here,” she meowed. “Look at the way you heard that vole under the snow!”
“I couldn’t leave my home,” Dovewing replied. “Not forever.”
Splash sighed, pausing for a moment to gaze out over the snow-covered peaks. “I might have to leave mine,” she mewed sadly.
“You mean if Stoneteller dies without choosing a successor?” Dovewing asked. “Can’t you just choose one yourselves?”
Splash stared at her, eyes stretched wide with shock. “Never! That’s for the Tribe of Endless Hunting to decide. Do they watch over you as well?”
Dovewing shook her head. Quickening her pace so they wouldn’t get left behind by the rest of the patrol, she explained, “No, we have StarClan to watch over us. They’re the spirits of our warrior ancestors. They send signs to our medicine cats, and when a cat dies they go to join them.”
Splash blinked. “That sounds just like the Tribe of Endless Hunting. Are they the same cats?”
“I don’t think so,” Dovewing meowed. “And among the Clans, StarClan doesn’t exactly choose the new leader. They give nine lives to the leader the Clan chooses.”
“Well, it doesn’t work like that for us,” Splash argued, sounding defensive again. “Stoneteller will look after us. He always has.” Glancing around, she spotted a bunch of feathers lying on the snow. “Oh, look! The kits will love those,” she mewed, darting away.
She doesn’t want to talk about Stoneteller,Dovewing thought as she watched her go. But it’s clear that she’s terrified of what will happen to the Tribe if he doesn’t choose a successor
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 13
Dark shapes flitted around Jayfeather, andfrom far away he could hear the wailing of unseen cats. Who are you? What do you want from me?
But there was no answer, and the mournful sound went on and on. Gradually the roar of the waterfall replaced the distant cries, and Jayfeather became aware of soft whispering, much closer to him. The shadowy shapes faded into blackness as he woke from troubled sleep.
“Don’t worry, Lark.” Jayfeather recognized the voice of Brook’s kit Pine. “He’s blind! He won’t know we’re creeping up on him.”
Oh, won’t he?
Jayfeather tensed his muscles as he detected the pad of tiny paws on the stone floor of the cave, and heard a stifled mrrowof laughter. He waited as their scent grew stronger, and he sensed soft breath riffling the tips of his whiskers.
“Looking for something?” As he spoke, Jayfeather leaped to his paws.
Two high-pitched squeals bounced around the cave. He listened with satisfaction to the sound of paw steps skittering away.
“Mother, that weird cat scared us!”
“He’s going to eat us!”
Jayfeather’s satisfaction faded and his pelt grew hot with embarrassment. They’re only small. They didn’t mean any harm.
“Sorry!” he called out. “I wouldn’t hurt you, kits!”
He could still sense the young cats’ fear, and heard Brook’s gentle voice from the other side of the cave as she soothed them.
“Mouse dung!” he muttered.
“I wouldn’t worry.” Another voice spoke closer to him, and after a heartbeat’s thought Jayfeather recognized the voice of the prey-hunter Screech. “I saw them stalking you. They could do with a few lessons in respect.” Turning away, he added, “It’s hard for them. They’re strong and active, but they’re not allowed outside the cave at all until they become to-bes.”
Jayfeather nodded, reminding himself to apologize to Brook later. He climbed out of the dip in the cave floor where he had slept, and began to groom himself, hissing with annoyance at the downy feathers that clung to his pelt.
Give me moss any day!
“Hey, Jayfeather!” Dovewing’s excited voice broke in on his thoughts. “Crag has invited Foxleap and me to go on a border patrol.”
Jayfeather could feel how eager she was to get out of the cave and start exploring. “That’s good,” he mewed. “But be careful, and don’t forget to keep your ears open.”
Dovewing sighed. “I always do.”
Squirrelflight padded up with Brook. The two kits were behind them. Jayfeather could picture them peering at him, round-eyed, from the safety of their mother’s hindquarters.
“Brook and I are going hunting,” Squirrelflight announced.
“Stormfur is coming, too,” Brook added. “Talon and Bird will look after the kits, Jayfeather, so they shouldn’t bother you again.”
“We don’t want to stay in the cave,” Lark squeaked.
“Yeah, that blind cat might scare us again,” Pine added.
“Nonsense!” Stormfur meowed as he joined them. “You startled Jayfeather, that’s all. You should say sorry.”
“Sorry,” Pine muttered.
“We won’t do it again,” Lark mewed, then added to her brother in a whisper, “It was fun, though!”
“While we’re out,” Stormfur went on to the kits, “you can ask Talon to tell you the story of Sharptooth, and how I first came to the mountains with the cats from the Clans.”
“Yes!” Lark jumped up and down.
“That’s the beststory!” Pine squealed, as both kits scurried off to where the elders made their nests.
Jayfeather was aware of an orderly bustle in the cave as the patrols gathered together and went out. No cat was giving them orders; they all seemed to know what to do and what their duties were without being told by a senior member of the Tribe
Where’s Stoneteller? Shouldn’t he be supervising this?
But there was no sign of the Tribe’s old Healer. Jayfeather couldn’t even pick up his scent.
“Will you be okay, left behind?” Squirrelflight asked Jayfeather as her patrol was moving off.
“Yes, of course,” Jayfeather replied, wondering why she bothered to ask. No harm is going to come to me in here. He could sense Squirrelflight’s awkwardness, and wondered why she was delaying when Brook and Stormfur were already waiting beside the waterfall for their turn to take the path that led out onto the mountain.
“Jayfeather…” she began quietly after a couple of heartbeats, “have you worked out why we’re here?”
Jayfeather shook his head. “No,” he admitted. “I have no idea.”
Squirrelflight suppressed a sigh. He knew that she wanted to ask more, but just then Brook called to her from across the cavern.
“Coming!” Squirrelflight called back. “We’ll talk later,” she added to Jayfeather before she bounded away.
Once the patrols had gone, the cave fell quiet, except for the roar of the water; Jayfeather was growing so used to the sound that he hardly noticed it anymore. It’s so different from our camp,he thought. There’s always something going on there, even when the patrols are out. He went on with his grooming; before he had finished he heard the kits come bouncing back into the middle of the cavern, followed by the slower paw steps of Talon and Bird.
“Okay, we’re going to play a game,” Talon instructed, raising his voice over the excited squeaks of the kits. “This bunch of feathers is a bird.”
“What sort of bird?” Lark mewed. “A lark like me?”
“An eagle!” Pine suggested.
“It doesn’t matter what sort of bird,” Talon told them. “Let’s make it a crow, okay? And you’re going to catch it.”
“Yes!” A scuffling sound told Jayfeather that Pine had tried to pounce on the feathers already.
“Wait a moment.” Bird’s quieter voice broke in. “It’s not as easy as that. You have to creep up on the crow across this patch of stones.” Jayfeather heard the sound of pebbles sliding across the cave floor. “If you disturb one and make a noise, the crow will fly away.”
“Oh, cool!” Lark exclaimed. “I bet I can do it.”
“So can I,” Pine declared. “I’mgoing to be the prey-hunter.”
Leaving the kits to their game, Jayfeather crossed the cavern to the tunnel that led into the Cave of Pointed Stones. The stone closed around him as he padded forward; after no more than a few paw steps he blundered into the wall, his paws almost skidding out from under him on the damp floor.
He let out a hiss. He hated having to squeeze through the narrow passage, and found it hard to check his position by the echoing drip of water when all other sounds were muffled by the rumble of the falls. Recovering his balance, he edged forward more slowly, frustrated by the way that every paw step felt the same; he missed the forest, where the covering of moss, twigs, ferns, and grass could tell him everything he wanted to know about where he was.
At last Jayfeather sensed that the tunnel walls had opened into a larger cave. The noise of the falls was fainter here, the drips of water echoing more loudly in contrast. There was movement in the cool air against his whiskers; he knew it came from the hole in the roof where moon and starlight could enter, bringing signs from the Tribe of Endless Hunting. Tasting the air, he located Stoneteller at the far side of the cave.
“Who’s there?” the old cat growled. Before Jayfeather could reply, he added, “Oh, it’s you.”
Jayfeather padded forward, skirting the stones and pools of water until he stood in front of Stoneteller.
“Why are you here?” the Healer growled. “And don’t give me that nonsense about wanting your young cats to gain experience. You can be honest with me.”
Jayfeather chose his words carefully. “I was told to come.”
To his surprise, Stoneteller didn’t ask who had summoned him. “We don’t need your help,” he insisted. “There’s nothing you can do.”
“You haven’t chosen a successor,” Jayfeather challenged him. “Is that because you don’t believe your Tribe will survive without you?”
Stoneteller let out a contemptuous snort. “Their survival doesn’t depend on me. Even while I’m alive, I can do nothing to help them. Nor can our ancestors,” he added bitterly.
Jayfeather knew that the old cat felt he had been betrayed by the Tribe of Endless Hunting, who had refused to guide him when the intruders came to the mountains. “The Tribe has to be given a chance to survive!” he protested. “It would be too easy to give up the first time something goes wrong.”
“It’s not the first time!” Stoneteller snapped. “Have you forgotten how so many of us were hunted like prey by Sharptooth? Our endless struggle against the cold and snow? The danger from eagles that means half the Tribe must stand guard while the other half hunts? We could catch twice as much prey if there were no eagles. Queens can’t even nurse their kits in peace; they have to go straight out on patrol again.” He lashed his tail. “Cats do not belong here!”
While Stoneteller was speaking, Jayfeather became aware of a faint light coming from above, illuminating one wall of the cave, slick with water, and one tapering column of stone that rose from the cave floor to meet another spike jutting from the roof, with no more than a mouse-length between their two points. If he could see, and he wasn’t asleep, that meant only one thing….
A shiver tingled through Jayfeather from ears to paws as he made out the shape of Rock in a beam of moonlight. The ancient, hairless cat stood with his head bowed. Then he looked up and turned his sightless eyes on Jayfeather.
“We do belong here,” he rasped. “This was my home once, before the cats lived by the lake, before they came back here to start again.”
Stoneteller didn’t react; he had no idea of the ancient visitor to his cave. Jayfeather opened his jaws to ask a question, but before he could speak Rock went on.
“I was the very first Stoneteller, though my legacy was long forgotten by the time my kin left here to find the lake. If the Tribe of Rushing Water leaves, it will not be forever. Cats must live here always.”
“Youwere the first Stoneteller?” Jayfeather whispered, but the vision was already fading and darkness covered his eyes once more.
“Of course not.” Stoneteller sounded puzzled. “I was chosen by my mentor.”
“Then you have to choose another one!”
“Why?” Stoneteller shot back.
Jayfeather scraped his claws against the wet rock in frustration. “Because cats must always live in the mountains.”
“Cats dolive in the mountains,” Stoneteller responded dryly. “And more successfully than us, it seems. That’s why we have to waste time patrolling every day, to keep the invaders away from what we can catch.”
“But those aren’t the right cats!” Jayfeather protested. “The Tribe of Endless Hunting didn’t bring them here.”
Stoneteller snorted dismissively. “I just want to be left in peace,” the old cat muttered. He sounded old and very tired. “All that I was proud of has gone. The time of the Tribe is over. When I die, my Tribemates will leave the mountains and find other homes where they will be safe.”
As the old cat’s words faded into silence, Jayfeather’s ears were filled with the sound of roaring water and his vision became washed with gray, splashed with white foam. He was inside the waterfall! For a heartbeat he froze, waiting to feel himself crashing down with it, tossed in the torrent like a fallen leaf. But he could still feel his paws standing on the solid floor of the cave.
Then he choked back a yowl of horror. All around him, the cascade of dark water was full of cats, their paws and tails flailing helplessly, their jaws stretching wide in a soundless screech. They fell down, down, down, into a whirlpool of darkness and foam, and vanished.
But…Iknow these cats!Jayfeather started to shake. There’s Yellowfang…and Crookedstar…and Lionheart…. Is StarClan being destroyed?
Mistystar…and Kestrelwing…and the Tribe cats, too. Brook…Crag…
“No!” Jayfeather choked as he spotted Firestar, the ThunderClan leader reduced to a scrap of orange fur tossed in the crashing torrent.
Dustpelt…Mousewhisker…Brambleclaw…
All his Clanmates, all the cats of the Tribe, falling, falling, to be consumed in water and blackness.
Jayfeather let out a screech and sprang forward as he saw Lionblaze carried past him, his claws outstretched to snag his brother’s pelt and drag him to safety. Instead, darkness slammed down over his vision once more and he found himself back in the Cave of Pointed Stones. Dazed with terror, he stumbled forward and crashed into one of the spikes of stone. His feet shot out from under him and he fell on his side in a pool of water.
Stoneteller began to speak, but Jayfeather wasn’t listening. Scrambling to his paws, he fled, and this time managed to get himself into the tunnel. He bounced off the narrow walls until he emerged in the cavern, gasping. The cave was cool and gray around him, silver light filtering in through the screen of water. A throng of cats were milling around restlessly, or slumped near the cave wall, and for a moment Jayfeather thought that the patrols had come back.
Then, as he tried to steady his breathing and quiet his pounding heart, he realized that he was lookingat the cats in the cave.
Is this another vision?
As he hesitated at the mouth of the tunnel, a young white she-cat raced across the floor of the cave and skidded to a halt beside him. Her jaws gaped with astonishment.
“Jay’s Wing!”
Jayfeather stared at her. “Half Moon!”
The cats in the cave started to look vaguely familiar as his gaze flickered from one half-remembered face to the next. His thoughts flew back to when he had emerged from the tunnels below ThunderClan in the time of the ancient cats, who had lived by the lake seasons upon seasons ago, whose paw prints dimpled the path that led down to the Moonpool.
While I was with them, they decided to leave because it was too dangerous to live by the lake. I told them they could find a home in the mountains…and now they’re here!
Half Moon was still gazing at him, her green eyes stretched wide as two small moons. “You disappeared when we set out on our journey from the lake. I thought you didn’t want to be with me—with us, anymore.”
Jayfeather fought back panic, while inside his head thoughts skittered like a mouse trying to escape from a hunting patrol. “I stayed behind. I was scared,” he blurted out. “But when you’d all gone, I was lonely. I decided to follow you.”
Half Moon blinked, and her eyes were clouded. “You…you didn’t even say good-bye. I thought I’d never see you again.”
Before he could answer, Jayfeather spotted Stone Song, the powerful gray tabby tom who had led the ancient cats away from the lake. He was standing in the middle of the cavern with Jagged Lightning by his side, close enough for Jayfeather to hear what they were talking about.
“I’m still convinced that coming here was the right thing to do,” Stone Song meowed. “Back where we came from, we were losing too many cats. Badgers, Twolegs—”
“That’s all very well,” Jagged Lightning interrupted with a flick of his black-and-white tail. “But are we any better off here? We’re all hungry and exhausted, and I’ve never been so cold in my entire life. It was all Owl Feather and I could do to get our kits here. And Dark Whiskers didn’t even make it,” he added with a note of challenge in his voice. “If we’d stayed by the lake, he wouldn’t have been blown off a ledge in the middle of an ice storm!”
Stone Song bowed his head. “Perhaps we should be grateful that we lost only one cat,” he murmured.
“Try telling that to Shy Fawn!” Jagged Lightning snapped. “She’s carrying Dark Whiskers’s kits! How is she supposed to bring them up in this icy excuse for a den?”
Stone Song looked blank, as if he didn’t know what to say. He was saved from the rest of the conversation when Rising Moon hurried up to him and began speaking urgently, waving her tail toward the cats who were lying beside the cave walls.
“Chasing Clouds just came in with some prey,” she meowed. “But Shy Fawn is refusing to eat. Cloudy Sun’s pads are bleeding, and Running Horse says that he’s going back to the lake once the storm lifts.”
“You see?” Jagged Lightning flattened his ears. “Stone Song, you have to admit that this is a disaster.”
Stone Song let out a harassed sigh. “I won’t,” he retorted. “Rising Moon, as soon as the storm is over, can you go out and look for some dock leaves for Cloudy Sun’s pads? I’ll talk to Running Horse; there’s no question of an elder wandering about these mountains on his own, and deep down he knows it. As for Shy Fawn, we have to give her time to grieve.”
Jagged Lightning began to reply, but just then an excited yowl sounded from the other side of the cavern. “Jay’s Wing!”
Jayfeather spotted Fish Leap, the young tabby tom who had befriended him by the lake; he bounded across the cave and butted Jayfeather in the shoulder with his head. “Where have you been?” he demanded. “We thought we’d lost you.”
“I…er…I sort of changed my mind.”
Jayfeather realized that Stone Song had spotted him and was heading in his direction, with Jagged Lightning and Rising Moon at his heels. Whispering Breeze came running up to see what was going on, her silver tabby pelt glimmering in the light from the cave entrance. The other cats fell silent and stared at Jayfeather until his pelt felt as if it were going to crawl off his skin.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” Half Moon burst out. “Jay’s Wing came back!”
Stone Song’s gaze traveled over Jayfeather, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “How did you get here? The journey was hard enough for all of us together. One cat alone would find it far harder.”
“Does it matter?” Fish Leap mewed. “He’s here now.”
Jayfeather shrugged. “I followed your trail for most of the way, and guessed the rest.”
“And how did you get into the cave?” Jagged Lightning growled. “Some cat should have seen you. I don’t like all this sneaking around.”
“I wasn’t sneaking!” Jayfeather retorted, feeling his neck fur beginning to bristle. “If you were all too tired to notice me, that’s not my fault. I thought I’d explore these smaller caves,” he added, eager to change the subject. “They might be useful for something.”
Jayfeather noticed that Half Moon had moved to stand closer to his side, as if she was ready to defend him; her sweet scent tickled his nose, and he remembered how empty he had felt when he had returned to his own time through the tunnels, and left her behind.
“Well?” Whispering Breeze gave him a nudge with her shoulder. “What did you find in the caves?”
“Er…pointed stones in the one behind me. Lots of them,” Jayfeather replied. “And pools of water. It’s not a good place to sleep, because there’s a hole in the roof.”
Stone Song grunted. “What about the other cave? Could we use that for shelter?”
Jayfeather shot a swift glance at the passage that led to Stoneteller’s den. “Oh…er…that one’s fine,” he reported. If Stoneteller sleeps there, it must at least be watertight
Whispering Breeze turned her blue gaze on Stone Song. “You’re surely not thinking of stayinghere?” she asked, shocked. “Not for any longer than we have to?”
Stone Song angled his ears across the cave to where Chasing Clouds was grooming ice out of his gray-and-white pelt. “You can see that the storm isn’t over yet,” he meowed. “We may as well be comfortable while we wait.”
“Comfortable?” Whispering Breeze’s neck fur started to bristle. “You’re crazy if you think any cat could be comfortable here.”
“We should never have left the lake.” A soft voice, ragged with grief and exhaustion, came from the darkness at the edge of the cave, and Broken Shadows limped into view. Jayfeather felt a rush of pity. The mother of Fallen Leaves was even more gaunt than when he last saw her, her orange pelt thin and her amber eyes dull.
“We should never have left,” she repeated. “What if Fallen Leaves finds his way out of the tunnels, and we’re not there?”
Half Moon padded over to her and drew her tail gently down Broken Shadows’s side. “That won’t happen,” she murmured.
“You don’t know that!” Broken Shadows hissed. “He’ll think I abandoned him. He’ll be all alone!” She wrenched herself away from Half Moon and rounded on Jayfeather. “This is all your fault! You cast the final stone! You made me leave my son behind!”
第十章
第十章
藤池眨眨眼，看到自己依然身处光线暗淡的黑森林。她蜷缩在一簇茂盛的接骨木丛的阴影下，枝叶在她银白相间的皮毛上映出斑驳的暗影。她打了个哈欠，摇摇晃晃地起身往外走去。这里的树木盘根错节，树枝在她头顶上纠缠在一起。这令她感到欣慰，因为这样就看不到无星的天空。那是种可怕的象征，提醒她现在自己不在雷族。
“可是还是感觉离家太远，太远了。”她咕哝道。
她嗅了嗅空气，闻到了很多猫的气味，还听见几狐狸身长外的大树下隐隐约约传来了说话的声音。藤池朝那个方向走去，发现自己来到了一片空地的边缘。于是她停下来，站在一簇蕨丛后偷偷向外张望。鹰霜站在空地中央，周围零散地围了几只年轻的猫。藤池认出了虎心和风皮，还有一只白色河族母猫，可她不记得她的名字了。至于其他猫，她一只也不认识。
鹰霜那冰蓝色的眸子在灰白色的光线中闪闪发亮。“战斗中，你们不会总是一对一打斗，”他说道，“猫会从四面八方向你们扑来，所以你们必须随时准备着。现在，我要你们全部同时向我发起进攻。”
“所有猫吗？”风皮听上去不敢相信。
“没错。”鹰霜的声音尖锐，“如果你想，我稍后可以跟你单挑。”
“不用了，现在这样挺好的，鹰霜。”风皮赶忙说道。
鼠脑子！藤池想道。
“好了，”鹰霜冰冷的目光扫过在场所有年轻的猫，“开始进攻！”
刹那间，藤池就找不到那只深色虎斑武士的身影了，因为他已经被一群尖叫狂吼的猫扑在了底下。但紧接着，他又露出了脑袋，就好像是在皮毛中奋力游泳一样。尽管藤池不喜欢鹰霜，但看到他重新站稳脚跟，开始收拾那群进攻者时，心里还是升起一丝钦佩之情。他的腿快速移动着，强健的下颚没有停止过攻击，不断撕咬着袭击者。一只进攻的猫被击退了，接着是下一只。最后，所有进攻者都被击退了，只剩下鹰霜独自站在那里，浑身皮毛蓬乱，喘着粗气，却毫发无损。
漂亮！虽然很不情愿，可她还是不得不承认这一点。她的爪子也开始不自觉地有点儿痒痒，想要找他好好讨教。
“现在，”虎斑武士缓过气来继续说道，“谁能说说今天都学到了什么？”
“离你的爪子远一点儿。”虎心一边嘟囔着，一边舔着一只流血的脚掌。
年轻的猫一阵哄笑，但鹰霜没笑。“学到什么有用的了吗？”他继续追问道。
白色河族武士竖起了尾巴。“感觉你像能用四只脚掌同时作战。”她说道。
“很好，冰翅，”鹰霜冲她赞许地点了点头，“我就是那样做的。”
“可你是怎么做到的呢？”另一只猫问道。
“仔细看，我来给你们示范一下。我慢点儿做。”鹰霜用后脚掌保持平衡，伸出前脚掌，爪锋出鞘。接着，只见他快速向下抓去。前脚掌刚一着地，他便猛地伸出后脚掌。如果有哪只猫站在他身后，肯定就会一下子被他撂倒。“就像这样，”示范完毕，他又重复了一遍刚才的动作，只是这次比上次更快，“现在你们来试试。”
看着在进行练习的猫，藤池意识到他们的数量比上次在黑森林见到的还要多。那么多啊！她不禁担心地想道。除了虎心和他的族猫红柳以及鼠痕外，风族的日击、河族的一位学徒，还有白色武士冰翅全都在这里了。
“我一直都觉得鼠痕看上去有点儿狡诈，”藤池小声地自言自语道，“他来这里我不奇怪，风皮也一向讨厌，只是在森林大会上时，我还是有点儿喜欢日击的，冰翅看起来也很友好的样子。他们来这里做什么呢？”
我来这里做什么呢？她问自己，我是个卧底，所以也许，这里面有些猫也是为他们的族群而来的吧。
但是，看他们如此急切地练习鹰霜教的动作，这些年轻猫应该跟藤池最初来这里的想法一样：把自己锻炼成更好的武士，竭尽全力为保卫家园而战斗。
藤池知道，如果她再在蕨丛里藏下去，就会有猫闻到她的气味。她可不想被说成是偷窥。尽管我确实就是在偷窥！于是，她从草丛里走出来，绕过正在训练的猫们，朝鹰霜走去。她停在他面前，冲他礼貌地点了点头。“你好。”她说道。
鹰霜的眼神仿若寒冰。“你迟到了。”他斥责道。
“对不起，我昨晚睡不着。”
深色虎斑猫抽了抽耳朵。“你的族群没有好好训练你吗？”他恶狠狠地质问道。“那就让我们来好了。”他抬高嗓门，说道，“黑森林的猫们！”
瞬间，所有的猫们都停下正在做的事情，重新聚在他周围。鹰霜满意地扫视着他们。“做得好！”他说道，“现在，给你们个机会练习一下你们的新战斗本领，藤池准备来帮助你们。进攻！”
说完，他跳出圈子。黑森林的猫们开始向藤池逼近。她连反驳的机会都没有，风皮就扑了上来。他想用刚才鹰霜教的那招站稳——扫腿的动作，可藤池往后一跃，他没命中目标，身体失去了平衡，一个踉跄便狠狠地摔在了地上。
“来呀，疥癣皮！”藤池龇牙咆哮道。
爪子划过她的后背，藤池想要转身，可另一只猫扑到她头上，她一下子摔倒在地。那只猫把她压在身下，她差点儿都喘不上气来了。在一鼠尾远的地方，她看见了虎心那双琥珀色的眼睛。
“你居然攻击我兄弟，让我来教训你！”虎心狂吼道。
藤池后脚掌一扫，击中了虎心的腹部。他一个打滚儿，抓了藤池耳朵一把。另一只猫接着扑了上来，还有一只咬住了她的尾巴。藤池几乎动弹不得，那些邪恶的嚎叫声震得她的耳朵生疼。
想要活着就必须战斗！
突然，一个身影出现在这群激战的猫中间。尖叫声戛然而止。藤池感觉压在她身上的重量消失了。她挣扎着站了起来，鲜血顺着她眼睛上方的抓痕流了下来，一时间她什么也看不见了。她用脚掌擦了擦血，抬头望去，看见断星正站在空地边上，他身后的阴影处还站着一只猫。
“不要让我打断了你们。”断星喊道。
鹰霜走向他，恭敬地朝他点点头：“欢迎你，断星。有什么我们可以为你做的吗？”
“你应该说，有什么我能为你们做的吗？”影族前族长回答道，“我给你们带来了一位新学徒。”说完他走到空地中央，他身后的那只猫也随后跟上，玳瑁色虎斑猫站到亮光下，藤池忍不住惊恐地倒吸了一口冷气。
“这是雷族的梅花落，”断星继续说道，“你们中有些已经认识她了。梅花落，这些都是你的新族猫。”
梅花落紧张地看了下周围。当视线落在藤池身上时，她眼中闪过熟识的目光，但她什么都没说，只是冲她略微点了一下头。藤池猜想，她可能不想让黑森林的猫以为，她对雷族猫比对其他猫要更忠诚。
一些黑森林猫低声地向梅花落问好，但谁也没有多说什么。想到黑森林里充满了尔虞我诈，藤池想要退缩。这里所有的猫们都属于一个族群吗？可我们根本就不合拍！这里怎么会有另一只雷族猫呢？雷族猫都是忠诚于自己族群的！
“所以，”鹰霜慢吞吞地说道，“你是要向我们展示一下这只新来的猫的本领吗，断星？”
作为回答，影族前族长用尾巴示意鼠痕。“战斗！”他厉声说道。
鼠痕刚才跟鹰霜交战的时候，有一只耳朵被撕裂了。但他此刻没有犹豫，一头扑向了梅花落。而后者则被突然的袭击吓了一跳，以至于一下子被鼠痕撞倒在地。鼠痕发出一声胜利的尖叫，一掌袭向她的喉咙。藤池在一旁看着，紧张到腹部不断翻搅，却见梅花落后脚掌一扫，成功地将鼠痕撂倒，然后不等他从地上爬起来，便跃过他，轻轻地在他腹部一击。她紧接着迅速转身，等待他的下一步进攻。
你应该把爪子伸出来！藤池焦急地想道，这不是雷族的训练课！
鼠痕身子一蜷，再次扑向梅花落。梅花落冲到他身下，但在最后关头，鼠痕在空中一个转身，落在了梅花落的后腰处，用牙齿紧紧地咬住她的尾巴根。梅花落疼得号叫起来，声音里充满了震惊。影族武士再次将她摁在地上，这一次梅花落逃不掉了。她胡乱地伸着爪子抓向鼠痕的头部和肩膀，但藤池看得出来，她的力气越来越弱了。
藤池无法眼睁睁看着自己的族猫被体格和经验都比她强悍很多的影族猫给撕成碎片。于是她冲向前去，用肩膀顶向鼠痕，将他从梅花落身上推下来，还用爪子抓了一把他的耳朵。鼠痕发出一声难以置信的咆哮，转身扑向她。梅花落此时已经踉踉跄跄地站了起来。
“停！”鼠痕刚要进攻，断星的声音响彻空地。
三只猫愣在那里。只见黑猫穿过空地走向他们，他用耳朵示意鼠痕退下，自己逼近藤池，用他那琥珀色的眼睛恶狠狠地盯着她。“你以为自己在做什么？”他的声音很低，但恶毒的语气却让藤池浑身颤抖不已，“谁给你权力打断训练的？”
藤池竭力掩饰着自己的恐惧，她昂着头瞪回去。“我们不是要对彼此忠诚吗？”心底有股怒火驱散了她的恐惧，“难道我们要像胆小鬼一样站在旁边，任由他们俩相互残杀吗？”
断星眼睛微眯，他身上的每一根毛都宣告着他对她的怀疑。“你救的是你自己的族猫。”他一针见血地指出道。
“在这里，他们都是我的族猫。”藤池反驳道。星族啊，让他相信我吧！“我不明白为什么学徒第一次来这里就该送死。”
断星又沉默着站了一会儿，两眼死死地盯着她。终于，他哼了一声站到一旁，藤池留在原地看着梅花落。
“你不该那样做的，”玳瑁色和白色相间武士一边伏平乱糟糟的皮毛，一边嘶声说道，“我说不定最后能打败鼠痕。”
那刺猬还会飞呢。藤池心想。她转过头，在黑森林猫中看到了一只棕色公猫，他的一只耳朵是黑色的。她一下子就认出了他。
“蚁皮！”她惊呼道，并朝他跑过去，“我刚才没看见你，太棒了，你终于好了。”
风族武士的伤口已经愈合了，只是在后背和喉咙上留下了几道细长的疤痕。不过他的样子看起来很强健，看不出丝毫的疼痛。他望向藤池，眼里满是困惑。“这里现在就是我的家。”他说道。
藤池一时间没能明白他的话，可立刻，她感觉自己像是掉进了冰冷的河水中。“你……你死了？”她倒吸了一口凉气。
蚁皮耸了耸肩膀：“如果你愿意，可以这么说。”
“是你自己选择到这里来的吗？”藤池问道，想要竭力掩饰自己声音中的震惊。我喜欢蚁皮！他跟这些邪恶的猫不一样！
“这些现在都是我的族猫，比在风族的时候还要多，”蚁皮的声音里带着一丝遗憾，“我还能去哪里呢？”
藤池答不上来。“你死了我很遗憾。”她僵硬地说道。
“这里就是我想来的地方。”蚁皮又耸了耸肩回答道。
“藤池，过来！”
听见鹰霜喊她，藤池如释重负。她冲风族武士点了点头，便穿过空地朝鹰霜走去。另一只风族猫站在鹰霜身旁，眼睛瞪得大大的，看上去很迫切的样子。
“这是荆豆爪，”鹰霜介绍道，“她是新来的，你能教给她一两个动作吗？”
“没问题，”藤池回答道。她很高兴鹰霜没有留下来观察，而是穿过空地，朝那边正在练习战斗的虎心和日击走去。
“你好，荆豆爪。”她说道，“你是第一次来这里吗？”
“是第二次。”荆豆爪像只幼崽般尖声说道，说完清了清嗓子。“我在梦里来到了这里，然后认识了鹰霜，”她又补充道，“我告诉他别的学徒总是欺负我，他说会教我一些对抗他们的本领。”
“哦，是的，我们可以做到。”藤池保证道，心里很为这个紧张胆小的学徒感到担心。她不知道自己陷入了什么麻烦，不过我也一样。但是，她想道，教她一些战斗技巧不会对她有什么伤害吧。
荆豆爪听她这么说，一下子就振奋了起来。“太好了！须鼻和圆石爪等着大吃一惊吧！须鼻自从成了武士，就变得很讨厌。”她补充说道。
“现在，你最好把爪子伸出来。”藤池建议道，她希望鹰霜和断星不会注意她们。我这一个晚上遇到的麻烦已经够多了。“很好。”她轻声说道，“如果我是一只狐狸，来袭击风族营地，你打算怎么办？”
作为回答，荆豆爪向她扑来。她龇着牙咆哮着，伸出脚掌，毫无防备。藤池闪到旁边，从她身下绊了她一下，一只脚掌压在她的肩膀上，另一只按在她的肚子上。被按住的荆豆爪只能无助地在她身下扭动身体。
伟大的星族啊！他们风族都是怎么训练学徒的？
她大声喊道：“现在，我是只狐狸，要把你拖到巢穴里吃掉。”说完她松开荆豆爪，学徒摇摇晃晃爬起身，然后垂头丧气地站在那里，尴尬地用爪子不停地抓挠着地面。
“对不起。”她咕哝道。
“不用道歉。”藤池抬头望去，确定鹰霜和断星听不见，“你来这里就是要学本领的。现在，你当狐狸，我来教给你该怎么反击。”
她教给荆豆爪一个非常简单的动作，给她示范了一下该如何快速前冲、如何伤敌，以及如何快速抽身。“记住，狐狸或是獾要比你大得多也重得多，所以拼体力你是没有胜算的。因此，你必须要更聪明些，动作要快。来试试。”
荆豆爪再次向她扑来，眼中充满了渴望。她用一只没出鞘的爪子在她腹部一击，然后便迅速跳开。“就像这样吗？”
“很好。再来一遍。”
荆豆爪练习的时候，藤池又往断星和鹰霜的方向扫了一眼。他们俩已经分开，各自在空地上巡视着，检查大家的训练情况。千万别过来，好吗？
她让荆豆爪停下，正准备教她另外一个动作，却听见鹰霜的声音传来：“藤池！”
噢，不！
可就在藤池转身时，那位虎斑武士开始示意所有正在训练的猫都集中到空地上去。藤池如释重负地舒了一口气，意识到此次训练终于结束了。
“你们都做得很好。”等所有的猫们都聚集过来，鹰霜说道。“尤其是你，梅花落，”他冲这位新招募的雷族猫满意地点了点头，“腾跃和转身动作做得漂亮。”
梅花落眼中满是自豪。“谢谢，鹰霜。”她说道，又冲黑森林武士们低下了头表示谢意。
“我觉得你们在这里适应得很好。”鹰霜说道。
藤池的心往下一沉。她的目光扫向这群精瘦结实、渴望战斗的武士们。噢，星族啊，帮帮我们吧。黑森林正在从各个族群内部招募忠诚的武士——而且他们就要成功了！
第十一章
第十一章
鸽翅停下来，抬头往高处望去。她还以为那些白雪覆盖的山峦和崎岖不平的岩石会永远都没有尽头呢。但是现在，她终于清楚地看到了最高的山巅。它们在浅蓝色的天空下高高耸立着，白云在山间悠游缭绕。
“我简直不敢相信！”她惊呼道。
“这简直——简直太壮观了！”狐跃的声音尖细得像只被吓坏的幼崽。
“这些山确实挺可怕的，尤其是第一次来的时候。”松鼠飞表示同意，她走过来站到两位年轻武士身旁，“我永远也不会忘记我第一次来这里的情形。”
“我也不会。”松鸦羽脖颈儿处的皮毛耸起，呸声说道，声音听起来就像是刚咬了口鸦食，“上面很冷，风又大，路还难走，但我们不得不去那儿，所以我们最好继续往前走。”
这是他们离开湖区的第三个日出了。天空晴朗，但鸽翅还是得竖起皮毛，抵御着从山顶吹下来的刺骨寒风。“猫怎么在山上生活呢？”她问道，“那儿有猎物吗？”
“有你也看不到。”松鸦羽没好气地说道。
“当然会有，”松鼠飞说着恼火地瞥了巫医一眼，继续说道，“但跟我们那里的不一样，而且他们的狩猎方式也和我们不一样。你会看到的。”说完她挥动尾巴，示意出发，松鸦羽跟在她身后。鸽翅瞪大眼睛，和狐跃交换个眼神，然后也赶紧跟了上去。这条路将他们引到山势较缓的小山下，山坡上野草丛生，还有很多生命力旺盛长势惊人的石楠，岩层也从贫瘠的地表露了出来。
“这儿有点儿像风族的领地，”狐跃咕哝道，“我不喜欢。”
鸽翅低声附和，表示赞同。没有树木的遮挡，她感到很不舒服，也很想念森林里那充满了浓郁猎物气息的灌木丛。“不过，在这里，至少我们能看见是不是有谁想要接近我们。”她指出道。
鸽翅释放出感知，探测着可能的危险，最终什么也没有发现，只听到远处猎物躲藏起来的细小动静和潺潺的流水声。突然，头顶上传来一声尖厉的叫声，鸽翅抬头望去，只见一只鸟在上空盘旋。她不认识那是什么鸟，但隐隐感觉它很危险。
“是老鹰，”松鼠飞喊道，“路上我们还会看到很多这种鸟。我们得小心，因为它们个头很大，足够抓住一只猫。”
鸽翅打了个寒战。这到底是个什么地方啊，为什么连鸟都那么危险呢？
这一整天剩下的时间里，族群猫一直都在赶路，只是在日高时分稍微休息了一小会儿。松鼠飞和狐跃合力抓住了一只兔子，然后四只猫便在忐忑不安中快速吃了几口。渐渐地，山势越来越陡峭，草丛也愈发地稀疏。几只猫艰难地在岩石间攀爬着，偶尔在石缝里能看见几簇杂草和低矮的灌木。太阳要落山了，在他们身前投下长长的影子，也给白雪皑皑的山坡披上了绯红的霞光。
希望天黑前我们能找到地方过夜。鸽翅心想。
松鼠飞带领大家沿着一条狭长的小路往前走。小路曲折蜿蜒，脚掌下到处都是尖利的石头，石缝中仍有不少积雪。他们来到一片空地，这里全是又大又光滑的圆石头，四只猫费了好大力气才爬上去。松鸦羽因为看不见应该在哪里落脚总是不停地滑倒，气得他骂骂咧咧的。圆石另一边的地上有个坑，上面覆盖着积雪，而坑底则是个水池，池边结了冰。坑边的草长得较为茂盛，只是上面也落了不少积雪。
“太好了，有水喝了！”狐跃一个箭步冲向前去欢呼道，“我的舌头感觉都像这些石头一样干燥了。”
“小心点儿！”松鼠飞警告说。
鸽翅跟在狐跃后面慢慢走着，她闻到了很浓烈的猫的气味。走过气味最浓的区域，她意识到这里肯定是个边界，就像森林里将族群领地分割开来的那些一样。
“我们现在已经踏入急水部落的领地了，”松鼠飞解释说，然后又用一种满意的语气补充道，“他们仍然在更新边界的气味标记。”
四只猫走到水坑边去喝水，可就在鸽翅伸出脚掌打碎水边的薄冰，准备舔水喝时，身后传来的一声吼叫划破了天际。
“入侵者！”
与此同时，一个身影向她扑来，将她撞翻在地。她倒在水边，用力挣扎，脚掌溅起串串水花。她爬起身，亮出爪子，尾巴抽动着，看到了一只体形跟学徒差不多大的黑色公猫，后者正满怀敌意地瞪着她。
“滚出我们的领地！”公猫啐了一口。
“等一下……”松鼠飞大喊道。
“黑影！停下！”
一只灰白色母猫从水坑另一边的半山坡冲了出来，身后还跟着一只暗棕色虎斑公猫和一只灰色斑点的年轻母猫。
“可他们正在侵犯我们的领地！”黑影，那只黑色公猫，不服气地说道。
“不，他们不是。”灰白色母猫走下山来到黑影身旁，轻轻拍了拍他的一只耳朵，“他们不是入侵者，而是贵客。”说完她转向松鼠飞，声音里满是惊讶，耳朵抽动着，不过接下来的话热情得多：“真高兴又见到你了，松鼠飞，还有松鸦爪。”
“松鸦羽。”巫医抽抽耳朵，纠正她。
“你是凌波之翅影，对吗？”松鼠飞向前一步跟灰白色母猫碰了碰鼻子，“还有瀑布旁的陡径。”她又冲暗棕色公猫点了点头，说道，“这是鸽翅，这是狐跃。”
鸽翅低下头冲他们打了个招呼，好奇地打量着急水部落的猫儿们。他们比族群猫要小很多，看起来需要吃点儿好的。
“这只预备是黑影。”翅影用尾巴指指黑色公猫，继续说道，“他居然如此不自量力，想独自迎战四只猫。这是疾掠而过之雨。”
灰色斑点猫礼貌地点了点头。
“预备？”鸽翅咕哝道。
“就像我们的学徒。”松鸦羽在她耳边轻声说。
“没想到会在这里再次见到你。”陡径对松鼠飞说道，“族群遇到麻烦了吗？需要帮忙吗？”
“不是，一切都很好。”松鼠飞咕噜道，“我们只是想来看看老朋友们。”
翅影抽抽耳朵，鸽翅想，她肯定已经猜到族群猫们在秃叶季长途跋涉来到这里一定是另有原因。不过，翅影没有多问，只是说了句：“我们最好带你们回山洞，天快要黑了。”
雷族猫跟在部落猫身后，向山区深处走去。太阳已经落山，天际最后一抹鲜红已经褪去。暮色渐浓，前方的路也愈发难以看清，可部落猫依然娴熟地腾挪跳跃，然后稳稳地站在岩石上等着族群猫赶上来。山顶寒风呼啸，鸽翅的眼睛里被吹进了冰碴儿，只好不停地眨眼。
“怎么会有猫想要在这么荒凉的地方生活呢？”松鸦羽一边费力地爬上岩石，一边喘着粗气说道，“我真的不懂。”他犹豫了一下便在岩石上蜷伏了下来。他前方的地面凹凸不平，鸽翅意识到如果他跳错了地方会伤到自己的。
“等一下，”她先行跳到一片雪地上，确定没有尖锐的边角，然后才说道，“往这里跳吧。”她指挥松鸦羽：“往我的声音这边跳。”
松鸦羽跳起来，然后笨拙地落下。鸽翅看他踉踉跄跄的，赶忙过去扶稳他。“谢谢。”他低声道。
接着他们跟在已经跑到前面去的松鼠飞和狐跃身后，继续顺山势埋头往上爬。这时，鸽翅又听到一个声音，是一阵低沉而又连续的咆哮声，随着他们每迈一步，便会愈发响亮一些。
“那是什么声音？”她问松鸦羽。
“哦，你已经听见了吗？”松鸦羽低声说道，鸽翅猜测自己现在该不是已经会不由自主地运用特殊力量了吧。“是瀑布声，急水部落就住在那里。”松鸦羽说道。
很快，所有的猫都听到了瀑布的轰隆声。他们挣扎着爬上最后一块陡峭岩石，然后又来到一块平坦的大石头上。河水从圆石间流过，风从河面上吹来，撕扯着鸽翅的皮毛，像是要把她吹倒，但呼啸的风声很快便淹没在瀑布那震耳欲聋的轰隆声中了。
鸽翅走到悬崖边上，河水沿岩石边缘顺流而下。“哇！”她对着旁边的陡径惊呼道。陡径则伸出一只脚掌，像是要警告她当心点儿。“你们真的是在这里住吗？”
“我们的山洞就在瀑布后面。”陡径骄傲地解释道。
“好棒啊！”我们真的要走到那个泛着泡沫的水帘后面去吗？她偷偷地想，那里没有能让猫住的地方啊！
陡径引导着族群猫从岩石上下来，来到瀑布边上。地上又湿又滑，鸽翅使劲儿用爪子抓着地面，尾巴猛地摇摆着以保持身体的平衡。她紧张得心怦怦直跳，努力不在这些刚认识的猫面前露怯。松鸦羽夹在翅影和松鼠飞中间，吃力地走下岩石，每走一步便嘟哝一声。
终于，所有的猫都站在了一条通往瀑布后面的狭长小径上。鸽翅踩着陡径的脚印，小心地往前走。前面是岩石，后面是永不停息的瀑布流水。水泼溅到她的皮毛上，引得她阵阵寒战。
此时的天几乎已经完全黑了下来。瀑布就像是个泛着涟漪的灰色水帘，映照出月亮的银光和点点星光。再往前走，鸽翅看到瀑布的另一边有个开阔的幽暗空间，陡径走进去一下子便不见了。紧接着，他的声音传了出来，发出怪异的回声。
“欢迎来到急水部落！”
鸽翅眨了眨眼睛走了进去，紧接着是松鼠飞、松鸦羽和狐跃，剩下的部落猫断后。鸽翅抖了抖身上的水珠，打量着高耸的洞壁。在她头顶上方，高高的洞顶隐藏在阴影里，洞穴的尽头，有两条通道通往更黑暗的地方。部落猫蜷伏在岩壁上，低头注视着新来的访客。还有一些在洞穴平地上相互绕圈来回走动着。在鸽翅看来，他们好像是在进行某种训练。看到访客，他们统统停下聚到了洞口。鸽翅紧张到皮毛刺痛。
与此同时，洞穴的另一边传来一声吼叫：“我简直不敢相信！松鼠飞！松鸦爪！”
“松鸦羽。”松鸦羽嘟哝着。
一只深灰色公猫从阴影处跑了出来，站在了松鼠飞面前。他的腿比其他猫都要长。“很高兴又见到你们了。”他说道。
“鹰崖，”松鼠飞热情地回答道，“回来真好。”
更多的猫开始围上来打招呼，打听族群的情况。鸽翅的脑袋开始晕了，松鼠飞想把每一只猫都介绍一遍，可她根本就记不住，要不就根本不知道他们谁是谁，因为他们看上去都很像，全都又瘦又小，大部分长着灰褐色皮毛。
而且他们的名字还那么长！难怪他们会用简称！
“还记得你们第一次来这里，我们伏击你们的事情吗？”一只叫鹰爪的老猫跟松鼠飞说，“我差点儿把你的皮毛都撕扯下来，但你们还是说服了我们，让我们相信你是站在我们一边的。”
“谁把谁的皮毛扯下来还不一定呢。”让鸽翅惊奇的是，松鼠飞友好地用头撞了撞老虎斑猫的肩膀，“我们还一起合力对抗过尖牙兽呢。”
鹰爪点点头，伤心地眨了眨眼，然后又使劲儿摇了摇脑袋，像是要把这些痛苦的回忆给甩掉。“溪儿去哪里了？”他环顾四周，挤过聚拢在访客周围的猫群，大喊道，“溪儿，快来看是谁来啦！”
一只体态优雅的虎斑母猫从洞穴后面的角落里走了出来，脚掌下还赶着两只幼崽。
松鼠飞瞪大了眼睛，绿色眸子闪着光：“溪儿！你有幼崽啦！”
溪儿走过来和松鼠飞相互碰了碰鼻子，开心地咕噜着。她张开嘴巴，使劲儿呼吸着松鼠飞的气味。“欢迎回来。”然后，她又自豪地补充说道，“这是破晓晨鸣之雀，这是紧攀岩崖之松。晨雀看起来像她的父亲，你觉得呢？”
“真为你和暴毛感到高兴！”松鼠飞深吸口气，弯下腰低下头，分别嗅了嗅两只小猫。
两个小家伙抬起头，睁着大大的眼睛，好奇地看着她。“你是来加入我们的吗？”晨雀问道。
松鼠飞摇摇头：“不，我们只是来做客的。”
“你们应该留下来，”岩松告诉她，急切地摆动着粗短的尾巴，“部落猫是最棒的！”
“我得多向你讨教些育儿经，”溪儿继续对松鼠飞说道，“你的三只幼崽都那么出色！”
鸽翅一愣，不知道接下来松鼠飞该如何作答。过了好一会儿，松鼠飞似乎也不知该说些什么才好。然后她低下了头。“你看上去做得很好，不需要我的帮助呀。”她说道，“他们那么可爱，又强壮又健康。对了，暴毛去哪里了？”她又追问道，显然很高兴能换个话题。
“去边界巡逻了，”溪儿解释道，“现在也快回来了。”
“哦，边界的情况怎么样？”松鼠飞问道，“你们有成功守住边界，防止那些敌猫入侵吗？”
“任重道远，”一只黑色公猫回答道，鸽翅记得他的名字叫怒枭之尖啸，“巡逻回来大家都很累，所以也就没有太多时间去狩猎。”
“但是你们不必每次全部都出动啊。”狐跃环顾洞穴四周的猫们，不赞同地说道，“你们的猫那么多，为什么不让其中一些去巡逻，另一些去狩猎呢？我们就是这样的。”
“部落跟我们不一样，”松鼠飞解释道，“他们有两种不同的猫，狩猎者负责狩猎，山洞卫士负责保护狩猎者，所以需要更多的猫来狩猎。”
“哦，可他们还是可以……”
鸽翅没有听见狐跃后面说了些什么。她那敏锐的听觉捕捉到一丝细微的脚步声正从山洞后面传来。接着，有个声音粗声粗气地说：“他们这次又来干什么？”
鸽翅转过身，看到猫群向两侧分开，一只瘦骨嶙峋的老虎斑猫走了出来。他跟预备差不多大小，斑驳的皮毛下瘦骨嶙峋的腰臀部清晰可见。他走过来时，鸽翅惊讶地发现他心跳不稳，喘气也很吃力。他走到松鼠飞面前停下来开口讲话的时候，嘴巴里散发出一股腐烂鸦食的气味。
这只猫快要死了！鸽翅惊恐地想。
“尖石巫师……”溪儿结结巴巴地说道，“看谁来了。”
“我能看得见，”尖石巫师呵斥道，“我只想知道他们来这里做什么。”
松鼠飞给溪儿使了个眼色，然后向前一步，恭敬地对老年公猫垂下头。“你好，尖石巫师。”她说道，“我和我的族猫们只是来拜访一下，想看看大家过得怎么样。”
“你以为没有了你们，我们会活不下去吗？”尖石巫师吼道。
鸽翅看得出来松鼠飞有些慌乱，她的爪子紧紧地抓在坚硬的地面上。“不是这样的——”她开口说道。
尖石巫师尾巴一甩，喉咙里发出一声低吼，打断了她的话。狐跃眼睛瞪得大大的，靠过来附在鸽翅耳边悄声说道：“谁在他的猎物上拉屎了吗？”
松鸦羽向前迈了一步，鸽翅心里不由一紧。巫医脾气暴躁，此时过去插话，只会把事情弄得更糟糕。可令她惊讶的是，松鸦羽的语气十分平和。
“尖石巫师，请相信我，真的没什么事情。我们就是作为朋友来做客的。”他尾巴冲狐跃和鸽翅一摆，补充道，“而且让两只年轻猫来看看部落里的生活，也是很不错的体验。正如同你们过去跟我们学习过，我们也有很多要向你们学习。”
尖石巫师哼了一声，却也没再向来客发难。
“做得好，松鸦羽。”松鼠飞悄声说道。
翅影拨开猫群，冲尖石巫师点了点头：“尖石巫师，这些猫可以分享我们今天的食物吗？”
“今天的食物？”狐跃听上去很是惊异，“你是说，你们一天只吃一顿吗？那样不饿吗？”
“你不怕长胖吗？”一只年轻母猫反驳道，上下打量着狐跃。
尖石巫师同意了，尽管鸽翅感觉他并不是太热情。他退到一边，由翅影和溪儿带领着访客们穿过山洞，走到猎物堆前停住了脚步。
“请随便吃吧。”翅影发出邀请。
鸽翅学着松鼠飞的样子，从猎物堆里拖出来一只鸟，狼吞虎咽地吃了起来。但很快她就感觉难以下咽了。伟大的星族啊，这个怎么那么苦啊！她仔细地看了下猎物，发现这只鸟跟她以前见过的都不一样，比森林中的鸟要大，有棕色羽毛和钩状的喙。
“我想象不出来哪只猫能独自捕到这样的鸟。”她喃喃自语道。
“这话太滑稽了！”黑影无意中听到她的话，冲她嚷道，一脸不屑地看着她，“就好像大家都应该独自出去狩猎似的。狩猎者从来都是协力工作的，这个连幼崽都知道。看着点儿，我们示范给你看。疾雨、白雪，过来！”他把之前在山区见过的一只预备还有一只白色皮毛的年轻母猫叫了过来。“白雪，你当老鹰。”
“好的。”白雪跳到山洞的岩壁上。
“疾雨，你跟我当狩猎者。”黑影继续说道。
“但我是山洞卫士啊。”疾雨抗议道。
黑影叹了口气：“所以呢？你可以假装一下嘛，你知道狩猎者该怎么做不是吗？”
疾雨只好耸耸肩膀，蹲伏在一块圆石底部。黑影也在几尾远处蹲伏了下来。两只年轻猫一动不动地潜伏在那里，鸽翅看得一脸困惑。
“他们什么也没做呀。”狐跃从他的猎物上抬起头，小声说道。
就在这时，只见白雪从岩壁一下子俯冲到地面。黑影和疾雨立刻同时扑上去，压在她身上，用爪子将她摁翻在地，以防止她挣扎起身。
“嘿，别那么用力嘛！”白雪大喊道。
“你们在做什么？”一只怀着幼崽大腹便便的黑色母猫生气地回头看着他们，“你们这些预备！现在是吃东西的时候，不是玩耍的时候！”
“对不起，黑夜。”疾雨含糊地说。
“我们只是在给这些奇怪的猫示范……”黑影抗议道。
“我知道，我知道，”黑夜打断了他的话，“你们总爱找理由……日出的时候再示范，行不行？”
黑影低下头，从猎物堆里拉出一只兔子，将它拖过去跟其他预备一起分享。
“真奇怪。”鸽翅对狐跃低声说道。她开始想念自己的族群了。在那里，只要猎物充足，任何猫只要饿了就都可以吃。而且只要完成了自己的职责，没有猫会不许学徒们玩耍的。“这些部落猫可真严厉！”
狐跃靠近她。“不光严厉，还非常奇怪。”他附和道。
等族群猫们吃完食物，溪儿带他们穿过洞穴。“你们可以睡在这里。”她说道。鸽翅站在松鼠飞身旁，打量着周围。洞穴的地上有几处浅坑，里面铺着些羽毛。这些就是窝吗？她惊讶地想道，开始想念石头山谷里自己巢穴中那些松软的苔藓和蕨叶了。
溪儿的幼崽岩松靠在最大的浅坑边，探身嗅着里面的羽毛。“看上去好舒服哦！”他说道。
“我想在那里睡！”晨雀宣布道，并一下子飞身跳进了窝里。里面的羽毛四散乱飞，有一片落在她的鼻子上，痒得她打了个喷嚏。
“当然不行！”溪儿大声斥责，她浑身的皮毛蓬松起来，“立刻给我出来，我们自己已经有个够舒服的窝了。”
晨雀甩着小尾巴，挂着一身羽毛爬了出来。溪儿用尾巴把她身上的羽毛扫干净，又给女儿把身上的皮毛抚平。“抱歉，”她低声对松鼠飞说道，“你也知道，幼崽都是这样的。你们睡个好觉吧。”她用尾巴将两只幼崽拢到一起，然后便拱着他们离开了。
“晚安！”松鼠飞在她身后喊道。
蜷缩在浅坑里，鸽翅发现自己根本就睡不着。外面瀑布的声音太大，震得她耳朵生疼，可又没有办法屏蔽它。她像是被困在了这声音里，轰隆声将她可能听到的其他声音全部都掩盖住了。她以前从没像这样被石头和水包围过。
这不对劲。她想。
她抬起头，看到其他三只族猫已经睡着了。松鸦羽翻来覆去的，像是正在梦里跟星族猫们沟通着……也可能是黑森林吧。在洞穴深处，她能听到部落猫们准备入睡的声音。
“闭上眼睛，晨雀。”这是溪儿的声音，“要不然明天玩儿的时候，你该没力气了。”
“晚安，飞鸟。”这是老猫鹰爪的声音。
“晚安，”一只陌生的母猫回答道，“做个好梦。”
“白雪，如果你再不把脚掌从我耳边拿开的话，我可要挠你啦！”鸽翅听到黑影生气的抱怨声，忍不住闷声笑了起来。
渐渐地，所有的声音都沉寂了下来。鸽翅小心翼翼地从窝里爬出来，穿过山洞，朝瀑布走去。她心痒难耐，想出去走走，不时地回头看上几眼，唯恐有哪只部落猫发现她，以为她是个密探。好在一直到她走到瀑布后面的小径偷偷溜出去为止，都没有猫发现她。月光下，瀑布闪动着微光。鸽翅爬到瀑布下游水潭边的岩石上，空气中弥漫着银色的水雾。
好美啊！她第一次意识到急水部落为什么会选择在这个荒凉的地方安家落户。
她格外小心地在黑暗中攀爬着，把自己的身子拖上瀑布旁边的岩石，一直爬到悬崖顶上。她抖掉皮毛上的水，随后坐下来开始环顾四周。一瞬间，她连呼吸都停止了。周围的山峦层层叠叠，一直绵延至目不能及的地方。此时，瀑布就在她脚掌下，水声依然震耳欲聋，但却不像在山洞里那样，让她有被困住了的感觉。
鸽翅释放出感知，巡视着这片白雪皑皑的土地。在清新的空气中，她的视觉和听觉变得异常灵敏。她能听到大鸟的声音——是老鹰吗？光秃秃的悬崖上，它们在树枝搭成的窝里翻动着；岩缝里，积雪正慢慢融化成溪流；白毛野兔在雪地里和碎石间艰难寻找着草叶。看似荒芜的山区到处都生机勃勃。
接着，鸽翅发现她还听到了猫的声音。那不可能是部落猫，因为他们的步伐很重。他们大摇大摆地跳上岩石，走到急水部落的气味标记跟前嗅了嗅。
“原来这就是急水部落的边界啊，”一个嘲讽的声音传到了鸽翅的耳朵里，“我们要不要跨过去呢？我都吓得浑身发抖了！”
“这些猫的脑子里进蜜蜂了吧，”另一个声音回应道，“他们以为一道空气屏障就能拦住我们吗？”
鸽翅越听越愤怒。第一只猫先跃过边界，然后是第二只。接着他们又跳了回来，然后又跳了过去，如此反复地站到急水部落的领地里。
“你们在哪里啊？”第一只猫吼叫道，“你们的巡逻队怎么不来把我们赶出去啊？”
“像胆小的兔子一样躲起来了吧。”第二只猫喊道，“我们去狩猎吧。”
鸽翅听见他们去寻找猎物了——那本应是属于急水部落的猎物。她伸出爪子紧紧地抓着岩石。松鸦羽和狮焰告诉过她，上次他们来访的时候，就已经设立了边界，并让那些入侵猫发誓遵守它。
但是有什么用呢？她愤怒地想道，这些猫根本就不守规矩，我们怎么能指望他们老老实实待在边界那边呢？
她的身后传来了轻轻的脚步声，她以为是部落猫，起身回头一看，居然是松鸦羽。
“你怎么爬上来的？”她问道，一想到刚刚这只盲眼猫爬上来的时候，随时都可能失足滑到下面的水潭里，腹中就一阵翻腾。
“历尽千辛万苦。”松鸦羽戏谑道，同时甩甩身子，水雾飞溅，接着长叹了一口气，坐在了鸽翅身旁，用尾巴指了指周围的山峰，“很壮观，对吧？”
“你怎么看见的？”鸽翅惊异地问道。刚说完，她就意识到，松鸦羽应该是在梦里来过这里。“我们为什么来这儿？”她接着问道。
“急水部落也有祖先，”松鸦羽用尾巴裹住脚掌，“是杀无尽部落。我想他们应该是有事情要告诉我，跟预言有关的事情。”
“如果我们真的星权在握，”鸽翅大声说出自己的想法，“那么或许我们的力量也对急水部落有效。”
松鸦羽抽动耳朵：“我觉得没那么简单。别忘了尖石巫师掌握的权力很大，比族长或是巫医的力量都要强大。不过我确信我们的命运跟急水部落有关。”
“我们曾帮过他们很多次，”鸽翅说道，“或许现在该轮到他们来帮我们了。”
“也许吧。”松鸦羽附和道。
说话间，鸽翅听到有猫顺着岩石爬了上来。只见一只肩宽体壮的深灰色公猫爬上了悬崖顶。他朝松鸦羽走来，并点了点头：“你好，很高兴又见到族猫们了。”
“暴毛，”松鸦羽也向他点了点头，“这是鸽翅，白翅的女儿。”
鸽翅眨眨眼睛，不敢相信自己竟能和他直面相对。对族群而言，他几乎是个传奇。暴毛的父亲是雷族猫，母亲是河族猫。他曾去过太阳沉没之地见到过午夜，后来在族群找到湖区新家的时候，又参加了大迁徙。但是他深爱着溪儿，以至于放弃了自己的族群去和她生活在一起，把急水部落当成了自己的家。
“湖区情况怎么样？”暴毛问道。他的声音里透着一丝渴望。鸽翅知道，尽管他已经决定在山区安家，心里却时时刻刻挂念着族群。
“很好，”松鸦羽回答道，“上个新叶季时我们经历了干旱，湖水差点儿干涸，但是鸽翅和远征队找回了水。”
暴毛望着鸽翅，琥珀色的眸子闪烁着：“做得好！那一定很不容易吧。”
鸽翅低下了头。“我大部分时间也很害怕。我们还有棵树倒进了石头山谷。”她补充道，但迫切地想换个话题，于是便又说道，“所有的巢穴现在都变样了。”
暴毛点点头。“那河族呢？”他问道。
“我想他们还好吧，”鸽翅告诉他说，“但是豹星死了。”
暴毛低下了头。“真遗憾。她是位了不起的族长。”沉默了一会儿，他又继续说道，“所以现在的族长是雾星？”
鸽翅点头答道：“她也是位很棒的族长。”
“我能想象到。星族的选择总是正确的。”
“那谁将继任尖石巫师呢？”松鸦羽问道。他的声音尖锐，似乎在向鸽翅暗示事情可能没有她想得那么简单。
暴毛摇了摇头。“尖石巫师拒绝指明任何猫继任他的位置，”他说道，“你能想象部落里大家的心情吧。”
鸽翅感到很是不解：“这会有什么麻烦吗？”
暴毛转身看着她。“每一任尖石巫师的名字都一样，”他解释道，“都叫尖石巫师。一般情况下，下一任尖石巫师在幼崽时就被选定了，然后便一直由现任尖石巫师亲自培养。现在，部落所有猫都担心新任尖石巫师还没来得及学会一切，现任的尖石巫师就已经死了。”
“那就意味着你们可能就没有领导者了！”鸽翅惊呼道。她知道尖石巫师既是部落族长，也是巫医。可要是两个都没了，部落该怎么办呢？
“杀无尽部落怎么说？”松鸦羽问道，“如果他们——”
暴毛打断了他的话，尾巴快速一扫示意他们安静。他爬到岩石边往下看。鸽翅也悄然跟在他身边。在不足半尾远的地方，瀑布轰然泻下沉入水潭。
“小心。”暴毛轻声提醒她。
在下方远处，瀑布后面通往山洞的小径上，一只猫出现了。鸽翅认出来那是尖石巫师骨瘦如柴的身影。“怎么了？”她小声对暴毛说道，“或许他只是出来平静一下，呼吸点儿新鲜空气呢。”
暴毛摇了摇头。“尖石巫师从不离开山洞，”他解释道，“除了去悬崖顶上举行仪式，而且这种时候也不多——通常都是有猫死的时候才举行。他应该一直待在山洞里，接收杀无尽部落的信息。”
“他从不离开山洞？”鸽翅重复道，突然间，她很是同情那只孱弱的老猫，终年被困在石壁和水帘后面。
“从不，尤其是在晚上，因为晚上的星光最亮。而他现在出来了，等于是藐视祖先和部落定下的法则。”
鸽翅往下看着尖石巫师，他正坐在水潭边，凝望着山峦。她不知道，他究竟在想些什么以及为什么看到族群猫的到来，会那么愤怒？如果他知道松鸦羽和鸽翅星权在握，态度会不会改变呢？
预言会不会是要我们不仅保护族群，还要保护急水部落的未来呢？
第十二章
第十二章
狮焰跳到一棵倒下的树干上，弓起身子伸了个长长的懒腰，享受着阳光照在金色皮毛上温暖的感觉。树上开始长出嫩芽，一簇簇干枯暗沉的蕨丛也都舒展开鲜绿色的叶子。树枝上鸟鸣啾啾，他都能听到灌木丛下的小动物们的骚动。
新叶季快要来了。他想。
在他身后，巡逻队员们也都站在了空地上。炭心竖起耳朵绷着胡须密切注意着猎物的踪迹；蟾步弄出的动静比一群獾发出的还要响；玫瑰瓣则走在最后面。
“很好。”狮焰从树上跳下来，落到空地的一侧。“这个地方不错。火星让我和炭心帮你们提高一下狩猎技巧。”他对两只年轻武士说道。
“哇，太好了！”蟾步两眼发亮，紧盯着狮焰和炭心说道，“那你们也能教我们一些战斗动作吗？”
“求求你们了！”玫瑰瓣期待地附和道。
“下一次再说吧，”炭心轻弹尾巴，“今天我们要集中精力练习狩猎，看看最后能给族群带回多少猎物。”
蟾步看上去有点儿失望。“你的战斗能力最强，”他对狮焰说道，“雷族有你简直太幸运了。我想你都没受过伤吧！”说完他又兴高采烈地补充道。“我将来也要成为你那样，保卫族群，不让任何敌人欺负我！”
狮焰压下一声叹息。如果他要像我那样战斗，那他会受重伤的。“蟾步，”他语气尴尬地说道，“你得有自己的战斗方式，不用像我或是任何其他猫。”
“但是你那么棒，为什么不能像你那样战斗呢？”
狮焰尴尬到皮毛刺痛。他瞥了一眼炭心，她那蓝色的眼睛正同情地看着他。
“每一只猫都会受伤，”他坚持道，“每一只猫也都有弱点。想成为一位优秀的战士，都必须要知道这一点——”
“看我的！”
狮焰赶紧打住话头，因为蟾步已经朝着倒下的树干猛冲了过去。只见他用脚掌猛击树干，伸出爪子向树皮划去，并用牙齿死死地咬住了一根突出来的树枝。
“快停下！”狮焰狂吼道。他冲到年轻武士跟前，咬住他的脖颈儿，将他拉开。“像刚才那样冲上去战斗，等于去送死。”
他俯身看着蟾步。年轻武士正一脸震惊地抬头望着他。狮焰怒火中烧。一想到那个预言他心里便会燃起熊熊恨意，恨它夺走了自己的生活，却不给他留下任何选择的机会。如果我只是一只普通的族群猫……如果我能和炭心在一起，我宁可放弃这些战斗技能。
“嘿，狮焰，放轻松点儿。”炭心走过来用尾尖点了点蟾步的肩膀，“蟾步只是太过兴奋，就是这样。”她打趣地看了一眼年轻猫，又补充道：“但是杀死一棵树可不会帮助你提高。”
“对不起，狮焰，”蟾步结结巴巴地说道，“我只是想让你看看……”
“我知道。”狮焰抖了抖胡须，“记住，每只猫都有极限，你需要知道自己的极限是什么。”
蟾步点点头，往后退了一两步回到了空地上。他依然紧盯着狮焰，就好像金色虎斑猫随时有可能会毫无征兆地向他扑来一样。
“鼠脑子的小傻瓜，”狮焰低声跟炭心咕哝道，“如果他试着学我那样，结果皮毛被扯掉了，你觉得我会怎么想？”
炭心理解地点点头安慰道：“你会把他教好的。”
她的回答让狮焰心里暖暖的。他转身又走回到两只年轻的武士跟前。“好，让我们来看看，我们是不是已经把森林里所有的猎物都吓跑了。”他开口说道，“你们闻到什么了吗？”
蟾步立即抬起头，张开嘴巴嗅着空气，而玫瑰瓣则在倒下的树干那纠缠交错的树根前闻来闻去。
“松鼠！”蟾步大声嚷道。
“好，但是没必要让整个森林都知道，”狮焰低声说道，“关键是不能让猎物知道我们在这里。”
蟾步低下头，前爪挠着面前的枯叶：“对不起，我忘记了。”
“那么，松鼠在哪里？”炭心问道。
蟾步用尾巴指向一簇黑莓丛。松鼠被一簇缠绕的刺藤完全遮挡住了，只有尾巴尖还露在外面。蟾步单凭气味就追踪到了它。
“很好。”狮焰赞许地冲他点点头，“现在，我们来看看你们的狩猎姿势。你们俩都做一下。”
蟾步蹲伏下来，紧接着，玫瑰瓣走到他身旁，也蹲伏了下来。狮焰和炭心挑剔地审视着他们的姿势。
“还不错，”狮焰对蟾步说道，用尾巴拍了拍他的后肢，“把后腿向后伸展一点儿，那样起跳更有力。”
“玫瑰瓣，很好，”炭心补充道，“你的身体平衡得很好。”
“好，现在我们做小组狩猎练习。蟾步，你去抓松鼠。”狮焰继续说道，看了看确认猎物还在。“你要悄悄过去抓住它。玫瑰瓣，你到那棵树那里去，”他耸耸耳朵示意那棵长满藤蔓的橡树，“这样如果松鼠想要从那里逃跑，你就恰好守在那里抓住它。”
玫瑰瓣点点头，开始朝橡树走去，蟾步则悄悄穿过草丛。但就在他快匍匐到最佳的攻击地点时，他的后脚掌不小心扫到了一片蕨叶。松鼠听到轻微的沙沙声，立刻警觉地站起来，逃出黑莓丛，穿过空地，径直朝玫瑰瓣守候着的橡树方向跑去。
玫瑰瓣伸出脚掌想要抓它，可松鼠在离她还有一鼠远的地方，嗖的一下从她身边跑过，接着便蹿上了树。玫瑰瓣跳起来一个转身，但那猎物早已没了踪影，只剩下树上的藤蔓还在那里摇晃着。
“狐狸屎！”蟾步大喊，气得蹦了起来，“玫瑰瓣，你本来应该抓住它的！”
“玫瑰瓣，你得集中精力。”炭心教导道。
“是的，任何时候都可能有意外发生。”狮焰严厉地看着年轻武士，“所以我们必须随时做好准备。”
“这儿能发生什么事情？”玫瑰瓣不以为意地抽抽耳朵，看着周围和平安宁的森林，即将长出新叶的树木笼罩在一片绿意朦胧中，“连蜜蜂都在睡觉呢！”
她说的最后几个字很快被附近传来的尖厉叫声给淹没了。“救命！有狗！”
狮焰愣住了：“是黄蜂条！”
“快去吧！”炭心催促他道。看到狮焰担心地看了看两只年轻猫，炭心又说道：“我会保护他们的安全的，快去！”
狮焰从倒下的树干上一跃而过，冲过灌木丛，朝营地的方向跑去。他的心怦怦直跳，因为他已经听见了低沉的狗叫声和夹杂其中挑衅的猫叫声。他从一簇蕨丛中冲出来，停在一片空地边上。在那里，黄蜂条正弓起后背，浅色皮毛根根立起，和一只高大的黑狗对峙着。
“滚回去！”黄蜂条吼道，伸出一只前掌，爪锋出鞘，“滚回去，否则我撕烂你的耳朵！”
黑狗张开大嘴，舌头垂在尖牙之间，扑向了黄蜂条。还没等狮焰采取任何行动，年轻公猫已经冲了出去。他离开身后黑莓丛的掩护，跑出了空地，狗则在他后面紧追不舍。黄蜂条抓住最近的一棵树爬了上去，伏在最低的一根树枝上往下看。那只狗狂吠着，跳起来想要抓他，而黄蜂条悬垂着的尾巴离那双致命的爪子的距离还不足一鼠长。
狮焰冲上前去，发出尖厉的吼叫声。那只狗停下跳跃，猛地转过身，用一双黄眼睛恶狠狠地紧盯着他。
“来呀，癞皮狗！”狮焰被身边传来的一个声音吓了一跳，他转身看见蟾步跑到了他身旁，“来抓我们呀！”
“你应该跟炭心待在一起！”狮焰斥责道。
蟾步两眼放光：“可我想来帮你！”
“快回去！”狮焰用肩膀把黑白相间的公猫顶回到黑莓丛里。“黄蜂条，你不会有事的。”他对族猫大声喊道，“再爬得高一点儿。”
他没去看黄蜂条是否照做了，他所有的注意力都放在那只狗身上。只见它站在那里愣了一下，脑袋从狮焰到黄蜂条来回地看了几下，一时不知该如何是好。紧接着，它张开大嘴向空地冲来，狮焰都能听见它粗重的喘气声。
“待在那里别动！”他对蟾步嘶吼道。蟾步刚才被狮焰推了一下，失去平衡倒在地上，现在正挣扎着从黑莓丛里站起来。狮焰跳到那只狗面前，然后转身朝空地另一边跑去，想要把它从族猫身边引开。
“不！”黄蜂条尖声叫道，跳到低处的树枝上，“不要去那里，荆棘光在那儿！”
“什么？”她受伤了怎么能到森林里来呢？他没看见荆棘光，但是那只狗臭烘烘的气息已经喷到了他的尾巴上。没时间想这些了。狮焰知道自己能攻击那只狗，而且还不会受伤，但是那样会暴露太多的秘密。蟾步和黄蜂条还都在那里看着呢。尤其是蟾步，他必须学会更好地保护自己，而不是盲目地模仿我。
于是他开始往回跑，这时他看见炭心和玫瑰瓣也来到空地边，瞪大了眼睛，一脸惊恐地看向这边。
“荆棘光在那边！”狮焰吼叫着，用尾巴朝炭心示意。
炭心倒吸了一口冷气，绕过空地朝那边跑去。狗立刻掉转方向，嘴里发出兴奋的尖叫声。狮焰扑上去想要拦住它，但爪锋并未出鞘，只是轻轻擦过那只狗的口鼻部，让它闻到他的气味，把它的注意力从母猫引回自己。他冲进树林，向空地的反方向跑去，越过一片蕨丛，奔向湖的方向。狗在后面紧追不舍，他都能听到它呼哧呼哧的喘气声和踏在地上砰砰作响的脚步声。他本来可以爬上树脱身，但他又担心如果这样做了，那只狗就会又跑回空地，而荆棘光正躺在那里毫无反抗之力。
隔着眼前的树林，他已经能看到波光粼粼的湖面了。接下来该怎么办？他问自己，要下水游泳吗？他的心怦怦直跳，呼吸也越来越急促，他的脚掌踩到了一根荆棘，传来了阵阵刺痛，但他还是继续坚持向前跑着。
眼前出现了一簇黑莓丛，狮焰跳起来想要跃过那些藤蔓。可他跳得不够高，一根藤蔓缠住了他的脚掌，一下子把他拽到了地上。狮焰惊吼了一声，赶忙向旁边滚去，直到撞在一棵大树上。他想要挣扎着起身，可那根藤蔓还紧紧地缠着他。狗冲了上来，看到他被缠住，眼里凶光一闪。
星族啊，帮帮我！狮焰祈祷道。
突然，头顶传来一声尖叫。出乎他意料的是，蟾步正站在一棵山毛榉树的树枝上。他肯定是学松鼠那样在树枝间穿梭一路从森林里跟过来的！
黑白相间的公猫跳下来站到狗面前，尾巴不停地来回扫动着。“来抓我啊，跳蚤皮！”他挑衅道。
黑狗突然转身，脚掌下扬起一片草屑和沙土。狮焰一想到自己的族猫可能会被那条狗撕碎，立刻力量倍增。他使劲儿挣脱黑莓丛的束缚，荆棘上留下了几簇金色皮毛。然后他飞速冲向黑狗，狠狠咬了它的尾巴一口，接着转身向湖边逃去。
黑狗疼得发出一声吼叫，紧追在身后。狮焰回头一看，发现它离自己不过一尾长的距离了，而蟾步也一直追在后面。
“别过来！”狮焰吼道，但是年轻公猫没有理会他的命令。
眼看狗就要咬上他的脚掌了，狮焰一个箭步冲出灌木丛，朝湖边跑去。他想直接跳进水中，可他知道狗也会游泳。
我永远也甩不掉它了！
接着，他看见岸边几狐狸身长处有个雄性两脚兽，它似乎在冲着树林喊着什么，前脚掌还抓着一根长长的藤蔓挥舞着。当它看见那黑狗时，生气地冲它吼了起来。那只狗猛地刹住脚步，接着便转身耷拉着耳朵朝两脚兽的方向走了过去。两脚兽将藤蔓捆在它的脖子上，拽着它走了。
狮焰看着它离开，然后转身找到岸边灌木丛旁的蟾步。“谢谢。”他气喘吁吁地说道，一头倒在一簇蕨丛上，“如果不是你赶来，我肯定就被那家伙给抓到了。”
蟾步蹲在他旁边：“我不能留下你自己单打独斗。”
“说得好。”狮焰意识到这是个很好的机会，可以把他之前想要表达的意思说得更清楚些，“这是个很好的教训，告诉我们不要逞强单打独斗，最好还是小组协同作战。”
年轻武士点点头，眼睛因惊奇而睁大了：“好的。不过你掉到了黑莓丛里，身上怎么连个伤口都没有呢？”
“那是因为我很幸运，有一身厚厚的皮毛。”狮焰说道，很满意自己的借口。他看了看身体两侧，又补充道：“不过我想，我被荆棘刮掉了很多毛。”
狮焰和蟾步返回空地的时候，发现炭心、黄蜂条和玫瑰瓣正围在荆棘光身旁。母猫蜷缩着身子躺在冬青丛下。狮焰估计黑狗出现时，是黄蜂条将荆棘光推到这下面藏了起来。
“那只狗走了吗？”狮焰和蟾步走过来的时候，炭心转过身来问道。
狮焰点点头。“是被两脚兽带走的。”他瞥了一眼灌木丛下面，喊道，“你还好吗，荆棘光？”
“如果你们能把我从这里弄出去，我就会没事了。”荆棘光反驳道，她的声音听上去既难受又尴尬。
“我们只是不想伤到你。”炭心说道，“现在狮焰来帮忙了，我们马上就能把你弄出来。”
“噢，就像拖枯树枝一样把我拖出去就行了。”荆棘光厉声说道，“你们还能怎么伤害到我呢，对吧？”
“放松点儿。”炭心将一只脚掌伸到灌木丛下，安慰地拍了拍母猫的肩膀。
荆棘光耸耸肩膀，将她的脚掌抖落下来。“我怎么惹上了那么多麻烦呢！”她哀号道，“但是我真的再也无法忍受被困在巢穴里了。”
“是我的错，”黄蜂条承认道，“是我把你带到这里来的。”
狮焰看着年轻的武士，被他的手足情深打动了。把荆棘光一路从营地带到这里，肯定费了不少气力。
“我不会让任何猫责备你，黄蜂条，”荆棘光坚决地说道，她的声音紧张而高亢，“是我说服你带我出来的。”
这样争论下去没有意义。狮焰想，这种太过温情的场合总让他感到很不自在。他补充说道：“我们需要把你们俩都带回营地。”
狮焰和炭心合力将荆棘光轻轻地从冬青丛下拉了出来。然后狮焰蹲下身子，让其他猫把荆棘光放到他后背上，再站起身，朝石头山谷走去。由于加在身上的重量，他的步履有些蹒跚，好在两侧有黄蜂条和蟾步分别扶着荆棘光，不让她掉下来。
“那里有些百里香，”炭心用尾巴指了指岩石下的几根绿叶，“它可以让你平静下来，荆棘光，回去后如果你肌肉酸痛，也可以用它。”说完她跳到草药跟前，摘了几片叶子回来。
“谢谢你，炭心。”荆棘光边嚼草药边咕哝道，“你认识的草药可真多。”
当他们走到能看到营地入口时，炭心停住了脚步。“狮焰，稍等一会儿。”她转过头，在那边，从岩石间流淌出来的涓涓细流汇成了一个小水洼，“我们喝点儿水会感觉更好一些。”
狮焰走到水洼边上，将荆棘光放下来，让她也喝点儿水。“蟾步，玫瑰瓣，”等所有的猫都舔了几口水后，狮焰说道，“你们俩先回营地吧，要不然我们大家一起出现，肯定会引来大惊小怪的。”
“另外，不要提那只狗的事情。”炭心补充说道，“我觉得它不会再回来，所以没必要让大家恐慌。”
“蟾步，”年轻猫刚要出发，狮焰说道，“你今天很勇敢。”
“谢谢你，狮焰。”年轻的武士十分激动。
“你还学会了重要的一课，那就是小组协同战斗。”狮焰继续说道，“记住，没有武士一定要当英雄，最英勇的壮举从来都不是一只猫独自完成的。”
蟾步热切地点了点头，然后跳过去追上玫瑰瓣，钻进了荆棘通道。
“感谢星族。”狮焰对炭心悄声说道。跟她聊聊他心里舒服多了，因为她知道他在担心什么，知道他生怕别的猫盲目模仿他的行为。“我想他应该是明白我的意思了。”
炭心低声表示赞同。接着她转身看向荆棘光，她还在小水洼旁舔水喝。“你从营地跑出去那么远做什么？”她轻声问道。
“松鸦羽不在，我想帮叶池和亮心多找点儿草药。”荆棘光眼中闪烁着一丝坚强，可她接着又呜咽了起来，“我只是想让自己有点儿用！”
狮焰感到一阵心酸。
“我知道自己好不了了，”荆棘光继续轻声说道，她的爪子刨着水洼边上的苔藓，“可是我——”
“现在还不能这么说，”炭心打断她道，“日子还长着呢。”
荆棘光摇了摇头：“不，我知道。所以我不得不找到一种方式来让我适应这种半死不活的日子。”
“你才不是半死不活！”黄蜂条抗议道，用尾尖抚摸着手足的身侧，“你只是……有点儿不一样而已。”
“是啊，是有点儿不一样，比你们都差呗。”荆棘光实事求是地说道，“我不明白，既然我什么贡献也没有，族群为什么还要养着我。我又不是长老，又不是因为狩猎和战斗了一辈子才退休享福。我才刚当上武士而已。”
“我们会找到办法让你发挥作用的，我发誓。”炭心庄严地说道。“你是不同的，”她扫了一眼狮焰又说道，“因为你比我认识的所有猫都更意志坚强、更勇敢。”
荆棘光激动得睁大了眼睛。
“我不能保证情况会在一夜之间改变，”炭心提醒她道，“但是我会跟火星谈一谈。等松鸦羽回来，我也会找他谈。他们会想办法安排你去做力所能及的事情的。”
“但是不要再瞒着大家私自离开营地了。”狮焰补充说道。
年轻母猫点了点头：“我保证。”
“现在，”炭心说道，“回去我们只说你没走多远，不会提任何关于遇到狗的事情！否则让米莉知道了，她就再也不会让你离开你的窝半步了。”
“好的。”荆棘光同意道。
“我也会提醒玫瑰瓣和蟾步，让他们不要说太多。”狮焰插话道。
“是我先把她带出来的，我真的很抱歉。”黄蜂条说道，深情地舔了舔手足的耳朵。
“不，你做了件好事。”狮焰说，“你尊重你手足的想法，而其他族猫却总是替她做决定。”
黄蜂条蹲伏在手足身旁，而她也伸出前脚掌搂住了他的脖子。“我们现在要回家了。”他低声说道，并开始拖着她往石头山谷里走去。
狮焰看着他们缓慢的步伐，心里很为这只受伤的母猫感到难过。“你刚才说得太好了，”他对炭心说道，“是你给了她希望。”
“你也是，”炭心回答道，“很高兴我不用亲眼看着你跟那只狗战斗！”
“感谢星族，还没糟糕到那种程度！”恍惚间，狮焰仿佛又听见了那只狗的吠声，感觉到它喷在自己身上的热气，“你知道，如果不是必要，我不会出手的。”
“很高兴你不用战斗。”炭心低语道。
“好了，”狮焰有点儿不自然地说道，“我还是去看看黑莓掌是否需要派我去巡逻吧。”
“我也去。”炭心附和道。
他们一起往荆棘通道里走去，灰色母猫和他靠得很近。狮焰踉跄了一下，对他们这样皮毛相擦感到有点儿紧张。炭心看起来也似乎有点儿尴尬，赶忙往荆棘通道里挤去。走进营地，狮焰看见黄蜂条正轻轻地把荆棘光放在巫医巢穴外，而米莉则从武士巢穴里冲了出来，朝她跑过去。
“你去哪里了？”米莉责问道，蹲伏在荆棘光身旁，焦急地舔着她。
“我只是想出去透透气，”荆棘光回答道，“真的，我没事。”
狮焰和炭心交换了个眼神。
“她会没事的。”灰色母猫说道。
“你确定吗？”
“我很确定。”炭心的声音里透着坚定，“她是我的族猫。”看见狮焰走向武士巢穴去找黑莓掌，她又补充了一句：“哦，狮焰，你对蟾步说的话，有一句是错的。对于很多猫而言，你就是个英雄。”
第十五章
第十五章
“不要再说了。”石歌走到松鸦羽和碎影中间。他的声音很坚定，但看着悲伤的母猫时，眼中却是饱含泪水。“你是和大家一起，自愿选择来到这里的，我们都得遵守投石的结果。”他把尾巴放在她肩膀上，把她拉到山洞一旁。“吃点儿猎物吧，然后再去休息一会儿。睡个好觉起来，大家都会感觉好一点儿的。”他说道。
升月跟着留下来陪碎影，石歌则回来找松鸦羽。“你还好吗？”他语气温和地问道，“你一路找来肯定很辛苦吧。当时你为什么独自留下了呢？”
“我害怕了。”松鸦羽的回答跟他告诉半月的一样。
“你吗？”石歌的语气听上去难以置信，“但当初就是你想要离开的呀！是你说服我，说这些岩石山峦之间有个地方适合我们生活。”
“我知道，”松鸦羽用前爪刮蹭着坚硬的岩石地面，暗自希望能够用愧疚和尴尬这些情绪来解释自己的迷惑，“那正是我害怕的原因。我应该为此负责，但却无法面对它。对不起。”
“但你现在还是来了，”半月低声道，“你还是不想抛下我们。”她的声音充满了希望。
“没错，尽管我很害怕，可我却从未怀疑过我们的决定。这里就是我们该来的地方。”松鸦羽突然感到一阵疲惫。山洞里的光线晦暗，他猜现在可能是黎明或是傍晚。他忽然忘记了自己为什么来到这里，跟远古猫们在一起，也不知道自己现在应该做什么。
他只好站在那里，整理着自己乱糟糟的思绪。这时，追云步履沉重地走了进来，身上的皮毛都被外面的暴风雪打湿结成了一团。“我们需要更多的猎物，”他大声说道，“这意味着我们需要出去狩猎。”
松鸦羽感觉灰白相间的公猫看上去很是疲惫，就连老鼠都能把他打倒。可他那双蓝色的眼睛里却闪烁着异常坚定的目光。
“还有，我们的窝怎么办？”吟风诘问道，“苔藓呢？干草呢？羽毛呢？难道我们要在光秃秃的岩石上睡觉吗？”
“等暴风雪停了我们就出去看看，”石歌保证道，“不过我也不知道这里能找到什么可以用来做窝的材料。”
吟风气恼地抖了抖胡须，却没有再说什么。看着吟风，还有周围所有绝望不安的猫，松鸦羽心里闪过一丝恐慌。他们在这里要怎么生存呢？他们是要留下来的，不是吗？他们是岩石的后代，因此必须得在这里安居下来，组成急水部落。
一想到岩石，岩石似乎就来了。虽然松鸦羽看不见，但他感觉远古猫就在他身边。岩石均匀平稳的呼吸吹动着他耳朵上的皮毛。“你帮他们离开了湖区，”岩石低语道，“现在这里就是他们的家了。你必须让他们留下来。”
要怎么留？松鸦羽想要大声问他，可他也清楚，是不可能从岩石那里得到什么直白的回答的。况且，远古猫刚说完就消失了。松鸦羽只好再次环顾四周。他无法想象要怎样把这群疲惫不堪、意志消沉的猫变成那个以山区为家园的部落。我要从哪里开始呢？
“我们成立一支狩猎队怎么样？”追云的声音打断了他的沉思。
“我和你一起去，”石歌说道，“半月呢？”
白色母猫点了点头：“我也去。”
“我也去。”松鸦羽也说道。他被自己的话吓了一跳。鼠脑子，你又不会狩猎。他提醒自己。可是我在这里能看见，他纠结道，而且，那能有多难呀？
半月热切地看了他一眼，走到他身边，和他一起走出山洞。在瀑布水帘前，松鸦羽转身回头看去。云日和奔马两位长老都四仰八叉地躺在那里，不知是睡着了，还是失去了知觉。惊鹿在一旁喘着粗气，腹部高高隆起。松鸦羽看得出来，她的幼崽很快就要出生了。她不能再继续赶路了。
就在这时，松鸦羽看见一只小巧的灰色母猫走过来，在惊鹿耳边低语了几句。松鸦羽认出来她是鸽翅，在这个时代，她是他的姐妹。她焦急的样子对他来说似乎很熟悉，但是半月用脚掌碰了碰他的肩膀，打断了他的思绪。
“你真的能去狩猎吗？”她问道，“你看上去像是被一只獾击中了脑袋。”
“我没事。”松鸦羽回答道，跟上她的脚步，沿着瀑布后的小径，走了出去。
外面，暴风雪依旧肆虐。狂风在冰封的群山间呼啸着，将冰碴儿扫在猫儿们的脸上，细小的冰粒钻进他们的眼睛，沾上他们的皮毛。松鸦羽低头顶着刺骨的寒风，跟在追云身后，艰难地爬上瀑布对面陡峭的碎石山坡。翻过山脊的时候，松鸦羽心里一阵害怕，因为他感觉狂风快要把他掀下去了。幸好他爬到了一块岩石下躲了起来，狩猎队的其他猫也都挤在他周围，平复他们的呼吸。
松鸦羽努力回想着急水部落狩猎的方式。“他们都抓什么呢？”他自言自语道，“他们都是用常规的狩猎技巧吗？”
“你说什么？”半月转向他。她往后退了一步，看着他的眼睛。
“哦，没什么，我……我正在想怎么做。”松鸦羽语无伦次地说道。
半月刚要开口回答，突然一阵强风吹来，她被吹倒在结冰的岩石表面上。半月惊恐地哀号起来，身体滑到了岩石边缘。她死死地用前脚掌扒住地面，但爪子无论如何也插不进坚硬的岩石表面。
“坚持住！”松鸦羽喊道，赶紧冲上前去拉住她。他张嘴咬住她的肩膀，用力往上拉，闭着眼睛忍住不去看半月身后的悬崖。她的恐惧给了他力量，让他慢慢一点点往后退。他知道，追云也在他旁边，正咬着半月的另一个肩膀用力往回拉。
半月拼命蹬着后腿往上爬，在大家的帮助下，她终于又爬回到了岩石上，趴在那里，浑身颤抖着。
“你还好吗？”追云焦急地问道。他走近她，看看她能否借着他的肩膀重新站起来。他蓝色的眼睛里闪动着恐惧，松鸦羽想起来他是半月的父亲。
“谢谢你们，”半月眨了眨眼睛，感激地喘息道，“我很好，不过我们还是赶紧离开这里吧，要不然我们都会被吹下去的。”
追云点点头，又率队朝陡峭的山谷里走去，那里的雪地里尖石林立。松鸦羽赶紧跟上，这才发现石歌正走在他旁边。
“也许我们真的错了，”深色虎斑公猫的蓝色眼睛里流露着一丝忧虑，他看着松鸦羽，禁不住说道，“猫怎么能生活在连风都跟我们作对的地方呢？”
“我们没错！”松鸦羽坚持道，“我们就应该在这里。”
可石歌看上去还是不相信。
松鸦羽冒着冰雪，顶着寒风，艰难地朝山谷走去。他心里空荡荡的，充满了焦虑。无论如何，我都要让他们留下来！我必须让他们看看急水部落是怎样狩猎的！他的脑海中似乎有个细小的声音在嘲笑他：你要去教这些猫怎么狩猎？你是个彻头彻尾的鼠脑子吗？松鸦羽喉咙里发出一声低吼：我不教谁来教呢？
漫天飞雪中，他瞥见山谷不远处有一条狭窄的沟谷，两侧陡峭的石壁让里面的风小了很多。再往远处，他还能看见一片茂密的深色荆棘丛。
“嘿！”他冲着前面几尾远处的狩猎队大声喊道，“那里看上去不错，我们何不去试试？”
另外三只猫又慢慢折回他身边，跟他一起步履维艰地走入沟谷。尽管脚掌下的积雪很深，他们的身上也沾满了飞雪，但没有了狂风后，松鸦羽感觉舒服多了。
“那里说不定有小动物藏在下面呢，”他说道，摆动尾巴指向一片荆棘丛，“至少值得一试。”
“没错。”石歌低声说道，“你找了个好地方。”
松鸦羽一边小心翼翼地靠近荆棘丛，一边竖起耳朵仔细聆听，并且张开嘴巴品尝着空气中的味道。尽管头顶岩壁上方狂风依然呼啸，他还是捕捉到一丝细微的沙沙声，像是老鼠或者鼩鼱在荆棘丛里穿行的声音。
“我们来分小组狩猎，”他建议道，努力回想着狮焰和冬青叶跟他讲过的那些他们在上一次拜访部落时曾经跟部落猫一起狩猎的经历，“两只猫去荆棘丛那边把猎物赶出来，剩下两只待在原地准备负责抓它。”
“好主意！”半月说道，兴奋地伸出爪子，“我个头最小，所以我去钻荆棘丛！”她伏下身子，肚腹上的皮毛几乎和雪地相擦，在外围树枝的掩护下悄悄靠了上去。可是正当她想再往前爬时，后背上的毛被荆棘刺钩住了，不管她怎么挣扎都挣脱不出来。
“我被卡在这里了！”她哀号道。
“安静，不然猎物就被吓跑了。”石歌对她说道。
“我们刚才不是就说要把猎物吓出来吗。”半月嘟囔道。
追云抬起前爪，拽开树枝。“别动，”他说道，“我马上就把你弄出来。”
追云用力扯动树枝，想要帮助女儿脱身，结果整个荆棘丛都颤动了起来。就在此时，松鸦羽眼角的余光瞥见角落有动静，一只鼩鼱从荆棘丛下冲了出来。
“出来了！”
鼩鼱朝松鸦羽径直跑来。他挥出一掌，但速度太慢，动作也很笨拙。他张开爪子去抓它，但还是差了那么一点点。鼩鼱倏然转向，在松鸦羽再次扑过去之前窜到了岩石缝隙里去了。
“狐狸屎！”他骂道。
“只是运气不好而已。”令松鸦羽惊讶的是，石歌一点儿也没有表现出生气或是失望的样子。“至少说明，这里是有猎物的。”他继续说道，“而不只是追云今早抓到的那种小老鼠。”
追云已经设法把钩住半月的荆棘弄开了。她从里面退了出来，抖了抖身体，伸长脖子去看自己后背的皮毛掉没掉。
“我觉得那下面不会再有其他猎物了。”追云说道，“雪越下越大了，如果我们在这儿迷路，会被冻死的。”
石歌点点头：“那我们回山洞去吧，看看回去的路上能不能抓到点儿猎物。”
说完，他走在前头，朝沟谷上面爬去。这一次，他没有走刚刚半月差点儿掉落下去的那个山脊，而是沿两块岩石中间的缝隙走去。松鸦羽跟在后面，感觉自己的脚掌都要被冻僵了。为了躲避狂风，他在岩石间蹒跚而行。突然，头顶上的天空暗了下来，他哼了一声，好奇这鬼天气还要肆虐到什么时候。一个心跳过后，一股恶臭扑鼻而来，尖厉的声音震痛了他的耳膜。天空仿佛被巨大的翅膀全给遮住了，松鸦羽惊恐地抬头望去，看见一只棕色大鸟正向他们俯冲下来，伸着利爪朝半月扑去。
“小心！”他大吼道。
追云和石歌往旁边一闪，躲开了大鸟。半月想跳到岩石下躲起来。可她的脚掌下一滑，一下子摔倒在雪地里，脚掌不停地扑腾挣扎着。大鸟发出一声得意的尖啸，俯冲下来，爪子牢牢抓住半月。绝望间，松鸦羽奋力冲向半月，可他的脚掌在冰面上不停地打滑。大鸟展开的翅膀像是遮住了整个天空。松鸦羽及时扑了上去，抓住了半月，四目惊恐相对。
“我不会松开你的！”他上气不接下气。松鸦羽感觉自己也要被拖上天去了，因为大鸟想要再次飞向天空。
就在这时，一声长长的尖叫声划破天际，追云扑向大鸟，利爪和尖牙戳进其中一只翅膀，试图用力将它和女儿分开。最后，大鸟终于松开了爪子，松鸦羽和半月跌落在地，脚掌和尾巴纠缠在一起。松鸦羽被摔得差点儿背过气去，他抬头往天上望去，看到大鸟在空中猛地一个回旋，用力甩掉了追云。追云躺在地上惊魂未定，可大鸟又一个俯冲扑了下来，用它那尖锐的爪子抓住了他的肩膀。
“不！”半月尖叫道。
大鸟试图飞上天，但松鸦羽和石歌合力跳了上去，抓住了追云的腿。有那么一瞬间，松鸦羽以为他们三个都要被拖上去了，可接着，他们却全都摔回了地上。追云重重地摔在他们俩身上，浅色的皮毛被大鸟的利爪扯掉了大片，殷红的鲜血从那里涌了出来。
突然间，大鸟的怒吼声消失了，取而代之的是更大的隆隆声。松鸦羽抬头看去，被惊得茫然失措。他看见头顶上方的岩石处，积雪崩塌，仿佛一团滚动的白云，朝他们这边席卷而来。
“快跑！”他无力地喊道。
可是，还没等几只猫来得及爬起身，积雪就压了过来。松鸦羽的身体失去了平衡，不停地翻滚着。最后，那一大团雪冲他耳边轰隆而来，直接卷着他滚下了山。大鸟消失了，但松鸦羽也没看见其他的猫。周围除了白茫茫的暴风雪什么也没有。而那轰隆声越来越大，直到将一切全部吞噬。
发生什么了？松鸦羽无声号叫，一切就这样结束了吗？
第十三章

第十三章
松鸦羽周围黑影绰绰，他能听见远处那些看不见的猫在哀号。你们是谁？你们想让我做什么？
但是他没有得到任何回应，只有悲鸣声不绝于耳。渐渐地，远处的悲鸣声被瀑布的轰鸣声取代，松鸦羽听到轻柔的低语从离他不远的地方传来。那些暗影最终消散于黑暗之中，而他也从混乱不安的梦境中清醒过来。
“别担心，晨雀。”松鸦羽听出这是溪儿的幼崽岩松的声音，“他眼睛看不见！不知道我们在偷偷靠近他。”
哦，他真不知道吗？
松鸦羽绷紧肌肉，仔细分辨着。他听见小脚掌踩在山洞石头上的脚步声，还听见了闷笑声。他等待着，他们的气味变得越来越浓，呼出的轻柔气息吹动着他的胡须。
“你们在找什么吗？”松鸦羽边说边跳了起来。
洞穴里立刻响起两声刺耳的尖叫。松鸦羽满意地听到小脚掌飞快逃跑的声音。
“妈妈，那只奇怪的猫吓唬我们！”
“他要吃了我们！”
松鸦羽刚才的满足感消失了，尴尬到皮毛发热。他们就是太小了，并没有恶意的。
“对不起！”他大声喊道，“我不会伤害你们的，小家伙们！”
可他还是能感觉到幼崽们的恐惧，还听到山洞的另一边传来了溪儿温柔地安抚他们的声音。
“老鼠屎！”他咕哝道。
“我不担心你吓到他们。”又有一个声音朝他飘了过来，松鸦羽想了想，认出这是狩猎者怒枭的声音。“我看见他们偷偷靠近你。他们也该学学尊重其他猫了。”怒枭转过身来接着说道，“不过他们也算情有可原。虽然年轻力壮精力充沛，却只能等到成为预备的时候，才能被允许到洞穴外面去。”
松鸦羽点点头，暗自提醒自己一会儿要去跟溪儿道个歉。他从睡觉的浅坑里爬出来，开始梳理皮毛，发出不耐烦的嘶嘶声，因为睡了一晚上他的皮毛上沾满了羽毛。
要是有苔藓就好了！
“嘿，松鸦羽！”鸽翅兴奋的声音打断了他的沉思，“鹰崖邀请我和狐跃去边界巡逻。”
松鸦羽能感觉出来，她是多么迫切地想要走出山洞开始探险。“很好啊，”他说道，“但是要小心，不要忘了时刻用耳朵仔细听动静。”
鸽翅叹了一口气：“我一直都牢记着。”
松鼠飞和溪儿走了过来，两只幼崽跟在她们身后。松鸦羽能想象得出来，他们此刻肯定躲在妈妈身后，睁圆了眼睛，偷偷地瞧着他。
“溪儿和我要去狩猎。”松鼠飞说道。
“暴毛也去。”溪儿补充道，“鹰爪和飞鸟会照顾这些幼崽的，所以他们不会再来打扰你了。”
“可我们不想待在山洞里。”晨雀尖声说道。
“对，那只瞎眼猫说不定还会吓唬我们呢。”岩松附和道。
“胡说！”暴毛说道，走到他们身边，“是你们想要吓唬松鸦羽才对，就是这么回事，你们应该向他道歉。”
“对不起。”岩松嘟囔道。
“我们再也不这样了，”晨雀说道，接着又悄声对手足说，“不过真的很好玩哦！”
“我们出去的时候，”暴毛继续对幼崽说道，“你们可以让鹰爪给你们讲尖牙兽的故事，还有我和族群猫第一次来到这里的故事。”
“好的！”晨雀高兴得上蹿下跳。
“那是最好听的故事啦！”岩松尖声说道。于是两只幼崽朝长老们的窝那边跑去。
松鸦羽听到山洞里传来了井然有序的忙碌声，巡逻队开始集合准备出发了。没有猫发号施令，也不需要部落的资深成员告诉他们，可他们好像都知道自己要做什么，知道自己的职责是什么。
尖石巫师在哪里？难道他不应该监督这一切吗？
可松鸦羽连尖石巫师的影子都没看见，他甚至都闻不到他的气味。
“你留下没问题吧？”狩猎队要出发的时候，松鼠飞问松鸦羽。
“当然没问题。”松鸦羽回答道，他不明白她为何要多此一举问他这个问题。在这里我不会遇到什么伤害。他感觉到松鼠飞有点儿不自然，不知道她在这里还磨蹭什么，溪儿和暴毛就在瀑布旁等着她，准备踏上那条通往山上的小径呢。
“松鸦羽……”过了一会儿她轻轻开口说道，“你弄清楚我们为什么要来这里了吗？”
松鸦羽摇摇头。“没有，”他承认道，“我一点儿头绪也没有。”
松鼠飞暗自叹息。松鸦羽知道她还想问点儿别的，可就在这时，溪儿在山洞那边喊她了。
“来了！”松鼠飞大声回答道，“我们有空再聊。”说完她就跑出去了。
巡逻队和狩猎队都离开后，山洞里一下子安静了下来，只剩下瀑布流水的轰隆声。松鸦羽现在已经习惯了这个声音，所以几乎感觉不到它了。这里和我们的营地很不一样，他想，在那里即便是大家都出去了，也总会有些热闹的。他又开始梳理自己的皮毛，还没等他梳理完，就听见幼崽们又跑回了山洞中央，鹰爪和飞鸟慢慢地跟在他们后面。
“好，现在我们要玩个游戏。”鹰爪指示道，他抬高音量，压住幼崽们兴奋的尖叫声，“假设这团羽毛是一只鸟。”
“什么鸟？”晨雀问道，“和我一样的云雀吗？”
“是老鹰！”岩松建议道。
“什么鸟不重要，”鹰爪说道，“我们假设它是只乌鸫，好不好？然后你们俩要去抓住它。”
“好的！”接着一阵忙乱的脚步声传来，松鸦羽知道岩松已经开始扑向那团羽毛了。
“等一下，”飞鸟轻柔的声音传来，“没那么简单，你们必须跳过这几块石头，悄悄接近乌鸫。”松鸦羽听见山洞的地上传来了石头滚动的声音。“如果你们碰到石头发出动静，那乌鸫就会飞走。”
“噢，好酷！”晨雀欢呼道，“我敢打赌我能行。”
“我也行，”岩松宣布道，“我是要成为狩猎者的。”
松鸦羽没去管幼崽们的游戏，径直穿过山洞来到通往尖石洞的那条通道上。通道周围全是石头，每走一会儿他就会撞到石壁上，湿滑的地面也差点儿让他滑倒。
松鸦羽嘶吼了一声。他讨厌在狭窄的通道里挤来挤去，并且发现很难通过滴水的回声来确定自己的位置，因为瀑布的轰隆声把所有其他的声音都给盖住了。重新站稳后，他慢慢往前挪，只是脚掌下的每一步感觉都是一样的，这让他感到无比沮丧。他开始想念森林了，在那里，地上的苔藓、嫩枝、蕨叶还有小草，都能让他判断出自己的位置。
最后，松鸦羽感觉到通道狭长的石壁变成了一个大一些的山洞。瀑布声在这里变小了，而相比之下，滴水的声音反而变大了。清冷的空气撩动着他的胡须，他知道那是从洞顶吹进来的，上面有个洞口，月光和星光就从那里照进来，传递杀无尽部落的信息。他嗅了嗅空气，发现尖石巫师就在对面。
“谁在那里？”老猫吼叫道，可还没等松鸦羽回答，他又说道，“哦，原来是你。”
松鸦羽绕过石头和那潭清水，站到了尖石巫师的面前。
“你来这里做什么？”尖石巫师怒喝道，“不要再跟我说什么让你们的年轻猫来此历练的鬼话了，你还是跟我说实话吧。”
松鸦羽斟酌着说道：“我是被召唤来的。”
让他惊讶的是，尖石巫师没有问是谁召唤他来的。“我们不需要你的帮助，”他固执地说道，“你也帮不了我们。”
“你到现在都还没选继任者，”松鸦羽大胆问道，“是因为你觉得没有你，急水部落就活不下去了吗？”
尖石巫师不屑地哼了一声。“他们的存亡不在于我，即便我活着，我也帮不了他们，就连我们的祖先也无能为力。”他苦涩地说道。
松鸦羽明白，这只老猫觉得自己被杀无尽部落背叛了，因为外敌入侵山区的时候，祖先们拒绝给他指引。“可部落需要活下去的机会！”他抗议道，“第一次遇到难题就放弃未免也太轻率了。”
“不止一次了！”尖石巫师厉声说道，“你忘了我们是怎么被尖牙兽像猎物一样给猎杀的了吗？还有跟寒冷和冰雪那永无止境的抗争？更别提老鹰的威胁意味着部落猫中有一半去狩猎的同时，另一半必须保持警戒。如果没有老鹰，我们能抓到比现在多两倍的猎物。猫后们甚至都不能安心哺育幼崽，她们生产之后不得不马上出去巡逻。”他甩了甩尾巴：“猫不属于这里！”
尖石巫师说话的时候，松鸦羽感觉到一丝微弱的光从头顶照进来，照亮了山洞的一面石壁。地上一根尖细的石柱，跟洞顶一根突出的石锥正对在一起，柱尖之间相隔不足一只老鼠身长。如果他能看见的话，如果这不是在做梦，那这只能意味着一件事……
松鸦羽浑身激动得震颤起来，因为在月光中，他看到了岩石的影子。那只无毛的远古猫正低头站在那里。接着，他抬起头，用他那双失明的眼睛看着松鸦羽。
“我们的确属于这里，”他粗声粗气地说道，“在猫去湖区生活之前，这里就曾经是我的家。猫儿们后来才去湖边生活的，然后又回到这里从头开始。”
尖石巫师没有反应。他看不见这位来访的远古猫。松鸦羽张开嘴巴想要问问题，但还没等他开口，岩石便继续说道：
“我就是第一任尖石巫师，尽管在我的族群离开这里找到那片湖区时，我的事情就早已被遗忘。如果急水部落离开这里，它将永远不复存在。所以猫儿们必须永远住在这里。”
“你是第一任尖石巫师？”松鸦羽喃喃道，但是眼前的身影已经消失，他的眼前又变得一片漆黑。
“当然不是，”尖石巫师不解地回答道，“我是被我的老师选中的。”
“那你也应该选一个！”
“为什么？”尖石巫师反问道。
松鸦羽沮丧地用爪子挠着地上湿滑的岩石：“因为猫儿们必须永远住在这里的山区。”
“的确有猫住在山区，”尖石巫师生硬地回答道，“而且他们似乎过得比我们好。所以我们不得不每天浪费时间巡逻，为的是不让入侵猫抢走我们的猎物。”
“但那些都不是应该生活在这里的猫！”松鸦羽反驳道，“杀无尽部落并没有让他们来这里！”
尖石巫师不以为然地嗤了一声。“我只想要和平安宁，”老猫咕哝道，他的声音听上去苍老而又疲惫，“我引以为豪的东西都已经没有了，急水部落的辉煌时代也已经结束。我死后，我的部落猫们将离开山区，重新找寻让他们感觉安全的家园。”
老猫的声音刚一落下，松鸦羽的耳朵里突然涌进瀑布的咆哮声，眼前也全都被四处飞溅的白色泡沫蒙上了一层迷雾。他在瀑布里面！刹那间他僵在那里，像是在等着被大水冲走，然后像一片落叶一样在激流中被抛来抛去。可同时，他清楚地感觉到，自己的脚掌还依然站在石洞那坚硬的地面上。
接着，他倒吸了一口冷气，吓得差点儿没喘上气来。在他周围幽暗的洪水中，到处都是猫。他们的爪子和尾巴绝望地挣扎着，嘴巴张得大大的，想要呼叫却发不出任何的声音。他们坠落，坠落，最后坠入泛着泡沫的黑暗旋涡，然后便消失了。
可是……我认识这些猫！松鸦羽浑身哆嗦着，那是黄牙……还有钩星……还有狮心……星族被毁灭了吗？
雾星……隼飞……还有部落猫，溪儿……鹰崖……
“不！”松鸦羽看到了火星，他惊得一愣。雷族族长在翻腾的激流中变成了一小团橘红色皮毛。
尘毛……鼠须……黑莓掌……
所有的族群猫，所有的部落猫，全都坠落下来，被深水和黑暗吞噬了。
这时他看到狮焰从身旁冲过，一声尖叫，跳向前去。他想要用爪子拽住哥哥的皮毛，把他拖回安全地带。可是，黑暗再次遮住了他的视线，他发现自己又回到了尖石洞。他惊恐万分，跌跌撞撞地往前走，结果一头撞在了一块尖石上。他脚掌下一滑，身子一歪，倒在了水洼中。
尖石巫师开口说了些什么，可松鸦羽什么也听不到。他挣扎着爬起身，仓皇往外逃，这次他终于逃到了通道口。他在狭窄的石壁间跌跌撞撞，终于气喘吁吁地回到了大洞穴里。洞穴里很凉爽，明亮的阳光透过水帘照了进来。一群猫正在洞里漫无目的来回走动着，还有些在石壁附近萎靡地趴着。恍惚间，松鸦羽还以为巡逻队回来了。
可是，当他刚要调整呼吸，平复一下自己怦怦直跳的心时，却突然意识到，自己是在用眼睛看着洞里的这些猫。
难道这又是一个幻象吗？
正当他站在通道口犹豫不决时，一只年轻的白色母猫跑过来，滑到他身边停下。她惊讶地张开嘴。
“松鸦翅！”
松鸦羽也盯着她：“半月！”
他的目光从一个个似曾相识的面庞上扫过，洞里的猫开始变得隐约熟悉起来。他的思绪回到远古猫时代，他从雷族地下隧道钻出来的时候。那时他们已经在湖区生活了很久，在通往月亮池的小路上留下了无数的脚印。
我和他们在一起的时候，他们决定要离开，因为住在湖区太危险了。我告诉他们，他们可以在山区找到新的家园……而现在，他们就在这里！
半月还在注视着他，绿色的眼睛睁得大大的，像两颗小月亮。“我们从湖边出发启程的时候，你不见了。我还以为你不想和我——和我们在一起了呢。”
松鸦羽竭力表现得镇定，可在他心里，记忆就像是被狩猎队追赶得四处逃窜的老鼠一样，乱糟糟地全都涌上心头。“我留下了，因为我很害怕。”他脱口而出，“可是你们都走了之后，我很寂寞，所以我决定去追你们。”
半月眨了眨眼，眼里愁云密布：“你……你甚至都没有和我道别，我还以为再也见不到你了呢。”
松鸦羽刚要说话，却看见了石歌，那只高大健壮、带领远古猫们离开湖区的深灰色虎斑公猫。他和身旁的闪电一起，正站在山洞中央离松鸦羽不远的地方。他们的谈话声清晰地传到松鸦羽耳朵里。
“我还是相信，来这里是最正确的选择。”石歌说道，“在原来那个地方，我们失去了太多猫了。那里有獾、两脚兽——”
“那些都没什么，”闪电甩了一下黑白相间的尾巴，打断了他的话，“可在这里，我们真能过得更好吗？大家全都又累又饿，我这辈子都没像现在这样饥寒交迫。枭羽和我拼尽全力才把幼崽们都带来了这里，而黑须却没能坚持下来。”说完他又用诘责的语气说道：“如果我们待在湖区，那他就不会在山顶被暴风雪给刮走了！”
石歌垂下了头。“或许我们也该庆幸，我们只是失去了一只猫。”他喃喃道。
“你去跟惊鹿说这句话吧！”闪电驳斥道，“她还怀着黑须的幼崽！她要怎样才能在这个冰冷的鬼地方把幼崽抚养大呢？”
石歌看上去一脸茫然，似乎也不知道该说些什么才好。幸好这时，升月匆匆走来，把他从这场谈话中解救了出来。升月跟他焦急地说了些什么，还用尾巴指了指趴在洞内石壁上的幼崽们。
“追云刚刚带回来一些猎物，”她说道，“但是惊鹿就是不吃。云日的脚掌还在流血。奔马说等暴风雪一停，他就回湖区去。”
“你看吧？”闪电垂下耳朵，“石歌，你必须得承认，这次的选择就是一场灾难。”
石歌疲惫地叹了一口气。“我不会承认的，”他反驳道，“升月，等暴风雪停了，你可不可以出去帮云日找一些羊蹄叶来敷在脚掌上？奔马那边，我来跟他谈。我们不能让一位长老独自在山区里游荡，他自己也很清楚这一点。至于惊鹿，我们得给她时间，让伤痛慢慢过去。”
闪电刚要开口，这时山洞的另一边传来一声兴奋的喊叫：“松鸦翅！”
松鸦羽看到了鱼跃，那只在湖区时跟他很是要好的年轻虎斑公猫。只见他跑过山洞，用头碰碰松鸦羽的肩膀，问道：“你去哪儿了？我们还以为失去你了呢。”
“我……呃……我又改主意了。”
松鸦羽意识到，石歌已经看到他了，并朝他这边走了过来。闪电和升月紧随其后。吟风也跑了过来，想看看发生了什么事，她那银灰色虎斑皮毛在从洞穴入口照进来的光线里闪着微光。其他猫也都安静下来看着松鸦羽，弄得他感觉自己都要被看得脱皮了。
“太好了！”半月脱口喊道，“松鸦翅回来啦！”
石歌的目光在松鸦羽脸上扫来扫去，他怀疑地眯起眼睛：“你是怎么来到这里的？我们大家一起走都觉得困难重重，一只猫独行会难上加难。”
“那重要吗？”鱼跃问道，“只要他现在来了就好。”
松鸦羽耸耸肩：“我大部分时候都是跟着你们的脚印走，剩下的只能连蒙带猜。”
“那你怎么到山洞里来的呢？”闪电大声问道，“应该有猫看到你才对呀，我可不喜欢你这样偷偷摸摸的。”
“我不是偷偷摸摸进来的！”松鸦羽反驳道，他感觉自己脖子上的毛都要竖起来了。“是你们太累了都没有看到我，又不是我的错。我本来想着要探探这些小山洞的，”他想转一个话题，于是说道：“它们或许能派上什么用场呢。”
松鸦羽注意到，半月已经挪过来站在了他旁边，像是要随时保护他一样。她甜美的气味弄得他鼻子痒痒的，让他想起当初他通过那些隧道回到自己的时代，把她抛到身后时，感到多么地空虚和寂寞。
“那么，”吟风用肩膀推推他，“你在那些山洞里发现什么了？”
“嗯……我这边的洞穴里有很多尖石，很多很多，”松鸦羽回答道，“还有一潭清水。不是个睡觉的好地方，因为洞顶还有个窟窿。”
石歌哼了一声：“那其他山洞呢？能用作巢穴吗？”
松鸦羽快速瞥了一眼通往尖石巫师巢穴的那条通道。“嗯……呃……那个还行。”他汇报道。如果尖石巫师能在里面睡觉，那么它至少是可以防水的。
吟风那蓝色的眼睛望着石歌。“你该不会是在想着要留下来吧？”她惊慌地问道，“该不会要让我们永远地住下来吧？”
石歌侧过耳朵指了指山洞那边，追云正在清理灰白皮毛里的冰碴子。“你也看到了，暴风雪还没过去，”他说道，“等待的时间里，我们总要住得舒适点儿吧。”
“舒适？”吟风脖子上的皮毛立了起来，“如果你觉得有谁能在这里住得舒服，那你肯定是疯了。”
“我们真不应该离开湖区。”一个满含着悲伤和疲惫的微弱声音从山洞一侧的阴影处传来，碎影一瘸一拐地走了出来。松鸦羽一阵心酸。落叶的母亲比上次他见到时更枯瘦了，橘色身影瘦骨嶙峋，琥珀色的眼睛也呆滞无神。
“我们真不应该离开。”她重复道，“如果落叶从地下隧道里出来，我们却不在那里怎么办？”
半月走到她身旁，用尾巴轻抚了下碎影的侧腹。“不会的。”她喃喃道。
“你怎么知道！”碎影嘶声道，“他会以为我抛弃了他。他会很孤独的！”她挣脱了半月，转向松鸦羽：“都是你的错！你投下了最后一颗石头！是你让我抛弃了我的儿子！”
第十六章
第十六章
“鼠须，快点儿，动动你的尾巴！我们可不能一整天都耗在这里等你！”
黑莓掌的玩笑声传来，藤池抽了抽耳朵。她蜷伏在学徒巢穴入口处的蕨丛里，看着石头山谷上空渐渐出现一丝柔和的乳白色光线，武士们陆陆续续走出来，准备开始黎明巡逻了。
雷族副族长推着鼠须，他们从山毛榉树枝间的巢穴里钻了出来。年轻猫一个转身，顽皮地猛扑向他，脚掌离黑莓掌的鼻子只有一老鼠远。听着苏醒过来的族猫们发出阵阵欢声笑语，藤池不禁忧伤地叹了一口气。黎明的天气又冷又潮湿，天空也灰蒙蒙的，可空气中却弥漫着新叶和万物生长的气息。最近几天总是阳光灿烂，树枝上开始长出新芽，土壤里的嫩苗也都纷纷破土而出。几个月来第一次，他们的猎物堆成了小山。
可是，对于新叶季的到来，藤池并不像她的族猫那样感到兴奋。自从鸽翅离开去了山区，她一直睡不好。她不习惯独自睡在巢穴里，总感觉皮毛刺痒，仿佛一群蚂蚁在里面做了窝。
藤池又叹了一口气，走到外面的空地上。黑莓掌正在那里分派巡逻任务；云尾从武士巢穴出来，张大嘴巴打了个大大的哈欠；尘毛也快速钻出来，弓起身子伸了个长长的懒腰；白翅和蕨毛正相互绕着对方转圈，像是在进行模拟战斗训练；而栗尾则在旁边看着他俩，舔了舔脚掌，又举起来挠了挠耳朵。
藤池的目光扫过空地，她没有看到梅花落。她去哪儿了？是不是昨晚又去黑森林了？藤池的爪子插进空地上的泥土里。最近几个晚上她都睡得很少，所以一直没去黑森林，但是她很确信那里艰苦而又血腥的训练还在继续着。只是一直到现在，她都没有机会告诉梅花落自己是在那里做什么。
或许我今天应该告诉她。
“嘿，藤池！”狮焰喊道，“炭心和我要去边界巡逻，你想一起去吗？”
“太好了，谢谢！”
“我们打算沿着影族边界……”狮焰开口继续说道，但是藤池的目光却被梅花落吸引了，她步履蹒跚地从武士巢穴里出来，黄蜂条走在她身边。年轻母猫浑身皮毛蓬乱，看上去疲惫不堪，强撑着一瘸一拐的身子走了过来。
我太了解这些症状了。藤池想着皱起了眉头。
梅花落向黑莓掌的方向走去，不过榛尾走到她面前拦住了她。“梅花落，你还好吗？”榛尾的眼神里满是关切。
梅花落停了下来：“是的，我很好。”
“我可没觉得你好到哪里去。”榛尾严厉地说道。“嘿，米莉！”她对梅花落的母亲摆了摆尾巴，后者正穿过空地朝巫医巢穴走去，“我感觉梅花落生病了。”
“什么？”米莉瞥了一眼梅花落，“哦，她看起来很好啊。我得去看看荆棘光了。”
米莉说话的时候，藤池看到梅花落的眼睛里闪过一丝愤怒，但显然米莉没有注意到这一点，因为她已经大踏步离开，消失在了黑莓屏风后面。
“梅花落，我想让你和黄蜂条、沙风、刺掌去风族边界巡逻，”黑莓掌大声说道，他走向玳瑁色和白色相间的母猫，“可是你看起来好像连地上的枯叶都奈何不了。你们这一队要不还是去狩猎吧。”
梅花落点点头，但黄蜂条的尾巴却失望地耷拉了下来。“我昨天已经狩了两次猎了，”他对黑莓掌说，“我一直都盼着能去边界巡逻。”
黑莓掌严厉地瞪了年轻公猫一眼：“据我所知，组织巡逻队的工作是由副族长负责的。”
黄蜂条一边用前爪刨着松散的泥土，一边低声嘟囔了两句。藤池趁机走到他身旁。“我跟狮焰还有炭心要去边界巡逻，”她说道，“我不介意和你换一下——黑莓掌，如果你同意的话。”
“你们随便吧，”副族长生硬地说道，“我是不是该回窝里躺着，让你们自行决定好了？”
“谢谢你，藤池！”黄蜂条立刻高兴起来，跑向正准备要出发的狮焰和炭心。藤池看着那两只肩并肩走出荆棘通道的武士，很是羡慕他们之间非常自然的友谊。黄蜂条追上他们，三只猫很快便消失在了森林里。
“好了，”沙风甩了甩尾巴，“我们也出发吧。我觉得我们应该去两脚兽巢穴那边试试，那里这两天都没狩猎队过去。”
他们走进森林，沙风和刺掌在前，藤池和梅花落肩并肩在后，他们沿着旧雷鬼路前进着。年轻的玳瑁色和白色相间母猫呼吸急促，却依然掩饰着自己，尽量不一瘸一拐的。藤池注意到她一只前脚掌的爪子被撕裂了。
“昨晚黑森林里训练艰苦吗？”她有点儿尴尬，因为她从来没这样对资历比她深的武士问过问题，“你——”
“嘘！”梅花落惊呼道，用耳朵指了指前面的两只猫，“我们别在这里说。”说完她强撑着加快脚步跑到了前面。藤池跟上前去，心里琢磨着怎样才能再找机会跟她单独聊一聊。
他们来到两脚兽巢穴外，沙风从松鸦羽种的草药丛中穿过，仔细嗅了嗅刚长出来的新苗。“猫薄荷要开始发芽了，”她说道，“可要不是影族强迫我们给他们一些，这里应该还会更多。”
“对不起。”藤池低声说。她到现在仍感到很内疚，因为影族曾抓了她，让雷族用草药去交换。
至少鸽翅不用再见到虎心了。我们再也不能相信他，因为他在黑森林。可是，我也在那里啊，她心想，脊背上蹿起一股寒意，现在连梅花落也……
“藤池，专心点儿！”刺掌用尾巴碰了碰她的耳朵，藤池吓了一跳，“快别做白日梦了！你没听见沙风在跟你说话吗？”
藤池尴尬地摇了摇头。
“她想让你去爬雷鬼路那边的山坡，”虎斑武士用尾巴指着远处解释道，“那里应该会有很多松鼠在找它们藏在橡树下的坚果。”
“我们去看看两脚兽巢穴那边，”沙风补充说道，绿眼睛闪闪发亮，“我敢打赌那里应该会有老鼠，不然我就是獾。”
说完她走进两脚兽巢穴的入口，刚一进去，就惊起了一只老鼠。只见它拼命地想从墙上的一个洞口逃出去，刺掌跳起来去追，拦住了它的去路。它赶忙转身，却一头撞进沙风的利爪之中。
“我说什么来着？”沙风一边扒着土把猎物埋起来，一边得意扬扬地说道。
“你们俩还磨蹭什么呢？”刺掌摆着尾巴示意梅花落和藤池快走，“你们以为还在上学徒的训练课吗？”
“这家伙可真霸道！”藤池咕哝着往山坡上爬去。梅花落嗯了一声表示赞同。她拖着沉重的身子穿过一片茂密的灌木丛后，就已经累得不行了。等看不见两脚兽巢穴了，藤池停下了脚步。“你想休息一小会儿吗？我知道晚上的训练很累。”她小心翼翼地说道。
梅花落迎着她的目光：“我觉得我们不该谈这个。”
是谁让你发誓保守这秘密的？藤池心想道，虎星？鹰霜？她失望地摇了摇尾巴。如果梅花落拒绝谈论黑森林，那她就没有机会说服她远离那里了。
梅花落已经挣扎着继续在灌木丛中穿行了，藤池只好跟着她，走过一簇荨麻，又钻到低矮的榛树丛里。藤池追上她，将一根藤蔓挪开，站到了梅花落面前：“你是怎么知道黑森林的？”
梅花落眼中闪烁着一丝愤怒，回答的声音听上去也快要到了爆发的边缘。“我是被邀请去的，行吗？鹰霜邀请我去的。他说我与其在雷族和我的族猫一起接受训练，还不如抓住机会成为更优秀的武士。他说得没错。我想他跟你也是这样说的吧。”说完，她转身又朝山坡上爬去，然后又回头说了一句，“现在，我们可以好好狩猎了吗？”
藤池赶忙跟上她，脑子里却闪过很多疑问。梅花落真的不知道黑森林的真正目的吗？不知道他们要跟所有的族群作对？她想告诉梅花落真相，警告她还是离黑森林远一点儿。但是如果她那样做，就等于承认自己是黑森林的叛徒，是雷族派去的卧底。
如果要救四大族群，那我就只能让梅花落继续留在那里，或者死在那里吗？
“小心！”
梅花落的声音从上面传来，把藤池从思绪中拉回了现实。玳瑁色和白色相间的武士已经停下脚步，在一片树木稀疏的地方等着她了。藤池朝那片空地跑去，发现那里恰好是冰云曾经掉进地下隧道的位置。她还看见了尘毛和蕨毛围在边上遮挡洞口的那堆树枝。
她很好奇，脚掌痒痒得想要一探究竟。以前巡逻的时候，她曾经来过这里，但这还是她第一次那么近距离瞧一瞧呢。她和梅花落交换了个眼神，发现她也是满脸的兴奋。
“要不我们去看看？”她提议道。
梅花落点点头，于是两只母猫肩并肩走下山坡，来到了洞口。藤池伸长脖子嗅了嗅那些遮盖的树枝，梅花落则用头拱了拱它们，结果那堆树枝全都移到了一旁，惊得梅花落叫了起来。
“嘿，快看，”她又往前推了推那堆树枝，“我们能一眼看到隧道里面！下去瞧瞧吧！”
藤池盯着洞口，心里升起一种奇怪的感觉。她莫名地不想靠近它：“那狩猎怎么办？”
“我们可以一会儿再去。”梅花落回答道。她的两眼晶亮，兴奋得浑身都是干劲儿，似乎早就把刚才的疲惫抛到九霄云外去了。“我们先去探险。”
藤池仍留在洞口旁，心里那股不安让她很纠结。梅花落去草丛里拖了一根树枝回来。“帮我把它放下去，”她气喘吁吁地把树枝的一端放进了洞里，“一会儿我们可以顺着这个往下爬。”她和藤池把树枝放好，将树枝细长的那端挂在洞口处，接着梅花落便爬了下去。
“快下来！”她喊道，“隧道里面好长，能贯穿整个山底下！”
藤池不情愿地挪到洞口，感觉树枝在她的脚掌下颤抖着。她用爪子紧紧抓住它，可树皮又干又脆，还没等她下到一半，树枝就断了。藤池感觉自己脚掌下一滑，然后便惊叫一声，摔到了洞里，树枝也掉到了她的脸上。藤池挣扎着从一堆枯叶和干树枝里爬起来，抬头望了望头顶上方那片小小的蓝天。这下子可再也出不去了。
“我们被困在这里了！”她低声说道。
周围黑影绰绰，她浑身的每一根毛都竖了起来。她也说不上来什么，但她可以肯定这下面很不对劲。隧道口笼罩着一片黑暗和寒意，不知怎的，藤池感觉这里不止她们两个。
梅花落的眸子在幽光里闪闪发亮。“现在我们必须得去探险了。”她高兴地说道。
“但是多危险啊！”藤池反对道。
梅花落哼了一声：“还能怎么危险？难不成我还会摔断腿？”
于是她们往隧道深处走去，身后洞口的微光变得越来越弱。梅花落回头瞥了一眼，依稀只能看到那根断裂的树枝还躺在隧道的地上。“回到原地也没有用，我们可能得等上好几年才能有猫经过洞口。”她说道，“而且就算有猫经过，我们想出去也会困难重重。肯定还有别的出路的，对吧？”
藤池跟着族猫继续在黑暗中前行，暗自祈祷她们不会铸成大错。渐渐地，尽管她还是很担忧，却开始禁不住也像梅花落那样兴奋了起来。冰云掉到洞里来的时候，很快就被拉上去了，她当时可没在下面走那么远。
我们将是最先踏足这里的猫！
现在，两只母猫走着的地方已经陷入彻底的黑暗之中，她们只好将身体靠在隧道的墙壁上慢慢往前蹭着走。隧道蜿蜒曲折，最后藤池彻底搞不明白她们这是在哪儿了。时不时地，她还发现，除了这条主要的路外，隧道里还有很多分支，一想到还要继续往小山深处走去，她禁不住打了个寒战。
“我能感觉到风，”过了一会儿，走在前面的梅花落说道，“那边应该可以出去。”
她们继续慢慢前行，藤池的脚掌被冰冷坚硬的岩石硌得生疼。就在这时，她突然发现前面出现了微弱的光，因为她能看到梅花落的脑袋和竖起的耳朵的轮廓。“我们好像有救了！”她喊道。
梅花落加快脚步，藤池赶忙跟上，结果梅花落突然停下，藤池差点儿一头撞在她身上。环顾四周，她发现从隧道出来的地方是个巨大的洞穴，周围洞壁高耸。洞里还有条幽暗的小河，河对岸岩石中则嵌着一块凸出来的宽大岩架。
“我从没来过这么怪异的地方。”梅花落低声道，又壮着胆子往前挪了一步。
那道微弱的光线就是从一个洞顶的小口斜照进来的。不过那里太高，不用想也知道根本不可能从那里爬出去。藤池小心地往前迈了一步，低下头舔了一口河水。
“好凉啊！”她惊呼道，后退一步，抖了抖胡须，甩掉上面的水珠。
梅花落喝水的时候，藤池瞥了一下周围。她有种很强烈的感觉，就好像石壁的石台那边有只猫在紧盯着她的后背一样。她猛地转身看去，那里什么都没有。可那种感觉却依然挥之不去，让她毛骨悚然。
“我们不该来这儿。”她说道，声音回荡在空旷的山洞里，听着格外响亮。
“为什么不该来这里？”梅花落抬起头，舌头舔了舔嘴巴周围，“这里又不会有猫赶我们走。”
“那这些又是谁留下的呢？”藤池嘶哑的声音从喉咙里传出，她看到离她和梅花落几尾远的地方，河边潮湿的沙滩上印着几个新留下的脚印。她浑身的毛顿时立了起来，赶紧伸出爪子，紧紧地扒住岩石。
“有猫住在这里！”
第十四章
第十四章
“我怎么会想着要离开湖区呢？”鸽翅的脚掌踩在硬邦邦的雪块上直打滑。她一边费力地从一条狭沟里挣扎着往上爬，一边气喘吁吁地说道，“我真不敢相信居然会有猫真的住在这里！”
而在离她一尾远处，狐跃也在顽强地挣扎着，只能哼一声表示回答。两只雷族猫几乎落在了巡逻队的最后面，只有山洞卫士鹰扑还跟在他们身后，一边扫视着周围，一边步履稳健地在冰上走着。暴毛和另外两只狩猎者——灰濛和鱼跃斑，排成一列走在队伍前面。而领队的则是鹰崖。透过漫天飞雪，鸽翅只能看见他们模糊的身影。
森林里这个时候快到新叶季了！鸽翅冻得瑟瑟发抖。
突然，她眼前出现了一个高大的身影：“你还好吗？要不要在我肩膀上靠一会儿？”
鸽翅认出来是暴毛。“不了，谢谢，我很好，”她气喘吁吁地说道，“我能坚持。”
暴毛低头看着她，琥珀色的眼睛在这片白茫茫的荒芜之地仿佛一轮小小的太阳，散发着温暖和友爱：“如果需要帮助一定说出来。”
“他们还没学会在雪地里行走。”鱼跃斑说道。她停下来等着暴毛、狐跃和鸽翅赶上来。“别担心，”她发出打趣的声音，“你们不知不觉就会变成雪地猫了。”
“我现在就是只雪地猫啦！”狐跃哆哆嗦嗦地说道，把身上的一团雪抖了下去。
我希望松鸦羽赶紧弄清楚我们此行的目的，鸽翅又从另一条沟里爬出来，心里想道，这样我们就都可以回家了。
让她感到欣慰的是，雪变小了，只剩下几片零星雪花还在天上飘着。又过了一会儿，终于雪过天晴风吹云散。再往前走，沟谷两边的岩壁在尽头处消失不见，众猫来到一片光秃秃的山顶上。鸽翅从沟谷里爬上来的时候已是气喘吁吁，寒风像荆棘一样直戳她的喉咙，差点儿把她给刮跑。她用爪子紧紧抓住脚掌下的冰面和沙石，抬起头四处张望着。周围全是绵延不断白雪压顶的山峦。奇峰突起的山景没有太多颜色，却有一种自成一格的美，但这不是他们的家。
“快看！”
鹰崖尖锐的声音吓了鸽翅一跳，循着山洞卫士的目光，她看到头顶苍茫的天空中远远地飞来两个小点儿。
“那是什么？”狐跃问道。
“老鹰来了！”鹰扑的声音很紧张。
两个小点儿越来越大。鸽翅意识到它们正在锁定猫群，准备盘旋而下。
“我们该怎么办？”她竭力忍住惊慌，并四处寻找着可以躲进去的地方。狐跃则蹲伏下来，伸出爪子准备战斗。
“往这边！”鹰崖和鹰扑把两只族群猫推回沟谷，躲在一块向外凸出来的大石头下面。暴毛、灰濛还有鱼跃斑蹲伏在他们两侧，而鹰崖和鹰扑则亮出尖爪、龇着利牙，在大石头外围守卫着。
不一会儿老鹰就俯冲了下来。它们宽大的深色翅膀拂过岩缝，鸽翅瞥见了它们那恶狠狠的黄眼睛和凶残的钩喙。老鹰恼怒地尖叫了几声，然后便飞走了，叫声在岩石间回荡着。
“它们是我们的猎物，但却在攻击我们！”鸽翅尖叫道。
“我们不怎么捕食老鹰，”鱼跃斑平静地解释道，“但我们捕食的，老鹰也喜欢，比如野兔、老鼠、小鸟什么的。”
“所以我们是竞争关系。”灰濛补充说道。
而且鸟是不会尊重边界的。鸽翅突然意识到这一点，忍不住打了个寒战。
鹰崖从岩石下往外瞧了瞧。“它们飞走了，”他说道，“我们也继续出发吧。”
鸽翅从岩石下出来，感觉自己完全暴露在荒野之中。她想象着那些凶残的老鹰用爪子刺进她的肩膀，然后把她抓到天上去的情形。她翻过山顶，又跳进一条沟谷，边走边四处张望着，想要释放出感知来追踪那些老鹰的位置。
可接下来，她脚掌下的地面突然一沉，她惊叫一声，却发现自己落到了柔软的雪地上。她迷惑地眨了眨眼睛，才明白自己是掉进了一条窄缝里。狐跃低头看着她，头和耳朵的轮廓在天空的映衬下格外清晰。
“你还好吗？”他担心地问道。
鸽翅挣扎着想站起来，可地上的雪太松软，她找不到合适的落脚点。“还好吧，”她说道，看了看周围高耸陡峭的石壁，只好又加了一句，“不过我爬不上去。”
“别紧张，”这次说话的是鹰崖，他的声音听上去轻松自信，“我们会把你弄出来的。”
怎么弄？鸽翅绝望地想道。她想起冰云在森林里掉进洞里去的情形，那时候他们是用树枝和藤蔓把她拉上来的。可是现在这儿没有树枝或藤蔓啊！
“听我说，让我来吧，我个头最小。”鱼跃斑说道。她背朝后趴在窄缝边上，前爪紧紧地抓着边缘石壁，然后把尾巴放了下去。“能咬住我的尾巴吗？”
“但是那样我会弄伤你的！”鸽翅惊呼道。
“不会的，我不会有事。”鱼跃斑向她保证道，“快咬住吧。”
鸽翅使劲儿伸长身体，用牙齿咬住了鱼跃斑的尾巴。幸好窄缝两旁的岩壁没有她想象的那么陡峭，有些地方可以落脚，让她可以支撑住自己的身体，至少不让鱼跃斑的尾巴承受她全部的重量。
鹰崖和暴毛从两侧使劲拉住鱼跃斑，终于，鸽翅挣扎着从窄缝里爬了上来，一下子瘫倒在一旁。“谢谢你们！”她气喘吁吁地说道，“太对不起了！”
鱼跃斑试探性地舔了舔尾巴，确定没受伤。“别客气，”她回答道，“而且我也没受什么伤。”
“以后我走路一定小心看着脚掌下。”鸽翅保证道。她冻得瑟瑟发抖，于是赶紧爬了起来。她的皮毛上沾满了雪末和沙石。她感觉自己仿佛是再也不可能干净或是暖和起来了。
“你想回山洞吗？”暴毛问道，“可以让鱼跃斑送你回去。”
鸽翅摇摇头，她可不想给大家添麻烦，让巡逻队只剩一位山洞卫士，尤其是这里现在还有老鹰出没。“不，我能继续走。”她坚持道。
狐跃走过来，轻轻舔了她一下。“需要帮助就告诉我。”他悄声说道。
鸽翅浑身肌肉酸痛，脚掌也在刚刚从窄缝往外爬时磨得生疼，但她还是努力追赶着其他猫的步伐。鹰崖率领巡逻队顺着沟谷往下走，翻过一道山脊，在一块高高的尖石前停了下来。眼前的两块岩石间，一条涓涓小溪汩汩流淌，蜿蜒地流向远方。水面已经结冰了，但鸽翅能听到冰面下潺潺的流水声。
“这里有个边界标记。”鹰崖侧着耳朵指指尖石，告诉族群猫们，“灰濛，你能更新一下气味标记吗？”
在他们等待的时候，鸽翅凝望着绵延的山峦，狂风吹起她的皮毛。“下一个标记在哪里？”她问鹰崖。
山洞卫士用尾巴指指远处：“看见那棵枯树了吗，就是小溪旁边那棵？那就是。”
在山谷那边，差不多相当于从雷族营地到影族边界那么远的距离，一棵低矮的小树正屹立在一条狭长的沟谷边上。鸽翅惊愕地瞪着鹰崖，她没想到急水部落领地居然那么大。“但是那里离得那么远！你们怎么检查边界呢？巡逻一次肯定得花上一整天的时间吧。”
“我们的巡逻队只巡逻一些特定区域，”鱼跃斑走过来站在鹰崖旁边，解释道，“其他组负责另外的边界。”
鸽翅点点头，心里却暗自在想，这样敌人很容易就能找出巡逻队之间的破绽。她释放出感知，几乎立刻就听到远处边界那边有猫的声音。
他们应该就是部落常提的那些入侵者，但是现在听上去好像没有威胁。他们在狩猎，但却并没有入侵急水部落的领地。
这时，她听见有老鹰发出一声刺耳的尖叫，心里一紧，立刻本能地抬头看去。但是那只大鸟现在还只是天空中的一个小点，离巡逻队还很远。更远处，她还听见一窝鹰崽的呼唤声。在山顶高处的窝里，她看见了它们，光秃秃的，瘦骨嶙峋。
接着，鸽翅又听到越来越近的沙沙声。她发现那是一只田鼠，正往溪边的青苔里钻，溪水已经结了冰，它藏在岸边的冰层下方。她闻得到它的味道，但是很淡，几乎被雪的味道盖住了。
“田鼠！”她大喊一声，便要向小溪冲去。
令她错愕的是，暴毛将她撞开了，鸽翅一下子就趴在了冰面上。
“怎么了？”她挣扎起身开口问道。
“如果你掉进水里，会被冻死的。这样做太危险。”暴毛解释道，“抱歉刚才弄伤了你。”
鸽翅摇摇头：“我没事。”他的意思是说，我身上被弄湿就会死吗？“可那下面有猎物。”她又说道，猜想他们谁都没听见田鼠的动静。又仔细听了一下，她发现田鼠不动了。老鼠屎！它听到我们了，想抓它就没那么容易了。
灰濛和鱼跃斑走过来，竖起耳朵张开嘴巴，捕捉着猎物的微弱气味。“你太厉害了，竟然发现了它。”鱼跃斑对鸽翅悄声说道，“那你现在还能听到它的动静吗？”
鸽翅释放出感知，终于听到一丝微弱、小心翼翼的脚步声，说明田鼠又开始移动了。这次她没说话，只是朝着岸边她认为田鼠可能藏匿的地方点了点头。
“就在溪岸下面。”灰濛悄悄说道，鱼跃斑点了点头。
两只狩猎者强壮精瘦的腿部深深踩入雪地里，准备分别从两侧来夹击田鼠。鹰崖和鹰扑则在一旁为他们的部落成员们做好警戒。
“山洞卫士和狩猎者一起行动，”暴毛对鸽翅和狐跃解释道，“看到他们在观望天空了吗？一旦有老鹰出现，他们就会警告灰濛和鱼跃斑。”
鸽翅注意到，两只狩猎者始终保持着同一角度在雪地里匍匐靠近，这样就不会弄乱积雪的表面。“他们想在不惊扰田鼠的情况下，尽可能地靠近它。”她喃喃道，“等我们回家，下个秃叶季如果下雪，我们也可以试试这个方法。”
“对，”暴毛说道，“等田鼠真正发觉时，不管它往哪个方向逃，都会有猫在等着它。”
他话音刚落，两只猫已冲向岸边。接着他们一个回跃，田鼠出现了。它顺着鱼跃斑一侧的岸边，朝小溪的下游急忙逃窜。母猫扑上前去，但田鼠闪到了一旁，结果鱼跃斑的脚掌卡在了河面的冰层下。
“老鼠屎！”鱼跃斑愤怒地龇牙低吼道。
“只是运气不好而已！”狐跃冲她喊道。
与此同时，田鼠又逃往上游，灰濛正候在那里。他从岸边猛扑到它身上，一口咬住它后颈，杀死了它。“感谢杀无尽部落！”他说道。
“合作得漂亮！”狐跃欢呼道。
鸽翅低声表示赞同，但私底下心里却有点儿惊讶。捕一只可怜的小田鼠居然要四只猫一起合作才行。
“我们还要继续巡逻，你们是不是要把它先埋起来？”狐跃继续说道，“我们在森林里的时候是这样做的。”
灰濛摇了摇头。“如果我们那样做，猎物就会被冻住的。”他说，“我会先把它送回山洞。在急水部落，大家都喜欢趁热吃猎物。”
他叼起田鼠，沿来路回去了。鹰崖目送着他离开，直到灰濛那轻盈的淡灰色身影消失在岩石后再也看不见。然后，他转过身，继续向下一个边界标记出发。鸽翅跟在后面，鱼跃斑则走过来和她并肩前行。
“对你们来说，这一切都很陌生吧。”虎斑母猫友好地开口说道，“族群里的生活是什么样子的呢？”
鸽翅沉默了一会儿，不知道该从何说起。“首先，我们有更多的族群，”最后，她终于说道，“是四个族群，而不是仅有一个。我们边界相邻，不过我们都遵守武士守则，所以不太担心其他族群会侵犯我们。另外，我们的领地不像你们的那么大，所以也就不需要花那么长时间来巡逻边界。”
“我们需要很大的领地，”鱼跃斑辩解道，“否则的话，猎物太少，我们就无法生存下去了。”
“嗯，我明白。”鸽翅安慰她道。“另外，我们不分山洞卫士或是狩猎者，”她继续说道，“在族群，每一只猫都得学会所有的本领。”
鱼跃斑点点头：“暴毛跟我们说过这个，可让每一只猫都专注于自己的特长，不是更好吗？”
鸽翅有点儿尴尬。她并不是想说族群的生活比部落的生活好，可鱼跃斑好像很执着，总是为部落辩解。
“部落猫在这里生存了很多年了，”鱼跃斑像是猜到了鸽翅的心思，轻声说道，“我不可能再去别的地方生活，因为这里，在蓝天和白雪之间，就是我的归宿。”
“我对森林的感情也是一样的，”鸽翅承认道，“我离不开脚掌下的青草和泥土，还有头顶上树枝的窸窣声。”
鱼跃斑若有所思地，久久地注视着她。“我觉得你在这里也能生活得很好，”她说道，“你连雪地里藏着的田鼠都能听到！”
“可我离不开自己的家，”鸽翅回答道，“至少不能离开太久。”
鱼跃斑叹了口气，停下来凝望着白雪覆盖的山峰。“我却有可能要离开我的家。”她难过地说道。
“你是说，如果尖石巫师没有选出继任者就死了吗？”鸽翅问道，“那你们就不能自己选一个出来吗？”
鱼跃斑两眼瞪大，吃惊地看着她：“这不可能！必须由杀无尽部落来决定。他们也守护你们吗？”
鸽翅摇摇头，加快脚步，以免被大部队落在后面太远。她解释道：“不，我们有星族守护。他们都是我们武士祖先的灵魂。他们向我们的巫医传达信号。族群猫死后会加入星族。”
鱼跃斑眨了眨眼睛：“听上去跟杀无尽部落很像。他们会不会是同一个？”
“我想应该不是，”鸽翅说道，“在族群，星族并不指定新任族长，但如果族群选出族长，星族会赋予他九条命。”
“嗯，我们这里不一样。”鱼跃斑又像是在争辩，“尖石巫师会照顾我们，一直都是他照顾我们的。”环顾四周，她看见雪地里有几片羽毛。“哦，快看！幼崽们会喜欢这个的。”她说着便一个箭步跑了过去。
她不想谈论尖石巫师。鸽翅看着鱼跃斑，心想，很显然，她也害怕如果尖石巫师不选继任者，那急水部落的未来将无法预料。
第十七章
第十七章
浓重的寂静笼罩着松鸦羽，周围的一切都是黑漆漆的。有那么一瞬间，他以为自己又瞎了，可紧接着他就意识到，是冰碴儿眯住了他的眼睛。他强忍着疼痛努力地睁开双眼，可除了白茫茫的一片，他什么也看不到。他想要大口呼吸一下空气，可喉咙里却被灌进来一团团的雪。
我被埋在雪里了！
头顶上似乎从哪里透进来一缕亮光，松鸦羽摸索着朝它走去。不一会儿，他的头终于从雪堆里面露了出来。他四处打量着。暴风雪已经过去了，山谷里一片寂静，只剩黛色群山映在蓝色的天空下。落日晚霞那最后一缕绯红也开始褪去。雪地里只剩孤零零的他站在那里。
一想到其他猫有可能都死在暴风雪里了，松鸦羽恐惧得迈不动腿，可他还是挣扎着开始挪动脚步，蹬了蹬后腿，爬出了雪堆，然后站在那里抖了抖身上的雪块。
“松鸦翅！”
他的身后传来一声呼唤。松鸦羽赶忙转身，看见石歌正从山谷上方不远处的雪堆里费力地往外爬。松鸦羽穿过松软的积雪，吃力地将他拽了出来。深灰色虎斑公猫刚出来时震惊得一句话都说不出来，只是呆呆盯着白茫茫的山峰，就好像记不起自己身在何处了似的。
“你没事吧？”松鸦羽提醒他道，“我们得去找找其他的猫。”
石歌晃了晃脑袋，想让自己清醒些。“我没事。”他喘息道，“你看见他们了吗？”
松鸦羽摇了摇头。
“他们肯定就在附近什么地方，”石歌喃喃道，“我们必须找到他们。”
要把雪全都挖个遍吗？松鸦羽惊骇地想道。突然，他瞥见几狐狸身长远的雪堆上有一大片深色的污渍。于是他走上前去，发现是血。“在这里！”他冲石歌喊道，“追云受伤了，这一定是他的血。”
他们齐心协力挖开雪堆，追云的身体露了出来。当看到追云静静地躺在那里，一动不动，就像被雪崩的巨大力量抛下来的皮毛时，松鸦羽不禁心跳加快。
过了一会儿，追云咳嗽两声睁开了眼睛：“发生了什么事？”
“大雪把我们压在了下面。”石歌解释道，“我想，我们跟那只大鸟搏斗的时候，可能是触动了哪里导致了雪崩。来，我们带你离开这里。”
松鸦羽和石歌把追云从雪堆里拉出来，他趴在雪地上，神情看上去还是有点儿恍惚，时不时地舔舔肩膀上被老鹰扯掉皮毛后露出来的肉。
“半月？”松鸦羽喊道，“半月！”
没有回应。不过，几尾远处，雪地上的一丝细微动静吸引了松鸦羽的注意力。他拨开雪堆走过去，心中不由得一阵欣慰，因为他看见半月的耳朵和鼻子从雪地上露了出来。不一会儿，她的脑袋全露了出来。
松鸦羽拼命地扒开她周围的积雪，半月终于爬了出来。“谢谢，”她大口喘息着，“你找到……”
还没等说完，她便看见了父亲，难过地哽咽起来。她一言不发，挣扎着走过来，蹲伏在他身边，开始舔舐他的伤口。松鸦羽看到半月的后背上也有老鹰的抓痕。可即便她很痛，也没有表现出来，因为此时她全部的注意力都在追云身上。
借着昏暗的光线，松鸦羽注意到，刚刚半月爬出来的那个雪坑里，像是长着什么东西。他俯身去闻了闻，辨认出那是千里光的气味。吃了它有助于增强体力。他想起上次他来部落时学过的那些山区草药知识，还可以帮助压压惊。于是他伸长脖子够到坑里，想办法叼了几根出来，然后带回来给大家。
“来，把这些都吃了，”他把草药放到大家面前，命令道，“会让你们感觉好点儿的。”
另外三只猫抬头看看他，然后低头舔食草药。
他们刚刚经历了太多惊险，都忘了问我怎么会认识这里的植物了。松鸦羽心想。他不知道附近是否有止血的蜘蛛网，山洞里很可能会有。
“我们应该回去了。”他说道，可大家谁都没有动弹。他只好推了石歌一把：“快点儿吧，难道你们想死在这里吗？我们已经走了那么远，难道就这样放弃吗？我们必须要有信心。”
石歌眼神呆滞地看着他：“信心？什么信心？”
松鸦羽答不上来，此时此刻，他多么希望能当场唤出星族或是杀无尽部落。但那些名字现在对这些猫来说毫无意义。有没有祖先现在正在看着我们呢？
“我们应该对自己有信心。”他说道，想让自己的声音听上去更坚定些，“我们走了那么远，会活下来的，只是必须给我们自己时间。”
石歌眨眨眼：“我们可能没时间了，这些山会先要了我们的命。”
松鸦羽想到的却是世世代代生活于此的急水部落的猫，直到被前往太阳沉没之地的远征猫们发现。
“你们还有时间，”他说道，“我保证。”
松鸦羽和石歌几乎是扶着追云，步履蹒跚着进入洞穴，后面半月一瘸一拐地跟着时，洞里的众猫发出阵阵惊恐的声音。
“怎么了？”闪电询问道，“你们是被狐狸袭击了吗？”
“不，是鸟。”石歌回答道。
“鸟？”吟风从闪电后面挤上前来，蓝色眼睛惊恐地看着追云的伤口，“鸟能把你伤成这样？”
“是只很大很大的鸟。”追云低声说道。
更多的猫围了上来，互相推搡着过来一看究竟，嘴里不时绝望而又害怕地惊叹着。枭羽的幼崽们也跑了过来，好奇地嗅了嗅追云，然后便惊得缩回去，紧紧地靠在了他们的母亲身旁，因为他们闻到了血的味道。
“我早就说过！”奔马咕哝道，“我们不应该来这里的！”
升月转过头，像是不忍心再看下去。松鸦羽想起在森林的时候，升月和追云是伴侣。“我们都会死在这个地方的。”升月低语道。
松鸦羽的心里升起一股怒火，尾尖烦躁地抽动着。他们打算全都站在这里抱怨，什么都不做吗？要是在族群，他会直接把受伤的猫带回巫医巢穴，可这里没有巫医。看来一切还得靠我。
石歌轻轻地将追云放在地上，然后挤开恐慌的猫群走到他们中间。“够了！”他大喊道，“安静下来。追云会没事的。现在我们应该集中精力看看能怎么帮他。”
可尽管他发话了，惊呼声还是没有停下来。松鸦羽瞥见半月正被挤在猫群中，于是侧了侧耳朵，示意她到自己这边来。“我们需要蜘蛛网止血。”等他们俩都奋力从猫群中挤出来后，他对半月说道，“那些小山洞里可能会有些。”
半月点点头，赶忙跟在松鸦羽后面，朝那些小山洞走去。她钻进后来成为尖石巫师巢穴的那个山洞，松鸦羽也沿着通往尖石洞的通道走了进去。这个山洞跟他在自己的时代看到的一样，地上尖石林立，洞顶石锥倒挂，里面到处都是星星点点的小水洼，映照着洞顶缝隙处投下的一缕灰白月光。看着看着，他不禁毛发直立，浑身颤抖了起来。
这个地方存在多久了？经历了多少个季节？是不是像森林里的落叶日复一日堆积在地上一样？
想到这里，他晃了晃身子让自己清醒过来，走进去，开始在山洞的边边角角以及石缝里寻找了起来。洞里没有蜘蛛网，不过在一个水洼边上，他发现了一些短粗的苔藓。于是他抓了一把，把它浸到水中弄湿。除了蜘蛛网，这个便是给追云疗伤最好的草药了。松鸦羽满嘴叼着湿答答的苔藓，又返回了大山洞。
半月从另外一条通道里钻了出来。“我在那里面什么也没找到，”她说道，“里面太黑了！”
洞口处，众猫已经散去。追云在石歌的搀扶下，蹒跚着走到山洞的中央。松鸦羽环顾四周，这里没有合适的地方可以做巫医巢穴。不过他看到一块大圆石下有片沙地，那里应该就可以。“把他扶到这里来吧。”他用尾尖示意石歌，声音因为嘴里叼着苔藓而含混不清。
还有些猫想跟上来，但是半月走上前去拦住了他们。“他现在需要安静，”她说道，“你们可以过会儿再来看他。”
升月似乎想要反对，但吟风用尾巴拍了拍她的肩膀，把她带走了。松鸦羽和石歌将追云放在沙地上，然后松鸦羽把浸湿的苔藓敷在了被大鸟撕裂的伤口上。
“感觉很舒服！”追云低声道。
确定伤口清理干净了，松鸦羽又敷了些苔藓在上面，还按压了下四周边缘，确定苔藓粘在上面不会掉下来。“保持别动，这样就不会掉下来。”他对追云说道，“能睡着就睡会儿吧。”
他从石歌的眼神里察觉到，石歌对他不容置疑的说话语气很是惊讶，但他没理会。我不知道松鸦翅到底懂多少疗伤知识，但现在在这里的是我，我在做我应该做的事情。
“你也过来。”他对半月说道。
松鸦羽开始清理白色母猫的抓伤，这时他瞥见卷蕨站在山洞中央，周围还围着很多猫。
出什么事了？他想道，但他没说话，还是继续小心翼翼地清理着半月的伤口。
松鸦羽第一次在湖区遇上远古猫时，卷蕨是他们的族长。当时投石，他赞成留下。后来投石结果出来跟他意见相左，他便把族长之位让给了石歌。
“我想我们大多数猫都认为，来这儿是个错误的决定。”卷蕨说道，“我们根本就不应该离开湖区。所以等暴风雪停了，我会带想回去的猫回湖区。”
“是该回去了！”闪电喊道，“我跟你走。”
“我也走，”鱼跃说道，“我本来就不想来。”
惊鹿竖起了尾巴。“卷蕨，大家还都没表态呢。”她的声音透着坚定。“难道我幼崽的父亲就白死了吗？”她用尾尖轻抚着隆起的腹部，又补充说道，“在我的幼崽降生，并且长到足够强壮之前，我哪儿也不去。”
“我也想留下来，”鸽翅插了一句，“而且我们在湖区也有一堆的麻烦，那些麻烦是不会消失的。”
“但或许落叶会在那里啊。”碎影提议道，眼里燃起希望，松鸦羽从没见过她这样，“带我们回家吧，卷蕨。”
吟风叹了一口气。“我当时是投石决定离开的，”她说道，“但现在我无比后悔那个决定。那就是个错误，所以我们现在应该回去。”
“我当时也赞成离开的，但是现在我想回去。”枭羽伸出尾巴将幼崽拢在身边，“我担心如果继续待在这里，我的幼崽们会死掉的。”幼崽们害怕地喵喵叫着，他们的母亲赶紧蜷缩起身体拢着他们，轻轻舔着他们安抚着。
“那么我们同意——”卷蕨刚要开口。
“不！”松鸦羽打断了他。洞里每一只猫的眼睛都看向他，在晦暗的光线下，他们的眼中闪烁着光芒。“你们不能回去，我是说，我们不能回去！”
枭羽将幼崽拢紧，怒视着松鸦羽道。“你说得倒轻巧，”她哼了一声，“你又没有幼崽！”
突然，松鸦羽发现半月站到了他身旁。他瞥了半月一眼，又继续说道：“我们不能这么快就放弃，至少应该等暴风雪停了，看看能否找到狩猎的办法再说。”
升月甩着尾巴走近他。“但现在我们成了猎物！”她咆哮道，“我们连自身都难保，还怎么去狩猎呢？”
松鸦羽大脑一片混乱。“我们得换一种狩猎方法，”他突然想起急水部落后来按照不同职责，将猫分成了山洞卫士和狩猎者，“我们中的一些猫负责狩猎，另一些猫则负责保护他们和我们的猎物不受大鸟的攻击。”
猫儿们面面相觑，低声咕哝着。松鸦羽看得出来，他们对他的提议并没有什么信心。但是会管用的！我亲眼见过的！
“我们可以试一试。”半月说道。她往松鸦羽身边又靠了靠，让彼此的皮毛相擦。
她的碰触让松鸦羽浑身升起一股暖流，得到支持的感觉真好。“谢谢。”他悄悄说道，用鼻子碰了碰她的耳朵。
“是啊，试一试，然后再让更多的猫被撕掉皮毛！”闪电脖颈儿上的皮毛竖着，怒视着松鸦羽。
闪电的话得到了大家的支持。松鸦羽感觉到卷蕨周围众猫散发出来的阵阵敌意，全都向他扑来，让他几乎站不住，差点儿向后倒过去。只有半月的支持还是不够的。
“那就这么定了。”卷蕨的目光扫过在场的其他猫，“等暴风雪一停，我们就回湖区。”
松鸦羽难以置信地看着众猫走到山洞的角落里，开始找地方睡觉。这不可能！
“对不起。”石歌喃喃道，刚才大家争论的时候，他一直沉默地站在那里，“我们尽力了，所以即便失败也不是我们的错。也许我们真的不应该来山区生活吧。”
松鸦羽从石歌那冰蓝色的眸子中看到了真实的悔意。他曾是最赞成来这里的……可现在连他也要放弃了！松鸦羽于是没再说什么，只是跌跌撞撞地走开了。石歌不会明白的。不是我们失败了……是我失败了！
“如果这些猫就要离开，”他喃喃道，“那急水部落后来又是怎么出现在山区的呢？”
还没等他意识到自己在做什么，就发现自己已经来到了尖石洞。身后传来了轻轻的脚步声，他回头一看，原来是半月跟了上来。她在通道口停了下来，然后走进了尖石洞，眼睛睁得大大的，打量着周围。
“哇！”她惊呼道。
松鸦羽和她一起欣赏着周围林立的白色石柱和倒垂下来的石锥。跟半月一起待在洞里，不知怎的，他突然觉得眼前的一切好美。
“我们去探险吧！”半月说道，像个幼崽似的兴奋得跳了一下。
松鸦羽跟着她，看着她冲过水洼，伸出前脚掌，使劲儿地去够石锥的边角。“看！”她大喊道，“这根石柱拔地而起，都快跟洞顶倒垂下来的石锥连到一起了。”
“那两个已经接在一起了。”松鸦羽用尾巴指着连在一起的一根石柱说道。
“好奇怪哦！”半月跑进石林，躲到一根柱子后，然后又顽皮地从另一边探出脑袋来。松鸦羽假装大吼一声向她扑去，但就在快够到她的时候，他的脚掌突然在水边湿滑的岩石上一滑。他的一只脚掌踩进水里，溅起了水花。他赶紧笨拙地往旁边爬去，才没有在水里陷得更深。
“哈，你的脚掌湿了！”半月取笑他。
“我让你见识一下什么是湿脚掌！”松鸦羽大喊道。
说着他捧起一些水，朝她泼了过去。半月尖叫着跑开了，松鸦羽在后面追她，却在林立的石柱中失去了她的踪影。突然，她又冲了出来，和他撞在了一起。松鸦羽看向她的眼睛，那双眸子就像森林里两潭莹莹发光的绿色池水。她温暖的皮毛紧贴着他。
“快看，月亮升起来了。”他说道，慌忙从她身边走开，来到一个水洼边站定，“现在外面肯定已经是晚上了。”
当他呼吸渐渐平稳后，他听到大山洞那边猫的骚动不安。枭羽的幼崽饿得哀号起来。松鸦羽觉得很难过，悲伤像利爪牢牢抓住他。我能理解他们为什么不想待在这里。
“快看！”半月走过来站到他身边，“水里还能看到月亮呢。”
松鸦羽看向面前的一汪清水，里面倒映着一弯小小的新月，月光正从洞顶的缝隙里照了下来。半月都要挪不开眼睛了。
“太美了！”她低声道，“那么小——就像一道抓痕似的。”
她用一只脚掌轻轻拍了拍水面，月影便像银色翅膀似的微微颤动起来，然后又归于平静。半月惊奇地咕哝了一声，一次次地拍打着水面。可不管她拍几次，月亮始终都在那里完整如初。
“它很坚持对不对？”半月对松鸦羽眨了眨眼睛，“它始终都在那里，就像这山洞里的石头一样。或许我们也应该像这月亮的倒影一样，不管发生什么，都要坚持到底！”说着，她又往石洞深处走去，打量着周围的石柱，眼中闪烁着新奇。松鸦羽听着她的话，浑身的皮毛也跟着振奋了起来。
“它们在这里很多个季节了。”半月喃喃道，“如果我们也留下来，那我们的后代会不会也像这些石柱一样世代生存下去呢？”
松鸦羽跳到她身旁：“会的，他们一定会的！我保证。”
半月惊讶地看了他一眼：“你怎么知道？”
“我就是知道。”松鸦羽回答道，“相信我。”
半月凝望着他的双眼，绿色的眸子变得温暖热切起来。“我相信你，一直都是。”松鸦羽感觉自己的尾巴跟她的交缠在了一起。“要是其他的猫也能相信你就好了。”半月说道。
越过半月的肩膀，松鸦羽发现了一丝动静。接着他便浑身战栗起来，因为他看到了岩石。他从远处一根石柱后面走了出来，月光照在他那毛发稀少的身体上，突出的盲眼望着松鸦羽，点了一下头。
“半月！”
尖石洞入口处传来了一个尖锐的声音。岩石的幻象瞬间消失了。松鸦羽和半月看见升月正站在通道口，于是赶忙分开。
“半月，你在这里做什么？”升月不满地瞪了女儿一眼，声音冷冰冰的，“松鸦翅，追云有话要对你说，我正到处找你。”
松鸦羽礼貌地垂下头，从她身边擦过，然后来到了大山洞。追云跟刚才他离开时一样，还躺在那处沙地上。看到松鸦羽走过来，他抬起头，声音喑哑地说道：“你救了我的命。谢谢。”
松鸦羽用前脚掌刨了刨地面。“我们大家都很努力。”他轻声道。
“真不敢相信我们竟然打跑了那只大鸟！”追云的声音变得洪亮起来，眼中闪烁着自豪的光彩。
“是的，你做到了，”松鸦羽说道，“而且你以后还能做到。只要我们大家够努力，就都能做到。”
“不能再那么做了！”升月离他们很近，她听见了他们的谈话，“太危险了。”
“升月说得没错，”闪电走到灰白相间的母猫身边，说道，“我们为什么要冒着生命危险去狩猎呢？”
“因为这是我们在这里生存下去的唯一办法。”半月面对着两只老猫说道，“而且如果我们训练得当的话，不会每次都有生命危险的。”
升月的眼中闪过一丝怒火。她张开嘴刚要反驳，石歌插话说道：“听着，我们大家都累了，所以现在不是做决定的好时候。大家都去睡一觉，明天再谈这个问题吧。”
升月和闪电看起来还想争辩，但最后还是转身朝山洞的另一边大步离开了。石歌和半月各自在地上找了个小坑，蜷缩在里面准备睡觉。
松鸦羽犹豫片刻，走了几步来到半月身边。她抬头看着他，温柔地咕噜一声。躺在她身边感觉像是再自然再正确不过的事情了。通常情况下，他只睡在那些病重需要住进巫医巢穴的猫身边，可即便那样，他们也是睡在不同的窝里。
这样更好，松鸦羽想着合上眼睛打了个哈欠，虽然没有石头山谷里的苔藓和羽毛，却依然很舒服……听着半月轻柔的鼾声，他也渐渐进入了梦乡。
一声哀号从瀑布的轰隆声中传来，惊醒了松鸦羽。水帘外透进来的晦暗光线变得明亮了很多，他猜外面已是拂晓，天空应该已经能看到一丝鱼肚白。他抬起头，看到枭羽的幼崽在山洞的另一边，正用小脚掌踢打着母亲的肚子，想要挤出点儿奶水来。
“对不起，宝贝。”枭羽难过地说道，“我没有奶水喂你了，因为我也一直没吃饱。”
难过的哀号声依然在继续。其他的猫也都醒了过来。曙河已经在梳理着自己的皮毛了，但大部分猫却还在地上无精打采地躺着。松鸦羽能感觉到，绝望就像是冰冷的浓雾一样笼罩着他们。
“我们不会有机会回到湖区了，”吟风喃喃道，“这个地方会先要了我们的命的。”
闪电从地上的坑里爬起来，走到枭羽面前，将口鼻抵在她的额头上。“我们得狩猎，”他宣布道，“我不会让我的幼崽们挨饿的。”
鱼跃转向松鸦羽，冲他摇了摇尾巴：“松鸦翅，昨天你说的那个两只猫结对狩猎是怎么回事来着？”
“不只是两只猫一组。”松鸦羽爬出自己的窝，穿过山洞走到其他猫中间。他一动，半月也跟着爬了起来，快速伸了个懒腰，跟了上去。“我们需要一支队伍来保护狩猎的猫。”他继续说道，“两三只擅长狩猎的猫去狩猎，几只强壮的和战斗能力强的猫负责替他们警戒，以防大鸟的攻击。”
“你是说打跑那些会把我们抓上天去的大鸟吗？”闪电难以置信地问道，“我倒是真想看看谁能行！”
“哦，不要！”枭羽焦虑不安地抬起头来，“它们会把我的幼崽偷走的！”
“那幼崽就不许出洞。”石歌走过来说道，“这里地方很大，他们可以在这里玩。”
“没有什么可担心的，”曙河插了一句，“反正我们也不会在这里待太久。”
“那我们其他的猫怎么办？”升月质问道，“居然想跟那么大的鸟战斗，简直是鼠脑子才想得出的点子。”
“不能那么说。”石歌回答道，“我们昨天就打跑了一只。我承认，追云确实受了伤，可如果我们找对方法来保护自己，那我们就不会总受伤。”
升月不相信地哼了一声。
“我想我们应该试试松鸦翅的办法。”鸽翅说道，“就算我们打算回到湖区，那也得先填饱肚子才能扛得住长途跋涉啊。”
“可我们要怎么做才能打过那么大的鸟呢？”鱼跃问道，“我们总不能飞到空中去袭击它们吧。”
“不，我们只需要引诱一只下来就好。”石歌听上去有些犹豫，就好像他知道自己的提议不会被接受似的，“然后我们就可以大展身手了。”
“不许用我的幼崽当诱饵！”枭羽怒视着他，用脚掌和尾巴保护着三只幼崽。
“当然不会。”石歌向她保证道。
“我来当诱饵，”半月主动请缨道，“我来假装受伤。”
松鸦羽感到心里一紧。“不行，”他说道，“还是让我来吧，这是我出的主意。”
石歌冲他眨了眨眼：“你去会很危险。”
“总要有猫去冒险吧。”松鸦羽回答道。他竭力让自己的声音听上去自然平稳，但实际上他的心里也害怕得发抖。他能想象得出来，自己被凶残的鹰爪紧紧抓住，掳到天上去的情形。“我们到底要不要去？我们现在很需要食物。”
尽管有些猫依然还在犹豫，但有很多已经开始围到松鸦羽身旁，数量足够组成狩猎队了。松鸦羽看了看，这其中除了半月、鱼跃和鸽翅，还有石歌、闪电以及——让他惊讶的是——卷蕨。
“我们走。”松鸦羽喊道，然后率先走出山洞。从瀑布后面出来，他发现暴风雪已经停了。呼啸的狂风变成了凛冽的寒风，空气中还飞舞着几片雪花。头顶上空乌云翻涌，缺口处露出片片天空。狩猎队嘎吱嘎吱地穿过雪地，爬上瀑布两侧的岩石，来到了悬崖顶上。
松鸦羽深吸一口气。他没有训练过任何一只猫，尤其是没训练过他们战斗技巧。但是，保护这些猫的安全是他的责任，不仅仅是在眼前诱敌深入的时刻，还有未来的世世代代。这是否就是星权在握的意义呢？
“我留在这里，你们大家都躲藏起来。”他指挥道，“记住，你们一定不要在能被从上空看到的地方待着，因为大鸟会从天上俯冲下来。石歌、闪电和卷蕨，你们伺机跳出来进攻。鱼跃、鸽翅和半月，你们躲起来静观其变。一会儿我们再讨论战术。”
“我不能躲在石头后面，眼睁睁看着你被撕碎。”半月反对道。
她的关切让松鸦羽心里暖洋洋的。“如果有状况你可以来帮忙。”他对半月说。
半月的尾巴甩了一下：“别想拦着我！”
“大鸟来了我们该怎么做？”鱼跃问道，“我们总不能像抓乌鸫似的扑上去吧！”
“我觉得我们应该攻击它的翅膀。”石歌提议道，“如果它飞不起来，就无法把我们任何一个抓走了。”
卷蕨点点头：“跳起来钳住它的脖子也行。那是鸟的弱点之一，不管那只鸟有多大。”
“好主意，”松鸦羽表示赞同，“现在，在它发现你们之前赶紧藏起来。”
狩猎队立刻散开，在岩石各处找好自己的位置。
“会成功的。”半月走开之前鼓励松鸦羽，“我就知道能行的！”
希望如此。松鸦羽想道。可与此同时，恐惧却像一块寒冰，让他心里一沉。为了急水部落，我必须这样做。
松鸦羽站在河边，感到非常孤单。其他猫都已经藏起来了，他只能看到鱼跃的棕色尾尖还露在雪地上。他抬头仰望天空，依然是灰蒙蒙一眼望不到头，连个鸟的影子都看不到。他感到肚子空空的，饿得发疼。
“快看！”半月低沉的声音从附近一块岩石后面传来。
松鸦羽赶紧眨眨眼睛，再次目不转睛地看向天空。一个小点出现了，正在头顶上空缓缓盘旋着。松鸦羽盯着它，感觉自己的脚掌像是被冻在了岩石上。大鸟飞近了一些，他看清楚那是一只老鹰，跟他在急水部落听说过的一样，甚至比昨天袭击过他们的那只鸟还要大。他赶紧打起精神，等着它俯冲下来，可它却对他没什么兴趣，盘旋一圈就飞走了。
别走！松鸦羽很想大喊一声，我可是很美味的猎物呢！快来抓我！
他开始一瘸一拐地往前走，并抬起一只脚掌装出受伤的样子，嘴里还哀号了一声。老鹰从上空划过，转了个大圈又滑翔下来，松鸦羽看到了它凶恶的钩爪和犀利的黄眼睛。
伟大的星族啊，它好大啊！
他蹲伏在雪地上，可怜地喵喵叫着。老鹰终于飞到他的上空，将他笼罩在翅膀下的阴影中。它那浓烈的气味扑鼻而来，松鸦羽赶紧闭上眼睛。
但愿其他猫已经准备好要扑上来了……
老鹰拍打翅膀的声音听上去像是在打雷，紧接着，可怕的鹰爪猛地插入松鸦羽的肩膀，痛得他发出一声尖叫。与此同时，周围的猫叫声响起，几乎是他的脚掌刚离地，众猫就冲了出来。
“抓住它的翅膀！”石歌大喊道，“别让它飞走！”
他的话被尖厉的猫叫声和翅膀猛烈的拍动声淹没了。松鸦羽看见卷蕨跳起来扑向老鹰的喉咙，可惜只差了一鼠长的距离，爪子抓空了。半月咬住了老鹰的翅膀，但却被甩开摔到了岩石上，嘴里只咬下来一簇羽毛。鱼跃抓住松鸦羽的尾巴，想要把他拽下来。
“不！放开！”松鸦羽尖叫道。他感觉自己的皮毛都快要被这重量坠得扯下来了。
鱼跃赶忙松开。有一个心跳的时间，松鸦羽感觉老鹰要赢了，因为它已经开始要从悬崖顶上起飞了。他别无他法，只好无助地踢打着自己的脚掌。石歌和闪电又冲了上来，他们一边一个跳起来，抓住了老鹰的翅膀。他们的爪子同时刺入，老鹰恼怒地号叫一声，但两个翅膀上各挂着一只猫，它却再也无法飞起来。正当众猫使劲儿往下拉的时候，鸽翅低头钻到老鹰身下靠近松鸦羽的地方，然后飞快地在老鹰的腿上分别咬了一口。
又是一声刺耳的尖叫，老鹰这次放开了松鸦羽。他惊魂未定地摔到了岩石上，看着石歌和闪电猛烈地攻击着老鹰的翅膀，用爪子猛戳它的羽毛，然后便跳回到旁边的安全地带。老鹰终于冲上了天空，羽毛洒了一地，光秃秃的腿上鲜血直流。松鸦羽气喘吁吁地看着它变成天空的一个小点，然后消失了。
“你还好吗？”半月趴在悬崖边上喘着粗气，但她望着松鸦羽的绿色眼睛却是亮晶晶的。
“我没事。”松鸦羽上气不接下气地说道，只是肩膀上刚刚被老鹰抓过的地方火辣辣的疼。
半月起身走到他旁边，嗅了嗅他的伤口。“应该在伤口上敷点苔藓，就像你昨晚给追云弄的那样。”她说道，“不知道这周围有没有羊蹄叶，那个止血效果好。”
狩猎队的其他猫都摇摇晃晃地站起来，检查着自己身上的抓伤。
“我们成功了！”鱼跃声音嘶哑地说道。
“是的。”石歌注视着松鸦羽，“松鸦翅，你这个保护狩猎猫的主意可能行得通。至少我们走之前，应该能找到足够的食物了。”他对其他猫摆了摆尾巴，又补充说道：“走吧，我们去告诉大家这个好消息。”
说完，他率先沿着瀑布旁边的岩石爬了下去，只留松鸦羽和半月单独待在了悬崖顶上。
“我刚才很担心你。”半月喃喃道，用鼻子碰了碰松鸦羽的侧腹，“我为你感到骄傲！如果我们有幼崽的话，他们肯定也会很勇敢！”
幼崽！“半月……”他有点儿尴尬地说道。
他还没说出后面的话，就看见水边一块圆石后面冒出来一只猫。岩石！不要现在出来啊，求求你！
那只盲眼猫站在那里等着。尽管半月正往那个方向看着，但却根本看不到他。
“你要不先跟其他猫一起下去吧？”松鸦羽提议道，“我一会儿就跟上来。”
“好吧。”半月绿色的眼眸里闪过一丝失望，但她还是没有反驳，朝悬崖下走去。
“你现在又想要什么？”远古猫走过来的时候，松鸦羽冲他吼叫道。
岩石没有作声。那一刻，他们只是肩并肩站在悬崖边上。远处，一道红光照在雪地上，预示着太阳就要从那里升起来了。
“几乎一点儿也没变……”岩石感叹道。接着，他转向松鸦羽：“你不能留在这里，这你是知道的，对吗？”
“为什么不能？”松鸦羽反问道，突然感到一阵揪心的痛。
“因为部落需要你，族群需要你。”岩石的声音不容置疑，“你的力量太强大，不能迷失在过去。”
“我在这里也可以发挥力量！”松鸦羽反驳道，“我可以养育幼崽，把我知道的一切都教给他们，然后再回到族群去。”他瞪着岩石：“我……我不想离开。”
第十九章
第十八章
“我们得从这里出去！”藤池低声说道，防备着那些充满敌意的猫随时向她们扑过来。
“我们只是来探险的，”梅花落指出，走到那串脚掌印旁，好奇地嗅了嗅，“我们又没伤害他们。”
“好啦，事情看起来好像不对劲。”藤池反驳道，对梅花落的不以为然感到有些恼火，“我们好像误闯进来了，我现在想赶快离开。”
梅花落耸耸肩：“那好吧，我们来找条路出去。”
小河对岸还有很多隧道，全都通往黑暗中。藤池走在前面跃过小河，走进了最近的那一条隧道。可她还没走几步，便碰到了一堵坚硬的泥墙。
“不好，”她对跟在后面的梅花落说道，“这条路被封死了。”
于是她们退回洞里，又选择了另外一条隧道。这一条起初看起来很有希望，一直向上延伸着，偶尔洞顶能有个裂缝透进来一点儿光线。可走在前面的梅花落猛地停住了，因为隧道陡然拐到另一个方向上去了。
“老鼠屎！”梅花落骂道。
藤池伸长脖子往族猫身前看去。微弱的光线中，她能看到一堆小石头，还有一块大岩石，直通洞顶封住了洞口。她们只好又返回最初的洞穴。藤池紧张到心跳加速。“我们还是按原路返回吧。”她说道，“希望能有猫从那里经过，把我们从洞里救出去。”
梅花落叹了一口气：“希望你是对的。”
可是，等她们再次跳回河对岸时，藤池才第一次发现，洞穴的这一边也有好几条隧道。“你还记得我们是从哪一条进来的吗？”她问梅花落。
梅花落摇了摇头：“我们得沿着我们的气味走了。”
可潮湿的岩石上没有留下任何气味痕迹，河边坚硬的岸上也没有留下她们的脚印。
“我们迷路了！”藤池惊叫道。
“我们会没事的。”梅花落安慰她道。可藤池还是从她的声音中听出了一丝恐慌。“我们就随便选一条隧道，来吧！”只见她快速穿过洞穴，冲进了一条开阔漆黑的隧道里。藤池几乎可以肯定那条路是错的，但她害怕跟梅花落走散，便追了上去。
“等一等！”她大喊道，“我们不能——”她的话还没说完，前面正上方便传来了岩石哗啦啦滚落下来的声音。“梅花落！”她喊道，“怎么了？”
可她没有听到任何回答。藤池吓得四肢发软，不得不强撑着沿隧道往里走。她走了几步，隐约在微弱的光线下看到了梅花落。那位玳瑁色和白色相间的武士此时正一动不动地躺在地上，周围全是散落的大石头。藤池抬起头，看见洞顶有新脱落的痕迹。她猜测刚才那些岩石应该就是从那里掉下来的。
“梅花落？”她蹲在族猫身边，轻声呼唤道。星族啊，请千万别让她死掉啊！
梅花落抖动了两下胡须，睁开了眼睛，这让藤池感到很是欣慰。“藤池？”她喃喃道，“发生什么事了？我的头好疼。”
“我想是洞顶的石头掉下来砸到了你。”藤池回答道，“你能站起来吗？”
梅花落撑着脚掌挣扎着起身。她刚想要从地上抬起肩膀，接着便痛苦地呻吟了一声，又倒了回去。“我感觉头晕眼花的。”她抱怨道，眼睛因惊恐而大睁着，“藤池，你说我们会死在这里吗？”
“当然不会。”藤池回答道。
“可如果我们死在这里了呢？你说米莉会想念我吗？”
藤池立刻对她充满了同情。“当然会！”她安慰梅花落，“米莉爱你跟爱荆棘光一样多。”
一边安慰着梅花落，藤池突然想，鹰霜有可能就是这样赢得梅花落的信任的：承诺给她机会，让她跟姐妹荆棘光一样受到关注。
就像他离间我和鸽翅一样。
她为梅花落感到难过，因为她知道，她是嫉妒她的姐妹可以得到母亲和族猫更多的陪伴。毕竟荆棘光的腿残废了啊！
不过，藤池又想，我也觉得鸽翅的天赋不是一直都好玩。或许，我和梅花落都应该感恩已经拥有的……
梅花落迟疑了一下，接着耸耸肩说道：“或许，当米莉想起她不止有一只幼崽的时候，会爱我吧。”她伸出前脚掌抓了抓隧道里坚硬的地面。藤池惊讶于她使那么大力气，居然没把爪子折断。“我讨厌自己嫉妒荆棘光。”梅花落没有去看藤池，她承认道，“我受不了看着她遭罪。我也知道，为了能好起来，荆棘光宁可付出一切。命运对她太不公平了！”她的爪子划过岩石，又补充说道：“但是我就是忍不住自己的情绪，这只能说明我不是一只好猫。”
“你当然是只好猫！”藤池惊愕地大声说道。
“不，好猫是不会嫉妒受伤的手足的，所以我才去了黑森林。”她斜了藤池一眼，“我不傻，我知道黑森林是那些不被允许去星族的猫才去的地方。但是我猜我也去不了星族，因为我妒忌姐妹受伤。所以黑森林才是我最适合的地方，而且在那里，我能得到很好的训练，比在这里要好得多。”说完她颤抖着长长地吸了一口气，然后环顾四周：“你觉得鹰霜会不会来接我们？”
“我告诉你，我们不会死的！”藤池每一个字都说得信心无比。可万一我们死了呢？一想到要永远地被困在黑森林，她就无法忍受。“梅花落，你觉得自己还能试着站起来吗？”
“试试吧。”梅花落收拢腿，想方设法地站了起来，只是看上去还是有点颤颤巍巍的。
正在藤池心里琢磨着她的族猫能坚持多远时，她听见身后有轻轻的脚步声传来。她身上的每一根毛都立了起来，只觉得背脊发凉。她鼓起勇气，转头看去。
一只她从未见过的猫从阴影处走了出来。那是一只姜黄色和白色相间的公猫，瘦骨嶙峋的，满脸困惑地瞪大了眼睛。“噢！”他气喘吁吁地说道，“我还以为是另一只猫呢。”
“什么另一只？”藤池声音颤抖着问道。
陌生猫没有回答她的问题，只是用困惑的目光审视着她和梅花落。“就你们两个吗？”他问道，“你们没事吧？”
“没事。”藤池心里很害怕，不想浪费时间去猜这只陌生猫到底是谁，或者他在这里做什么，“我们需要从这里出去，我的族猫受伤了！”
“可是如果我告诉你们出路，”陌生猫说道，“那这里又只剩我自己了。你们总是承诺说回来，可却从来都没有回来过。”
藤池紧盯着他。“我们以前从来没有来过！”她说道，“求求你，带我们出去吧。”
公猫烦躁地抽了抽耳朵：“喊什么喊。既然不想留在这里，那你们当初就不该下来。这样做不安全，除非你们知道自己在做什么。”
“嗯，我们确实错了。”藤池回答道，心想着该怎么做才能让他听进去她的恳求，“我们现在只想回家。”
陌生猫靠近一些，怀疑地眯起眼睛。他先用鼻子嗅了嗅藤池，接着是梅花落，这让藤池很是紧张。他的气味让她很害怕，他的气味混合着泥土和水，还有冰冷的远古石头的味道。
“你说得没错，你们确实不属于这里。”他喃喃道，然后又很快补充了一句，“好吧。沿这条隧道走下去，然后看到一块蘑菇状岩石就拐弯，接着走十狐狸身长远，就会看到隧道在那里有个三岔口，走中间那条，它会通往上方，沿路你会来到一堆石头旁，那上面的洞口足够你们挤过去，从那里就能看到出去的路了。”
藤池想要努力记住他说的路线。她脑子乱哄哄的，就像一棵空心树，里面有蜜蜂做了窝，嗡嗡叫个不停。“你能带我们去吗？”她问道。
“不，”姜黄色和白色相间的公猫已经开始后退回去了，“你们必须自己走。”
说完，不等藤池反对，他便消失在阴影中了。“疥癣皮！”她甩了甩尾巴抱怨道。她盯着他消失的隧道，随即转身对梅花落说：“来，我们走吧。”
她让梅花落走在前面，以防玳瑁色和白色相间的武士再次跌倒，然后便沿着隧道一直往前走。她们找到了公猫说的那个蘑菇状岩石，可她们拐弯进去的隧道里一片漆黑，她们完全不知自己身在何处了。
“我确信我们走了已经不止十狐狸身长了，”小心谨慎地往前走着，藤池说道，“可我们还没有看见他说的那个岔路口。”
“有可能是我们刚才路过没注意。”梅花落建议道，“我们要不然再回去看看。”
“好。”藤池转身又折回黑暗之中，使劲儿瞪大着眼睛寻找着一丝光亮，可黑暗似乎是永无止境。
“现在我们应该是回到刚才拐弯的地方了。”梅花落声音颤抖地说道。
“我知道。”说话的时候，藤池感觉到一丝微风正吹拂着她身体一侧的皮毛。“我想应该就在这附近了，”她欣慰地说道，“这边。”
可几乎是刚走进新的隧道，藤池就意识到这次她们又走错了。这里没有蘑菇状岩石，而且隧道也是陡直朝下延伸的。她向前走着，脚掌在潮湿的岩石上不停地打滑。
希望我们这次不要再返回去了，可我也不确定梅花落能不能从这里爬出去。
接着藤池就看到隧道远处透过来一丝微弱的光。“我们有救了！”她信心大增地喊道，并加快了脚步。
藤池终于走出了隧道口，梅花落也吃力地在她后面跟了上来。藤池停住了，发出一声沮丧的低吼。她们又回到有地下河的那个洞穴了。
“我简直不敢相信！”梅花落颓败地倒在地上，嘶吼道，“我们好像永远出不去了。”
“我刚才应该问问那只猫叫什么，”藤池说道，“我们可以再喊喊他。”生气地抖了两下胡须，她又说道：“不过我想他应该无论如何都不会再出来了。”
梅花落躺在她身边，喘着粗气。“对不起，”她低声道，“都是我的错。是我非要到这下面来的。”
“我也有错，我应该拦住你的。”藤池说道。
“怎么拦？”没想到梅花落的眼中闪过一丝狡黠和幽默，“咬住我的尾巴吗？”
藤池扑哧一声笑了，想象着那个画面：她用牙齿使劲咬住梅花落的尾巴，而玳瑁色和白色相间的武士的身子则在洞口不停地晃荡着。
“好了！你们还在等什么？”
有声音从身后传来。藤池身子立刻一僵，皮毛竖起，脚掌因为恐惧而刺痛。她随即强装镇定地转过身来，却什么也没有看见，只是在洞穴的深处好像有一双眼睛在闪闪发光。不过，她可以肯定，这应该不是她们先前遇到过的那只猫。
“你们想出去，对吗？”那个声音不耐烦地继续说道，“你们应该知道，你们不该来这里的。”
“嗯，是的，求求你帮帮我们吧！”梅花落哀求道。
“好吧，跟我来。”
藤池看见一只深色猫影闪进几尾远处的一条隧道里，可不管她怎么瞪大眼睛看，都无法辨认出那只猫是谁。她用脚掌拉着梅花落，跟了上去。这条隧道又黑又窄，藤池一点儿也看不清前面的那只猫，只能从脚步声，以及泥土、水和森林绿植的气味上，来判断那只猫的存在。
他们走了很久，绕过很多条拐来拐去的隧道和岔路口，直到梅花落的脚步开始摇晃起来。这里的隧道变得宽敞了一点儿，所以藤池可以让她靠在自己的肩膀上，跟她并排走着。
“还要再往里走吗？”藤池问前面的猫。
没有任何回答。但紧接着在隧道的下一个拐弯处，明亮的日光一下子便出现在了眼前。通往那束阳光的小路很是陡峭，上面全是泥土和零星的脚掌印。可是，那只救了她们的猫却在此时消失了。
“那只猫去哪儿了？”藤池惊奇地问道。
梅花落已经累得没办法回答了。她拖着身子来到空地上，一下子便瘫倒在橡树树桩旁的一片阳光里。藤池环顾四周，感觉几尾远处的蕨丛里有动静。
“谢谢你！”她大声喊道。
依然没有任何回答，与此同时，那个动静也消失了。隧道口就在岩石间，涓涓细流顺着岩石流下，汇成一个小水洼。藤池抓了几把苔藓放在水里浸湿，然后让梅花落喝点儿水。
“谢谢！”母猫坐起来喘息着，“哇，那个地方太古怪了！能再回到阳光下真是太好啦！”
“我们最好赶紧回营地去，”藤池说道，“你还能继续走吗？”
“不行也得行。”梅花落坚定地说道。
看着她，藤池心里有点儿打鼓。她们俩看上去又脏又累，脚掌因为在硬石头上走了太久，都已经裂开了。除了在黑森林受的伤之外，梅花落头上还被掉落的岩石砸了个大包，眼睛周围肿了起来，眼睛几乎眯成了一条缝。
“那我们慢慢走。”藤池轻声说道，虽然她也不知道这里是什么地方。这里的树太多，不太像风族的领地。她打量着周围那些参天橡树和山毛榉树，还有树下盘根错节交缠在一起的灌木丛，心里不禁想道，要是我们来到的是影族的领地怎么办？万一遇上巡逻队怎么办？
她没把这些担心告诉梅花落，不过她估计同族猫应该也能感觉得到这些危险。她焦虑极了，灌木丛里只要有一丝风吹草动，她就会惊得跳起来。而每走一步，她的脚掌就会紧张得发麻。等她闻见前面浓郁的雷族气味时，终于放松地舒了一口气。不一会儿，她们就穿过边界，来到了雷族的领地里。
“感谢星族！”梅花落欢呼道，“藤池，你觉得等回到营地我们应该怎么说？”
“不能说实话。”藤池立刻回答道。
梅花落猛地停住了，身上的皮毛竖起。藤池又补充说道：“反正我们瞒着黑森林的事情，已经是对族猫们撒谎了。”
“那不一样。”梅花落喃喃道。
虽然藤池没再争辩，但她心里却认为，反正都已经撒谎了，多一次少一次没什么区别。
“我们就说迷路了吧。”梅花落说道，继续一瘸一拐地向前走去。
哈，这也不完全诚实，好吗？藤池心想。“好，确实是迷路了。”她大声说道。
快到石头山谷的时候，她们下意识地加快了脚步。不过，等她们跌跌撞撞穿过荆棘通道，进入了营地，已经是日高时分后很久了。几只族猫蹲伏在猎物堆旁，藤池看到沙风和刺掌已经狩猎回来了。火星和灰条也都在，旁边还有她的母亲白翅和其他几只资历较深的武士。她硬着头皮走上前去，准备挨训。等她和梅花落走近时，族猫们都抬起头来看着她们，嘴里还吃着东西。蕨毛嘴里还挂着一根老鼠尾巴，而栗尾的鼻子旁则粘着一根乌鸫的羽毛。
“你们怎么了？”沙风询问道，她站起身来到两只母猫身旁，“刺掌和我都以为你们去追猎物去了。你们什么也没抓到吗？”
梅花落摇了摇头：“我们迷路了。”
藤池意识到这个解释根本就没有什么说服力，难怪有几只猫会怀疑地盯着她们看。这时火星摆了摆尾巴示意她们过去，藤池的心紧张得怦怦直跳。雷族族长眯起他那双明亮的翠绿色眼睛，仔细地打量了她们一会儿。“你们迷路了？”他重复道，“在雷族的领地里？”
“还有，你们怎么看起来像是被谁从黑莓丛里拽出来似的？”刺掌问道，“你们遇上泼皮猫了吗？还是风族？”
“都没有，”藤池答道，“我们只是——”
“藤池！”幸好她的母亲白翅走了过来，挤开刺掌，又瞪了火星一眼。“她们去了哪里重要吗？”她诘问道，舔着藤池的脸和脖子。“她们显然都受伤了。我还以为你们是被什么新叶季的猎物给吸引走了呢。”她冲藤池补充道，“真不敢想你们是真的遇上了麻烦。”
“我们没事，真的。”藤池说道。
白翅的绿色眼眸里充满了慈爱。“一个女儿不在身边就已经很难受了，”她说道，“我可不能再失去另一个。”
藤池注意到米莉从巫医巢穴里出来了，正帮助荆棘光往猎物堆这边挪动。她似乎没注意到梅花落，直到白翅喊了她一声。
“米莉，梅花落和藤池迷路了。看样子，她们吃了不少苦。”
米莉抬起头，接着便让荆棘光自己慢慢拖着身子往前爬，她自己则大步朝梅花落走来，尾尖恼怒地来回抽动着。
唉，藤池感到很愧疚，因为白翅真的是对她太好了，可米莉现在真的是心里只有荆棘光一个。
“你去哪儿了？”米莉呵斥道，“你本来应该去狩猎的，却浪费了整整一个早上！”她回头瞥了一眼正吃力爬向猎物堆的荆棘光，又说道：“如果能为族群狩猎，你姐妹愿意付出一切！你也该长大了，梅花落，该表现得像位真正的武士那样了。”
几只猫瞪大了眼睛。
“又没造成什么伤害。”蕨毛说道，关切地冲梅花落眨了眨眼，“她们俩都安全回来了，这才是最重要的，不是吗？”
“是吗？”米莉张嘴咆哮着，回到荆棘光身边，满眼的苦涩。
藤池感到有些尴尬，她走到梅花落身旁。“你母亲不是那个意思——”她开口说道。
梅花落甩了甩尾巴，打断了她的话。“无所谓了。”她喃喃道，眼睛盯着米莉，看着她帮荆棘光从猎物堆里挑了一只肥硕的田鼠，“现在已经这样了，我最好还是习惯吧。至少，我在黑森林还能得到些关注。”
她的话让藤池身上起了一阵寒意。不知道还有多少猫会听信鹰霜的花言巧语。她看着族猫们，安静地在猎物堆旁蜷伏了下来，最后的战斗打响时，他们中的任何一个都有可能受训去攻击自己的族猫！
第十八章
第十八章
“我们得从这里出去！”藤池低声说道，防备着那些充满敌意的猫随时向她们扑过来。
“我们只是来探险的，”梅花落指出，走到那串脚掌印旁，好奇地嗅了嗅，“我们又没伤害他们。”
“好啦，事情看起来好像不对劲。”藤池反驳道，对梅花落的不以为然感到有些恼火，“我们好像误闯进来了，我现在想赶快离开。”
梅花落耸耸肩：“那好吧，我们来找条路出去。”
小河对岸还有很多隧道，全都通往黑暗中。藤池走在前面跃过小河，走进了最近的那一条隧道。可她还没走几步，便碰到了一堵坚硬的泥墙。
“不好，”她对跟在后面的梅花落说道，“这条路被封死了。”
于是她们退回洞里，又选择了另外一条隧道。这一条起初看起来很有希望，一直向上延伸着，偶尔洞顶能有个裂缝透进来一点儿光线。可走在前面的梅花落猛地停住了，因为隧道陡然拐到另一个方向上去了。
“老鼠屎！”梅花落骂道。
藤池伸长脖子往族猫身前看去。微弱的光线中，她能看到一堆小石头，还有一块大岩石，直通洞顶封住了洞口。她们只好又返回最初的洞穴。藤池紧张到心跳加速。“我们还是按原路返回吧。”她说道，“希望能有猫从那里经过，把我们从洞里救出去。”
梅花落叹了一口气：“希望你是对的。”
可是，等她们再次跳回河对岸时，藤池才第一次发现，洞穴的这一边也有好几条隧道。“你还记得我们是从哪一条进来的吗？”她问梅花落。
梅花落摇了摇头：“我们得沿着我们的气味走了。”
可潮湿的岩石上没有留下任何气味痕迹，河边坚硬的岸上也没有留下她们的脚印。
“我们迷路了！”藤池惊叫道。
“我们会没事的。”梅花落安慰她道。可藤池还是从她的声音中听出了一丝恐慌。“我们就随便选一条隧道，来吧！”只见她快速穿过洞穴，冲进了一条开阔漆黑的隧道里。藤池几乎可以肯定那条路是错的，但她害怕跟梅花落走散，便追了上去。
“等一等！”她大喊道，“我们不能——”她的话还没说完，前面正上方便传来了岩石哗啦啦滚落下来的声音。“梅花落！”她喊道，“怎么了？”
可她没有听到任何回答。藤池吓得四肢发软，不得不强撑着沿隧道往里走。她走了几步，隐约在微弱的光线下看到了梅花落。那位玳瑁色和白色相间的武士此时正一动不动地躺在地上，周围全是散落的大石头。藤池抬起头，看见洞顶有新脱落的痕迹。她猜测刚才那些岩石应该就是从那里掉下来的。
“梅花落？”她蹲在族猫身边，轻声呼唤道。星族啊，请千万别让她死掉啊！
梅花落抖动了两下胡须，睁开了眼睛，这让藤池感到很是欣慰。“藤池？”她喃喃道，“发生什么事了？我的头好疼。”
“我想是洞顶的石头掉下来砸到了你。”藤池回答道，“你能站起来吗？”
梅花落撑着脚掌挣扎着起身。她刚想要从地上抬起肩膀，接着便痛苦地呻吟了一声，又倒了回去。“我感觉头晕眼花的。”她抱怨道，眼睛因惊恐而大睁着，“藤池，你说我们会死在这里吗？”
“当然不会。”藤池回答道。
“可如果我们死在这里了呢？你说米莉会想念我吗？”
藤池立刻对她充满了同情。“当然会！”她安慰梅花落，“米莉爱你跟爱荆棘光一样多。”
一边安慰着梅花落，藤池突然想，鹰霜有可能就是这样赢得梅花落的信任的：承诺给她机会，让她跟姐妹荆棘光一样受到关注。
就像他离间我和鸽翅一样。
她为梅花落感到难过，因为她知道，她是嫉妒她的姐妹可以得到母亲和族猫更多的陪伴。毕竟荆棘光的腿残废了啊！
不过，藤池又想，我也觉得鸽翅的天赋不是一直都好玩。或许，我和梅花落都应该感恩已经拥有的……
梅花落迟疑了一下，接着耸耸肩说道：“或许，当米莉想起她不止有一只幼崽的时候，会爱我吧。”她伸出前脚掌抓了抓隧道里坚硬的地面。藤池惊讶于她使那么大力气，居然没把爪子折断。“我讨厌自己嫉妒荆棘光。”梅花落没有去看藤池，她承认道，“我受不了看着她遭罪。我也知道，为了能好起来，荆棘光宁可付出一切。命运对她太不公平了！”她的爪子划过岩石，又补充说道：“但是我就是忍不住自己的情绪，这只能说明我不是一只好猫。”
“你当然是只好猫！”藤池惊愕地大声说道。
“不，好猫是不会嫉妒受伤的手足的，所以我才去了黑森林。”她斜了藤池一眼，“我不傻，我知道黑森林是那些不被允许去星族的猫才去的地方。但是我猜我也去不了星族，因为我妒忌姐妹受伤。所以黑森林才是我最适合的地方，而且在那里，我能得到很好的训练，比在这里要好得多。”说完她颤抖着长长地吸了一口气，然后环顾四周：“你觉得鹰霜会不会来接我们？”
“我告诉你，我们不会死的！”藤池每一个字都说得信心无比。可万一我们死了呢？一想到要永远地被困在黑森林，她就无法忍受。“梅花落，你觉得自己还能试着站起来吗？”
“试试吧。”梅花落收拢腿，想方设法地站了起来，只是看上去还是有点颤颤巍巍的。
正在藤池心里琢磨着她的族猫能坚持多远时，她听见身后有轻轻的脚步声传来。她身上的每一根毛都立了起来，只觉得背脊发凉。她鼓起勇气，转头看去。
一只她从未见过的猫从阴影处走了出来。那是一只姜黄色和白色相间的公猫，瘦骨嶙峋的，满脸困惑地瞪大了眼睛。“噢！”他气喘吁吁地说道，“我还以为是另一只猫呢。”
“什么另一只？”藤池声音颤抖着问道。
陌生猫没有回答她的问题，只是用困惑的目光审视着她和梅花落。“就你们两个吗？”他问道，“你们没事吧？”
“没事。”藤池心里很害怕，不想浪费时间去猜这只陌生猫到底是谁，或者他在这里做什么，“我们需要从这里出去，我的族猫受伤了！”
“可是如果我告诉你们出路，”陌生猫说道，“那这里又只剩我自己了。你们总是承诺说回来，可却从来都没有回来过。”
藤池紧盯着他。“我们以前从来没有来过！”她说道，“求求你，带我们出去吧。”
公猫烦躁地抽了抽耳朵：“喊什么喊。既然不想留在这里，那你们当初就不该下来。这样做不安全，除非你们知道自己在做什么。”
“嗯，我们确实错了。”藤池回答道，心想着该怎么做才能让他听进去她的恳求，“我们现在只想回家。”
陌生猫靠近一些，怀疑地眯起眼睛。他先用鼻子嗅了嗅藤池，接着是梅花落，这让藤池很是紧张。他的气味让她很害怕，他的气味混合着泥土和水，还有冰冷的远古石头的味道。
“你说得没错，你们确实不属于这里。”他喃喃道，然后又很快补充了一句，“好吧。沿这条隧道走下去，然后看到一块蘑菇状岩石就拐弯，接着走十狐狸身长远，就会看到隧道在那里有个三岔口，走中间那条，它会通往上方，沿路你会来到一堆石头旁，那上面的洞口足够你们挤过去，从那里就能看到出去的路了。”
藤池想要努力记住他说的路线。她脑子乱哄哄的，就像一棵空心树，里面有蜜蜂做了窝，嗡嗡叫个不停。“你能带我们去吗？”她问道。
“不，”姜黄色和白色相间的公猫已经开始后退回去了，“你们必须自己走。”
说完，不等藤池反对，他便消失在阴影中了。“疥癣皮！”她甩了甩尾巴抱怨道。她盯着他消失的隧道，随即转身对梅花落说：“来，我们走吧。”
她让梅花落走在前面，以防玳瑁色和白色相间的武士再次跌倒，然后便沿着隧道一直往前走。她们找到了公猫说的那个蘑菇状岩石，可她们拐弯进去的隧道里一片漆黑，她们完全不知自己身在何处了。
“我确信我们走了已经不止十狐狸身长了，”小心谨慎地往前走着，藤池说道，“可我们还没有看见他说的那个岔路口。”
“有可能是我们刚才路过没注意。”梅花落建议道，“我们要不然再回去看看。”
“好。”藤池转身又折回黑暗之中，使劲儿瞪大着眼睛寻找着一丝光亮，可黑暗似乎是永无止境。
“现在我们应该是回到刚才拐弯的地方了。”梅花落声音颤抖地说道。
“我知道。”说话的时候，藤池感觉到一丝微风正吹拂着她身体一侧的皮毛。“我想应该就在这附近了，”她欣慰地说道，“这边。”
可几乎是刚走进新的隧道，藤池就意识到这次她们又走错了。这里没有蘑菇状岩石，而且隧道也是陡直朝下延伸的。她向前走着，脚掌在潮湿的岩石上不停地打滑。
希望我们这次不要再返回去了，可我也不确定梅花落能不能从这里爬出去。
接着藤池就看到隧道远处透过来一丝微弱的光。“我们有救了！”她信心大增地喊道，并加快了脚步。
藤池终于走出了隧道口，梅花落也吃力地在她后面跟了上来。藤池停住了，发出一声沮丧的低吼。她们又回到有地下河的那个洞穴了。
“我简直不敢相信！”梅花落颓败地倒在地上，嘶吼道，“我们好像永远出不去了。”
“我刚才应该问问那只猫叫什么，”藤池说道，“我们可以再喊喊他。”生气地抖了两下胡须，她又说道：“不过我想他应该无论如何都不会再出来了。”
梅花落躺在她身边，喘着粗气。“对不起，”她低声道，“都是我的错。是我非要到这下面来的。”
“我也有错，我应该拦住你的。”藤池说道。
“怎么拦？”没想到梅花落的眼中闪过一丝狡黠和幽默，“咬住我的尾巴吗？”
藤池扑哧一声笑了，想象着那个画面：她用牙齿使劲咬住梅花落的尾巴，而玳瑁色和白色相间的武士的身子则在洞口不停地晃荡着。
“好了！你们还在等什么？”
有声音从身后传来。藤池身子立刻一僵，皮毛竖起，脚掌因为恐惧而刺痛。她随即强装镇定地转过身来，却什么也没有看见，只是在洞穴的深处好像有一双眼睛在闪闪发光。不过，她可以肯定，这应该不是她们先前遇到过的那只猫。
“你们想出去，对吗？”那个声音不耐烦地继续说道，“你们应该知道，你们不该来这里的。”
“嗯，是的，求求你帮帮我们吧！”梅花落哀求道。
“好吧，跟我来。”
藤池看见一只深色猫影闪进几尾远处的一条隧道里，可不管她怎么瞪大眼睛看，都无法辨认出那只猫是谁。她用脚掌拉着梅花落，跟了上去。这条隧道又黑又窄，藤池一点儿也看不清前面的那只猫，只能从脚步声，以及泥土、水和森林绿植的气味上，来判断那只猫的存在。
他们走了很久，绕过很多条拐来拐去的隧道和岔路口，直到梅花落的脚步开始摇晃起来。这里的隧道变得宽敞了一点儿，所以藤池可以让她靠在自己的肩膀上，跟她并排走着。
“还要再往里走吗？”藤池问前面的猫。
没有任何回答。但紧接着在隧道的下一个拐弯处，明亮的日光一下子便出现在了眼前。通往那束阳光的小路很是陡峭，上面全是泥土和零星的脚掌印。可是，那只救了她们的猫却在此时消失了。
“那只猫去哪儿了？”藤池惊奇地问道。
梅花落已经累得没办法回答了。她拖着身子来到空地上，一下子便瘫倒在橡树树桩旁的一片阳光里。藤池环顾四周，感觉几尾远处的蕨丛里有动静。
“谢谢你！”她大声喊道。
依然没有任何回答，与此同时，那个动静也消失了。隧道口就在岩石间，涓涓细流顺着岩石流下，汇成一个小水洼。藤池抓了几把苔藓放在水里浸湿，然后让梅花落喝点儿水。
“谢谢！”母猫坐起来喘息着，“哇，那个地方太古怪了！能再回到阳光下真是太好啦！”
“我们最好赶紧回营地去，”藤池说道，“你还能继续走吗？”
“不行也得行。”梅花落坚定地说道。
看着她，藤池心里有点儿打鼓。她们俩看上去又脏又累，脚掌因为在硬石头上走了太久，都已经裂开了。除了在黑森林受的伤之外，梅花落头上还被掉落的岩石砸了个大包，眼睛周围肿了起来，眼睛几乎眯成了一条缝。
“那我们慢慢走。”藤池轻声说道，虽然她也不知道这里是什么地方。这里的树太多，不太像风族的领地。她打量着周围那些参天橡树和山毛榉树，还有树下盘根错节交缠在一起的灌木丛，心里不禁想道，要是我们来到的是影族的领地怎么办？万一遇上巡逻队怎么办？
她没把这些担心告诉梅花落，不过她估计同族猫应该也能感觉得到这些危险。她焦虑极了，灌木丛里只要有一丝风吹草动，她就会惊得跳起来。而每走一步，她的脚掌就会紧张得发麻。等她闻见前面浓郁的雷族气味时，终于放松地舒了一口气。不一会儿，她们就穿过边界，来到了雷族的领地里。
“感谢星族！”梅花落欢呼道，“藤池，你觉得等回到营地我们应该怎么说？”
“不能说实话。”藤池立刻回答道。
梅花落猛地停住了，身上的皮毛竖起。藤池又补充说道：“反正我们瞒着黑森林的事情，已经是对族猫们撒谎了。”
“那不一样。”梅花落喃喃道。
虽然藤池没再争辩，但她心里却认为，反正都已经撒谎了，多一次少一次没什么区别。
“我们就说迷路了吧。”梅花落说道，继续一瘸一拐地向前走去。
哈，这也不完全诚实，好吗？藤池心想。“好，确实是迷路了。”她大声说道。
快到石头山谷的时候，她们下意识地加快了脚步。不过，等她们跌跌撞撞穿过荆棘通道，进入了营地，已经是日高时分后很久了。几只族猫蹲伏在猎物堆旁，藤池看到沙风和刺掌已经狩猎回来了。火星和灰条也都在，旁边还有她的母亲白翅和其他几只资历较深的武士。她硬着头皮走上前去，准备挨训。等她和梅花落走近时，族猫们都抬起头来看着她们，嘴里还吃着东西。蕨毛嘴里还挂着一根老鼠尾巴，而栗尾的鼻子旁则粘着一根乌鸫的羽毛。
“你们怎么了？”沙风询问道，她站起身来到两只母猫身旁，“刺掌和我都以为你们去追猎物去了。你们什么也没抓到吗？”
梅花落摇了摇头：“我们迷路了。”
藤池意识到这个解释根本就没有什么说服力，难怪有几只猫会怀疑地盯着她们看。这时火星摆了摆尾巴示意她们过去，藤池的心紧张得怦怦直跳。雷族族长眯起他那双明亮的翠绿色眼睛，仔细地打量了她们一会儿。“你们迷路了？”他重复道，“在雷族的领地里？”
“还有，你们怎么看起来像是被谁从黑莓丛里拽出来似的？”刺掌问道，“你们遇上泼皮猫了吗？还是风族？”
“都没有，”藤池答道，“我们只是——”
“藤池！”幸好她的母亲白翅走了过来，挤开刺掌，又瞪了火星一眼。“她们去了哪里重要吗？”她诘问道，舔着藤池的脸和脖子。“她们显然都受伤了。我还以为你们是被什么新叶季的猎物给吸引走了呢。”她冲藤池补充道，“真不敢想你们是真的遇上了麻烦。”
“我们没事，真的。”藤池说道。
白翅的绿色眼眸里充满了慈爱。“一个女儿不在身边就已经很难受了，”她说道，“我可不能再失去另一个。”
藤池注意到米莉从巫医巢穴里出来了，正帮助荆棘光往猎物堆这边挪动。她似乎没注意到梅花落，直到白翅喊了她一声。
“米莉，梅花落和藤池迷路了。看样子，她们吃了不少苦。”
米莉抬起头，接着便让荆棘光自己慢慢拖着身子往前爬，她自己则大步朝梅花落走来，尾尖恼怒地来回抽动着。
唉，藤池感到很愧疚，因为白翅真的是对她太好了，可米莉现在真的是心里只有荆棘光一个。
“你去哪儿了？”米莉呵斥道，“你本来应该去狩猎的，却浪费了整整一个早上！”她回头瞥了一眼正吃力爬向猎物堆的荆棘光，又说道：“如果能为族群狩猎，你姐妹愿意付出一切！你也该长大了，梅花落，该表现得像位真正的武士那样了。”
几只猫瞪大了眼睛。
“又没造成什么伤害。”蕨毛说道，关切地冲梅花落眨了眨眼，“她们俩都安全回来了，这才是最重要的，不是吗？”
“是吗？”米莉张嘴咆哮着，回到荆棘光身边，满眼的苦涩。
藤池感到有些尴尬，她走到梅花落身旁。“你母亲不是那个意思——”她开口说道。
梅花落甩了甩尾巴，打断了她的话。“无所谓了。”她喃喃道，眼睛盯着米莉，看着她帮荆棘光从猎物堆里挑了一只肥硕的田鼠，“现在已经这样了，我最好还是习惯吧。至少，我在黑森林还能得到些关注。”
她的话让藤池身上起了一阵寒意。不知道还有多少猫会听信鹰霜的花言巧语。她看着族猫们，安静地在猎物堆旁蜷伏了下来，最后的战斗打响时，他们中的任何一个都有可能受训去攻击自己的族猫！
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 15
“That’s enough.” Stone Song stepped betweenJayfeather and Broken Shadows. His voice was firm but his eyes were sympathetic as he gazed at the grieving she-cat. “You were one of the cats who chose to come, Broken Shadows. And we all abide by the casting of the stones.” Laying his tail over her shoulder, he drew her away to the edge of the cave. “Let’s find you some fresh-kill,” he meowed. “And then you should rest. We’ll all feel better after a good sleep.”
Rising Moon followed them and stayed with Broken Shadows, while Stone Song returned to Jayfeather. “Are you okay?” he asked, sounding friendlier. “You must have had a hard time, following us on your own. Whatever made you stay behind by yourself?”
“I got scared.” Jayfeather offered the same lie that he had given to Half Moon.
“You?”Stone Song sounded incredulous. “But you were the one who wanted to leave! You convinced me that there was a place for us among these stone hills.”
“I know.” Jayfeather scraped his forepaws across the hard rock of the cave floor, hoping that his confusion would be put down to guilt and embarrassment. “That’s what scared me. I’d sort of taken responsibility, and I couldn’t face it. I’m sorry.”
“But you’re here now,” Half Moon murmured. “You didn’t want to leave us after all.” There was hope in her voice.
“That’s right. And even though I was scared, I never doubted what we were doing. This is the place where we’re supposed to be.” Suddenly a wave of exhaustion swept over Jayfeather. The light in the cave was gray; it could have been dawn or twilight for all he knew. He had no idea how he had come to be here among the ancient cats, or what he was supposed to do now.
While he stood trying to collect his chaotic thoughts, Chasing Clouds came plodding up, his fur still damp and clumped from the storm outside. “We need more fresh-kill,” he announced. “That means going outside to hunt.”
Jayfeather thought that the gray-and-white tom looked tired enough for a mouse to knock him over, but there was a look of determination in his blue eyes.
“And what about nests?” Whispering Breeze demanded. “Where’s all the moss? Or grass, or feathers? Are we supposed to sleep on bare rock?”
“We’ll take a look when the storm is over,” Stone Song promised. “But I don’t know what we’ll find up here to make nests.”
Whispering Breeze gave her whiskers an angry twitch, but said nothing more. Looking at her, and at all the other cats milling about in despair, Jayfeather felt a flash of panic. How will they survive here? Because they’re meant to stay, aren’t they? They’re Rock’s descendants; they have to settle here and form the Tribe of Rushing Water
As if the thought of Rock had summoned him, Jayfeather was suddenly aware of the ancient cat’s presence at his shoulder, though he could see nothing. Soft breathing stirred the fur around his ear. “You helped them leave the lake,” Rock murmured. “This is their home now. You must make them stay.”
How?Jayfeather wanted to yowl the words aloud, but he knew better than to expect a straight answer from Rock. Besides, the presence of the ancient cat faded as soon as he had spoken. Jayfeather looked around once more. He couldn’t imagine how this pitiful collection of exhausted, dispirited cats could be transformed into the Tribe who made these mountains their home.Where do I begin?
“What about this hunting patrol?” Chasing Clouds’s voice broke in on his musing.
“I’ll come with you,” Stone Song meowed. “Half Moon?”
The white she-cat nodded. “I’m up for it.”
“I’ll come, too,” Jayfeather added, surprised at himself. You can’t hunt, mouse-brain,he reminded himself. But I can see here,he argued. And how hard can it be?
Half Moon gave him a glowing look and padded beside him as they headed out of the cave. In front of the screen of falling water, Jayfeather turned and looked back. The two elders, Cloudy Sun and Running Horse, were both stretched out, asleep or unconscious. Shy Fawn lay panting on one side, her belly swollen; Jayfeather could see that her kits weren’t far from being born. There’s no way she can travel any farther
As Jayfeather watched, a small gray she-cat padded up and mewed something to Shy Fawn; Jayfeather recognized Dove’s Wing, who was his sister in this time. Something about her anxious sense of responsibility seemed familiar to Jayfeather, but he was distracted by Half Moon prodding him in the shoulder with one paw.
“Are you feeling up to hunting?” she mewed. “You look as if a badger fell on you.”
“I’m fine,” Jayfeather responded, and followed her along the path that led behind the falls.
Outside, the storm was still raging. Shiny gray ice held the mountains prisoner and the wind whined around the peaks, flinging ice crystals against the cats’ faces. Shards of it flew into their eyes and clung to their fur. Keeping his head down against the stinging blast, Jayfeather followed Chasing Clouds as he scrambled up a steep slope of loose pebbles opposite the waterfall. There was a terrifying moment as they crossed the ridge when Jayfeather was sure that the wind would carry him off his paws; he scrambled thankfully into the shelter of a rock, and the rest of the patrol huddled around him to catch their breath.
Jayfeather tried to remember what he could about the way the Tribe hunted. “What do they catch?” he muttered to himself. “Do they use regular hunting skills?”
“What?” Half Moon turned toward him, backing up a pace so that she could look into his eyes.
“Oh, I…I was just wondering what to do,” Jayfeather stammered.
Half Moon opened her jaws to reply, but a gust of wind caught her and sent her sliding across the icy rock. She let out a wail of alarm as she slipped over the edge and clung by her forepaws, trying vainly to dig her claws into the hard surface
“Hold on!” Jayfeather meowed, darting forward to help her. He fastened his teeth into her shoulder and heaved, closing his eyes so that he didn’t have to see the sheer drop below Half Moon’s hindquarters. Terror on her behalf gave strength to his paws as he backed away from the edge, aware of Chasing Clouds pressing up beside him and grabbing Half Moon’s other shoulder.
Half Moon scrabbled frantically with her hind legs; with the others’ help she managed to drag herself back onto the rock, where she lay for a moment, trembling.
“Are you okay?” Chasing Clouds asked anxiously, leaning toward her so that she could use his shoulder to haul herself to her paws again. His blue eyes were sharp with fear; Jayfeather remembered that he was Half Moon’s father.
“Thanks, both of you,” Half Moon panted, blinking gratefully. “I’m fine. But let’s get off this ridge, before we’re all blown off.”
Chasing Clouds nodded and took the lead again, down into a steep valley where jagged rocks poked through the snow. Jayfeather followed, and realized that Stone Song was padding at his side.
“Maybe we’ve made a mistake,” the dark tabby tom confided, gazing at Jayfeather with worry in his blue eyes. “How can cats live somewhere when even the wind is our enemy?”
“We didn’t make a mistake!” Jayfeather insisted. “We are supposed to be here.”
But Stone Song didn’t look convinced.
Jayfeather’s belly felt hollow with anxiety as he struggled down into the valley through the snow and icy wind. Somehow I have to make them stay! I have to show them how the Tribe hunts. Inside his head he seemed to hear a derisive little voice. You’re going to teach these cats how to hunt? Are you completely mouse-brained?Jayfeather let out a growl deep in his throat. Who will do it if I don’t?
Peering through the swirling ice, he spotted a narrow gully leading away from the main valley. Steep rocky sides sheltered it from the worst of the wind, and farther down he could just make out a dark, bushy mass of thorns.
“Hey!” he called out to the patrol who had drawn a few tail-lengths ahead of him. “This looks like a good place to start.”
The other three cats slogged back to his side and followed his lead as he trudged down into the gully. Jayfeather felt a vast relief to be out of the wind, though the ground was covered with deep, powdery drifts of snow that clung to their fur as they thrust their way through.
“There might be small creatures sheltering under there,” he meowed, waving his tail toward the thorn thicket. “It’s worth a try, at least.”
“True,” Stone Song grunted. “Well spotted.”
Cautiously approaching the bushes, Jayfeather pricked his ears to listen for prey, and opened his jaws to taste the air. Though the wind still blustered among the rocks above his head, he thought he could pick up the tiny scratching sounds that meant mice or shrews might be moving around inside the thicket.
“Let’s hunt as a team,” he suggested, trying to remember what Lionblaze and Hollyleaf had told him about hunting with the Tribe on their last visit. “Two of us could go into the bushes and chase the prey out, and two of us stay here to catch it.”
“Good idea!” Half Moon mewed, flexing her claws with excitement. “I’m the smallest, so I get to go in!” Crouching down until her belly fur brushed the snow, she crept underneath the outermost branches. But as she tried to pull herself farther in, thorns snagged in the fur on her back, and however much she tugged, she couldn’t free herself.
“I’m stuck!” she wailed.
“Be quiet or you’ll scare the prey,” Stone Song told her.
“I thought that was the idea,” Half Moon muttered.
Chasing Clouds clawed at the branch with a raised forepaw. “Keep still,” he mewed, “and I’ll soon have you out of there.”
The whole bush started to shake as Chasing Clouds dug his claws harder into the branch, trying to tear it away from his daughter’s pelt. As Jayfeather watched, he glimpsed movement at the corner of his eye, and spotted a shrew darting out from the shelter of the bush.
“Yes!”
The shrew was heading straight for Jayfeather, but as he swiped at it, his paws felt slow and clumsy. He grabbed at it with claws outstretched, missing it by a whisker. The shrew veered away and dived into a gap between two rocks before Jayfeather could pounce again.
“Fox dung!” he exclaimed.
“Bad luck.” To Jayfeather’s surprise, Stone Song didn’t sound angry, or even particularly disappointed. “At least it shows that there isprey here,” he went on. “More than the puny little mouse Chasing Clouds caught this morning.”
Chasing Clouds had managed to free Half Moon from the thorns, and she backed out from under the bushes, shivering and craning her neck to see whether she had lost any fur.
“I don’t think there’s anything else under there,” Chasing Clouds meowed. “And the storm is getting worse. We’ll all freeze to death if we get lost out here.”
Stone Song nodded. “Let’s go back to the cave, and we’ll see if we can pick up some prey on the way.”
Taking the lead, he headed back to the top of the gully and then, instead of climbing to the ridge where Half Moon had nearly fallen, he made for a gap between the rocks. Jayfeather thought his paws might freeze to the ground as he followed, stumbling from rock to rock in an effort to find shelter from the wind. Suddenly the air grew darker above him and he let out a groan, wondering what more vile weather the mountains could throw at them. A heartbeat later a rank scent flooded over him and a screech sounded in his ears. The air was full of a storm of wings; horrified, Jayfeather looked up to see a huge brown bird swooping down on them, its talons extended toward Half Moon.
“Look out!” he yowled.
Chasing Clouds and Stone Song flung themselves sideways, out of the path of the bird. Half Moon leaped for the shelter of a rock, but her paws slipped on the ice and she fell with her feet flailing helplessly in the snow. With a triumphant screech the bird hurtled down and fastened its claws into Half Moon’s back. Desperately Jayfeather scrabbled toward her, his paws skidding over the icy rocks. The bird’s outstretched wings seemed to cover the whole sky as Jayfeather flung himself on Half Moon to hold her down, meeting her terrified gaze.
“I won’t let you go!” he gasped, feeling himself lifted into the air as the bird tried to take off again.
A long caterwaul ripped through the air as Chasing Clouds hurled himself at the bird, fastening claws and teeth into one of its wings, dragging it away from his daughter. The bird let go; Jayfeather and Half Moon hit the ground in a tangle of legs and tails. Looking up, the breath driven out of his body, Jayfeather saw the bird twist in the air, throwing Chasing Clouds off its wing. While the big cat lay half stunned, the bird swooped down again and gripped him by the shoulders in its cruel talons.
“No!” Half Moon shrieked.
Together Jayfeather and Stone Song sprang to Chasing Clouds’s side, and hung on to his legs as the bird tried to climb into the sky. For a moment Jayfeather thought it would carry all three of them away. Then they fell to the ground with Chasing Clouds landing heavily on top of them; scarlet blood began to flow over Chasing Clouds’s pale pelt where thorn-sharp claws had ripped his fur away.
The bird’s furious cry was lost in a louder rumble. Jayfeather looked up, dizzy from shock, and saw snow breaking away from the rocks above his head, pouring down toward them in a rolling cloud of white.
“Run!” he croaked feebly.
But the cats barely had time to struggle to their paws before the snow was upon them. Jayfeather lost his balance, tumbling over and over. The mass of snow thundered around him as it swept him down the mountain. The bird had vanished; he lost sight of the other cats. Nothing was left but a storm of white, roaring louder and louder until it blotted out everything.
What’s happening?Jayfeather yowled silently. Is this the end?
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 16
“Come on, move your tail, Mousewhisker!We haven’t got all day!”
Ivypool’s ears flicked up at the sound of Brambleclaw’s cheerful yowl. She was crouching among the ferns at the entrance to the apprentices’ den, watching as a soft milky light strengthened in the sky above the hollow, and the warriors began to emerge for the dawn patrols.
The ThunderClan deputy shoved Mousewhisker in front of him as they slid out of their den between the beech branches; the younger cat spun around and playfully swiped at him, his paw missing Brambleclaw’s nose by a mouse-length. Ivypool sighed as she listened to the happy buzz of waking cats. The day was cool and gray and damp, but the air was full of the scent of leaves and growing things. In the last few days the sun had shone, buds on the trees had begun to unfold, and new shoots had poked through the earth. The fresh-kill pile was well stocked for the first time in moons.
But Ivypool couldn’t share her Clanmates’ excitement about the arrival of the new season. Since Dovewing left for the mountains, her sleep had been broken; she couldn’t get used to being alone in the den, and uneasiness prickled in her pelt like a whole nest of ants.
Heaving a sigh, Ivypool padded out into the clearing, where Brambleclaw was assigning the cats to patrols. Cloudtail was emerging from the warriors’ den, his jaws stretched wide in an enormous yawn, while Dustpelt slid out more quickly and arched his back in a long stretch. Whitewing and Brackenfur were stalking around each other, looking as if they were maneuvering for a mock fight. Sorreltail watched them, licking one paw and drawing it over her ears.
Ivypool’s gaze flicked around the clearing, but she couldn’t spot Blossomfall. Where is she? Did she go to the Dark Forest last night?Ivypool dug her claws into the earth floor of the clearing. With so little sleep, she hadn’t visited the Dark Forest for the last couple of nights, but she was sure that the bitter and bloody training sessions were still continuing. So far, she hadn’t had the chance to talk to Blossomfall about what she was doing there.
Perhaps today I should
“Hey, Ivypool!” Lionblaze called. “Cinderheart and I are doing a border patrol. Do you want to come with us?”
“Great. Thanks.”
“We’re going along the ShadowClan border—” Lionblaze began, but Ivypool’s attention was distracted as she spotted Blossomfall stumbling out of the warriors’ den with Bumblestripe at her side. The young she-cat looked ruffled and exhausted, and she was trying not to limp.
I know all the signs,Ivypool thought, wincing.
Hazeltail stepped forward to intercept Blossomfall as she headed toward Brambleclaw. “Blossomfall, are you okay?” she asked, concern in her eyes.
Blossomfall halted. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“I don’t think you’re fine at all,” Hazeltail responded sharply. “Hey, Millie!” She waved her tail at Blossomfall’s mother, who was crossing the clearing toward the medicine cat’s den. “I think Blossomfall is sick.”
“What?” Millie glanced at Blossomfall. “Oh, she’s fine. I have to go check on Briarlight.”
Ivypool spotted a flash of anger in Blossomfall’s eyes as her mother spoke, but Millie was clearly unaware of it as she bounded away and disappeared behind the bramble screen.
“Blossomfall, I was going to send you to patrol the WindClan border with Bumblestripe, Sandstorm, and Thornclaw,” Brambleclaw announced, padding up to the tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat. “But you don’t look as if you could scare off a dead leaf this morning. Your patrol had better go hunting instead.”
Blossomfall nodded, but Bumblestripe’s tail drooped in disappointment. “I went hunting twice yesterday,” he told Brambleclaw. “I was looking forward to a border patrol.”
Brambleclaw gave the young tom a hard stare. “Last time I looked, it was the deputy’s job to organize patrols.”
Bumblestripe muttered something under his breath, scuffling loose earth with his forepaws. Seizing her chance, Ivypool bounded up to his side. “I’m in a border patrol with Lionblaze and Cinderheart,” she mewed. “I don’t mind swapping—if that’s okay with you, Brambleclaw.”
“Feel free,” the deputy responded dryly. “Maybe I should just go back to my nest and let you sort yourselves out?”
“Thanks, Ivypool!” Bumblestripe brightened up and ran off to join Lionblaze and Cinderheart, who were getting ready to leave. Ivypool watched as the two warriors padded side by side toward the thorn tunnel, envying the easy friendliness between them. Bumblestripe caught up to them, and all three cats vanished into the forest.
“Right.” Sandstorm swished her tail. “Let’s get moving. I thought we’d try around the Twoleg nest. I don’t think a patrol has been there for the last day or two.”
As they emerged into the forest, Sandstorm and Thornclaw took the lead, while Ivypool found herself padding along the old Thunderpath beside Blossomfall. The young tortoiseshell was breathing hard, and still trying not to limp; Ivypool spotted a torn claw on one of her forepaws.
“Was it tough in the Dark Forest last night?” she asked, feeling a little awkward to be questioning a more experienced warrior. “Were you—?”
“Hush!” Blossomfall exclaimed, angling her ears toward the two cats ahead of them. “We can’t talk here.” With an obvious effort she quickened her pace to draw ahead, and Ivypool followed, wondering if there was any way to get Blossomfall alone.
Outside the old Twoleg nest, Sandstorm picked her way through the clumps of herbs Jayfeather had planted, sniffing delicately at the new growth. “The catmint is starting to sprout,” she meowed, “but there’d be a lot more of it if ShadowClan hadn’t forced us to give them some.”
“Sorry,” Ivypool muttered. She still felt guilty that ShadowClan had kept her imprisoned until they could exchange her for herbs.
At least Dovewing isn’t seeing Tigerheart anymore. We can’t trust him, because he’s in the Dark Forest. But then, so am I,she added, feeling an icy trickle down her spine. And Blossomfall…
“Ivypool, wake up!” Ivypool jumped as Thornclaw gave her a flick around the ear with his tail. “Stop daydreaming. Did you hear what Sandstorm said to you?”
Embarrassed, Ivypool shook her head.
“She wants you to head up the slope on the other side of the Thunderpath,” the tabby warrior explained, pointing with his tail. “There should be plenty of squirrels up there, hunting for their stores of nuts underneath the oak trees.”
“And we’ll scour the Twoleg nest,” Sandstorm added, her green eyes gleaming. “There should be mice in there, or I’m a badger.”
She padded toward the entrance to the den, almost immediately disturbing a mouse that scuttled frantically for a gap in the wall. Thornclaw leaped after it, cutting it off from its refuge. It turned back, and ran straight into Sandstorm’s waiting claws.
“What did I tell you?” she mewed, her voice full of satisfaction as she scratched earth over her prey.
“What are you two waiting for?” Thornclaw flicked Blossomfall and Ivypool away with his tail. “Or is this an apprentice training session?”
“He’s so bossy!” Ivypool muttered as she headed up the steep slope. Blossomfall let out a puff of agreement, already laboring as she hauled herself through the thick undergrowth. Once they were out of sight of the Twoleg nest, Ivypool stopped. “Do you want to rest for a bit? I know what hunting at night can be like,” she added warily.
Blossomfall met her gaze. “I don’t think we’re supposed to talk about it.”
Who swore you to secrecy?Ivypool wondered. Tigerstar? Hawkfrost?She twitched her tail in frustration. If Blossomfall refused to talk about the Dark Forest, there was no chance of discouraging her from going there.
Blossomfall was already struggling on through the undergrowth, and Ivypool had to follow her, brushing past a clump of nettles and ducking under the low-growing boughs of a hazel bush. Ivypool padded up to her, brushing aside a bramble tendril so that she could stand facing her. “How did you know it was there?”
There was a glimmer of anger in Blossomfall’s eyes, and an edge in her voice as she replied. “I was invited, okay? By Hawkfrost. He said it was a chance to be a better warrior than I could be just training with my Clanmates, and he was right. I bet he told you exactly the same thing.” She turned away and headed up the slope again, glancing over her shoulder to add, “Now, can we just get on with hunting?”
Ivypool’s mind whirled as she hurried after her. Does Blossomfall really not know the purpose of the Dark Forest? To wage war against all living Clans?She wanted to tell Blossomfall the truth, to warn her to stay away from the Dark Forest for her own sake. But if she did that, she would have to admit that she was a traitor to the Dark Forest, spying on behalf of ThunderClan.
If I’m going to save the Clans, will I have to let Blossomfall continue, and maybe die there?
“Hold on!”
Ivypool was dragged out of her dark thoughts by Blossomfall’s voice up ahead. The tortoiseshell warrior had paused at a spot where the trees thinned out; bounding forward, Ivypool found herself at the edge of the clearing where Icecloud had fallen into the tunnel. She could see the pile of sticks that Dustpelt and Brackenfur had placed there, weaving them together to cover the hole.
Her pads prickled with curiosity. She had passed this place before on patrol, but this was her first chance to have a closer look at it. She exchanged a glance with Blossomfall, seeing her own excitement reflected in the other cat’s eyes.
“Shall we?” she prompted.
Blossomfall nodded, and the two she-cats padded down the slope side by side. Reaching the hole, Ivypool stretched out her neck to sniff at the covering. Blossomfall gave the woven sticks a nudge with her head, and let out a trill of surprise as the whole covering shifted to one side.
“Hey, look,” she meowed, pushing it farther. “We can see right down into the tunnel! Let’s explore!”
A weird feeling crept over Ivypool as she gazed down into the hole. She felt strangely reluctant to go near it. “What about hunting?”
“We can hunt later,” Blossomfall replied, her eyes sparkling. Fueled by excitement, she seemed to have thrown off her earlier exhaustion. “Let’s explore!”
While Ivypool remained standing beside the hole, fighting against the apprehension that had seized her, Blossom fall searched through the long grass and came back dragging a branch. “Help me lower it,” she puffed, pushing one end into the hole. “Then we can use it to climb.” She scrambled down as soon as she and Ivypool had maneuvered the branch into position, with the narrow end resting on the lip of the hole.
“Come on!” she called to Ivypool. “The tunnel goes on forever, all the way under the hill!”
Still reluctant, Ivypool edged her way into the hole, feeling the branch bounce beneath her paws. She dug in her claws, but the bark was dry and crumbly. She was no more than halfway to the bottom when it gave way and she felt her paws slipping from under her. Letting out a startled screech, Ivypool crashed down into the hole with the branch falling on top of her. Scrabbling her way through dry leaves and twigs, she gazed up at the ragged scrap of blue sky above her head. There was no way to climb out now.
“We’re stuck!” she whispered.
Shadows wreathed around her, and every hair on her pelt rose. She couldn’t explain it, but she was certain that there was something terribly wrong down here. Chilly darkness loomed from the mouth of the tunnel and somehow she knew that they weren’t alone.
Blossomfall’s eyes were gleaming in the half-light. “Now wehaveto keep going,” she mewed delightedly.
“But it’s dangerous!” Ivypool protested.
Blossomfall snorted. “What’s the worst that can happen? We might lose the use of our legs?”
They padded farther into the tunnel, with the light from the hole fading behind them. Blossomfall glanced back to where they could just make out the remains of the branch lying on the tunnel floor. “There’s no point in going back. We might wait for ages for some cat to pass by the hole,” she pointed out. “And when they do, we’ll get into major trouble. There must be another way out, right?”
As she followed her Clanmate into the darkness, Ivypool hoped that they weren’t making a huge mistake. But in spite of her misgivings, she couldn’t help beginning to share Blossomfall’s excitement. When Icecloud fell into the hole, she was hauled out right away. She had never been this far underground
We’re the first cats to set paw down here, ever!
By now the two she-cats were padding along in complete darkness, their pelts brushing the side of the tunnel. Their path twisted and turned until Ivypool lost all sense of which way they were facing. Now and again she was aware of other tunnels leading off the main one, and she shivered at the thought of plunging even deeper into the hill.
“I can feel a tiny draft of air,” Blossomfall, in the lead, reported after a while. “That should lead us to a way out.”
They plodded on; Ivypool’s pads were aching from walking on the cold, hard rock by the time she realized that she could see her Clanmate’s head and pricked ears outlined against a pale light up ahead. “We’re getting somewhere!” she mewed.
Blossomfall picked up the pace and Ivypool bounded after her, almost bumping into her when she stopped dead. Peering around her Clanmate, Ivypool saw that the tunnel ended in a huge cave, its walls soaring far above their heads. A dark river ran through it, and on the opposite side a wide ledge was cut into the rock.
“This is the strangest place I’ve ever seen,” Blossomfall whispered, venturing a little farther in.
Light was angling down through a tiny hole in the cave roof, too high above their heads for the cats to think of climbing out that way. Padding forward cautiously, Ivypool bent her head and lapped up a mouthful of water from the river.
“That’s cold!” she exclaimed, stepping back and twitching her whiskers to shake off the drops.
Glancing around while Blossomfall drank, Ivypool felt a strong sensation of being watched, as if a cat’s gaze was boring into her back from the ledge in the cave wall. She whipped around; the ledge was empty, but the feeling wouldn’t leave her. Her pelt crawled.
“We shouldn’t be here,” she mewed, her voice sounding unnaturally loud in the echoing cave.
“Why not?” Blossomfall looked up, swiping her tongue around her jaws. “There’s no cat here to tell us to go away.”
“Then who left those?” Ivypool’s voice rasped in her throat as her gaze fell on fresh paw prints dimpling the damp sand at the edge of the river, a couple of tail-lengths from where she and Blossomfall were standing. Every hair on her pelt bristled and she slid out her claws, scraping them on the rock
“There are cats living down here!”
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 17
A thick, heavy silence surrounded Jayfeather.Everything was dark and for a moment he thought that he was blind again. Then he realized that ice crystals were sealing his eyes shut; in spite of the pain he forced them open, only to see nothing but glimmering white all around him. When he tried to gasp in air, beads of snow stung the back of his throat.
I’m buried!
The light seemed to be coming from somewhere above his head. Jayfeather scrabbled toward it; a few heartbeats later his head broke out into the air and he looked around. The storm was over. Stillness covered the valley; the peaks were dark shapes cutting into an indigo sky where the last scarlet streaks of sunset were beginning to fade. He was completely alone.
Terror that the other cats had died in the snowfall rooted Jayfeather to the ground, but he forced himself to start moving. Kicking out with his hind legs, he climbed out of the snow and stood for a moment shaking clots of it from his pelt.
“Jay’s Wing!”
The shout came from behind him; Jayfeather spun around to see Stone Song fighting his way out of a drift a little farther up the valley. Jayfeather floundered through the loose snow and dragged him out. At first the gray tabby tom was silent with shock, gazing at the mountains as if he didn’t remember where they were.
“Are you okay?” Jayfeather prompted. “We have to look for the others.”
Stone Song shook his head to clear it. “I’m okay,” he panted. “Have you seen them?”
Jayfeather shook his head.
“They have to be here somewhere,” Stone Song muttered. “We have to find them.”
By digging up all this snow?Jayfeather thought, appalled. Then he spotted a dark patch of color on top of the snow a few fox-lengths away. Plodding over to it, he saw that it was blood. “Over here!” he called to Stone Song. “Chasing Clouds was hurt; this must be his blood.”
Working together, the two cats scraped away the snow until Chasing Clouds’s body appeared. Jayfeather’s heart beat faster when he saw how still the cat lay, a limp scrap of fur tossed aside by the power of the snow.
Then Chasing Clouds coughed and opened his eyes. “What happened?”
“The snow fell on us,” Stone Song explained. “I think we must have dislodged it, fighting that giant bird. Come on, let’s get you out of there.”
Jayfeather and Stone Song hauled Chasing Clouds out of the hole; he crouched on the surface of the snow, still looking dazed, and occasionally licking at the raw flesh on his shoulder where the bird had torn out his fur.
“Half Moon?” Jayfeather called. “Half Moon!”
There was no reply, but a slight movement on the surface a couple of tail-lengths away caught his eye. He thrust his way through the snow toward it; relief crashed over him when he saw Half Moon’s ears and nose emerge from the white covering, followed a heartbeat later by the rest of her head.
Jayfeather scraped energetically at the snow around her until she was able to scramble out. “Thanks,” she gasped. “Have you found—?”
She broke off with a wordless wail of anguish as she saw her father. Struggling to his side, she crouched beside him and began to lick his injuries. Jayfeather could see scratches from the bird’s claws on her back, too, but if she was in pain, she wasn’t showing it, too caught up in concern for Chasing Clouds.
In the dim light, Jayfeather noticed something growing in the hole where Half Moon had been lying. Bending down, he sniffed and recognized the scent of ragwort. That’s good for strength,he thought, remembering what he had learned about mountain herbs on his previous visit to the Tribe. It should help with shock. Craning his neck down into the hole, he managed to nip off a few stems and carried them back to the others.
“Here, eat these,” he ordered, setting the herbs down in front of them. “They’ll make you feel better.”
All three cats looked up at him, then bent their heads to lick up the herbs.
They’ve been through too much to wonder how I know about plants that grow here,Jayfeather guessed, wondering if there were any cobwebs around to stop bleeding. The cave would be the best place to look.
“We should go back,” he meowed. When none of the cats moved, he gave Stone Song a prod. “Come on. Do you want to die out here? Give up when we already came this far? We need to have faith.”
Stone Song looked at him with dull eyes. “Faith? Faith in what?”
Jayfeather flinched, wishing he could call upon StarClan, or the Tribe of Endless Hunting. But those names would mean nothing to these cats. Are there any ancestors watching us right now?
“We should have faith in ourselves,” he told them, trying to put conviction into his voice. “We came this far. We will survive. We must give ourselves time.”
Stone Song blinked. “We might not have time. The mountains might kill us first.”
Jayfeather thought of all the generations of cats to come, all the seasons when the Tribe would live in the mountains until they were discovered by a patrol of cats who had journeyed to visit the sun-drown-place.
“You do have time,” he mewed. “I promise.”
Yowls of horror broke out from the cats in the cave as Jayfeather and Stone Song struggled back through the entrance, practically carrying Chasing Clouds between them while Half Moon limped behind.
“What happened?” Jagged Lightning demanded. “Were you attacked by a fox?”
“No, a bird,” Stone Song replied.
“A bird?” Whispering Leaves pressed up behind Jagged Lightning, gazing at Chasing Clouds’s injuries with horrified blue eyes. “A bird did that to you?”
“It was a really big bird,” Chasing Clouds muttered.
More of the cats were gathering around, jostling one another to get a good look, letting out exclamations of fear and despair. Owl Feather’s kits came bouncing up, sniffing curiously at Chasing Clouds, then shrank back close to their mother as they caught the tang of blood.
“I told you so!” Running Horse muttered. “We should never have come here.”
Rising Moon turned her head away as if she couldn’t bear to look. Jayfeather remembered that back in the forest he had learned that she and Chasing Clouds were mates. “This place will kill us all,” she whispered.
Annoyance prickled Jayfeather’s pelt and set his tail-tip twitching. Are they all going to stand around and moan and do nothing? Back among the Clans, he would have taken an injured cat straight to the medicine cat’s den, but here there was no medicine cat. It looks as if it’s up to me.
Stone Song let Chasing Clouds sink gently to the ground, and pushed his way into the midst of the panicking cats. “That’s enough!” he called out. “Calm down. Chasing Clouds is going to be fine. Let’s all concentrate on what we can do to help.”
But in spite of their leader’s words, there was barely a pause in the horrified exclamations. Jayfeather spotted Half Moon in the middle of the crush. Angling his ears, he gestured to her to meet him at the edge of the crowd. “We need cobwebs to stop the bleeding,” he meowed, when they had both fought their way out of the press of cats. “There might be some in the little caves back there.”
Half Moon nodded and pattered behind Jayfeather as he headed for the caves. She slipped into the one that would become Stoneteller’s den, while Jayfeather padded down the tunnel that led to the Cave of Pointed Stones. The cavern looked just the same to Jayfeather as when he had seen it in visions in his own time: the sharp spikes of rock rising from the floor to meet other spikes hanging from the roof; the puddles of water dotted here and there, reflecting a pale light from the moon that shone down through the hole in the roof. His pelt stood on end and he shivered.
How long has this place been here? How many seasons, lying as thick as leaves on the forest floor?
Then he gave himself a shake. Padding forward, he searched around the edges of the cave and in cracks in the rock. There weren’t any cobwebs, but beside one of the pools he found some stubbly moss. Clawing up a pawful, he dipped it in the water; it would be the next best thing to cobwebs for dressing Chasing Clouds’s wounds. Carrying a mouthful of dripping moss, Jayfeather returned to the main cave.
Half Moon was emerging from the other tunnel. “I couldn’t find anything in there,” she meowed. “It’s so dark!”
The crowd of cats by the entrance had begun to disperse, and Chasing Clouds was staggering into the center of the cavern, supported by Stone Song. Jayfeather looked around. There was nowhere to make a proper medicine cat’s den, but he spotted a sandy stretch of ground in the shelter of a boulder; that would have to do. “Bring him over here,” he mumbled around the moss, beckoning to Stone Song with his tail.
Some of the other cats were still following, but Half Moon stepped forward to intercept them. “He needs quiet now,” she mewed. “You can see him later.”
Rising Moon looked as if she was about to object, but Whispering Breeze laid her tail over her shoulders and led her away. Jayfeather and Stone Song settled Chasing Clouds on the sandy floor and Jayfeather dabbed the soaking moss on his shoulder where the bird had torn away his fur.
“That feels good!” Chasing Clouds grunted.
When the wound was clean, Jayfeather pressed more moss over it, patting it down at the edges to make sure it would stick. “Keep still so you don’t dislodge it,” he told Chasing Clouds. “Sleep if you can.”
He thought he detected a flicker of surprise in Stone Song’s eyes at his tone of authority, but he shrugged it off. I don’t know how much Jay’s Wing knew about healing, but this is me. I’m doing what I have to.
“You next,” he meowed to Half Moon.
As he cleaned up the white she-cat’s scratches, Jayfeather spotted Furled Bracken in the center of the cavern, with most of the other cats clustered around him.
Trouble?Jayfeather wondered, though he said nothing, and didn’t pause in his careful cleaning of Half Moon’s wounds.
Furled Bracken had been the leader of the ancient cats when Jayfeather first met them beside the lake. He had cast his stone in favor of staying, and when the decision went against him, he had yielded the leadership to Stone Song.
“I think most of us agree that coming here was a mistake,” Furled Bracken was meowing. “We should never have left the lake. As soon as the ice storm is over, I will lead those cats who want to return.”
“About time!” Jagged Lightning exclaimed. “I’ll go with you.”
“So will I,” Fish Leap meowed. “I never wanted to come in the first place.”
Shy Fawn raised her tail to speak. “Furled Bracken, we haven’t all agreed.” Her voice grew more determined as she went on. “Did the father of my kits die for nothing?” She whisked her tail-tip along her swollen belly and added, “I can’t travel, not until my kits are born and strong enough to make the journey.”
“I want to stay, too,” Dove’s Wing put in. “We had problems by the lake, and they won’t have gone away.”
“But maybe Fallen Leaves will be there,” Broken Shadows suggested, a brighter gleam in her eyes than Jayfeather had ever seen. “Take us home, Furled Bracken.”
Whispering Breeze let out a sigh. “I cast my stone to leave,” she mewed. “And now I regret that bitterly. This was a mistake. We should go home.”
“I wanted to leave, too, but now I want to go back.” Owl Feather drew her kits toward her with a sweep of her tail. “I’m afraid my kits will die if we stay here.” The kits set up a frightened mewling; their mother curved her body around them, soothing them with gentle licks.
“Then we’re agreed that—” Furled Bracken began.
“No!” Jayfeather interrupted. The eyes of every cat in the cave turned toward him, shining in the dim gray light. “You can’t go back—I mean, we can’t go back!”
Owl Feather drew her kits closer and glared at Jayfeather. “That’s easy for you to say,” she hissed. “You don’t have kits.”
Suddenly Jayfeather was conscious of Half Moon standing beside him. Flicking her a quick glance, he pressed on. “We can’t give up so soon. We should at least wait until the storm is over to see if we can find a way to catch prey.”
Rising Moon took a pace toward him, lashing her tail. “But we are prey!” she snarled. “How can we hunt if we’re being hunted ourselves?”
Jayfeather’s mind whirled. “We have to find a different way of hunting.” He suddenly recalled how the Tribe divided up the cats into cave-guards and prey-hunters, with their own special duties. “Some of us will hunt, while others will protect them—and our prey—against big birds.”
The cats looked at one another, muttering. Jayfeather could tell that they didn’t have any faith in his idea. But it will work! I’ve seen it working!
“We could try,” Half Moon meowed, standing closer to Jayfeather so that their pelts brushed.
A trickle of warmth crept through Jayfeather at her touch. It was good to have one cat who supported him. “Thanks,” he whispered, touching her ear with his nose.
“Oh, yes, try and have more cats with their fur ripped off!” Jagged Lightning’s neck fur bristled as he stared at Jayfeather.
Yowls of agreement followed his words. Jayfeather almost staggered backward at the wave of hostility he sensed coming from the crowd of cats around Furled Bracken. Half Moon’s support hadn’t been enough.
“Then that’s settled.” Furled Bracken’s gaze swept over the rest of the cats. “We’ll wait until the storm is over, then go back to the lake.”
Jayfeather stood blinking in disbelief as the cats began to shuffle toward the edges of the cave and find places to sleep.This can’t be happening!
“I’m sorry,” Stone Song murmured; he had stood in silence while the argument was going on. “We tried; it’s not our fault we failed. Maybe we’re not supposed to live in the stone hills after all.”
Jayfeather looked into his blue eyes and saw genuine regret there. He was the cat who was most committed to this…and now he was giving up, too! With nothing to say to him, Jayfeather stumbled away. Stone Song doesn’t understand. We’ve failed…. I’ve failed!
“If these cats leave so soon,” he muttered, “how will the Tribe of Rushing Water end up in the mountains?”
Hardly aware of what he was doing, he found his paw steps leading him into the Cave of Pointed Stones. Soft paw steps sounded behind him; glancing back, he saw that Half Moon had followed him. She halted at the mouth of the tunnel, her eyes stretching wide as she took in the cave.
“Wow!” she breathed.
Jayfeather shared some of her wonder as he gazed around at the tapering columns and pinnacles of white stone. Being in the cave with Half Moon somehow made him realize how beautiful it really was.
“Let’s explore!” Half Moon mewed, giving a little bounce like an excited kit.
Jayfeather followed her as she darted around the puddles and stretched her forepaws as far as she could reach up the side of one of the stony spikes. “Look!” she exclaimed. “This stone is growing from the floor, and it almost meets the icicle of stone that’s hanging from the ceiling.”
“Those two have met.” Jayfeather pointed with his tail to one of the completed columns.
“It’s so strange!” Half Moon bounded farther in among the forest of stone, dodging around the base of one and poking her head out playfully on the other side. Jayfeather launched himself at her with a mock growl, but before he reached her his paws slipped on the slick rock at the edge of one of the pools. Water splashed up as he planted one paw in the water; he saved himself from going deeper only with an awkward sideways scramble.
“Oops, you got a wet paw!” Half Moon teased.
“I’ll show you wet paws!” Jayfeather growled.
Scooping up some water, he flicked it at her; Half Moon shrieked and ran away. Jayfeather raced after her, losing sight of her for a moment among the clustering columns. Suddenly she darted out at him and they collided. Jayfeather found himself looking into her eyes; they were the lustrous green of forest pools. Her warm fur brushed his.
“The moon’s up,” he meowed, breaking away from her to stand on the edge of a pool. “It must be night outside.”
As his breathing steadied, he became aware of cats moving restlessly in the main cave. Owl Feather’s kits were wailing with hunger. A pang of sadness pierced Jayfeather, sharp as a claw. I can understand why they don’t want to stay here.
“Look!” Half Moon padded up to stand beside him. “You can see the moon in the water.”
Looking into the puddle in front of him, Jayfeather saw a reflection of the tiny new moon, shining down through the hole in the roof. Half Moon couldn’t take her eyes off it.
“It’s so beautiful!” she whispered. “So tiny—just like a claw scratch.”
She dabbed at the surface of the water with one paw, and the moon fluttered like silver wings before settling again as the water stilled. Letting out a faint mrrowof wonder, Half Moon dabbed again and again. However often she disturbed the surface, the moon was still there.
“It doesn’t give up, does it?” Half Moon blinked at Jayfeather. “It’s always there, constant like the stones in this cave. Maybe we should be like the moon’s reflection, holding fast whatever happens?” Padding farther into the cave, she gazed around at the stones again, a new sense of understanding beginning to creep into her eyes. Jayfeather felt his pelt prickle.
“They have been here for so many seasons,” Half Moon murmured. “If we stay, will our descendants survive for as long as these columns of stone?”
Jayfeather jumped to her side. “Yes, they will! I promise.”
Half Moon shot him a look of alarm. “How do you know?”
“I just do,” Jayfeather replied. “Trust me.”
Her green gaze grew warm as she looked into his eyes. “I do trust you. Always.” Jayfeather felt his tail entwining with hers. “I wish the others would trust you too,” Half Moon mewed.
Over her shoulder, Jayfeather spotted movement; he shivered as Rock stepped out from behind a distant column, the moonlight shining on his hairless body. He fixed his bulging eyes on Jayfeather and nodded once.
“Half Moon!”
The sharp voice came from the entrance to the cave. The vision of Rock winked out. Jayfeather and Half Moon broke apart to see Rising Moon standing at the mouth of the tunnel.
“Half Moon, what are you doing here?” Rising Moon gave her daughter a disapproving glare, and her voice was like ice. “Jay’s Wing, Chasing Clouds wants to speak to you. I’ve hunted all over for you.”
Jayfeather dipped his head politely and brushed past her to go out again into the main cavern. Chasing Clouds was lying where Jayfeather had left him, in the shallow scoop of sand. He raised his head as Jayfeather padded up. “You saved my life,” he rasped. “Thank you.”
Jayfeather scuffled the cave floor with his forepaws. “We all played a part,” he mumbled.
“I can’t believe we fought off that bird!” Chasing Clouds’s voice grew stronger, and a gleam of pride appeared in his eyes.
“Well, you did,” Jayfeather told him. “And you could do it again. Any of us could, if we tried hard enough.”
“Not that again!” Rising Moon was close enough to overhear. “It’s too dangerous.”
“She’s right.” Jagged Lightning padded up to the gray-and-white she-cat’s side. “Why should we risk our lives to catch our prey?”
“Because it’s the only way to survive here.” Half Moon faced the older cats. “And if we train properly, we won’t be risking our lives every time.”
Anger flashed in Rising Moon’s eyes. She opened her jaws to retort, but Stone Song interrupted. “Look, we’re all exhausted. This isn’t the right time to be making decisions. Let’s get some sleep and talk about it again tomorrow.”
For a heartbeat Rising Moon and Jagged Lightning looked as if they wanted to argue, but then they turned away and stalked off to the other side of the cave. Stone Song and Half Moon found scoops in the floor, and curled up there, ready to sleep
Jayfeather hesitated for a heartbeat, then took the few paw steps that brought him to Half Moon’s side. She looked up at him, letting out a warm purr. Lying down beside her felt natural and right. Usually, Jayfeather slept close to a cat only if they were sick enough to be in the medicine cat’s den. Even then, they would be in separate nests.
This is better,Jayfeather thought, yawning as he closed his eyes. Comforting, even without the moss and feathers I’d have in the stone hollow…He could still hear Half Moon’s gentle breathing as he drifted into sleep.
A plaintive wail woke Jayfeather, cutting through the endless thunder of the falls. The gray light that filtered through the screen of falling water was strengthening, and he guessed that outside the sky was growing pale with the approach of dawn. Raising his head, he spotted Owl Feather’s kits at the other side of the cave, pummeling their mother’s belly with tiny paws as they tried to make the milk come.
“I’m sorry, kits,” Owl Feather mewed sadly. “I’ve no more milk for you, because I haven’t had enough to eat.”
The miserable wailing went on. Other cats were stirring too; Dawn River was grooming herself, but most of the others just sat slumped on the cave floor. Jayfeather could feel their despair like a cold, smothering fog.
“We won’t get a chance to go back to the lake,” Whispering Breeze muttered. “This place will kill us first.”
Jagged Lightning heaved himself out of the scoop in the cave floor and padded over to Owl Feather, resting his muzzle briefly on her head. “We have to hunt,” he announced. “I won’t let my kits starve.”
Fish Leap turned toward Jayfeather, beckoning to him with his tail. “Jay’s Wing, what was it you were saying yesterday about hunting in pairs?”
“More than pairs.” Jayfeather scrambled out of his nest and padded across the cavern to join the others. Disturbed by his movement, Half Moon rose to her paws, gave herself a quick stretch, and followed. “We need a whole patrol to protect the hunters,” he went on. “Two or three of the best hunters to catch the prey, and a few of the strongest cats and the best fighters to watch out for attacking birds.”
“You mean fight off birds that can carry a cat into the sky?” Jagged Lightning sounded disbelieving. “I’d like to see that!”
“Oh, no!” Owl Feather looked up, distraught. “They’ll steal my kits!”
“Then the kits mustn’t leave the cave.” Stone Song padded up to join them. “There’s plenty of room here for them to play.”
“And there’s no need to worry,” Dawn River added. “We’re not going to be here that long.”
“But what about the rest of us?” Rising Moon demanded. “Trying to fight birds like that is a mouse-brained idea.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure,” Stone Song responded. “We fought off that bird yesterday. Okay, Chasing Clouds was hurt, but that doesn’t need to happen if we can figure out the best way to defend ourselves.”
Rising Moon let out a disbelieving snort.
“I think we ought to give Jay’s Wing’s idea a try,” Dove’s Wing meowed. “Even if we do decide to go back to the lake, we won’t get far without food in our bellies.”
“But how can we fight birds that big?” Fish Leap asked. “We can’t fly up and attack them in the air.”
“No, we’ll have to lure one down to us.” Stone Song sounded reluctant, as if he knew how his suggestion would be received. “Then we can work out the skills we need.”
“You’re not using my kits!” Owl Feather glared at him, protecting the three tiny cats with her paws and tail.
“Of course not,” Stone Song reassured her.
“I’ll do it,” Half Moon offered. “I’ll pretend to be injured.”
Jayfeather felt his heart lurch. “No way,” he mewed. “I’ll do it. This was my idea.”
Stone Song blinked at him. “You’re taking quite a risk.”
“Some cat has to,” Jayfeather replied, forcing his voice to be steady, though inside he was shaking. It was too easy to imagine being whisked into the sky, gripped in cruel talons. “Are we going to do this or not? We need food right away.”
Though some of the cats still seemed uncertain, enough of them gathered around Jayfeather to make up a patrol. Jayfeather looked at them: Stone Song, Jagged Lightning, and—to his surprise—Furled Bracken, along with Half Moon, Fish Leap, and Dove’s Wing. All of them looked tense but determined.
“Let’s go,” Jayfeather meowed, leading the way out of the cave. Emerging from behind the waterfall, he realized that the storm was over. The howling wind had sunk to a stiff breeze, with a few flakes of snow tossed in the air, and gaps showed in the rolling gray clouds above their heads. The patrol crunched through the snow and clambered up the rocks beside the waterfall until they stood on top of the cliff.
Jayfeather took a deep breath. He had never trained another cat, especially not in fighting skills. The safety of these cats was his responsibility—not just now, when they were luring the bird down deliberately, but for all the generations to come. Is this what it means, to have the power of the stars in my paws?
“I’ll stay out here while the rest of you hide,” he directed. “Remember, you mustn’t be seen from above because that’s where the bird will come from. Stone Song, Jagged Lightning, and Furled Bracken, you get ready to leap out and attack. Fish Leap, Dove’s Wing, Half Moon: You stay hidden and watch what happens. Then we can discuss tactics later.”
“I’m not watching behind a rock while you get torn apart,” Half Moon objected.
Her concern warmed Jayfeather. “You can join in if there’s trouble,” he told her.
Half Moon’s tail lashed once. “Try stopping me!”
“What do we do when it comes?” Fish Leap asked. “We can’t pounce on it as if it was a blackbird!”
“I think we should go for the wings,” Stone Song suggested. “It can’t carry one of us off if it can’t fly.”
Furled Bracken nodded. “Leaping for its neck would be good, too. That’s a weak point on any bird, I don’t care how big it is.”
“Good idea,” Jayfeather agreed. “Now, get out of sight before it spots you all.”
The rest of the patrol slunk away to take up positions among the rocks.
“This is going to work,” Half Moon encouraged Jayfeather before she left. “I just know it!”
I hope so,Jayfeather thought, aware of fear like a chunk of ice in his belly. I have to do this, for the sake of the Tribe of Rushing Water
Standing at the edge of the river, Jayfeather felt very alone. The other cats had disappeared; all he could see was the tip of Fish Leap’s tail, brown against the snow. He looked up into the sky; it was gray and endless, and there were no signs of any birds. His belly felt hollow and sore.
“Look!” Half Moon’s low voice came from behind a nearby rock.
Blinking, Jayfeather gazed up into the sky again. A tiny speck had appeared, circling lazily far above. His paws felt frozen to the rock as he watched it; the bird came close enough for him to see that it was an eagle, like the ones he had heard about from the Tribe of Rushing Water. It was even bigger than the bird that had attacked them yesterday. He braced himself for it to swoop down on him, but then it circled away, losing interest.
No!Jayfeather wanted to yowl. I’m a juicy bit of prey! Come and get me!
He began to limp forward, holding up one paw as if he was injured, and let out a wail. The eagle swept through the sky, gliding down in a wide circle, until Jayfeather could make out its hooked talons and yellow, staring eyes.
Great StarClan—it’s huge!
He crouched down in the snow, mewling piteously. The wing shadow covered him and spread around him; he squeezed his eyes shut tight as the bird’s strong scent washed over him.
I hope the others are ready to pounce….
The beating of the eagle’s wings was like thunder. Then fearsome claws dug down into Jayfeather’s shoulders and he let out a shriek. In the same heartbeat, caterwauling pierced the air around him. As his paws left the ground, the rocks sprang to life.
“Go for the wings!” Stone Song yowled. “Don’t let it fly away!”
His words were swallowed up in the chaos of screeching cats and wildly flapping wings. Jayfeather spotted Furled Bracken leaping for the eagle’s throat, missing it by a mouse-length as his claws slashed at air. Half Moon bit down on the edge of the eagle’s wing and was flung off; she hit the rock with a thump, clutching a mouthful of feathers. Fish Leap grabbed at Jayfeather’s tail and tried to hold him down.
“No! Let go!” Jayfeather shrieked, feeling his pelt begin to rip away with the added weight.
Fish Leap dropped back, and for a heartbeat Jayfeather thought that the eagle had won as it began to lift away from the cliff top. He could do nothing but flail his paws helplessly. Then Stone Song and Jagged Lightning raced in, one from either side, and made a leap for the eagle’s wings. Both sank their claws in at the same moment; the eagle let out a furious cry, but it couldn’t take to the air with the weight of a cat on each wing. While they held it down, Dove’s Wing ducked underneath, close to Jayfeather, and gave a swift nip to each of the bird’s legs, one after the other.
With another raucous screech, the eagle let Jayfeather go; he crashed down onto the rock, half-stunned, and watched as Stone Song and Jagged Lightning slashed at the bird’s shoulders, scoring their claws through its feathers, then leaped aside to safety. The eagle mounted into the sky, shedding feathers as it went, blood dripping from its naked legs. Jayfeather watched, panting, as it dwindled to a speck in the sky and was gone.
“Are you okay?” Half Moon crouched panting on the cliff edge, but her green eyes glowed as she gazed at Jayfeather.
“I’m fine,” Jayfeather gasped, though his shoulders where the eagle had gripped him felt as if they were on fire.
Half Moon rose to her paws and padded over to him, giving his wounds a sniff. “We ought to put moss on those, like you did for Chasing Clouds last night,” she mewed. “I wonder if there’s any dock growing around here. That’s good to stop bleeding.”
The rest of the patrol began to stagger to their paws, checking their own scratches.
“We did it!” Fish Leap croaked.
“Yes, we did.” Stone Song’s gaze rested on Jayfeather. “Jay’s Wing, your plan to protect our hunters just might work. At least to find enough food until we leave.” Waving his tail at the rest of the patrol, he added, “Come on. Let’s go and tell the others.”
He led the way down the rocks beside the waterfall, leaving Jayfeather and Half Moon alone on the cliff top.
“I was so scared for you,” Half Moon murmured, brushing her muzzle along his flank. “And I’m so proud of you! If we had kits, just think how brave they would be!”
Kits!“Half Moon…” he began awkwardly.
Before he could say more, he saw another cat emerge from behind one of the boulders at the water’s edge. Rock! Not now, please!
The sightless cat stood waiting; though she was looking in that direction, Half Moon had no idea that he was there.
“Why don’t you go down with the others?” Jayfeather suggested. “I’ll follow you in a moment.”
“Okay.” There was a trace of disappointment in Half Moon’s green eyes, but she headed down the cliff without protesting
“What do you want now?” Jayfeather demanded.
Rock did not reply. For a moment they stood side by side at the edge of the cliff. Far away, a red glow on the snow showed where the sun would rise.
“So much is the same….” Rock breathed. Then he turned to Jayfeather. “You can’t stay here. You know that, don’t you?”
“Why not?” Jayfeather demanded, with a sudden tug of anguish.
“You are too powerful to be lost in the past.”
“I can be powerful here!” Jayfeather protested. “I could raise kits, teach them everything I know, and then go back to the Clans.” He stared at Rock. “I…I don’t want to leave.”
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER18
“We have to get out ofhere!” Ivypool whispered, expecting hostile cats to leap out at them at any moment.
“We’re only exploring,” Blossomfall pointed out, padding up to the paw prints and giving them a curious sniff. “We’re not doing any harm.”
“Well, it doesn’t feel like that,” Ivypool retorted, annoyed by Blossomfall’s nonchalance. “It feels like we’re trespassing, and I want to leave.”
Blossomfall shrugged. “Okay, let’s find a way out.”
On the opposite side of the river, more tunnels opened up, leading away into darkness. Ivypool leaped across the stream and headed into the nearest one. But she hadn’t taken many paw steps when she was confronted by a solid wall of mud.
“No good,” she told Blossomfall, who was following her. “This one’s blocked.”
Retracing their paw steps into the cave, they chose another opening. This one seemed more promising at first, leading upward with the occasional chink in the roof to let in light. Then Blossomfall, who was in the lead again, halted abruptly when the tunnel took a sharp turn to one side.
“Mouse dung!” she spat.
Ivypool craned her neck to see past her Clanmate; in the dim light she could make out a tumbled heap of stones and rock stretching right up to the tunnel roof. Ivypool’s heart began to beat faster as they returned to the cave again. “We’ll have to go back the way we came,” she meowed, “and just hope that some cat comes along to help us out of the hole.”
Blossomfall heaved a sigh. “I suppose you’re right.”
But as they leaped back across the river, Ivypool noticed for the first time that several tunnels led away from the cave on this side. “Do you remember which way we came in?” she asked her Clanmate.
Blossomfall shook her head. “We’ll have to follow our scent trail.”
But no scent lingered on the damp rock, and away from the edge of the water there was no trace of their paw prints on the hard floor.
“We’re lost!” Ivypool yelped.
“We’ll be fine,” Blossomfall reassured her, though Ivypool could detect a hint of panic in her voice. “We’ll just pick a tunnel. Come on!” Racing across the cave floor, she dived into a wide black opening. Ivypool was almost sure it was the wrong one, but she bounded after her Clanmate, terrified that they would be separated.
“Wait!” she yowled. “We can’t—” She broke off at the clatter of falling rocks from up ahead. “Blossomfall!” she called. “What was that?”
There was no reply. Ivypool went limp with terror and she had to force her legs to carry her along the tunnel. A few paw steps farther, she made out Blossomfall in the dim light; the tortoiseshell warrior was lying motionless on the floor with rocks scattered around her. Looking up, Ivypool saw a fresh scar on the roof, and guessed that the rocks must have fallen from there.
“Blossomfall?” she whispered, crouching beside her ClanmateStarClan, please don’t let her be dead!
A shudder of relief ran through her as Blossomfall’s whiskers twitched and her eyes opened. “Ivypool?” she murmured. “What happened? My head hurts.”
“I think a rock fell from the roof and hit you,” Ivypool replied. “Can you get up?”
Blossomfall scrabbled with her paws, raising her shoulders off the floor, then collapsed with a whimper of pain. “Everything’s whirling,” she complained, her eyes wide and scared. “Oh, Ivypool, do you think we’re going to die down here?”
“Of course we’re not,” Ivypool told her.
“But what if we do? Do you think Millie will miss me?”
Pity rushed through Ivypool from ears to tail-tip. “Of course!” she assured Blossomfall. “Millie loves you just as much as Briarlight.”
As she reassured her Clanmate, Ivypool guessed that this was how Hawkfrost had won Blossomfall over: by giving her the chance to get as much attention as her sister, Briarlight.
Just as he did with Dovewing and me
She felt sad that Blossomfall was so jealous of her sister for the amount of time her mother and her Clanmates spent with her. Briarlight had lost the use of her legs!
But then,Ivypool thought, I don’t suppose Dovewing’s gift is always so much fun, either. Maybe we should both be grateful for what we have….
Blossomfall hesitated, then shrugged. “Maybe Millie loves me, when she remembers that she has more than one kit.” Stretching out one forepaw, she scraped it against the hard stone of the tunnel floor, so violently that Ivypool was surprised she didn’t wrench her claws out. “I hate myself for feeling jealous of Briarlight,” Blossomfall confessed, not looking at Ivypool. “I can’t bear seeing her suffer and I know Briarlight would give anything to be better and whole again. It’s all so unfair!” Scoring her claws across the rock again, she added, “But I can’t help what I feel, and that proves I’m not a good cat.”
“Of course you are!” Ivypool exclaimed, shocked.
“No. A good cat wouldn’t be jealous of an injured littermate. So that’s why I’ve ended up in the Dark Forest.” She gave Ivypool a sidelong glance. “I’m not stupid. I know it’s where cats go if they’re not allowed into StarClan. But I guess I won’t get into StarClan either, because I hate my sister for being injured. So the Dark Forest is where I fit in, and I’m getting good training, better than anything we get here.” She took in a long, shaking breath and looked around. “Will Hawkfrost come to get us, do you think?”
“I told you, we’re not going to die!” Ivypool put every scrap of conviction she could muster into the words. But what if we do?She couldn’t bear the thought of being trapped in the Dark Forest forever. “Blossomfall, do you think you could try again to get up?”
“Maybe.” Blossomfall gathered her legs under her and managed to stand, though she still looked shaky.
As Ivypool was wondering how far her Clanmate would be able to go, she heard the soft pad of paw steps approaching from behind. Every hair on her pelt rose; she felt as though icy water was creeping over her entire body. It took all the courage she had to turn around.
A strange cat padded out of the shadows, a scrawny tom with ginger fur and wide, haunted eyes. “Oh!” he gasped. “I was expecting the other one.”
“What other one?” Ivypool demanded, her voice cracking.
The stranger ignored her question; he was examining her and Blossomfall with puzzled eyes. “Two of you?” he meowed. “Are you all right?”
“No.” Ivypool was too scared to waste time wondering who this strange cat was, or what he was doing here. “We need to get out. My Clanmate is hurt!”
“But if I show you the way out,” the strange cat told her, “I’ll be on my own again. You always promise to come back, but you never do.”
Ivypool stared at him. “We’ve never been here before!” she meowed. “Please, you have to get us out of here.”
The ginger tom flicked his ears crossly. “There’s no need to shout. You shouldn’t have come down here if you didn’t want to stay. It’s not safe, not unless you know what you’re doing.”
“Well, we don’t,” Ivypool replied, wondering what she could do to make him listen to her pleading. “We just want to go home.”
The stranger came nearer, his eyes narrowed in suspicion; Ivypool tensed as he sniffed her, then Blossomfall. His scent spooked her: He smelled of earth and water and cold ancient stone.
“You’re right, you don’t belong down here,” he murmured, and added more briskly, “All right. Go down this tunnel and take the turn after the rock shaped like a mushroom. Follow that passage for ten fox-lengths, and you’ll see that the tunnel splits into three. Take the middle one. That should start leading upward, and you’ll come to a heap of stones. There’s enough space at the top for you to squeeze through, and from there you can see the way out.”
Ivypool’s mind buzzed like a hollow tree full of bees as she tried to remember the directions. “Can you show us?”
“No.” The ginger tom was already backing away. “You must go on your own.”
Before Ivypool could protest, he had vanished into the shadows. “Mange-pelt!” she muttered, lashing her tail. For a couple of heartbeats she stared down the tunnel where he had disappeared, then turned back to Blossomfall. “Come on. Let’s get moving.”
Sending Blossomfall in front, in case the tortoiseshell warrior collapsed again, Ivypool headed along the tunnel. They found the mushroom-shaped rock the ginger tom had mentioned, but the tunnel they had to turn into was completely dark, and there was no way to tell where they were.
“I’m sure we’ve come more than ten fox-lengths,” Ivypool meowed as they padded cautiously forward, “but we haven’t found the place where the tunnel divides.”
“Maybe we’ve passed it without realizing,” Blossomfall suggested. “I think we should go back.”
“Okay.” Ivypool turned and padded into the darkness, straining her eyes for the first signs of light. But the shadows were never-ending.
“We should have reached the first turn by now,” Blossomfall mewed, her voice quavering.
“I know.” As she spoke, Ivypool realized that a faint breeze was ruffling her fur on one side. “I think it’s here,” she mewed, relieved. “This way.”
Almost as soon as they turned into the new passage, Ivypool realized that they had gone wrong again. There was no sign of the mushroom-shaped rock. The passage led steeply downward and her paws slipped on slick, damp rock as she padded along it
I hope we don’t have to go back. I’m not sure Blossomfall could climb up this way again
Then Ivypool began to make out a faint gray light filtering from farther down the passage. “We’re getting somewhere!” she called out encouragingly, picking up the pace.
With Blossomfall struggling along behind her, Ivypool stepped out of the mouth of the tunnel and halted, letting out a yowl of disappointment. They were back in the cave with the underground river.
“I don’t believe this!” Blossomfall hissed, flopping down on the ground. “We’ll never get out.”
“I wish I’d asked that cat his name,” Ivypool meowed. “We could call for him.” Twitching her whiskers angrily, she added, “I don’t suppose he would have come, anyway.”
Blossomfall lay on her side, panting. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “This is all my fault. I was the one who wanted to come down here.”
“I could have stopped you,” Ivypool argued.
“How?” Incredibly, there was a gleam of humor in Blossomfall’s eyes. “By hanging on to my tail?”
Ivypool let out a snort of amusement. She couldn’t help picturing herself with her teeth sunk into Blossomfall’s tail while the tortoiseshell warrior dangled over the hole.
“Come on! What are you waiting for?”
The voice came from behind them; Ivypool stiffened, her pelt bristling and her paws tingling with fear. A heartbeat later she forced herself to turn around, but she could see nothing, unless perhaps there was a gleam of eyes in the darkest recesses of the cave. She was sure, though, that it wasn’t the ginger tom they had met before.
“You do want to get out, don’t you?” the voice went on impatiently. “You know you shouldn’t be here.”
“Oh, yes—please help us!” Blossomfall begged.
“Very well. Follow me.”
Ivypool spotted a dark cat shape whisking into one of the tunnels a few tail-lengths away, but however hard she peered she couldn’t make out anything that would help her identify the cat. She hauled Blossomfall to her paws and followed. The tunnel was narrow and dark; Ivypool couldn’t see anything of the cat they were following, knowing its presence only by the pad of paw steps and the scent of earth and water and green forest growth.
The trek went on for a long time, through twisting tunnels and down cross-passages, until Blossomfall began to falter. The tunnel had grown a little wider, so that Ivypool could pad by her side and let her lean on her shoulder.
“Is it much farther?” Ivypool called to the cat in front of them.
There was no reply, but the next turn in the tunnel showed bright daylight ahead. The path leading up to the burst of light was steep, covered in bare earth with a few paw prints here and there. But the cat who had rescued them had vanished.
“Where did it go?” Ivypool asked, puzzled.
Blossomfall was too exhausted to reply. She dragged herself into the open and collapsed into a patch of sunlight beside an oak stump. Looking around, Ivypool thought she caught a glimpse of movement among the ferns a few tail-lengths away.
“Thank you!” she called.
There was no response, and in the same heartbeat the movement ceased. The mouth of the tunnel gaped open among rocks where water had trickled down to form a small pool. Ivypool clawed up a pawful of moss and soaked it in the water for Blossomfall to drink.
“Thanks!” the she-cat gasped, sitting up. “Wow, that place was weird! It’s good to be out in the sun again.”
“We’d better get back to camp,” Ivypool meowed. “Are you fit to travel?”
“I’d better be,” Blossomfall replied grimly.
Examining her Clanmate, Ivypool wasn’t so sure. Both cats were filthy and exhausted, their pads cracked from walking on hard stone. But as well as her injuries from the Dark Forest training, Blossomfall had a bump on her head from the rock fall that almost closed one of her eyes.
“We’ll take it slowly,” Ivypool murmured. She wasn’t even sure where they were. There are too many trees for this to be WindClan,she thought, gazing around at the ancient oaks and beeches, and the tangled undergrowth between them. But suppose we’ve come up in the middle of ShadowClan? What if we meet a patrol?
She said nothing of her worries to Blossomfall, but she thought that her Clanmate had worked out the dangers for herself. She was nervous, jumping at the slightest rustle in the undergrowth, and Ivypool’s paws prickled with apprehension with every step she took. She felt vast relief as she detected an overwhelming scent of ThunderClan just ahead, and a few heartbeats later they crossed the border into their own territory.
“Thank StarClan for that!” Blossomfall exclaimed. “Ivypool, what do you think we ought to say when we get back to camp?”
“Not the truth,” Ivypool responded instantly.
Blossomfall halted, bristling, and Ivypool added, “We’re already lying to our Clanmates, in a way, by not telling them about the Dark Forest.”
“That’s different,” Blossomfall muttered.
Though Ivypool didn’t argue, she felt privately that one lie more or less wasn’t going to make much difference.
“We’ll have to say that we got lost,” Blossomfall went on, limping forward once more.
Well, that’s not being entirely honest, is it?Ivypool thought. “Right, reallylost,” she mewed out loud.
As they drew closer to the stone hollow, they managed to pick up the pace, but it was well after sunhigh by the time they stumbled through the thorn tunnel and into the camp. Several of their Clanmates were crouched around the fresh-kill pile; Ivypool spotted Sandstorm and Thornclaw, back from the hunting patrol. Firestar and Graystripe were both there, along with her mother, Whitewing, and more of the senior warriors. She braced herself for trouble. When Ivypool and Blossomfall padded forward, their Clanmates looked up, staring at them mid-mouthful; Brackenfur had a mousetail dangling from his jaws, while Sorreltail had a blackbird feather stuck to her nose.
“What happened to you?” Sandstorm demanded, rising to her paws and coming to meet the two she-cats. “Thornclaw and I thought you must have followed a prey trail. Didn’t you catch anything?”
Blossomfall shook her head. “We got lost.”
Ivypool realized how lame the explanation sounded. She couldn’t blame some of the cats for looking at them with suspicion, and her heart pounded harder as Firestar summoned them over to him with a flick of his tail. The ThunderClan leader studied them, his brilliant green eyes narrowed. “You got lost?” he echoed. “In ThunderClan territory?”
“And why do you look as if some cat pulled you through a bramble thicket backward?” Thornclaw asked. “Did you meet rogues? Or WindClan?”
“No,” Ivypool meowed. “We just—”
“Ivypool!” To Ivypool’s relief, her mother, Whitewing, padded up, pushing past Thornclaw and shooting a glare at Firestar. “What does it matter where they’ve been?” she demanded, in between covering Ivypool’s face and neck with licks. “They’re obviously hurt. I thought you’d just been distracted by newleaf prey,” she added to Ivypool. “I can’t bear to think that you were in real trouble.”
“We’re fine, honestly,” Ivypool insisted.
Whitewing’s green gaze was loving. “It’s hard enough having one daughter out of sight,” she mewed. “I can’t lose track of another one.”
Ivypool noticed that Millie had appeared from the medicine cat’s den, helping Briarlight over to the fresh-kill pile. She seemed not to notice Blossomfall until Whitewing called out to her.
“Millie, Blossomfall and Ivypool got lost. It looks as if they’ve had a tough time.”
Millie looked up, then left Briarlight to carry on dragging herself across the camp, while she stalked up to Blossomfall. Her tail-tip was twitching in annoyance.
Wow,Ivypool thought, feeling a pang of guilt that Whitewing had been so kind and sympathetic to her. Millie really does think she’s got only one kit now
“Where have you been?” Millie snapped. “You’ve wasted a whole morning when you could have been hunting!” Glancing back at Briarlight, who was struggling to join the group at the fresh-kill pile, she added, “Your sister would give anything to be able to help feed the Clan! It’s time you grew up, Blossomfall, and started to behave like a proper warrior.”
Several of the cats stretched their eyes wide.
“There’s no harm done,” Brackenfur meowed, blinking at Blossomfall in concern. “Both cats are home safe, and that’s the main thing, isn’t it?”
“Is it?” Millie drew her lips back in a snarl. Her eyes were full of bitterness as she went back to Briarlight.
Feeling awkward, Ivypool padded over to Blossomfall. “Your mother doesn’t mean it….” she began.
Blossomfall dismissed her words with a swish of her tail. “Whatever,” she muttered, her gaze following Millie as she helped Briarlight pick out a plump vole from the fresh-kill pile. “This is just the way it is now. I’d better get used to it. At least I get noticed in the Dark Forest.”
Her words sent a chill running through Ivypool. I wonder how many other cats would be ready to listen to Hawkfrost’s clever words,she asked herself as she looked at her Clanmates, peacefully settled around the fresh-kill pile. It could be any of them training to fight their own Clanmates when the final battle comes!
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 19
“Please,” Jayfeather begged. “Let me stayhere with Half Moon. This is my only chance to live like my Clanmates, to raise kits and grow old with a mate.”
“That is not why you have returned to these cats,” Rock meowed somberly. “And this is not where Half Moon’s future lies. She must become the first Teller of the Pointed Stones.”
“Why?” Anger and frustration gripped Jayfeather with all the force of the eagle’s talons. “Why not some other cat?”
“Because Half Moon can read the reflections,” Rock replied. “She saw the sign of the moon.”
“Any cat could have seen that!”
Rock shook his head. “It is not her destiny to have kits and live the same life as her companions. You must help her see that.”
“Couldn’t you have done that on your own?” Jayfeather’s anger was rising now, spinning out of his control. “Why did you need me? Did you know what would happen, how I would feel about Half Moon?”
Rock dipped his head, an admission that he had known it all. “You have the power of the stars, Jayfeather. There are some things you must do, however hard they may seem.”
“It’s not fair.” Jayfeather flexed his claws. “And you can’t make me.”
He turned away, meaning to go back to the cave and seek out Half Moon, but suddenly Rock was in front of him, barring his way with ominous strength, in spite of his blindness and scrawny, hairless body.
“I can make you if I have to,” he warned Jayfeather quietly. “Where do you think the prophecy came from? This is your destiny. Yours and Half Moon’s.”
Trembling with fury, Jayfeather brushed past him and scrambled down beside the waterfall. Between his anger and his soreness from fighting the eagle, he lost his footing a few tail-lengths from the ground and fell, the breath driven from his body as he landed beside the pool. Struggling to his paws, he spotted Rising Moon at the end of the path that led behind the waterfall. He braced himself for more cold words as she padded toward him, but as she drew closer he saw that her eyes were full of gentle concern.
“Thank you for your courage, Jay’s Wing,” she mewed. “If we can survive here until we are strong enough to go back to the lake, you have done us a great favor.”
Following her back into the cave, Jayfeather saw that most of the cats were clustered around Stone Song and the rest of the patrol.
“So we leaped up onto the eagle’s wings….” Stone Song gave a huge jump into the air as he spoke.
Owl Feather’s three kits were watching with open mouths, their hunger forgotten.
“Come on, Strong Pounce,” one of them mewed to his littermate. “I’m going to be an eagle, and you and Running Fox can attack me.”
“You’re so bossy, Lapping Wave,” another kit replied. “Iwant to be the eagle!” He flung himself at his littermate and all three kits wrestled together on the floor.
Jayfeather suppressed a mrrowof laughter to see the tiny cats behaving like kits again. For the first time he sensed optimism and humor among these cats.
“So the eagle let Jayfeather go, and flew off,” Stone Song finished. “We won!”
Yowls of approval rose up from the cats who surrounded him. Stone Song let them continue for a moment, then raised his tail for silence. “We need a hunting patrol,” he went on. “Jagged Lightning, you come with me, and Dove’s Wing and Fish Leap. You were best at fighting the eagle, so we’ll protect the hunters.”
“Rising Moon and Dawn River should do the hunting,” Jagged Lightning meowed with a nod of agreement. “They were the best at catching prey by the lake.”
“Right.” Stone Song gathered his patrol together with a wave of his tail. “We’ll take Whispering Breeze, too. That should be enough for now.”
The patrol headed toward the entrance to the cave, the rest of the cats clustering together to watch them go. “Good luck!” Half Moon called.
“Bring us back something tasty!” Running Horse added.
Jayfeather knew that he should feel hopeful. Although the cats were still thinking about returning to the lake, they were at least making an effort to adapt to life in the mountains. But he had no room for hope; all he could think about was how he had to teach Half Moon to become Stoneteller, and then return to the time of the Clans.
Stone Song nodded to Jayfeather as the patrol padded past him on their way to the path behind the waterfall. “We owe you a lot,” he meowed. “You should stay here and get some rest after your struggle.”
Jayfeather dipped his head, though inwardly he was wincing. They treat me like one of them
But all the time he belonged somewhere else, far, far away.
Half Moon bounded up to him. “Are you fit to go out again? I was thinking about those herbs that you found yesterday, when we were buried in the snow. We ought to go see if there are any more.”
Jayfeather’s heart weighed heavier than the mountains as he gazed into her eager eyes. “Can we go to the cave with the pointed stones first?”
Half Moon looked puzzled, then nodded. “If you want to.”
As they crossed the cavern, Jayfeather spotted Shy Fawn lying near Owl Feather, with her swollen belly propped awkwardly. Her kits will be born soon,he thought.
Half Moon paused and touched Shy Fawn’s shoulder with her tail-tip. “You’ll be fine now,” she murmured. “The patrol will bring you some prey.”
Shy Fawn blinked gratefully.
Jayfeather led the way down the tunnel into the Cave of Pointed Stones. Dawn light spilled through the hole in the roof, turning the pools to sheets of glimmering silver. Jayfeather let his gaze travel over the spikes of stone. Everything looked just the same as it did in the time of the Tribe of Rushing Water. If the stones had grown by then, he couldn’t tell. The cave seemed alive with the sound of dripping water, the light rippling over the columns and pinnacles.
“I wonder whether any other cats have visited here,” Half Moon meowed, her voice echoing. “Do you think the moon shines in the pool every night?”
Jayfeather swallowed uncomfortably. “I’ve got something to tell you.”
Half Moon padded close to him, her beautiful green eyes expectant. “Yes, Jay’s Wing?”
Taking a deep breath, Jayfeather stared down at the pool as he spoke. “I followed you here for a reason. I…I know some things you don’t.” When he dared to glance at Half Moon again, he saw that she was bristling playfully. Clearly she thought she knew what he was going to say.
“No…not like that.” Every word was being wrenched out of Jayfeather. “Half Moon, this is the place where you are meant to be. You and all the cats from the lake. Other cats have lived here before and survived, however hard it seems. You can’t go back. Your future lies here.”
Half Moon stared at him as if he had grown a second head. Continuing to talk to her was the hardest thing Jayfeather had ever done. I’d face all the eagles in the mountains rather than tell her this
“You will become their leader,” he went on. “This cave will be your den, and your ancestors will guide you with signs in the pool, like the reflection of the new moon you saw last night. You will be known as the Teller of the Pointed Stones. This is your destiny.”
For a few heartbeats there was silence. “Well, that’s a mouthful of a name!” Half Moon meowed at last. Her voice was shaking—with outrage or amusement, Jayfeather couldn’t tell. “Is this some kind of joke?”
“No. I promise you it isn’t.” Jayfeather’s heart sank when he saw anger gathering in the green eyes that had looked at him so warmly.
“You came all this way to tell me this?” she burst out. “Where did you get all these mouse-brained ideas? Jay’s Wing, I’ve shown you how I feel! Is it so awful that I might have wanted to have your kits? If you’re not interested, then why can’t you just turn me down, like any normal tom?”
Her fury, her sense of betrayal, crashed over Jayfeather like a wave. Overwhelmed, drowning in it, he murmured, “This has nothing to do with me. It’s your destiny! I’m sorry!”
For a heartbeat, Half Moon faced him, glaring; then she whipped around and stormed out of the cave.
“Wait—”
Jayfeather bounded after her; when he emerged from the tunnel he saw her racing across the cavern to the entrance. She mustn’t go out there alone! It’s dangerous!
“Stop!” he yowled.
Half Moon ignored him. But then a feeble wail rose from the side of the cave where Shy Fawn was lying. “Half Moon, help me! My kits are coming!”
Half Moon halted, then spun around, looking for Jayfeather. “Jay’s Wing! Over here!” she called.
Jayfeather hurried across the cave and met her in front of Shy Fawn. Owl Feather was heading in her direction, too, but she was held up by her kits tumbling around her paws.
“Stay back there,” the she-cat scolded her litter. “This isn’t for kits.”
“But we want to see!” Strong Pounce protested.
“No! Go over there and play, and don’t make too much noise. This is a hard time for Shy Fawn.”
Looking down at the pregnant she-cat, Jayfeather had to agree. Shy Fawn’s distended belly was huge for such a small cat, and he wondered how many kits she was carrying. Her eyes were wide and scared.
“Please help me,” she whispered. “I don’t know what to do.”
Anger clawed at Jayfeather as he realized how frightened she was. She should have given birth among the soft moss and bracken of a proper nursery, not here on this rocky floor without even the right herbs.
At least she’s got a medicine cat,he thought.
“Half Moon,” he began briskly, “you remember where we got the moss for Chasing Clouds? Can you get some more, and soak it with water so that Shy Fawn can have a drink?”
Half Moon nodded and sped off.
“Owl Feather, I need a stick. Something good and stout that Shy Fawn can bite down on when the pains come. You should find one by the bushes around the pool.”
Owl Feather blinked in surprise at being ordered around, but she didn’t protest, just called over her shoulder as she padded toward the entrance, “Make sure my kits don’t follow me out.”
Jayfeather turned his attention back to Shy Fawn. Powerful ripples were passing across her belly, and she gasped with pain
“Relax as much as you can,” Jayfeather advised her. “It won’t be long now.”
Half Moon reappeared with a bundle of wet moss in her jaws and sat down beside Shy Fawn’s head, helping her to drink, then licking her ears gently to keep her calm.
Another ripple coursed over Shy Fawn’s belly, and she let out a sharp cry of pain as she began straining.
“That’s good,” Jayfeather reassured her. “You’re coming along nicely.”
Owl Feather bounded up with the stick Jayfeather had asked for, and dropped it on the ground so that Shy Fawn could grip it in her jaws. “How many kits, do you think?” she asked Jayfeather.
Jayfeather felt Shy Fawn’s belly with his forepaw. “Three, at least,” he replied, realizing how weird it was to be able to see as he delivered kits. “Hang on, I think the first one’s coming.”
Shy Fawn’s belly convulsed. Jayfeather heard the stick crack in her teeth, and a small bundle of wet fur slid out onto the cave floor. Half Moon cushioned it with her paws and nudged it over to Shy Fawn.
“It’s a little tom,” she mewed. “Isn’t he beautiful?”
Shy Fawn gazed down at her kit, all the fear gone from her eyes, swallowed up in overwhelming love. “He’s black, just like Dark Whiskers,” she murmured, bending her head to lick his fur.
Jayfeather gave her shoulder a prod with one paw. “Concentrate. There’s more to come.”
“Yes, I—oh!” Shy Fawn’s words ended in a yowl as the pain gripped her again.
Jayfeather massaged her belly, while Half Moon stroked her head. “Breathe deeply,” she encouraged her. “It’ll be over soon.”
As she spoke, a second kit slid out; Jayfeather trapped it gently between his forepaws and placed it beside its littermate. “Another tom,” he meowed. “And the next one’s right behind it.”
As Shy Fawn strained to bring her next kit into the world, Jayfeather heard jubilant yowls from outside the cave and turned his head to see the hunting patrol jostling through the entrance. Stone Song was carrying a vole, while Jagged Lightning was dragging an enormous snow-white hare.
“It worked!” Fish Leap bounded into the middle of the cavern. “A hawk swooped down on us, but it took one look at our claws and flew away again.”
“We should be able to work out a way to catch birds,” Dove’s Wing meowed. “An eagle would feed all of us for days!”
Then the hunting patrol fell silent as they realized what was going on. Stone Song dropped his vole and raced across the cavern to Shy Fawn. “Her kits are here!” he exclaimed. “Is she going to be okay?”
“She’ll be fine,” Jayfeather replied. Shy Fawn’s third kit—a little she-cat—had made her appearance. Looking down at the exhausted mother cat, he had his doubts about what he had just said, but he wasn’t going to voice them. Shy Fawn had been hungry and worn out by the journey before she ever got here, grieving for her mate, and life in the cavern still looked pretty bleak. But at least the hunting had been successful.
“Bring her something to eat,” he directed. “And when it’s ready, that hare’s pelt would be good to keep the kits warm.”
By now Shy Fawn’s three kits were beginning to squeak and wriggle. She guided them toward her teats, but Jayfeather fended them off with one forepaw while he ran the other over her belly.
“You’re not finished yet,” he told her. “There’s another kit in there.”
Shy Fawn made one last effort, letting out a high-pitched screech. The final kit slithered out and lay motionless on the cave floor.
“There!” Half Moon exclaimed. “Well done!”
Shy Fawn collapsed, exhausted, and Half Moon guided the kits into the curve of her belly. Each of them latched on to a teat, and their high-pitched complaints died away into silence as they began to suckle.
Jayfeather felt the fourth kit gently with one paw; it was another tom, this time with a golden tabby pelt, and though he was so small, he looked compact and strong. But he still didn’t move.
“Is he dead?” Half Moon whispered.
Jayfeather thought he could detect the feeble flutter of a heartbeat, but the kit didn’t seem to be breathing. “He’s not dead,” he replied. “And I’m not going to let him give up that easily!”
He pawed a little mucus out of the kit’s mouth, then began licking him vigorously, thrusting the fur the wrong way to warm the kit up and start his body working. Shy Fawn raised her head and watched anxiously. Suddenly the tiny kit convulsed between Jayfeather’s paws. He took a gulp of air and let out a loud yowl straight at Jayfeather, who stared at the familiar golden pelt and the set of the shoulders, and marveled at the strength in the tiny body.
“He has a roar like a lion,” some cat commented from behind Jayfeather.
“Then I’ll call him Lion’s Roar,” Shy Fawn murmured proudly.
No,Jayfeather thought. This is Lionblaze. Welcome, brother.
He gave the kit a lick between the ears and nudged him into the curve of Shy Fawn’s belly, where he began to suckle strongly next to his littermates. Jayfeather glanced over his shoulder to see Dove’s Wing among the cats who were crowding around. The gray she-cat’s eyes were wide with wonder as she watched Shy Fawn caring for her litter.
And there you are, as well,Jayfeather thought. How weird: She’s called Dovewing in our time, too. Glancing from Dove’s Wing to Lion’s Roar, he added to himself, The three of us are here now, even if the other two don’t realize it. The Power of Three has begun
Suddenly he sensed a familiar presence at his shoulder.
“It is nearly time,” Rock whispered.
Jayfeather tensed, and for a heartbeat he considered ignoring the ancient cat’s warning. Then he sighed. He knew there was no use fighting destiny. Glancing around, he spotted Half Moon and made his way to her side. “Come on. Let’s go out for some air,” he murmured.
Half Moon nodded and followed him along the path and up the rocks beside the waterfall. To Jayfeather’s astonishment, he saw that the short leaf-bare day had ended and the moon was shining, a little brighter and plumper than the night before.
Standing at the edge of the cliff, her fur ruffled by the breeze, Half Moon looked up at the thin crescent. “It’s still there,” she whispered.
“Yes, and it will always be there,” Jayfeather responded. “Just as your descendants will be here. It’s up to you to make them stay, Half Moon, to persuade them that they can survive with their new ways of hunting. You must use all your skills with herbs to look after them.”
Half Moon’s green eyes were worried. “I don’t want to be a leader,” she protested.
“Then call yourself their Healer.”
The she-cat looked away as if she didn’t want Jayfeather to see the pain in her eyes. “You truly believe this, don’t you?”
Jayfeather stepped closer to her and touched the tip of her ear with his muzzle. “Yes, I do. This is all meant to be. However much I wish things could be different.”
Half Moon let out a long sigh. Closing her eyes, she leaned against Jayfeather. “You’re going to leave me again, aren’t you?”
Jayfeather nodded. “I’m so sorry. I wish I could stay.” He gave her ear a lick, but there was little comfort in it. “You will be a great Healer,” he went on. “Let the moon and the stars guide you. I promise everything will be okay.”
Half Moon looked up at him. “I believe you, because I trust you,” she whispered.
Jayfeather stepped back, the light of the slender moon spilling around them, turning Half Moon’s white fur to silver. As if there was a voice prompting him from inside his head, he knew what he had to say. “From this moment on, you will be known as the Teller of the Pointed Stones. Others will come after you, moon upon moon upon moon. Choose them well, train them well, and trust the future of your Tribe to them.”
“Tribe?” Half Moon echoed.
“Yes,” Jayfeather replied. “You are a Tribe now, united in loyalty to everything you represent. It won’t be easy, but the other cats will understand what needs to be done to keep you safe here forever.”
“I’ll miss you.” Half Moon’s voice was desolate.
“And I you. I won’t ever forget you, I promise.”
Jayfeather leaned toward her, and their noses touched. If only…Jayfeather thought.
Half Moon was the first to break away. Jayfeather watched as she jumped neatly down beside the waterfall, paused at the end of the path for one brief glance at him over her shoulder, then vanished into the cave.
“Good-bye, Stoneteller,” Jayfeather murmured. “May the Tribe of Endless Hunting light your path, always.”
第二十章
第二十章
“老鼠屎！是谁说夜晚训练的主意不错来着？”刺掌嘟囔着从一根长长的黑莓藤蔓中挣脱出来，后背上的虎斑皮毛被扯下了一撮，“我甚至看不见自己的脚掌！”
狮焰强忍住打趣的喵声。“是火星说的。”他说道，“你知道他想让我们练习战斗技能。”
刺掌跟在其他猫后面往前走，生气地哼了一声。狮焰竖着耳朵走在最后面，可除了族猫们的脚步声和微风吹动树枝的窸窣声，他什么也没听见。森林里既清凉又静谧，只有一弯细细的新月照亮着众猫脚下的路。
带队的蕨毛在下一块空地中停了下来。“好了，现在开始训练。”他开口说道，“我们分成两队。我带一队，队员是刺掌、黄蜂条和桦落。栗尾，你带藤池、狮焰和莓鼻组成一队。”
“那我们要做什么呢？”莓鼻扒拉着脚掌下的枯叶问道。
“每队必须接近并夺取对旧两脚兽巢穴的控制权，”蕨毛解释道，“当然还要阻止另一队占领它。如果能追踪并抓住敌队的几个队员，就更好了。”
“听上去很好玩！”黄蜂条欢呼道。
栗尾竖起了尾巴：“蕨毛，我们不用真打实战，对吧？如果我们谁扑倒了你的队员，那就算我们赢了，行吗？”
“你想得美！”蕨毛冲伴侣眨了眨他那温柔的琥珀色眼睛，“不过，你提的建议不错。如果你们谁被扑倒了，那就算他输了。这是夜晚追踪训练，不是实战。”
见没有问题了，蕨毛就摆了摆尾巴招呼自己的队员准备行动。栗尾眯着眼睛看着他们离开。狮焰猜她肯定在想他们走哪条路。紧接着，她弹动耳朵示意自己的队员们过来，然后率先走进了树林。
树林里的灌木丛长势茂盛，行动起来难免会发出动静，也很难看到其他猫。抓痕一样细的弯月和微弱的星光几乎起不了什么作用。狮焰想要顺着长满蕨草的山坡悄悄爬下去，可是却一头撞在了栗尾的屁股上，这才发现她突然停了下来。
“对不起！”
栗尾冲他轻轻点点头，然后抽了抽尾巴招呼大家。“有什么建议吗？”她悄声问道，“藤池？”
藤池的眼睛在朦胧的月光下闪闪发亮。“我们要一直在暗处走，”她说道，“而且尽量不要碰到灌木丛。想想我们狩猎时是怎么去抓猎物的，按照那个感觉来。”
栗尾赞许地点了点头：“说得非常好。”
听着藤池的话，狮焰感到有些心惊。黑森林的训练已经让她很擅长夜晚潜行了。
“那我们为什么还坐在这里？”莓鼻质问道，“其他猫现在可能都已经到两脚兽巢穴了。”
“我不这么认为。”栗尾轻声说道，“我能猜到蕨毛的意图。他们会绕远路，然后再从另一侧靠近两脚兽巢穴，所以我们不能去追踪他们。”她说话时两眼放光：“至少他以为我们会这么做。我们走！”
整个队伍走下斜坡穿过一片榛树丛。狮焰看着藤池迈着坚定的步伐，在灌木丛中像影子一样游刃有余地穿梭潜行，好像本能地知道什么时候应该低头躲避垂落的树枝，什么时候应该从一团暗影潜入另一团暗影。他心里既欣赏又担心。难道黑森林的作战技巧已经变成雷族技巧的一部分了吗？这是虎星希望看到的吗？
藤池下次去黑森林的时候，会因为泄露秘密而遇上麻烦吗？狮焰叹了一口气，至少，她现在还在这儿，没有在梦里和我们的敌人一起训练。
“嘿！鼠脑子！你是睡着了吗？”
莓鼻生气的喊声吓了狮焰一跳。他看见奶油色公猫正在前面几步远的地方，回头怒视着他。
“好了，我来了。”他轻轻应了一声，赶忙追了上去。
栗尾走到旧雷鬼路边，再次停了下来。两脚兽巢穴就在对面，再走几狐狸身长那么远就到了，不过在这里还仍然看不见。“毫无疑问，这次我们会赢的。”她的声音轻得几乎都听不见。“莓鼻，你和我一起，我们负责占领两脚兽巢穴。”年轻公猫挺起胸膛。“狮焰，你和藤池准备去抓蕨毛的队员。如果我没猜错的话，他们应该会在那边。”栗尾用尾巴指了指雷鬼路对面。
狮焰会意地点点头。藤池不耐烦地抖动着身体，随时准备行动。栗尾抽抽耳朵示意他们开始，然后又冲莓鼻晃了下脑袋，示意他跟上。他们俩沿雷鬼路一路往下，紧贴着路边，藏身于垂落下来的蕨丛里。不一会儿，狮焰就看不见他们了。他嗅了嗅空气中的味道，可并没有捕捉到其他队员的踪迹。很好，这说明他们也闻不见我们。他用耳朵向藤池示意，然后悄无声息地穿过雷鬼路，身子伏低，腹部的皮毛擦过地面。
他爬进另一边茂密的灌木丛里，朝两脚兽巢穴的后面绕过去。他挤开周围厚厚的树丛，却发现自己还是个头太大，不禁羡慕起藤池那灵活轻巧的身形来。尽管周围漆黑一片，可她还是那么自信、敏捷。
狮焰又嗅了嗅空气，这一次他闻见了一丝很明显的猫的气味。栗尾猜得没错，蕨毛果然会从那边靠近两脚兽巢穴！他用耳朵向藤池示意，稍微掉转方向继续追踪那个气味。可藤池在暗影下的动作比他更快，只见她超到前面，竖起尾巴，示意他停下。那只猫的气味越来越浓了。狮焰竖起耳朵捕捉着任何一丝的风吹草动。起初，他什么也听不到，可紧接着他便听到了微弱的嘎吱声，就好像是有猫踩在枯叶上发出来的动静。
藤池也听到了。她摆了摆尾巴，示意狮焰包抄过去，这样他们就可以从两侧夹击那只猫。狮焰悄悄移动到新位置，在黑莓丛边上的一棵冬青树下躲起来候着。尽管他还没看见蕨毛他们，但他却很清楚他们的方位。他不明白为什么藤池还要示意他等着。
他沮丧地摇了摇尾巴。她在玩什么花样？
一丝轻微的沙沙声传来，第一只猫——刺掌——从一簇蕨丛里出来，往黑莓丛走去，狮焰第一次注意到，那里居然有一条小路通往两脚兽巢穴。刺掌沿小路悄悄潜行，后面跟着桦落和黄蜂条。蕨毛走在最后面，不时地回头张望着，像是在察看栗尾的队员有没有在跟踪他们。
不，我们没跟着，鼠脑子！狮焰兴奋地想道，我们早就在这儿了！
现在他终于明白了藤池的意图。他往她蹲伏藏身的岩石那边看去，看见她正摆好姿势准备扑上去。狮焰赶快收紧自己的肌肉，做好跃起准备。
前面三只猫已经进了黑莓丛，因为小路狭窄，他们只能排成一队逐个进入。蕨毛在黑莓丛边顿了一下，又扫视了下周围。他张开嘴尝了尝空气的味道，突然，他的眼睛怀疑地眯了起来。
行动！
狮焰和藤池同时跃起扑向蕨毛，撞得他四脚朝天。金棕色公猫惊叫起来。
“抓住你了！”狮焰宣布道，“你现在是我们的囚犯了，对吗？”
“没错。”蕨毛不得不懊恼地承认道，因为藤池的脚掌还踩在他的胸膛上。
此时黑莓丛中传来阵阵吼叫声。狮焰听到刺掌怒气冲冲地喊道：“转回去，看在星族的分上，快点儿退回去！”
“我做不到！”这是黄蜂条的声音，“空间不够！”
“狐狸屎！我被卡住了！”桦落咆哮道，“我们只能往前走。”
狮焰心里乐开了花，他冲藤池挥了挥尾巴，示意她让蕨毛起身。“我们现在一点儿也不需要担心他们了，”他说道，“我们去两脚兽巢穴吧。”
现在他们可以放开步子快跑起来，再也不用担心被发现或是被听到。狮焰率先冲出灌木丛，穿过两脚兽巢穴后身的松树林，从石墙上的一个缺口里钻了进去。
“出去——啊，是你们啊。”莓鼻差点儿扑在了狮焰身上，好在他及时止住了身子。蕨毛和藤池也跟着狮焰从缺口处钻了进来。栗尾正围着石墙转圈，想要同时监视所有可能的通道。看到他们，她惊讶地停下脚步，尾巴抬高，一脸赞许。
“太好了！你们已经抓住一只啦！”她走到蕨毛跟前，和他互碰鼻子，“欢迎来到我们的巢穴。”
蕨毛咕噜了一声，用口鼻蹭了蹭她的肩膀：“干得漂亮！”
几个心跳过后，蕨毛的队员们全都气喘吁吁地从缺口处挤了进来。他们全都挂了彩，桦落鼻子上还有一道划伤。黑莓丛帮了他们的大忙！他们赢了！
“好吧，你们打败了我们。”刺掌颓然倒在地上，“那招真的很聪明！”
“我们应该讨论一下经验教训，”蕨毛说道，在他的伴侣身边坐下来，“如果能再来一次，我们该怎样改正我们的错误呢？”
“远离黑莓丛。”桦落有感而发地说道。他舔了舔其中一只脚掌，摸了摸鼻子。
“分头行动这主意不错。”黄蜂条点评道，“我们怎么没想到这个办法呢？”
“对，这个主意很棒。”蕨毛表示同意，冲狮焰赞许地点点头，“你和藤池负责分散我们的注意力，而栗尾和莓鼻则负责占领巢穴。”
“这可不是我的功劳。”狮焰纠正他道，“分头行动是栗尾的主意，在黑莓丛边伏击你们是藤池的主意。”
族猫们都对她俩十分佩服，栗尾和藤池发出得意的咕噜声。
“我们也可以从错误中吸取教训，”蕨毛将粘在身上的一簇蕨草甩掉，然后继续说道，“进入黑莓丛里的小路的时候，我应该留两只猫在后面警戒着。”
“或者换一条路走。”刺掌补充道，“走在那种狭窄的小道上很容易受到攻击，所以狮焰和藤池扑过来的时候，我们都来不及转身救你。”
“我们想的也不够全面。”栗尾说道，“我忘了进入两脚兽巢穴的路有很多，所以我和莓鼻到这里的时候，不得不同时监视着所有的出入口，差点儿跑断了腿。如果你们队先到的话，那我们就有麻烦了。”她又对蕨毛说道。
蕨毛用尾巴弹弹她的耳朵说：“这么说，我们今天都算是有收获。等我早上去跟火星汇报一下，他肯定会很高兴的。”说完他挥挥尾巴示意大家跟上，然后起身和栗尾肩并肩率先走出了巢穴。
狮焰发现自己又落在了队伍后面，和藤池走在一排。“干得漂亮！”他说道，用尾巴轻轻拍了一下她的肩膀。
藤池不好意思地舔了舔胸前的毛：“谢谢！”
“你……你这些技巧大多是在黑森林里学到的，对吗？”狮焰试探地问了一句。
藤池猛然抬起头，眼睛里露着一丝防备：“是的，但我永远都不会把它们用在我的族猫身上的。”
“你当然不会的。”狮焰安抚她道，“我是说你学得很好，没别的意思。”
“不过我……我真的觉得身为雷族武士却用黑森林的技巧，感觉很糟糕。”藤池跃过路上倒下的树干，承认道，“那感觉就像是我背弃了在雷族所学的一切。”
狮焰眨了眨眼，回想起自己在夜里接受虎星训练的情形，想着自己也用过从那位凶残的黑森林武士那里学到的很多动作和策略。“任何训练都是有益的，”他大声说道，“战斗就是战斗，能赢才是最重要的。”
藤池点点头，不过看起来还是不太安心。狮焰仔细想了想刚才的对话，突然想知道是否还有其他猫也在接受秘密训练。“你在黑森林看到过其他雷族猫吗？”他尽量放松语气，装作不在意地问道。
他感觉藤池身体一僵，过了好几个心跳之后才回答道：“我们是分开训练的。我看见过一只风族猫，就是那个受伤的蚁皮，但大多数时候，我都是和别的黑森林里的猫一起训练。我想他们应该是故意将我们分开的。”
狮焰听得出来，对于黑森林，她显然并不愿多谈。看着远处森林里的石头山谷，他冲藤池点了点头，挥挥尾巴示意她先跑回去，然后便在她身后慢慢走着，仔细地回想着刚才她所说过的话。突然，他停住了，一阵寒意从皮毛中蹿过。
她没有回答我的问题！她并没说，在无星之地没有看到任何其他的雷族猫！
狮焰感受到一股越来越强的寒意。
我的族猫之中，还有谁正在接受那些想要毁灭所有族群的黑森林猫的训练呢？
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 21
Dovewing’s ears ached from the snowthat blocked them; snow filled her eyes and froze her paws until she felt as if they were burning. “I hate snow,” she grumbled. “I’d give anything to be back in the forest.”
“So would I,” Foxleap agreed.
Dovewing had noticed that the Tribe cats moved far more easily through the landscape. They seemed to know instinctively where there were rocks to jump onto, even when they were covered by a thin layer of white. Admiring Splash’s easy grace, Dovewing forgot to watch where she was putting her paws. The snow gave way underneath her and she felt herself sinking into a drift.
“No! Help!” she yowled, flailing her paws as if she was trying to swim through the powdery white flakes.
Crag bounded back toward her and bent over, fastening his teeth into her scruff. Just as if I was a kit!Dovewing thought crossly, scrabbling for a paw hold as the cave-guard hauled her out and set her down again on solid rock.
“Thanks!” she gasped.
Crag’s eyes gleamed with humor. “Anytime,” he purred. “Just ask.”
“How much farther do we have to go?” Foxleap asked, flicking his ears to shake snow off them.
“You see the pine tree over there?” Swoop pointed with her tail. “The one blasted by lightning? That’s the next border marker.”
“When we get there, we’ll have covered half the border,” Crag added. “Then we can head back. We’ll keep looking out for prey, though.”
Dovewing sighed as she looked at the withered pine tree. It was halfway up the opposite side of the valley; it looked a long, long way away.
“Prey!” Foxleap muttered into her ear. “Only the skeleton of a squirrel could live in that blackened tree.”
In spite of her discomfort, Dovewing let out an amused mrrow. “At least we could chew on the bones!”
Following Crag, the patrol slogged down into the valley, across a frozen stream, and up the far slope. They had almost reached the tree when Dovewing heard a yowl of alarm, followed by the screeches of a cat in pain. Wings beat furiously, and paws thudded on hard stone. For a heartbeat she froze. Obviously her companions hadn’t heard anything, but the sounds went on, growing louder and more agonized. Spinning around, Dovewing stared across the valley.
Are Tribe cats in trouble?
Much farther up the slope on the other side, she spotted a knot of cats thrashing in the snow. A huge gold-brown bird hovered over them, striking out with hooked talons.
“Look!” Dovewing called.
Splash glanced around, narrowing her eyes. “It looks like the intruders have got into trouble with an eagle.” Her voice was grim. “Serves them right. They’re inside our territory!”
“Shouldn’t we go help?” Dovewing asked.
Swoop shrugged. “They’ll have to learn to defend themselves, like our ancestors did.”
“But we can’t just watch them be killed!” Foxleap protested.
“The eagle won’t kill all of them,” Crag meowed calmly. “It might take one, that’s all.”
The light of battle gleamed in Foxleap’s eyes. “When Clans have a common enemy,” he meowed, “we unite to defend ourselves. We have to help those cats!”
Swoop still looked doubtful, but Splash nodded reluctantly. “He’s right, you know. We can’t just stand here and watch. And if we help, they might owe us any prey they’ve caught!”
Crag hesitated, then nodded and set off, waving his tail for the others to follow him. As she drew closer, Dovewing was almost deafened by the shrieks of horror and pain. That eagle isn’t giving up!
Racing over a low crest, they scrambled up the opposite slope toward the battle. Four cats were fighting with an enormous eagle. The eagle’s talons were fixed in the pelt of a brown-and-white she-cat; her paws waved feebly while the other three cats leaped and clawed at the bird’s wings.
“That’s Flora!” Splash exclaimed.
“Splash, you take the farthest wing with Swoop,” Crag ordered. “I’ll take the nearest. Wait for my signal.”
“What can we do?” Dovewing called.
“Stay out of the way,” Crag replied, as Swoop and Splash raced around the eagle. “You’re not trained in this sort of fighting.”
Dovewing and Foxleap stood close together in the shelter of a boulder, watching the eagle as it flung the intruding cats away. One of them, a young tortoiseshell no bigger than an apprentice, was hurled against a rock, where she lay stunned and bleeding from one ear.
“Now!” Crag yowled.
As he leaped at one of the eagle’s wings, Swoop and Splash sprang at the other, trying to hold the bird down between them. It let out a raucous screech of fury, and Dovewing imagined that its talons were gripping Flora even more tightly. She shivered with terror as she stared at the eagle’s glaring yellow eyes. Is this how prey feels?
The other two intruders, a black tom and a skinny brown tom with big ears, threw themselves back into the battle, clawing at the eagle’s legs, but they were already hurt and exhausted from the struggle, and their blows were feeble. The eagle was big and determined, almost managing to take off with the little she-cat, in spite of the Tribe cats weighing down its wings.
There are only three of them,Dovewing thought, fear flooding through her. They can’t do this on their own
“I’ve had enough of this,” Foxleap muttered. “I’m not standing here like a useless lump of fur!”
He sprang forward and latched his claws into the eagle’s wing, just as it shook off Crag with a screech. Crag twisted in midair and attacked the eagle’s naked, gnarly legs, clawing first at one and then the other. With a shriek of rage the eagle let go of Flora; she hit the ground and lay still. Swoop and Splash leaped gracefully to the ground.
“Okay, Foxleap!” Crag meowed. “You can let go!”
But Foxleap didn’t release his grip. Dovewing’s heart began to thud as she realized that her Clanmate was stuck. He dangled from the eagle’s wing by his claws, twisting and wrenching to free himself as the bird battled into the air.
Before any other cat could move, Swoop let out a furious screech. “No!” She leaped up again, grabbing at the eagle’s wing with one forepaw, while with the other she batted at Foxleap. His claws dislodged, Foxleap crashed to the ground, where he lay winded.
But just as Swoop began to drop to the ground again, the eagle whirled around in a storm of wings. Blood-splashed talons shot out and sank into her back.
“Swoop!” Splash shrieked. She tried to jump into the air, but the eagle was already climbing higher.
“No!” Swoop screamed, battering the air with her paws. “Help! Crag! Splash…”
Dovewing could still hear her as the eagle’s wings beat more strongly and carried him off, vanishing over a distant peak. The sound of Swoop’s terror filled her head until she thought she would never hear anything else again.
Trembling, Dovewing blocked her ears with her paws. “I’m sorry, Swoop,” she whispered. “There’s nothing I can do….”
Silence fell. The snow-covered slope was stained with blood and strewn with feathers. The Tribe cats stood silent, watching Dovewing as she writhed in agony. The intruders had picked themselves up; even Flora was standing shakily on her paws. They exchanged swift, guilty glances, but said nothing.
Dovewing lifted her head, feeling cold horror course through her veins. She couldn’t hear Swoop screaming now—and that was the most terrible sound of all. “She’s dead,” she whispered.
Foxleap staggered to his paws and faced the Tribe cats. “I’m sorry,” he mewed, his voice full of anguish. “It was my fault.”
“Yes!” Splash hissed, her eyes narrowed with grief and hostility. “You were told to stay out of it. If you’d done as Crag told you, Swoop would be alive now.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” Foxleap repeated.
Dovewing padded over to him and pressed her muzzle against his shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault,” she murmured. “You were only trying to help. Without you, the eagle might have taken Flora.”
“Better an intruder than one of the Tribe!” Splash snapped.
Foxleap said nothing, just stared at his paws with numb grief in his eyes.
Crag let out a long sigh. “Blaming Foxleap won’t help. We’d better get back to the cave.”
As they set off, the black tom took a pace forward. “Wait!”
Splash spun around, flexing her claws. “What?”
“Nothing.” The black tom looked embarrassed and guilty. “Just…er…thanks.”
The Tribe she-cat let out a snort of disgust and bounded away with a last glance over her shoulder. “Don’t even think about crossing the border again,” she snarled.
Dovewing stumbled blindly back through the snow. She felt so much pain inside that she scarcely noticed her frozen paws or aching ears. All she could hear was the echo of Swoop’s terrified shrieks as the eagle carried her away.
We should never have come hereThis has nothing to do with the prophecy, nothing to do with keeping the Clans safe from the Dark Forest.
The sun was sinking into a troubled mass of cloud by the time the waterfall came in sight. When the patrol finally staggered into the cave, Squirrelflight sprang up from where she had been talking to Talon and Bird. “What happened?” she demanded, fear in her eyes as she bounded over to Dovewing.
“We went to help—” Crag began, but Splash cut him off with a lash of her tail.
“Swoop is dead,” she rasped. “An eagle took her while she was trying to save thiscat.” She glared at Foxleap. “He forced his way into the fight when he’d been told to stay out of it.”
Squirrelflight let out a gasp of horror. More cats gathered around them, Stormfur and Brook in the lead.
“That’s terrible!” Stormfur exclaimed.
Brook nodded, stroking her tail over Splash’s shoulder. “No cat has been taken by an eagle for many moons.”
“They have now!” Splash spat.
“I’d better report to Stoneteller,” Crag muttered, bounding to the back of the cave.
Brook’s kits, Lark and Pine, were staring up at her with wide, frightened eyes. “Will the big bird come and take us, too?” Lark whimpered.
“No.” Brook bent down and touched each of their noses in turn. “You’re safe inside the cave.”
Dovewing stood close to Foxleap so that their pelts brushed. “We should never have made this journey,” she murmured. “Jayfeather won’t tell us why we had to come, and now a cat is dead.”
Foxleap nodded. “I want to go home.”
Movement in the shadows of the cave caught Dovewing’s eye, and she spotted Stoneteller stalking toward them, with Crag at his shoulder. The old cat halted in front of the group, his amber eyes glaring with anger and hatred.
“No cat wanted you here,” he snarled. “And now one of the Tribe is dead because of you.”
“You can’t blame Foxleap!” Dovewing stepped forward, her neck fur bristling with anger. “He was very brave.”
“I don’t blame Foxleap,” Stoneteller rasped. “I blame allof you. If you had never come to the mountains, Swoop would still be alive.”
Squirrelflight stretched out her tail to touch Dovewing’s shoulder. “He’s right,” she murmured. “We’ll leave as soon as we can. Stoneteller, we are all sorrier than we can say.”
As the old cat opened his jaws to reply, a muffled noise sounded behind them; Dovewing turned to see Jayfeather padding from the Cave of Pointed Stones. His blind blue eyes stared at her. “It’s my fault,” he rasped. “I was the one who said we had to come. I will do what I have to, and then we will leave.”
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 22
Jayfeather felt as if all theweight of the mountains was resting on his shoulders, but he braced himself and turned to Stoneteller. “Your Tribe will always be loyal to the Teller of the Pointed Stones,” he meowed. “You need to return their loyalty by having faith that you are destined to be here. Your descendants will survive if you give them hope now.”
“But—” Stoneteller began.
Jayfeather didn’t let him speak. “The time has come to choose your successor.”
His words fell into silence. Jayfeather was conscious of the Tribe of Rushing Water around him, waiting for their Healer’s reply.
The old cat hauled himself to his paws. “It’s too late,” he growled. “Our ancestors no longer watch over us. We are alone.” Turning, he limped down the tunnel into his den-cave. Jayfeather pictured his Tribemates staring after him, as murmurs of protest began to rise from them.
“What does he mean?”
“Has the Tribe of Endless Hunting abandoned us?”
“What’s going to happen?”
“Calm down.” Bird’s voice rose above the rest. “Stoneteller is very troubled, but he is still our Healer. He will protect us. Let him sleep.”
The murmuring died away, but Jayfeather could tell that the cats were still uneasy.
“I want to go now.” Jayfeather heard the slap of Dovewing’s paw on the stone floor.
“So do I,” Foxleap added.
“I know. I want to leave, too,” Squirrelflight meowed. “But we can’t set off when night is falling. We’ll go home tomorrow. Is that all right with you, Jayfeather? Will you have finished whatever you need to do here?”
Jayfeather nodded, ignoring Dovewing’s hiss of impatience. “Yes, we can leave tomorrow.”
“Let’s find you a nest.” Squirrelflight drew Dovewing away, and Foxleap padded after them. “You’ll both need a good night’s sleep if we’re to travel tomorrow.”
“I don’t want to sleep,” Dovewing retorted. “I’ll keep on seeing Swoop, I know I will.”
Jayfeather waited until their voices had died away, then padded back into the Cave of Pointed Stones. Blind once again, he could still remember the pinnacles of stone and the thin shaft of moonlight cast into the shallow pools. He remembered how Half Moon had patted the water and set the reflection flickering. Taking a deep breath, he searched for her scent, but all he could smell was stone and water.
He found a dry spot at the foot of one of the columns and lay down, curling up and wrapping his tail over his nose. He felt very much alone, grief and regret for Swoop biting deep into him.
I know what I have to do to help the Tribe, but was Swoop’s life too great a price to pay for our visit?
Jayfeather’s eyes flickered open and he saw a sheet of dark water stretching in front of him. Starlight shimmered on its surface. Springing to his paws, he realized that he had returned to the stone hollow in the mountains that he had visited once before, led there by an elder of the Tribe of Endless Hunting. Sheer cliffs rose all around him, lined by cats whose pelts glowed with starshine. In silence they gazed down at Jayfeather.
He lifted his head and boldly returned their gaze, scanning the ranks of starry cats. He recognized Fall and Slant, who had spoken to him before, and Rain, who had been an elder when Jayfeather first visited the Tribe. Farther up the cliff, he made out the fainter outlines of Owl Feather, Stone Song, and Rising Moon. They dipped their heads to him, but did not speak.
Jayfeather’s heart lurched. Is Half Moon here?It seemed like only a heartbeat since he had been with her on the cliff top, yet he knew that she had been dead for seasons upon seasons. He searched the cliff face, but there was no sign of her graceful white pelt.
Has she faded away completely? Am I too late to keep her here with my memories?
He couldn’t see Jay’s Wing, Dove’s Wing, or Lion’s Roar, either, then scolded himself for being mouse-brained enough to look for them. Of course they’re not with the Tribe of Endless Hunting! We live on in ThunderClan!
A pale gray she-cat rose to her paws and jumped down from a boulder at the bottom of the cliff. Padding around the edge of the pool, she halted in front of Jayfeather. “I am Cloud with Storm in Belly,” she introduced herself.
“I know you, don’t I?” Jayfeather recalled. “You were a Tribe elder when I first came to the mountains.”
“I was. And I am the mother of the present Stoneteller. Now it is time for my son to join the Tribe of Endless Hunting.”
A shiver ran through Jayfeather. “But he hasn’t chosen a successor!”
“I know.” Cloud’s eyes, like tiny moons, were fixed on Jayfeather. “Tomorrow it will be your duty to name the next Stoneteller.” As Jayfeather gaped at her in dismay, she went on. “Not all of us have abandoned the Tribe. Some of us still have faith that it will survive.”
“But—but how can I appoint a new Healer?” Jayfeather stammered.
Cloud leaned forward and whispered into his ear. “Because you appointed the first, remember?” She turned to look up the cliff, angling her ears toward a shape at the very top of the ranks of cats, glowing and barely visible.
“Half Moon…” Jayfeather breathed. He strained to see more clearly, but he was too far away to make out her features.
“We have been grateful to you for all these years,” Cloud went on. “We always knew that you would come back. What you do now will affect all cats, past and future, from the lake and the mountains and the old forest where your Clans lived for so long.”
Jayfeather wrenched his gaze from Half Moon and stared at Cloud. “I don’t understand….” he faltered.
“The end of the stars draws near,” Cloud continued. “Three must become four, to challenge the darkness that lasts forever.”
Jayfeather stepped back, realizing that the ranks of starry cats around them had begun to fade. There was darkness on all sides of the hollow, penetrated by only the tiniest faint gleams of light.
“But we have always been three!” he cried. “Who is the fourth?”
The icy glow of starlight from Cloud’s pelt grew dimmer. Her voice grew fainter, too, as she replied, “The fourth is with you already. You will not have to search far.”
Jayfeather jerked awake to darkness and the endless dripping of water in the Cave of Pointed Stones. Scrambling to his paws, he ran into the main cavern and down the tunnel that led into Stoneteller’s den. The old cat’s scent wreathed around him as he halted, panting. Jayfeather could hear Stoneteller’s breath bubbling as he tried to speak.
“I see them now!” Every word was a struggle. “My ancestors! They have not abandoned us! I am so sorry….”
His voice faded. Jayfeather waited for the hoarse breathing to start up again, but there was only silence. He stood with his head bowed. “Rest well, Stoneteller,” he murmured. “The Tribe of Endless Hunting is waiting for you.”
He padded out into the cavern and picked up Wing’s scent as the she-cat approached. “Is everything okay?” she mewed.
“No,” Jayfeather replied. “Stoneteller has died.”
Wing let out a wail of grief and terror; disturbed by the noise, the rest of the Tribe began to stir. Their dismay churned around Jayfeather like waves: grief and loss and the fear of being without a leader.
“Did Stoneteller name his successor before he died?” Wing asked.
A tense silence slammed down in the cave. Jayfeather realized that the whole Tribe was waiting to hear his answer. He took a deep breath.
“Yes,” he meowed. “Yes, he did.”
With the tumble of the waterfall beside him, Jayfeather led the way out of the cavern and up to the top of the cliff. The Tribe followed him. Some of the cats carried Stoneteller’s body from his den, and laid him on the stones next to the river.
Bird padded up and stood beside Stoneteller’s body. “Farewell, Teller of the Pointed Stones. May you hunt endlessly among the stars with those who watch over us.”
She stepped back, and an expectant silence fell. Jayfeather could feel that the gaze of every cat in the Tribe was fixed on him. He knew what he had to do, but his mind was whirling. He had lied to every one of these cats. Stoneteller had died too soon.
How can I choose the new Healer?
Then he gathered himself. The Tribe of Endless Hunting had known that this would happen. They had faith in him to make the right choice—for the second time. The Healer mustn’t be too young, he thought; the Tribe needed a cat with experience and courage, who had seen these cats through their darkest times and had faith that they could survive. A cat who would put his Tribe before himself, and work tirelessly to keep them safe.
“Crag Where Eagles Nest, stand forward,” he meowed.
“Me?” The shocked exclamation was followed by Crag’s paw steps as he approached Jayfeather; astonishment and doubt flooded from him.
“From this moment on,” Jayfeather declared, “you will be known as the Teller of the Pointed Stones.” His heart twisted with pain as he remembered the last time he had spoken these words. “Others will come after you, moon upon moon upon moon. Choose them well, train them well, and trust the future of your Tribe to them.”
“I am honored to have been chosen.” Crag’s voice was solemn. “I will serve my Tribe until the end of my days.”
Bird padded forward. “Greetings, Stoneteller,” she mewed. “May the Tribe of Endless Hunting watch over you and send you their wisdom.”
She headed down the cliff, her paw steps growing fainter as she jumped from rock to rock, and Talon took her place, acknowledging the new Stoneteller with the same words. Jayfeather waited until all the Tribe had spoken and filed away, back to the cave.
At last, Stoneteller and Jayfeather stood alone on the cliff top.
“I wasn’t expecting this,” the Teller of the Pointed Stones admitted. “Stoneteller—the last one—said nothing to prepare me. But I cannot doubt his choice. I will do my best to honor him, and the rest of the Tribe of Endless Hunting.” He took a deep breath. “It’s so beautiful up here,” he murmured. Jayfeather realized that he must be looking out at the vista of mountain peaks. “But I guess I won’t be seeing it for a while—not until those to-bes finish their training, anyway.”
He sighed faintly and Jayfeather heard his paw steps recede as he headed toward the cave. Suddenly, Jayfeather felt a slight stirring in the air beside him. An achingly familiar sweet scent wreathed around him.
“Half Moon?” he whispered.
He couldn’t see the white she-cat, but he knew that she was there beside him. Her muzzle lightly touched his ear; it felt as if lightning crackled through him.
“You chose well,” she murmured.
Jayfeather swallowed. “I won’t forget you,” he promised.
“And I never forgot you,” Half Moon replied. “Not through all the moons since we last met. Go well, return to your Clan now. Find the fourth.”
As her scent faded away, Jayfeather realized that Squirrelflight, Foxleap, and Dovewing had joined him on the cliff top.
“Can we go home now?” Squirrelflight asked.
“Yes,” Jayfeather told her. “We have done what we had to.”
He waited for the two she-cats to climb back down the rocks and prepared to follow them. But as he cautiously lowered himself over the edge, he heard Half Moon’s voice calling after him.
“I will wait for you forever, Jay’s Wing!”
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Cherith Baldry
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 20
“Mouse dung! Which cat thought nighttraining would be a good idea?” Thornclaw muttered, pulling away from a trailing bramble tendril and leaving a tuft of tabby fur behind. “I can’t see my own paws!”
Lionblaze suppressed a mrrowof amusement. “That would be Firestar,” he meowed. “You know he wants us to keep all our skills sharp.”
Thornclaw let out a snort of disgust as he headed after the rest of the patrol. Lionblaze brought up the rear with his ears pricked, but all he could hear was the faint pad of his Clanmates’ paw steps and the rustle of branches in the breeze. The forest was cool and quiet, with only a thin sliver of moon to light the cats’ path.
Brackenfur, who was leading the patrol, halted in the next clearing. “Right, this is the exercise,” he began. “We split into two patrols. I’ll lead one, with Thornclaw, Bumblestripe, and Birchfall. Sorreltail, you can lead the other, with Ivypool, Lionblaze, and Berrynose.”
“So what are we supposed to be doing?” Berrynose asked, scuffling his paws through the dead leaves.
“Each patrol has to approach and seize control of the old Twoleg nest,” Brackenfur explained. “And stop the other patrol from taking it, of course. Even better if we can track down and capture some of the opposing patrol.”
“Sounds like fun!” Bumblestripe exclaimed.
Sorreltail raised her tail. “Brackenfur, we don’t want to get into serious fights, do we? If one of us jumps on your patrol, then we’ve won, right?”
“In your dreams!” Brackenfur blinked at his mate with warm amber eyes. “But yes, good point. If you’re jumped on, you surrender. This is an exercise in night tracking, not fighting.”
When there were no more questions, Brackenfur waved his tail as a signal to his own patrol to move off. Sorreltail watched them go, her eyes narrowed; Lionblaze guessed she was trying to work out which route they would take. Then she summoned her own patrol with a flick of her ears and led the way into the trees.
The undergrowth was thicker here; it was hard to move quietly and harder still to see the other cats. The thin claw-scratch of moon and the weak starlight were hardly any use at all. Trying to creep down a slope covered with bracken, Lionblaze crashed into Sorreltail’s rump and realized that she had halted.
“Sorry!”
Sorreltail gave him a brief nod, then twitched her tail to summon the others. “Any suggestions?” she whispered. “Ivypool?”
Ivypool’s eyes were shining in the dim light. “We need to stick to the shadows,” she meowed, “and try not to brush against the undergrowth. We should think how we find prey while we’re hunting.”
Sorreltail gave an approving nod. “Very good.”
Lionblaze had felt a chill of unease as Ivypool spoke. Training in the Dark Forest had given her an edge on stalking by night.
“Why are we sitting here?” Berrynose demanded. “The others could be at the Twoleg nest by now.”
“I don’t think so,” Sorreltail murmured. “I know how Brackenfur thinks. They’ll make a wide circle and try to come at the nest from the other side, so that we can’t track them down.” Her eyes gleamed. “At least, that’s what he hopeswill happen. Let’s go!”
The patrol headed down the slope and through a hazel thicket. Lionblaze watched how sure-footed Ivypool was, winding her way through the undergrowth like a passing shadow, seeming to know instinctively when to duck low beneath overhanging branches and when to slip almost unseen from one patch of darkness to the next. Admiration battled inside him with apprehension. Were the tactics of the Dark Forest becoming part of ThunderClan’s skills? Was that what Tigerstar thought would happen?
Or will Ivypool be in trouble on her next visit to the Dark Forest, for giving away their secrets?Lionblaze sighed. At least she’s here now, and not training with our enemies in her dreams
“Hey! Mouse-brain! Are you asleep?”
Lionblaze jumped at Berrynose’s irritated hiss, and spotted the cream-colored tom a few paces ahead, glaring back over his shoulder.
“Okay, I’m coming,” he whispered back, hurrying to catch up.
Sorreltail halted again on the edge of the old Thunderpath; the Twoleg nest was on the other side, several fox-lengths farther down but still out of sight. “We’re going to win this, no question.” Her voice was a soft murmur, barely audible. “Berrynose, you’ll come with me, and we’ll take the nest.” The young tom puffed his chest out. “Lionblaze, you and Ivypool are going to capture one of Brackenfur’s patrol. If I’m right, they’ll be somewhere over there.” Sorreltail pointed across the Thunderpath with her tail.
Lionblaze nodded to show that he understood; Ivypool was quivering with impatience to be off. Sorreltail flicked her ears to send them on their way, then jerked her head for Berrynose to follow her. They headed down the Thunderpath, keeping close to the edge where they were hidden by overhanging ferns; after a few moments Lionblaze couldn’t see them anymore. He tasted the air, but he couldn’t pick up any trace of the other patrol. GoodThat means they can’t scent us, either.Signaling with his ears to Ivypool, he slunk across the exposed stone of the Thunderpath, crouching low with his belly fur brushing the ground.
He crawled into the dense undergrowth on the other side, heading toward the back of the old Twoleg den. Pushing his way through thick stems, he became conscious of his own bulk, and once more admired Ivypool’s slinky, deft movements, confident and swift in spite of the darkness.
Lionblaze tasted the air again, and this time picked up a definite trace of cat. Sorreltail was right about where Brackenfur would approach the nest!Angling his ears toward Ivypool, he veered in a slightly different direction to home in on the scent. Moving faster than he could manage in the shadows, Ivypool drew ahead, then raised her tail, warning him to stop. The cat scent was stronger now. Lionblaze strained his ears for signs of movement. At first there was nothing. Then he heard a faint crunching, as if some cat had stepped on a dry leaf.
Ivypool had heard it, too. She gestured with her tail, directing Lionblaze to circle around so that they could attack the other patrol from both sides. Lionblaze slid into the new position and waited under a holly bush at the edge of a bramble thicket. Though he couldn’t see Brackenfur’s patrol, he had a pretty good idea of where they were, and he couldn’t understand why Ivypool was still signaling to him to wait.
He twitched his tail in frustration. What is she playing at?
There was a faint rustling and the first of the patrol—Thornclaw—emerged from a clump of ferns. He was heading for the bramble thicket, and Lionblaze noticed for the first time a narrow path leading through the thorns, in the direction of the Twoleg nest. Thornclaw slid along the path, followed by Birchfall and Bumblestripe. Brackenfur brought up the rear, glancing over his shoulder from time to time as if he was checking that Sorreltail’s patrol wasn’t following them.
No, we’re not, mouse-brain!Lionblaze thought gleefully. We’re already here!
Now he understood Ivypool’s strategy. Glancing at where she crouched in the shelter of a rock, he saw her poised to pounce, and gathered his own muscles, ready for a leap.
The first three cats had entered the thicket, strung out along the narrow path that would only let them pass in single file. Brackenfur paused at the edge for a last glance around. He opened his jaws to taste the air, his eyes suddenly narrowing in suspicion.
Now!
Leaping in the same heartbeat, Lionblaze and Ivypool crashed into Brackenfur and brought him down in a tangle of flailing legs and tails. The ginger tom let out a screech of surprise.
“Got you!” Lionblaze declared. “You’re our prisoner now, right?”
“Right,” Brackenfur admitted ruefully, with Ivypool’s paws planted on his chest.
Yowls came from the bramble thicket. Lionblaze heard Thornclaw’s voice raised in exasperation. “Turn around, for StarClan’s sake. Go back!”
“I can’t!” That was Bumblestripe. “There isn’t room!”
“Fox dung! I’m stuck!” Birchfall snarled. “We’ll have to go forward.”
Amusement bubbling inside him, Lionblaze waved his tail for Ivypool to let Brackenfur stand up. “We don’t need to worry about themfor a bit,” he meowed. “Let’s head for the den.”
Now they could race through the forest without worrying about being seen or heard. Lionblaze took the lead as they burst out of the undergrowth, across the stand of pine trees at the back of the Twoleg den, and through a gap in the stone wall.
“Get out—oh, it’s you.” Berrynose stopped himself just in time from leaping on Lionblaze as he slid through the gap, followed by Brackenfur and Ivypool. Sorreltail, who was circling the walls trying to keep an eye on all the possible ways in at once, halted. Her tail shot up in surprise and approval.
“Great! You got one!” She padded up to Brackenfur and touched noses with him. “Welcome to ourden.”
Brackenfur purred and brushed his muzzle against her shoulder. “Well done!”
A few heartbeats later, the rest of Brackenfur’s patrol came panting up and pushed their way through the gap. All of them were missing tufts of fur, and Birchfall had a scratch across his nose. The bramble thicket had done the hard work for the winning patrol!
“Okay, you beat us.” Thornclaw flopped down on his side. “That was a clever move.”
“We ought to discuss what we’ve learned,” Brackenfur meowed, sitting down beside his mate. “What would we do differently if we did this exercise again?”
“Stay out of brambles,” Birchfall replied in a heartfelt tone, licking one paw and dabbing it on his nose.
“It was a good idea to split up,” Bumblestripe commented. “Why didn’t we think of that?”
“Yes, it was an excellent idea,” Brackenfur agreed, giving Lionblaze an approving nod. “You and Ivypool distracted us while Sorreltail and Berrynose captured the nest.”
“I had nothing to do with it,” Lionblaze corrected him. “Sorreltail thought of splitting up, and it was Ivypool’s idea to wait for you beside those brambles.”
The rest of the cats looked impressed, while Sorreltail and Ivypool both purred with satisfaction.
“We can learn from what we did wrong, too,” Brackenfur went on, brushing at a scrap of fern that was caught up in his pelt. “I should have kept two cats on watch at the end of that narrow path through the brambles.”
“Or found a different route,” Thornclaw added. “We were far too vulnerable on a narrow path like that. When Lionblaze and Ivypool attacked, we couldn’t get back in time to help you.”
“We didn’t get it all right, either,” Sorreltail meowed. “I’d forgotten just how many ways there are to get into this nest. When Berrynose and I got here, we practically ran our paws off trying to keep an eye on all the entrances at once. We’d have been in trouble if your patrol had arrived first,” she added to Brackenfur.
Brackenfur flicked her ear with this tail. “Then we’ve all learned something. Firestar will be pleased when I report to him in the morning.” Waving his tail for the rest to follow him, the warrior rose to his paws and headed out of the nest, with Sorreltail beside him.
Lionblaze found himself padding at the back of the patrol, matching his paw steps with Ivypool’s. “Good work!” he mewed, briefly touching her shoulder with his tail.
Ivypool gave her chest fur a couple of embarrassed licks. “Thanks.”
“You…you learned most of those skills in the Dark Forest, didn’t you?” Lionblaze ventured.
Ivypool’s head lifted sharply; there was a defensive look in her eyes. “Yes, but I would never use them against my own Clanmates.”
“Of course not,” Lionblaze reassured her. “I just meant that you’re getting good, that’s all.”
“I…I do feel bad about using my Dark Forest skills as a ThunderClan warrior,” Ivypool admitted, leaping over a fallen tree branch. “It’s as if I’m betraying the training I’ve received from the Clan.”
Lionblaze blinked, remembering his own nights of training with Tigerstar, and how he still used moves and tactics that he had learned from the murderous Dark Forest warrior. “Any source of training is a good one,” he mewed aloud. “A battle is a battle, and winning is everything.”
Ivypool nodded, though she still seemed uncertain. Thinking over what he had just said, Lionblaze began to wonder if any other cats were being trained by hidden sources. “Have you ever seen any other ThunderClan cats in the Dark Forest?” he asked, trying to sound casual.
He was aware of Ivypool tensing beside him, and a few heartbeats passed before she answered. “We’re kept separate,” she replied. “I’ve seen a WindClan cat—the one who was injured, Antpelt—but mostly I train with other Dark Forest cats. I think they keep us apart deliberately.”
It was obvious to Lionblaze that she didn’t feel comfortable talking about the Dark Forest. Seeing the hollow not far away among the trees, he gave Ivypool a nod and a wave of his tail, releasing her to run ahead of him. Padding more slowly after her, he thought over what she had said. Suddenly he halted, a chill running through his pelt.
She didn’t answer my question! She never said shehadn’t seen any other ThunderClan cats in the Place of No Stars
Lionblaze’s chill grew stronger.
Who else among my Clanmates is being trained by the cats who want to destroy all the Clans?
第二十一章
第二十一章
鸽翅的耳朵被雪堵得难受，雪还飘进了她的眼睛，冻僵了她的脚掌，让她感觉刺痛不已。“我讨厌下雪，”她嘟囔道，“要是能回森林里去，我愿意放弃一切！”
“我也是。”狐跃附和道。
鸽翅注意到，部落猫在山峦间似乎比他们行动更自如。即便石头上覆盖着一层薄薄的雪，他们似乎也会本能地知道，哪里有石头可以落脚。她只顾着羡慕鱼跃斑那轻松优雅的步伐，却忘了注意自己的脚掌下，结果脚掌下一滑，掉进了雪堆里。
“不！救命啊！”她呼喊着，使劲儿地踢打着脚掌，仿佛要从那堆白色粉末中游过去似的。
鹰崖转身朝她冲了过来，探下身子，用牙齿死死地咬住她的脖颈儿。好像我是只幼崽似的！鸽翅一边胡乱摸索着可以落脚的地方，一边恼火地想道。终于，山洞卫士将她拽了出来，放在了一块坚硬的岩石上。
“谢谢！”她大口喘着粗气。
鹰崖的眼睛里透出一丝打趣。“不客气，有事尽管开口，”他咕噜一声，“随时为你效劳。”
“我们还要走多远？”狐跃问道，甩了甩耳朵，把上面的雪抖掉。
“看见那边的松树了吗？”鹰扑用尾巴指了指远处，“被闪电击中过的那棵，那就是下一个边界标记。”
“等走到那儿，我们就完成一半的边界巡逻了。”鹰崖补充说道，“然后我们就回去。不过，我们也会一直留意着猎物。”
鸽翅看了看那棵枯死的松树，叹了一口气。那棵树在山谷另一侧的半山腰处，看起来还有很长很长的路要走。
“猎物！”狐跃在她耳边悄声说道，“恐怕只有松鼠的骨架才会生活在那棵黑漆漆的树上吧。”
尽管鸽翅感觉很累，但还是忍不住笑了出来：“至少我们还有些骨架可以嚼一嚼啊！”
巡逻队跟在鹰崖身后艰难地向山谷走去。他们穿过冰冻的溪流，又爬上对面远处的山坡。在快要到达那棵树的时候，鸽翅先是听到一声惊叫，接着传来一只猫痛苦的尖叫声，还有猛烈拍打翅膀的声音、脚掌重重踩在坚石上的声音……她顿时愣在了那里。很显然，她的同伴们根本就听不到这些声响。可是那个声音还在继续，越来越大，越来越痛苦。鸽翅猛地转过身，朝山谷那边看去。
是部落猫遇到麻烦了吗？
在对面山坡的高处，她看到一群猫正在雪地里激战。一只金棕色大鸟在他们上空盘旋，还不时地伸出带钩的爪子来攻击他们。
“快看！”鸽翅大喊道。
鱼跃斑眯起眼睛，环视四周。“好像是入侵者遭遇上老鹰了。”她的声音听上去很是冷漠无情，“他们活该，谁让他们侵犯我们的领地！”
“难道我们不应该去帮忙吗？”鸽翅问道。
鹰扑耸了耸肩：“他们必须学会保护自己，就像我们的祖先那样。”
“可我们不能眼睁睁看着他们被杀死呀！”狐跃反驳道。
“老鹰不会把他们全都杀死的，”鹰崖平静地说道，“它可能会抓走一只，顶多这样。”
狐跃的眼中闪动着战斗的激情。“当族群遭遇共同的敌人时，”他说道，“我们会联手对抗外敌，所以我们应当去帮助那些猫！”
鹰扑看起来还在犹豫，但鱼跃斑不情愿地点了点头说道：“他说得对。我们的确不应该站在这里袖手旁观。而且等我们需要帮助的时候，他们说不定会因为欠了我们的情，把抓到的猎物送给我们呢！”
鹰崖犹豫了一下，接着便点了点头朝那个方向而去。他摆摆尾巴示意大家跟上。快要走近的时候，鸽翅的耳朵几乎被惊恐痛苦的尖叫声给震聋。那只老鹰就是不死心！
他们快速翻过一个低矮的小山头，朝着对面山坡的战场上跑去。在那里，四只猫正在跟老鹰激战。只见老鹰的钩爪死死地抓住一只棕白相间的母猫，她的脚掌正无力地挣扎扭动着；而另外三只猫则不停地跳起来撕扯着老鹰的翅膀。
“是弗洛拉！”鱼跃斑惊呼道。
“鱼跃斑，你和鹰扑去抓那边的翅膀，”鹰崖命令道，“我去抓这边的翅膀。等我的信号。”
“那我们做什么？”鸽翅大声喊道。
“站得远一点儿，你们没受过这种作战训练。”鹰崖回答道。此时，鹰扑和鱼跃斑已经跑到了老鹰跟前。
鸽翅和狐跃挤在一起，躲到了一块圆石下，看着老鹰将入侵猫们狠狠甩到了一边。有一只个头跟学徒差不多大的玳瑁色年轻猫被猛地抛到了岩石上，摔晕了过去，一只耳朵不停地流血。
“上！”鹰崖大吼一声。
只见他跳起来抓住老鹰的一只翅膀，而鹰扑和鱼跃斑则蹦起来去抓另一只，想要从两侧合力把老鹰拽下来。老鹰恼怒地发出一声刺耳的鸣叫，鸽翅想，老鹰的利爪肯定把弗洛拉抓得更紧了。看着老鹰那狂怒的黄眼睛，她吓得浑身颤抖了起来。这就是当猎物的感受吗？
另外两只入侵猫分别为一只黑色公猫和一只耳朵很大、皮包骨头的棕色公猫，也重新投入到了战斗中。他们紧紧抓住老鹰的腿，只是，他们已身受重伤且筋疲力尽，所以他们的进攻显得十分苍白无力。而老鹰又大又凶猛，不管部落猫们怎么使劲儿往下拖拽它的翅膀，它还是想办法挣脱，就要带着那只弱小的母猫飞上天空了。
他们只有三只猫，鸽翅想道，恐惧席卷了她的全身，他们三个力量不够。
“我受不了了，”狐跃咕哝着，“我不想像个没用的毛球一样站在这里！”
正当老鹰尖叫一声，甩掉鹰崖的关头，狐跃冲上前去，将爪子狠狠插入了老鹰的翅膀。鹰崖在半空中一个扭身，挥爪猛抓老鹰的一条腿，然后又换到另一条，冲着老鹰暴露在外的两条腿发起了进攻。老鹰盛怒之下发出一声尖叫，接着便扔掉了弗洛拉。她摔在地上，一动不动地躺在那里。鹰扑和鱼跃斑则姿态优雅地跳落回地面上。
“好了，狐跃！”鹰崖喊道，“你可以放开它了！”
可狐跃没有松开爪子。鸽翅的心紧张得怦怦直跳，因为她意识到她的族猫可能被卡住了。他的爪子抓着老鹰的翅膀，在那里晃来晃去，在老鹰挣扎着要飞回天空时，身体不停地扭动扑腾着，试图挣脱下来。
还没等其他猫采取行动，鹰扑发出一声怒喝。“不！”她又跳了起来，用一只前爪抓住老鹰的翅膀，另一只则拍打着狐跃。狐跃的爪子终于能松开了，他一下子跌落在地上，躺在那里大口喘着粗气。
可就当鹰扑准备跳回地面的时候，老鹰突然猛拍翅膀转过身，爪子插进她的脊背，顿时鲜血四溅。
“鹰扑！”鱼跃斑尖叫着想要跳到空中，可老鹰飞得更高了。
“不！”鹰扑惊声尖叫道，脚掌在空中使劲儿挣扎踢打着，“救命！鹰崖！鱼跃斑……”
老鹰的翅膀有力地拍动着，终于把她带走，消失在远处的山巅。可鸽翅仍然能听到鹰扑的喊叫声。她那惊恐的声音在她脑海中回荡着，直到她什么声音也听不到了。
鸽翅浑身战栗，用脚掌捂住耳朵。“对不起，鹰扑，”她喃喃说道，“我什么也帮不了……”
周围一片沉默。白雪覆盖的山坡上被染上了点点鲜红，羽毛散落得到处都是。部落猫们站在那里默然不语，看着鸽翅痛苦地扭动着身体。入侵猫也都站了起来，就连弗洛拉也摇摇晃晃地站起了身。他们愧疚地快速交换了个眼神，但什么也没说。
鸽翅抬起头，感觉浑身充满着冰冷的恐惧。她现在再也听不到鹰扑的尖叫声了，那是世界上最可怕的声音。“她死了。”鸽翅低语道。
狐跃蹒跚着爬起身，看着部落猫。“对不起，”他低声说道，声音里充满了痛苦和自责，“都是我的错。”
“没错！”鱼跃斑悲痛地嘶吼一声，充满敌意地眯起眼睛，“我们不是告诉你让你离远点儿别过来吗？如果你听鹰崖的话，鹰扑现在应该还活着！”
“我知道我错了，对不起。”狐跃重复道。
鸽翅走上前去，用口鼻碰了碰他的肩膀。“不是你的错，”她低声道，“你只是想帮忙。没有你，老鹰现在可能已经把弗洛拉给带走了。”
“带走入侵猫总比带走部落猫要好！”鱼跃斑呵斥道。
狐跃什么也没说，只是神情悲伤地盯着自己的脚掌。
鹰崖长长地叹了一口气：“责备狐跃也无济于事，我们现在最好还是回到山洞里去。”
正当他们想要出发的时候，黑色公猫上前一步：“等等！”
鱼跃斑立即转身，屈起了爪子：“你想干什么？”
“没什么，”黑色公猫尴尬而又愧疚地说道，“我只是想说……嗯……谢谢。”
部落母猫厌恶地哼了一声，回头看了最后一眼便走了。“以后别再想越过边界！”她咆哮道。
鸽翅深一脚浅一脚，盲目在雪地里往回走着。她心里痛苦极了，以至于都没去理会被冻僵的脚掌和冻得生疼的耳朵。她现在满耳朵里回荡着老鹰带走鹰扑时，她那惊恐的尖叫声。
我们根本不应该来这里。这里跟预言没有任何关系，跟保护族群不受黑森林入侵也毫无关系。
当瀑布映入眼帘时，太阳已经落到了一大片乌云后。巡逻队步履蹒跚地走进山洞，松鼠飞正在跟鹰爪和飞鸟讲话。她从坐着的地方一下子蹦了起来。“出什么事了？”她问道，跳向鸽翅，眼里满是恐惧。
“我们去帮——”鹰崖刚开口要说话，鱼跃斑便一甩尾巴打断了他。
“鹰扑死了，”她声音沙哑地说道，“是老鹰抓走了她，就是为了救这只猫！”说完她怒视着狐跃：“告诉他让他躲到一边，可他还是跑出来战斗。”
松鼠飞惊恐地倒吸一口凉气。更多的猫围了过来，暴毛和溪儿走在最前面。
“太可怕了！”暴毛惊呼道。
溪儿点点头，用尾巴碰了碰鱼跃斑的肩膀：“很久以来都没有猫被老鹰抓走过。”
“可现在有了！”鱼跃斑呸了一声。
“我最好去汇报给尖石巫师。”鹰崖低声咕哝着，朝山洞后面奔去。
溪儿的幼崽晨雀和岩松惊恐地抬起头，睁大了眼睛看着母亲。“大鸟会来抓我们吗？”晨雀啜泣道。
“不会的，”溪儿低下头，依次碰了碰他们的鼻子，“你们在山洞里是安全的。”
鸽翅靠近狐跃，与他皮毛相擦。“我们真不应该来这里。”她喃喃道，“先是松鸦羽不告诉我们此行的目的，现在又死了一只猫。”
狐跃点点头：“我想回家。”
鸽翅瞥见山洞的暗处有动静，她看到尖石巫师大踏步朝他们走了过来，鹰崖走在他身旁。老猫在猫群跟前停了下来，琥珀色的眼睛闪动着怒火和愤恨。
“谁也没想让你们来这里，”他咆哮道，“现在有一只部落猫还因为你们而死。”
“你不能怪狐跃！”鸽翅走上前去，脖颈儿上的毛被气得竖了起来，“他非常勇敢。”
“我不是怪狐跃，”尖石巫师粗声说道，“我是怪你们。如果你们没来山区，鹰扑就不会死。”
松鼠飞伸出尾巴碰了碰鸽翅的肩膀。“他说得没错，”她轻轻说道，“我们还是尽快离开吧。尖石巫师，对不起，任何言语都无法表达我们的歉意。”
老猫刚要张口回答时，身后传来了沉闷的声音。鸽翅转过身，看见松鸦羽从尖石洞里走了出来，蓝色盲眼朝着她的方向看过来。“是我的错。”他沉声说道，“是我说必须得来这里的。等我把该做的事情做完，我们就离开。”
第二十二章
第二十二章
松鸦羽感到整座山的重量都好像压在他的肩上，但他还是打起精神，直视着尖石巫师。“你的部落对尖石巫师无比忠诚。”他说道，“作为回报，你需要有坚定的信念，相信部落是注定要在这里生活下去的。如果你现在能给他们希望，那么你的后代将会永远在这里生存下去。”
“可是——”尖石巫师刚要开口。
松鸦羽打断了他：“是时候该选择一位继任者了。”
他的话没有得到任何回应。松鸦羽感觉得到，周围的整个急水部落都在等待着尖石巫师的回答。
老猫费力地站起身。“太晚了，”他咆哮道，“我们的祖先已经不再守护我们，我们必须靠我们自己。”说完，他转身步履蹒跚地沿通道向尖石洞走去。部落猫群中升起一阵不满的低语声，松鸦羽能想象出部落猫们盯着他的背影的场景。
“他这是什么意思？”
“是杀无尽部落抛弃我们了吗？”
“要发生什么事了吗？”
“安静。”飞鸟提高嗓门，声音盖过众猫，“尖石巫师现在心情很乱，但他仍然是我们的医巫，他会保护我们的。先让他好好睡一觉吧。”
议论声渐渐平息了下来，但松鸦羽能感觉到，部落猫们还是很不安。
“我现在就想走。”松鸦羽听到鸽翅的脚掌跺在地上。
“我也是。”狐跃跟了一句。
“我知道，我也想离开。”松鼠飞说，“但是我们总不能夜里出发吧，等明天我们再走。没问题吧，松鸦羽？你完成在这里的使命了吗？”
松鸦羽点点头，没去理会鸽翅那不耐烦的抱怨：“是的，明天我们就可以走了。”
“我们去找个睡觉的地方吧。”松鼠飞拉着鸽翅离开了，狐跃跟在她们后面，“如果明天要出发，那你们两个都需要好好睡一觉。”
“我不想睡觉。”鸽翅抗议道，“我睡着了会梦见鹰扑的，一定会的。”
松鸦羽等他们的声音都消失了，这才回到了尖石洞。虽然再次回到失明状态，可他还能清楚地记得那些尖锥状的石头柱子，还有洒在浅水洼里的一缕月光。他还记得半月拍打着水面，让倒影轻轻颤动的样子。他深吸了一口气，想要寻找她的气息，可他闻到的却只是石头和水的气味。
他在石柱下找了个干燥的地方，蜷缩着身体躺了下来，尾巴盖住鼻子。他感觉自己好孤单，鹰扑的死让他心里深感悲伤，懊悔像小虫一样啃噬着他的心。
我知道自己该怎么做才能帮助部落，可是，如果我们这次到访的代价是鹰扑的生命，那这代价是不是也太大了？
松鸦羽眨巴着睁开了眼睛，看到面前是一条黑色的水道，水面上星光闪烁。他跳了起来，发现自己又回到了以前来过的那个山谷，当时是杀无尽部落的一位长老带他来的。山谷周围是高耸的峭壁，上面站着成排的猫儿，他们的皮毛闪烁着星光，全都低着头默默注视着他。
他抬起头，大胆地迎上他们的目光，扫视着那群星光熠熠的猫们。他认出了飞瀑和斜日，他以前跟他们说过话。还有他第一次来急水部落时已经是长老身份的雨水。悬崖远处，他依稀看见了枭羽、石歌和升月的身影。他们冲他点点头，但没有说话。
松鸦羽心念一转：半月也在这里吗？跟她在悬崖顶分别仿若前一刻才发生的事情，可他知道，她已经去世很久很久了。他在崖顶的面孔中搜寻着，却连那个优雅的白色母猫的影子都没找到。
她是彻底消逝了吗？是我来得太晚，连在记忆里都见不到她了吗？
他也没看见松鸦翅、鸽翅或是狮吼。可接着，他便暗骂自己鼠脑子，怎么会想着找他们呢。他们当然不会在杀无尽部落！我们都生活在雷族！
一只浅灰色母猫站起身，从悬崖下的一块圆石上跳了下来，然后沿着水潭边走过来，停在了松鸦羽面前。“我是暴肚云。”她自我介绍道。
“我们认识，对吗？”松鸦羽回忆道，“我第一次来山区的时候，你是部落长老。”
“是的。我是现任尖石巫师的母亲，现在该是我儿子加入杀无尽部落的时候了。”
松鸦羽全身发颤：“可他还没有选定继任者！”
“我知道，”暴肚云注视着松鸦羽，她的眼睛像两弯小小的月亮，“明天，将由你来任命下一位尖石巫师。”松鸦羽目瞪口呆地看着她。暴肚云继续说道：“并不是所有杀无尽部落的猫都放弃了急水部落。我们中仍然有猫相信它会继续生生不息。”
“可是——我怎么能任命新的尖石巫师呢？”松鸦羽结结巴巴地说道。
暴肚云探身向前，在他耳边悄声说道：“因为第一任尖石巫师就是你任命的，记得吗？”她转身看向悬崖，侧耳指向最高处闪着星光的猫。
“半月……”松鸦羽喃喃道。他拼命地想要看得更清楚些，但他离得太远了，根本就找不到她的身影。
“这些年我们一直都很感激你，”暴肚云继续说道，“我们一直都知道你会回来。你现在所做的一切，将会影响到所有的猫，无论是过去，还是未来；无论是湖区、山区，还是族群曾长久生活过的旧森林。”
松鸦羽竭力收回寻找半月的目光，看着暴肚云。“我不明白……”他有点儿结巴。
“星族的末日就要到了，”暴肚云继续道，“若想挑战亘古不衰的黑暗势力，三力量必须变成四力量。”
松鸦羽后退一步，发现周围这些闪着星光的猫开始淡去。山谷周围全都暗了下来，只剩下几缕微弱的光还在闪烁着。
“可我们已经有了三力量啊！”他大声喊道，“第四只猫是谁？”
暴肚云身上那清冷的星光逐渐暗去，她的声音变得越来越微弱：“第四只猫已经和你们在一起了，你们不用四处寻找。”
松鸦羽猛地从黑暗中醒过来，尖石洞里的滴水声似乎永远不会停止。他摸索着爬起身，跑到大洞穴，然后沿着通道来到了尖石巫师的洞穴。老猫的气味扑鼻而来。他停下脚步，喘着粗气。尖石巫师气若游丝，他好像要说些什么。
“我看见他们了！”他每个字都说得很吃力，“我的祖先们！他们没有抛弃我们！我很抱歉……”
他的声音低了下去。松鸦羽想等着那个嘶哑的声音喘口气，再跟他说些什么，可等待他的却只有寂静。他于是站在那里，低下了头。“安息吧，尖石巫师，”他低声道，“杀无尽部落在等着你。”
走出山洞，他闻到了翅影的气味，母猫正朝他走过来。“一切都还好吗？”她问道。
“不好，”松鸦羽回答道，“尖石巫师死了。”
翅影发出一声哀号，声音既悲伤又恐惧，惊动了部落里的其他猫，他们也都跟着骚动了起来。他们的恐慌一波接着一波朝松鸦羽袭来，夹杂着悲伤、失落，还有恐惧。他们担心会成为没有首领的部落。
“尖石巫师死前有没有任命继任者？”翅影问道。
山洞里顿时安静了下来，气氛一下子变得很紧张。松鸦羽意识到，整个部落都在等着他的回答，他深吸口气。
“有，”他说道，“他任命了。”
在瀑布的轰隆声中，松鸦羽率先走出山洞，来到了悬崖顶上。部落猫们跟在他后面，几只猫把尖石巫师的尸体从巢穴里抬出来，放到了水边的岩石上。
飞鸟走过来站在尖石巫师尸体旁：“永别了，尖石巫师。愿你永远和守护我们的星星一起狩猎。”
说完她退回来。其他猫安静下来。松鸦羽感觉到，所有部落猫的目光都落在了他身上。他知道自己必须要做点儿什么，可他心乱如麻。他势必得欺骗在场所有的猫。尖石巫师走得太早了。
我该怎样选择新的医巫呢？
他振作起精神。杀无尽部落早就知道这一切会发生，他们相信他会做出正确的选择——第二次正确选择。尖石巫师不能太年轻，部落需要一位有勇有谋的首领，他需要和部落猫们一起经历过最艰苦的岁月，并且坚信他们一定能生存下来。而且他必须对待部落利益高于自己的利益，并且不惜一切地保护他们的安全。
“鹰崖，上前一步！”他喊道。
“我？”鹰崖难以置信地走到松鸦羽面前，脸上写满了惊讶和意外。
“从这一刻起，”松鸦羽宣布道，“你将被称为尖石巫师。”说到这里，他想起了上次说这些话时的情形，心里不禁一阵揪痛，“在你之后，月升月落，还会有一代一代的继任者来接替你。好好选择和培养他们，并将部落的未来托付给他们。”
“很荣幸我能被选中。”鹰崖郑重地说道，“我会全心全意为部落服务，直至生命终结。”
飞鸟走上前。“祝贺你，尖石巫师。”她说道，“愿杀无尽部落永远守护着你，并将他们的智慧传递给你。”
说完她走下悬崖，从一块岩石跳到另一块岩石，脚步声渐渐远去。接着鹰爪也走过来，同样祝贺了新任尖石巫师。松鸦羽在一旁安静地等着，等所有部落猫都祝贺完毕，离开，然后回到山洞。
最后，悬崖顶上只剩下松鸦羽和尖石巫师。
“我很意外，”尖石巫师承认道，“尖石巫师——我是说上一任——什么都没对我说过。可我不能怀疑他的选择。我会竭尽全力，不辜负他和杀无尽部落祖先的期望。”他深吸了一口气。“这上面真美。”他喃喃道。松鸦羽想，他一定是在眺望远处山巅的景致。“可我想，我大概有好一阵子看不到这里的景色了。至少也得等到那些预备训练完成之后。”
他轻轻叹了一口气，松鸦羽听见他的脚步声渐渐朝山洞走去。突然，松鸦羽感觉到身边空气涌动，一股熟悉的香甜气息萦绕在他的周围。
“半月？”他低语道。
他看不见那只白色母猫，但他知道她就在他的身边。她的口鼻轻轻碰触着他的耳朵，他感觉仿佛有道闪电划过他的全身。
“你选得很好。”她轻轻说道。
松鸦羽喉咙动了一下。“我不会忘记你的。”他发誓道。
“我也永远不会忘记你，”半月回答道，“自从我们上次相遇后，月升月落，我一直都没有忘记过你。去吧，回到你的族群，去找第四只猫。”
她的气息渐渐消失，松鸦羽发现松鼠飞、狐跃，还有鸽翅已经在悬崖顶上等着他了。
“我们现在可以回家了吗？”松鼠飞问道。
“是的，”松鸦羽答道，“我们已经完成了我们该做的。”
等两只母猫顺岩石爬了下去，松鸦羽才开始跟着往下爬。可正当他小心翼翼从悬崖边往下爬时，他听到身后传来了半月的呼唤声：
“我会永远等着你，松鸦翅！”