CATS OF THE MOUNTAINS
CATS OF THE MOUNTAINS
TRIBE-HEALER
TELLER OF THE POINTED STONES(STONETELLER)—old white she-cat with green eyes
QUIET RAIN—speckled gray she-cat
GRAY WING—sleek, dark gray tom with golden eyes
CLEAR SKY—light gray tom with blue eyes
BRIGHT STREAM—brown-and-white tabby she-cat
SHADED MOSS—black-and-white tom with dark green eyes
TALL SHADOW—black, thick-furred she-cat with green eyes
DAPPLED PELT—delicate tortoiseshell she-cat with golden eyes
RAINSWEPT FLOWER—brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes
TURTLE TAIL—tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes
MOON SHADOW—black tom
DEWY LEAF—tortoiseshell she-cat
TWISTED BRANCH—brown tom
SHATTERED ICE—gray-and-white tom with green eyes
CLOUD SPOTS—long-furred black tom with white ears, white chest, and two white paws
STONE SONG—dark gray tabby tom
HOLLOW TREE—brown tabby she-cat
QUICK WATER—gray-and-white she-cat
HAWK SWOOP—orange tabby she-cat
FALLING FEATHER—young white she-cat
JACKDAW’S CRY—young black tom
SHARP HAIL—dark gray tom
MISTY WATER—very old gray she-cat, with milky blue eyes
LION’S ROAR—very old golden tabby tom
SILVER FROST—old gray-and-white she-cat
SNOW HARE—old white she-cat
FLUTTERING BIRD—tiny brown she-cat
JAGGED PEAK—gray tabby tom with blue eyes
TRIBE-HEALER
TELLER OF THE POINTED STONES(STONETELLER)—old white she-cat with green eyes
QUIET RAIN—speckled gray she-cat
GRAY WING—sleek, dark gray tom with golden eyes
CLEAR SKY—light gray tom with blue eyes
BRIGHT STREAM—brown-and-white tabby she-cat
SHADED MOSS—black-and-white tom with dark green eyes
TALL SHADOW—black, thick-furred she-cat with green eyes
DAPPLED PELT—delicate tortoiseshell she-cat with golden eyes
RAINSWEPT FLOWER—brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes
TURTLE TAIL—tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes
MOON SHADOW—black tom
DEWY LEAF—tortoiseshell she-cat
TWISTED BRANCH—brown tom
SHATTERED ICE—gray-and-white tom with green eyes
CLOUD SPOTS—long-furred black tom with white ears, white chest, and two white paws
STONE SONG—dark gray tabby tom
HOLLOW TREE—brown tabby she-cat
QUICK WATER—gray-and-white she-cat
HAWK SWOOP—orange tabby she-cat
FALLING FEATHER—young white she-cat
JACKDAW’S CRY—young black tom
SHARP HAIL—dark gray tom
MISTY WATER—very old gray she-cat, with milky blue eyes
LION’S ROAR—very old golden tabby tom
SILVER FROST—old gray-and-white she-cat
SNOW HARE—old white she-cat
FLUTTERING BIRD—tiny brown she-cat
JAGGED PEAK—gray tabby tom with blue eyes
Chapter 2
Growling in his belly woke GrayWing. The pangs of hunger had seemed even sharper since Stoneteller’s announcement a few sunrises ago. And the cavern hadn’t stopped buzzing with discussions about whether it was a good idea to leave, and what the new place might be like.
Still curled up in his sleeping hollow, Gray Wing could hear excited chatter from cats nearby.
“What do you think we’ll get to hunt?” Gray Wing recognized Dappled Pelt’s voice. “Maybe different kinds of birds—or those .  .  . squirrels that the elders put in their stories.”
“We’ll have to be careful.” That was Cloud Spots, sounding thoughtful as usual. “If we eat too much we’ll get too fat to hunt, and then where will we be?”
Gray Wing heard a snort of laughter from Snow Hare. “That’s a problem I’d liketo have!”
He lifted his head to see the three cats sitting close together, along with Tall Shadow, who extended her black-furred limbs gracefully as she rose to her paws. “I wonder what new hunting techniques we’ll need to learn. It’s bound to be different in the new place.”
“Well, you’ve always been good at creeping around,” Snow Hare mewed teasingly. “You’ll be able to sneak up on your prey while it’s asleep.”
Tall Shadow gave her chest fur a complacent lick. “I just might do that.”
Scrambling out of the sleeping hollow, Gray Wing shook scraps of moss and feather from his pelt and arched his back in a good long stretch. He decided to go and hunt. There’s no point in wondering about prey somewhere else when we need to eat now.
Sunlight came slanting into the cave, turning the screen of water into a dazzling sparkle. As Gray Wing emerged from the path behind the fall, he saw that the sky was clear blue. Gray Wing’s pads tingled at the beauty of the peaks outlined against it. He took great gulps of the cold, crisp air, relishing the way it felt like water against his fur.
How could I leave all this?
Continuing along the snow-packed ledge, hardened by the paw steps of many cats, Gray Wing heard voices coming from somewhere above.
“Bright Stream, you haveto come with me.”
Looking up, he spotted Clear Sky and Bright Stream at the top of the cliff where the water poured over the lip of the rocks.
“It’ll be great,” Clear Sky went on, “exploring new places together.”
Bright Stream turned her head away. “I don’t know.  .  .  . This is my home, and we’ve survived so far.”
“Don’t you want more than just surviving?” Clear Sky asked, curling his tail persuasively around Bright Stream’s shoulders. “I want to go, but it wouldn’t be the same without you.”
Bright Stream’s eyes shone, but she shook her head. “I’ve still got a few days to decide,” she mewed.
Leaving Clear Sky gazing after her, she bounded lightly down the rocks. Despite himself, Gray Wing’s heart quickened as he saw her approaching. She’s lovely .  .  . but she’ll be Clear Sky’s mate one day. He’s a lucky tom, that’s for sure
“Can I hunt with you?” Bright Stream asked as she leaped off the last rock to stand at Gray Wing’s side. “Just don’t be like Clear Sky and pester me about leaving the mountains with Shaded Moss!”
“I won’t,” Gray Wing promised. “I haven’t made up my own mind yet.”
“For once I wish you poor hunting!” Clear Sky called down from the top of the rocks. “Then you’ll realize that we have to leave.”
Gray Wing gave him a good-humored wave of his tail, and headed for the ridge. Bright Stream scrambled after him. As they drew closer to the summit, icy wind blasted their fur and scoured the snow from the rocks, leaving them bare and gray. Dark, yellowish clouds massed on the horizon, promising more snow to come.
With his back to the gale, Gray Wing gazed around and spotted three more cats farther down the valley—tiny black shapes, too far away for him to distinguish who they were, pursuing a hawk that flew low over the slopes and gradually drew out of sight.
Bright Stream’s voice broke the vast silence of the mountains. “Gray Wing—what do you think about Stoneteller’s dream?”
Gray Wing hesitated before replying. “I don’t know,” he confessed at last. “Can Stoneteller reallyhave discovered a new place for us to live, without knowing exactly where it is? Why haven’t any other cats had the same dream?”
“Maybe it’s something only Stoneteller can do,” Bright Stream suggested. She paused, blinking thoughtfully; Gray Wing could see anxiety in her beautiful green eyes. “I love living in the mountains,” she went on. “In spite of the cold and hunger. I always imagined I’d raise my kits here .  .  . but then, I always imagined their father would be Clear Sky.”
As she finished speaking she turned her head away, giving her shoulder a couple of embarrassed licks. Gray Wing was surprised that she had confessed so much to him; she was always perfectly confident and self-contained. He felt a stab of envy that she had the courage to put aside her own hopes and dreams to travel into the unknown with Clear Sky—and that her bond with his brother was so strong.
Before he could decide what to say, Bright Stream gave her pelt a shake. “You should probably forget I said all that!” she meowed. “And don’t you dare tell Clear Sky! I don’t want him to think I’ve made a decision yet.”
“I won’t say a word,” Gray Wing promised.
I’m being torn in two, he thought. Clear Sky and I have always done everything together. Now I have to choose between going with him or staying here with the rest of my kin, in this place I’ve always called home.
A flicker of movement distracted him from his problems. Snow hare!Spinning around, he raced across the slope after his prey. Its thick white pelt hid it against the snow, but it stood out clearly when scampering over the rocks of the windblown ridge
Bright Stream joined the chase, but Gray Wing outpaced her, relishing the feeling of the wind in his whiskers as he sped over the rocks.
With a final mighty leap he flung himself onto his prey; the hare’s squeal of panic was cut off as Gray Wing’s jaws met in its throat.
“Great catch!” Bright Stream panted. “You’re so fast!”
“It’s not bad,” Gray Wing mewed, prodding his prey with one paw. For once there seemed to be some flesh on its bones. “We can eat and still take some back to the cave.”
He and Bright Stream settled down side by side to enjoy the catch. As they feasted, he took in the magnificent peaks and valleys that stretched in front of them.
“You’re going to stay, aren’t you?” Bright Stream asked, fixing him with her clear green gaze.
Gray Wing took a deep breath. “Yes, I am.”
When they had eaten their fill, the two cats picked up the remains of the hare and headed back toward the cave. Triumph flooded through Gray Wing at the thought of feeding his Tribemates.
When the waterfall came in sight, he spotted a group of cats toiling up the slope toward them. Shaded Moss was in the lead, with Clear Sky padding along at his shoulder. Tall Shadow, Dappled Pelt, and Rainswept Flower followed close behind. Turtle Tail brought up the rear.
“Hi,” Clear Sky meowed as the group came up. “Hey, you caught a hare!”
Gray Wing gave a nod of satisfaction. “Yes, we’re just taking it back.”
“We’re climbing up to the ridge,” Clear Sky explained, sweeping his tail around to include his companions. “We want to look for the best way to get out of the mountains toward the sunrise.”
“Aren’t you joining us?” Turtle Tail asked, bounding up to Gray Wing’s side.
Gray Wing hesitated. He was sure now about his decision to stay, but he didn’t want to share it with the other cats just yet. “We’re tired from hunting,” he replied. “Maybe later.”
Entering the cave, Gray Wing could feel how restless his Tribemates were. Some were gathered in little groups around the edges of the cavern, talking together in hushed voices. Others paced to and fro as if they were too anxious to settle. There was no sign of Stoneteller.
“Do you think they’re really going to leave?” Stone Song muttered as he and his mate Hollow Tree padded past.
“I guess so,” Hollow Tree responded. “Are they flea-brained? They have no idea what’s out there, or whether the place they’re looking for even exists.”
Gray Wing knew that they spoke for many of the Tribe. He wished that Stoneteller had never had her vision, or that she had never spoken of it. Doesn’t she know how it’s tearing the Tribe apart?
“But whycan’t I go?” Jagged Peak was heading for the cave entrance, only to be intercepted by Quiet Rain.
“For the last time,” his mother meowed, her tail-tip twitching impatiently, “you are too little to be out of the cave.”
“It’s not fair!” Jagged Peak’s shoulder fur bristled as he glared at his mother.
“Come on, Jagged Peak.” Snow Hare padded up, dipping her head to Quiet Rain as she approached. “I’ll show you a new game. Let’s see if you can catch this stone.” She swiped her paw and sent a flat pebble skimming across the floor of the cave.
Jagged Peak pelted after it with an excited squeal.
“Thanks, Stone Hare,” Quiet Rain murmured. “I can’t let him go out while there’s deep snow on the ground.”
“You’re welcome,” the elder responded.
Gray Wing carried the remains of the hare over to his mother and dropped it at her paws. “Here, do you want some?” he asked.
Quiet Rain purred her gratitude. “That’s a fine catch,” she told him. “I’ll take some of it to Fluttering Bird.” Her voice quivered as she added, “She couldn’t get out of the nest this morning. But she’ll be much better after she’s had something to eat.”
Gray Wing followed his mother as she carried the hare across the cave to the sleeping hollow where Fluttering Bird was curled up.
“Are you going with Shaded Moss?” Quiet Rain asked him as she set the prey down at the edge of the hollow. “I know Clear Sky will go.  .  .  .” She was clearly trying to speak lightly, but her words ended with a sorrowful sigh.
“I’m staying,” Gray Wing told her, touching her ear with his nose. “This is my home. I want to catch enough prey so that the rest of us can survive. Many moons ago, our ancestors left the lake and came here. I can’t believe that was for no reason.”
Quiet Rain rested her muzzle on the top of his head. “I’m so proud of you,” she murmured. For a few heartbeats Gray Wing felt the same sense of comfort and security as when he was a small kit, suckling at his mother’s belly.
Stooping over the sleeping hollow, Quiet Rain licked Fluttering Bird’s shoulder. “Wake up, little one,” she mewed. “I’ve got some food for you.”
A sharp pang of anxiety stabbed through Gray Wing as he looked at Fluttering Bird; she hardly seemed to be breathing.
“Fluttering Bird!” Quiet Rain prodded her with one forepaw, but the kit still didn’t wake. “Gray Wing, fetch Stoneteller,” his mother said, panic in her voice.
Gray Wing sped off across the cave and plunged down the tunnel that led into the Cavern of the Pointed Stones. He had only been there once before, and he slowed as he reached the entrance, overcome by awe in spite of his urgency.
Creeping into the cave, he saw narrow beams of sunlight slanting through the hole in the roof, lighting the columns of stone that stretched upward for many tail-lengths. Pools on the ground reflected the sunlight, and the huge hollow space was filled with the sound of steadily dripping water.
At first Gray Wing couldn’t see Stoneteller. Then he spotted her sitting in the shadows, her tail wrapped around her paws and her eyes closed.
Is she asleep?he wondered as he approached.
But as he drew closer, Stoneteller opened her eyes. “Gray Wing—is something wrong?” she mewed.
“It’s Fluttering Bird,” Gray Wing explained, his heart beating fast. “She won’t wake up.”
At once Stoneteller rose to her paws. Turning to a crack in the rock, she took out a few shriveled leaves. Gray Wing caught a glimpse of her pitifully small store, and knew there would be no more healing herbs until the snow melted and warmer weather brought new growth.
He followed Stoneteller to where Fluttering Bird lay. Quiet Rain stood beside her, flexing her claws impatiently. Looking into her eyes, Gray Wing saw how desperate she was, already sick with grief for her daughter.
Stoneteller bent over the tiny kit and rested one paw on her chest to feel her breathing and her heartbeat. Chewing up one of the leaves, Stoneteller pried open the kit’s jaws and pushed the pulp onto her tongue. “Come along, little one,” she murmured. “Swallow this. It will make you feel better.”
But Fluttering Bird stayed still. She didn’t even open her eyes.
Looking up at Quiet Rain, Stoneteller whispered, “She is far, far away from us. The hunger inside her is too great. You must prepare yourself, Quiet Rain.”
Gray Wing’s mother crouched down, her claws scraping on the stone floor of the cave. “This is my fault,” she mewed. “I should have given her all my food. What was I thinking, having kits in the cold season?”
His heart swelling with grief, Gray Wing padded over to Quiet Rain and pressed himself close to her. “It isn’t your fault,” he mewed.
“I should have—”
Stoneteller interrupted Quiet Rain with a raised paw. “Hush, Quiet Rain. Fluttering Bird might be able to hear you. Don’t let her go into the dark knowing that you’re scared and angry.”
Gray Wing could see the massive effort his mother made to calm herself. She slid into the sleeping hollow and curled herself around Fluttering Bird, giving her comforting licks. “I’m so proud of you, my only daughter,” she murmured. “You mean so much to all of us. We will never forget you.”
Misery swept over Gray Wing as he watched. His sister’s flank rose once more, and then was still. “Good-bye, Fluttering Bird,” he whispered.
Stoneteller dipped her head to Quiet Rain and padded away toward her tunnel.
Gray Wing turned back to his mother. “Do you want me to help you take Fluttering Bird outside and bury her?” he asked.
Quiet Rain curled herself more closely around her daughter’s body. “Not while her fur is still warm,” she replied. “Please, go and fetch Jagged Peak for me.”
Gray Wing glanced around and spotted Jagged Peak at the far side of the cave, playing with some of the other kits. He raced over and beckoned his brother with a flick of his tail.
“What is it?” Jagged Peak asked, looking up from where he was wrestling with a tabby she-cat.
“Our mother wants you,” Gray Wing replied.
Jagged Peak scrambled to his paws and trotted across the cavern to the sleeping hollow. Quiet Rain spoke quietly to Jagged Peak; he stared at her, then opened his jaws in a shrill wail.
Quiet Rain stretched out her tail and pulled Jagged Peak to her. Pain stabbed through Gray Wing like a spike of icy rock as he watched her holding both her kits close, one dead and one alive, her nose buried in their fur.
He wondered if she would ever let Jagged Peak go again.
Gray Wing turned toward the cave entrance at the sound of voices, and saw Shaded Moss returning with Clear Sky and the others who had gone to look for a route away from the mountains.
“It was great!” Clear Sky shook himself, scattering melting snow everywhere. “We’ve found the path we should take.”
“It runs along the side of the valley,” Shaded Moss meowed, sounding more cautious. “It leads to a gap that should take us clear of the mountains. There’s a frozen stream at one point that we’ll have to cross, and we’ll need to be careful.”
“But it’s still the quickest route!” Turtle Tail interrupted with an enthusiastic wave of her tail.
“It looks like it,” Shaded Moss agreed, “and with any luck we’ll avoid the drifts farther down.”
While the other cats crowded around to question Shaded Moss, Gray Wing padded up and touched Clear Sky on his shoulder with his tail-tip. Clear Sky glanced around, spotting Quiet Rain in her sleeping hollow with the two kits. His eyes widened.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Fluttering Bird is dead,” Gray Wing told him.
Clear Sky paused for a heartbeat with a sharp indrawn breath, then bounded across the cave to his mother’s side. Gray Wing padded after him more slowly.
“I’m so sorry!” Clear Sky exclaimed, bending his head to touch his nose to his sister’s ear. “Fluttering Bird, we’ll miss you so much!” Straightening up, he looked down at his mother and added, “This will never happen when we reach our new home. If you join us, I’ll protect you and hunt for you for the rest of my life. Please come.”
Quiet Rain shook her head. “I will never leave my daughter here alone.”
Rising from the sleeping hollow, she allowed Gray Wing and Clear Sky to pick up Fluttering Bird’s tiny, twiglike body and carry her out of the cave. The other cats fell back and formed a respectful line on either side as they headed for the entrance and along the ledge that led behind the waterfall.
Quiet Rain and Jagged Peak followed as they maneuvered Fluttering Bird’s body along the narrow path. Drops of water landed on her fur. Gray Wing winced when he realized that she would never be able to lick them off.
Climbing carefully over the icy rocks, they made their way to the plateau above the cave and set Fluttering Bird down beside the river. Gray Wing and Clear Sky scraped away small stones and frozen soil to make a shallow hole, and Quiet Rain laid the tiny kit inside. She touched her nose to her daughter’s fur one last time, then stepped back while her sons covered the body with earth and larger stones. For a moment all four cats stood beside the grave, their heads bowed.
Jagged Peak was the first to move, turning around to stare in amazement at the vista of mountains that stretched away on all sides. His eyes were huge and his fur bushed out; he looked tiny against the boulders.
“Have you been to all those peaks?” he asked in a hushed voice.
“Not all of them.” Clear Sky moved to stand beside him, pointing with his tail. “There’s the gap in the mountains we’ll be aiming for when we leave.”
Jagged Peak’s eyes grew even wider. “I wish I was coming too,” he meowed.
“Don’t talk nonsense, little one.” Quiet Rain padded up and laid her tail across the kit’s back. “You’ve been out long enough for your first time. Back to the cave with you.”
“But I don’t wantto go back inside!” Jagged Peak protested. “There’s too much to see.”
Clear Sky gave his younger brother a friendly nudge. “You can see it another day. The mountains don’t move. Now show us how well you can climb down the rocks.”
Still grumbling, Jagged Peak followed his brother.
Gray Wing stood for a moment at the cliff’s edge, gazing out at the cold sweep of the mountains. Rage was slowly building inside him like a storm cloud. How could such a beautiful place be so cruel? But the sharpest edge of his anger was directed at himself.
I should have caught more prey. I shouldn’t have let Fluttering Bird starve
He became aware that Quiet Rain had come to stand beside him. “This is a cruel place,” she sighed, echoing his thoughts, “but it’s my home, for better or worse.”
“I won’t let this happen again,” Gray Wing meowed, his voice rough with grief and fury. “There must be better ways of hunting. We—”
“You have to leave,” Quiet Rain interrupted. “Jagged Peak is too small for such a journey, but youmust go with Clear Sky to find a better place to live. I don’t want to have to watch your kits die, too.”
Gray Wing stared at her, astounded. “But I thought you wanted me to stay!” he exclaimed.
Quiet Rain gazed back at him steadily, her eyes full of sorrow. “I love you too much for that,” she mewed. “For my sake, go.”
猫族成员
猫族成员
山地猫
部落医巫
尖石预言者（尖石巫师）——年迈的白色母猫，眼睛是绿色的
部落成员
寂雨——身上长着斑点的灰色母猫
灰翅——皮毛光滑的深灰色公猫，眼睛是金色的
晴天——浅灰色公猫，眼睛是蓝色的
清溪——棕白相间的虎斑母猫
荫苔——黑白相间的公猫，眼睛是深绿色的
高影——皮毛浓密的黑色母猫，眼睛是深绿色的
斑毛——身体纤瘦的玳瑁色母猫，眼睛是金色的
雨拂花——棕色虎斑母猫，眼睛是蓝色的
玳尾——玳瑁色母猫，眼睛是绿色的
月影——黑色公猫
露叶——玳瑁色母猫
扭枝——棕色公猫
碎冰——灰白相间的公猫，眼睛是绿色的
云斑——黑色长毛公猫，耳朵、胸口和两只前脚掌是白色的
石歌——深灰色虎斑公猫
空树——棕色虎斑母猫
疾水——灰白相间的母猫
鹰扑——橙色虎斑母猫
落羽——年轻的白色母猫
寒鸦啼——年轻的黑色公猫
烈雹——深灰色公猫
雾水——非常老的灰色母猫，眼睛是雾蒙蒙的蓝色
狮吼——非常老的金色虎斑公猫
银霜——年迈的灰白相间的母猫
雪兔——年迈的白色母猫
振翼鸟——瘦小的棕色母猫
锯峰——灰色虎斑公猫，眼睛是蓝色的
Prologue
Cold gray light rippled over thefloor of a cave so vast that its roof was lost in shadows. An endless screen of water fell across the entrance, its sound echoing from the rocks.
Near the back of the cavern crouched a frail white she-cat. Despite her age, her green eyes were clear and deep with wisdom as her gaze traveled over the skinny cats swarming the cave floor, restlessly pacing in front of the shimmering waterfall: the elders huddled together in the sleeping hollows; the kits mewling desperately, demanding food from their exhausted mothers.
“We can’t go on like this,” the old she-cat whispered to herself.
A few tail-lengths away, several kits squabbled over an eagle carcass. Its flesh had been stripped away the day before as soon as their mothers had caught it. A big ginger kit shouldered a smaller tabby away from the bone she was gnawing at.
“I needthis!” he announced.
The tabby sprang up and nipped the end of the ginger kit’s tail. “We allneed it, flea-brain!” she snapped as the ginger tom let out a yowl.
A gray-and-white elder, every one of her ribs showing through her pelt, tottered up to the kits and snatched the bone away
“Hey!” the ginger kit protested.
The elder glared at him. “I caught prey for season after season,” she snarled. “Don’t you think I deserve one measly bone?” She turned and stalked off, the bone clamped firmly in her jaws.
The ginger kit stared after her for a heartbeat, then scampered, wailing, to his mother, who lay on a rock beside the cave wall. Instead of comforting him, his mother snapped something, angrily flicking her tail.
The old white she-cat was too far away to hear what the mother cat said, but she sighed.
Every cat is coming to the end of what they can bear,she thought.
She watched as the gray-and-white elder padded across the cave and dropped the eagle bone in front of an even older she-cat, who was crouching in a sleeping hollow with her nose resting on her front paws. Her dull gaze was fixed on the far wall of the cave.
“Here, Misty Water.” The gray-and-white elder nudged the bone closer to her with one paw. “Eat. It’s not much, but it might help.”
Misty Water’s indifferent gaze flickered over her friend and away again. “No, thanks, Silver Frost. I have no appetite, not since Broken Feather died.” Her voice throbbed with grief. “He would have lived, if there had been enough prey for him to eat.” She sighed. “Now I’m just waiting to join him.”
“Misty Water, you can’t—”
The white she-cat was distracted from the elders’ talk as a group of cats appeared at the entrance to the cave, shaking snow off their fur. Several other cats sprang up and ran to meet them.
“Did you catch anything?” one of them called out eagerly.
“Yes, where’s your prey?” another demanded.
The leader of the newcomers shook his head sadly. “Sorry. There wasn’t enough to bring back.”
Hope melted from the cats in the cave like mist under strong sunlight. They glanced at one another, then trailed away, their heads drooping and their tails brushing the ground.
The white she-cat watched them, then turned her head as she realized that a cat was padding up to her. Though his muzzle was gray with age and his golden tabby fur thin and patchy, he walked with a confidence that showed he had once been a strong and noble cat.
“Half Moon,” he greeted the white she-cat, settling down beside her and wrapping his tail over his paws.
The white she-cat let out a faint mrrowof amusement. “You shouldn’t call me that, Lion’s Roar,” she protested. “I’ve been the Teller of the Pointed Stones for many seasons.”
The golden tabby tom sniffed. “I don’t care how long the others have called you Stoneteller. You’ll always be Half Moon to me.”
Half Moon made no response, except to reach out her tail and rest it on her old friend’s shoulder.
“I was born in this cave,” Lion’s Roar went on. “But my mother, Shy Fawn, told me about the time before we came here—when you lived beside a lake, sheltered beneath trees.”
Half Moon sighed faintly. “I am the only cat left who remembers the lake, and the journey we made to come here. But I have lived three times as many moons here in the mountains than I did beside the lake, and the endless rushing of the waterfall now echoes in my heart.” She paused, blinking, then asked, “Why are you telling me this now?”
Lion’s Roar hesitated before replying. “Hunger might kill us all before the sun shines again, and there’s no more room in the cave.” He stretched out one paw and brushed Half Moon’s shoulder fur. “Something must be done.”
Half Moon’s eyes stretched wide as she gazed at him. “But we can’t leave the mountains!” she protested, her voice breathless with shock. “Jay’s Wing promised; he made me the Teller of the Pointed Stones because this was our destined home.”
Lion’s Roar met her intense green gaze. “Are you sure Jay’s Wing was right?” he asked. “How could he know what was going to happen in the future?”
“He had to be right,” Half Moon murmured.
Her mind flew back to the ceremony, so many seasons before, when Jay’s Wing had made her the Teller of the Pointed Stones. She shivered as she heard his voice again, full of love for her and grief that her destiny meant they could never be together. “Others will come after you, moon upon moon. Choose them well, train them well—trust the future of your Tribe to them.”
He would never have said that if he didn’t mean for us to stay here.
Half Moon let her gaze drift over the other cats: her cats, now thin and hungry. She shook her head sadly. Lion’s Roar was right: Something had to be done if they were to survive.
Gradually she realized that the cold gray light in the cave was brightening to a warm gold, as if the sun were rising beyond the screen of falling water—but Half Moon knew that night was falling.
At her side Lion’s Roar sat calmly washing his ears, while the other cats in the cave took no notice of the deepening golden blaze.
No cat sees it but me! What can it mean?
Bathed in the brilliant light, Half Moon remembered how, when she first became Healer, Jay’s Wing had said that her ancestors would guide her in the decisions she must make—that, sometimes, she would see strange things that meant more than they first appeared. She had never been directly aware of her ancestors, but she had learned to look out for the signs.
Possible meanings rushed through Half Moon’s mind, thick as snowflakes in a blizzard. Maybe the warm weather is going to come early. But how would that help, when there are so many of us?Then she wondered whether the sun was really shining somewhere else, where there was warmth and prey and shelter. But how would that helpus, up here in the mountains?
The sunlight grew stronger and stronger, until Half Moon could barely stand to look into the rays. She relaxed as a new idea rose in her mind.
Maybe Lion’s Roar is right, and only some of us belong here. Maybe some of us should travel toward the place where the sun rises, to make a new home in the brightest light of all. Somewhere they will be safe, and well fed, with room to nurture generations of kits.
As Half Moon basked in the warmth of sunlight on her fur, she found the certainty she needed within herself. Some of her cats would remain, a small-enough group for the mountains to sustain, and the rest of her Tribe would journey toward the rising sun, to find a new home.
But I won’t leave the cave, she thought. I will see out the twilight of my days here, a whole lifetime away from where I was born. And then maybe .  .  . just maybe .  .  . I’ll find Jay’s Wing again.
引子
引子
冰冷的幽光洒进山洞，洞顶已被一片暗影吞噬。洞口外，一泓清冽的飞瀑倾泻而下，隆隆的水花声在山石间回荡。
洞穴深处蹲伏着一只消瘦的白色母猫。虽然年事已高，但她那双绿莹莹的眼睛清澈无比，饱含智慧。她凝望着眼前的景象：山洞里，众猫正在那微光闪烁的瀑布前来回走着。他们骨瘦如柴，焦躁不安。老年猫蜷缩着身子挤在窝里，饥肠辘辘的幼崽正拼命地嚷着要吃东西，但母猫们已然精疲力尽。
“我们不能再这样下去了。”年迈的白色母猫自言自语道。
几尾远处，几只幼崽正为一只老鹰的残骸争吵不休。这只老鹰是他们的母亲在昨天猎获的，老鹰刚被抓住，鹰肉就被分食而尽。此时，一只虎斑幼崽正啃咬着一根老鹰骨头，而一只体形较大的姜黄色幼崽则上前用肩把她挤到一边。
“我最需要这根骨头！”姜黄色幼崽蛮横地说。
那只虎斑幼崽跃了起来，一口叼住了姜黄色幼崽的尾巴尖。“你这跳蚤脑子，我们大家都需要这根骨头！”说着，她重重地咬了下去，姜黄色幼崽疼得哀号起来。
一只灰白相间的老年猫蹒跚着走上前来，她已瘦得皮包骨头。这只母猫走到幼崽们身旁，一把将骨头抢了过去。
“嘿！你——”姜黄色幼崽抗议道。
老年猫顿时怒目圆睁，厉声喝道：“以前我季复一季地为大家狩猎，难道就不配得到这根小小的骨头吗？”说完，她转过身去，紧紧叼着那根骨头，气呼呼地大步走开了。
姜黄色幼崽干瞪着眼愣了片刻，随即哭哭啼啼地朝他的妈妈奔去。他的妈妈正伏在石壁边的岩石上，不过她没有安慰自己的孩子，而是气恼地呵斥了几句，愤愤地甩着尾巴。
因为相隔较远，年迈的白色母猫虽并没听清幼崽妈妈的话，但她仍长叹了一声。
她忧心忡忡地想：大家几乎都已忍到了极限。
接着，她看到灰白相间的老年猫走到了山洞的另一边，把老鹰骨头放在了一只更为衰老的母猫面前。那只老态龙钟的母猫正蜷缩在窝里，鼻子搭在前掌上，两眼无神地凝视着远处的石壁。
“来，雾水。”灰白相间的老年猫用脚掌把骨头往前推了推，“快吃了吧。虽然没多少可吃，但或许能缓一阵子。”
雾水淡淡地看了一眼她的老朋友，又扭头向别处望去。“不用了，银霜，谢谢你。断羽死后，我就没有什么胃口吃东西了。”她的声音微微颤抖，话里满含悲伤。“要是那时候猎物够吃的话，他就不会死了。”她叹了口气，“我现在正等着和他相聚呢。”
“雾水，你别这样——”
这时，洞口的动静吸引了白色母猫的注意——那里出现了几只猫，他们正将身上的雪花簌簌抖落。见状，洞里有几只猫一跃而起，跑了过去。
“你们捕到猎物了吗？”一只猫急匆匆地问。
“是啊，猎物在哪儿？”另一只猫接着问道。
带队的猫难过地摇摇头：“抱歉，外面猎物很少，没能给大家带回来什么。”
众猫心中先前腾起的希望顿时像烈日下的薄雾一样消散了。他们面面相觑，耷拉下脑袋，拖着尾巴失望地散开了。
白色母猫注视着眼前的一切。没过多久，她转过头，感应到有只猫向自己走了过来。由于上了年纪，这只公猫的口鼻色泽发灰，金色的虎斑皮毛也已变得疏落斑驳，然而，他那自信的步态依然展现着他昔日高贵的雄姿。
“半月。”公猫向白色母猫打了个招呼，在她旁边坐了下来，把尾巴绕过身体盖在脚掌上。
白色母猫轻笑了一声：“狮吼，你不该那样叫我的。我在很久以前就成了尖石预言者了。”
金色虎斑公猫用鼻子哼了一声，对她说道：“我可不在乎别的猫叫了你多长时间的尖石巫师，对我来说，你永远都是半月。”
半月没有答话，只是把尾巴伸出来搭在了老朋友的肩上。
狮吼继续说：“我是在这个山洞里出生的，不过我母亲怯鹿跟我讲过大家还没来这里定居时的事——那会儿你们还在湖泊边生活，在大树下栖身。”
半月幽幽地叹了口气：“可如今只剩我还活着了，只有我还记得那个湖泊，也只有我还记得当初大家是怎样一路跋涉来到这里的事了。不过我在这大山里住的时间可比在湖边长三倍有余，现在瀑布昼夜不息的奔腾声每时每刻都在我心里回荡着。”她稍做停顿，眨了眨眼睛，接着问：“你怎么现在和我说起这事来了？”
狮吼迟疑片刻，回答道：“在灿烂的阳光再次照耀大地之前，我们可能已经死于饥饿，更何况现在连洞里的地方也不够大家住了。”说着，他伸出脚掌轻轻抚了抚半月肩部的皮毛：“所以我们现在得做些什么。”
半月盯着狮吼，瞪大了眼睛。“可是我们不能离开大山。”她厉声反对，惊愕之余，几乎透不过气来，“松鸦翅曾经许诺过，正是因为这地方注定是我们的家园，他才让我成为尖石巫师的。”
狮吼迎上了半月紧张的幽绿目光。“你敢肯定松鸦翅是对的吗？”他问她，“他怎么能知道以后会发生的事呢？”
“他必须是对的。”半月喃喃地说。
她的思绪飘回了无数个季节以前的那次仪式上。那时，松鸦翅郑重宣布她将成为尖石巫师。半月仿佛又听到了松鸦翅那满怀爱意而又充满悲伤的声音，全身不禁颤抖起来，因为她命中注定永远不能和他在一起。“以后其他的猫会继任你的位置。你要小心挑选，对他们多加训导，有朝一日把部落的未来托付给他们。”
如果松鸦翅没想让我们一直在大山里生活，他当时是决不会说那些话的。
她环视四周，只见众猫瘦骨嶙峋、饥饿难耐。眼前的情景让半月黯然心伤，她摇了摇头，在心里承认道：狮吼是对的。如果我们想生存下去，就必须有所行动。
渐渐地，半月意识到山洞里冰冷幽暗的光线正在变亮，直至化成一片温暖的金色，犹如旭日正从瀑布后冉冉升起——然而，她深知此时黑夜已悄然降临。
在她身边，狮吼正端坐着身子清洁耳朵，洞里其他的猫更是压根没注意到这片愈加耀眼的金色光芒。
只有我能看见这幅景象！可这到底意味着什么？
沐浴在灿烂的阳光中，半月想起了自己在刚当上医巫的时候，松鸦翅曾告诉过她：祖先们会指引她做出必要的决定，因此有时她会看到一些寓意深刻的异象。虽然此前半月并未直接感觉到过祖先的存在，不过她已经学会去留意这些征兆了。
可能的解读涌入半月的脑海，纷乱如风暴中的雪花：也许这一季的天气会提前转暖。但我们如今数量众多，仅仅转暖又能有多大用呢？随后，她又暗忖，是否有可能在别处的某个地方，阳光真的就会像眼前这般明媚。那里和煦温暖、猎物充足，还有理想的栖身之所。不过我们现在是在大山里，别的地方再好又与我们何干？
阳光愈发耀眼，半月甚至无法睁眼直视这片灿烂的光芒。她稍做放松，却突然间灵光一现。
也许狮吼是对的。或许我们当中只有一些猫属于这里，而其他一些猫则应朝着太阳升起的地方走去，在那片最辉煌的金光中，找到属于他们的新家园。在那里，他们将安居乐业，不愁吃喝，繁衍后代，生生不息。
温暖的阳光照耀着半月的皮毛，她沐浴在这片光芒中，找到了内心的安宁与笃定。部落中的一些猫会留在山里，这些少数留下的猫足以在大山中生存，而其余的那些的猫则要迎着升起的太阳踏上旅途，去寻找新的家园。
但我不会离开这个山洞的。半月心想，我要留在这里，留在这片与我的出生地远隔整整一生的土地上，度过最后的垂暮之年。然后，也许……只是也许吧……我会和松鸦翅再次相聚。
Chapter 1
Gray Wing toiled up the snow-coveredslope toward a ridge that bit into the sky like a row of snaggly teeth. He set each paw down carefully, to avoid breaking through the frozen surface and sinking into the powdery drifts underneath. Light flakes were falling, dappling his dark gray pelt. He was so cold that he couldn’t feel his pads anymore, and his belly yowled with hunger.
I can’t remember the last time I felt warm or full-fed.
In the last sunny season he had still been a kit, playing with his littermate, Clear Sky, around the edge of the pool outside the cave. Now that seemed like a lifetime ago. Gray Wing only had the vaguest memories of green leaves on the stubby mountain trees, and the sunshine bathing the rocks.
Pausing to taste the air for prey, he gazed across the snowbound mountains, peak after peak stretching away into the distance. The heavy gray sky overhead promised yet more snow to come.
But the air carried no scent of his quarry, and Gray Wing plodded on. Clear Sky appeared from behind an outcrop of rock, his pale gray fur barely visible against the snow. His jaws were empty, and as he spotted Gray Wing he shook his head.
“Not a sniff of prey anywhere!” he called. “Why don’t we—”
A raucous cry from above cut off his words. A shadow flashed over Gray Wing. Looking up, he saw a hawk swoop low across the slope, its talons hooked and cruel.
As the hawk passed, Clear Sky leaped high into the air, his forepaws outstretched. His claws snagged the bird’s feathers and he fell back, dragging it from the sky. It let out another harsh cry as it landed on the snow in a flurry of beating wings.
Gray Wing charged up the slope, his paws throwing up a fine spray of snow. Reaching his brother, he planted both forepaws on one thrashing wing. The hawk glared at him with hatred in its yellow eyes, and Gray Wing had to duck to avoid its slashing talons.
Clear Sky thrust his head forward and sank his teeth into the hawk’s neck. It jerked once and went limp, its gaze growing instantly dull as blood seeped from its wound and stained the snow.
Panting, Gray Wing looked at his brother. “That was a great catch!” he exclaimed, warm triumph flooding through him.
Clear Sky shook his head. “But look how scrawny it is. There’s nothing in these mountains fit to eat, and won’t be until the snow clears.”
He crouched beside his prey, ready to take the first bite. Gray Wing settled next to him, his jaws flooding as he thought of sinking his teeth into the hawk.
But then he remembered the starving cats back in the cave, squabbling over scraps. “We should take this prey back to the others,” he meowed. “They need it to give them strength for their hunting.”
“We need strength too,” Clear Sky mumbled, tearing away a mouthful of the hawk’s flesh.
“We’ll be fine.” Gray Wing gave him a prod in the side. “We’re the best hunters in the Tribe. Nothing escapes us when we hunt together. We can catch something else easier than the others can.”
Clear Sky rolled his eyes as he swallowed the prey. “Why must you always be so unselfish?” he grumbled. “Okay, let’s go.”
Together the two cats dragged the hawk down the slope and over the boulders at the bottom of a narrow gully until they reached the pool where the waterfall roared. Though it wasn’t heavy, the bird was awkward to manage. Its flopping wings and claws caught on every hidden rock and buried thornbush.
“We wouldn’t have to do this if you’d let us eat it,” Clear Sky muttered as he struggled to maneuver the hawk along the path that led behind the waterfall. “I hope the others appreciate this.”
Clear Sky grumbles,Gray Wing thought, but he knows this is the right thing to do
Yowls of surprise greeted the brothers when they returned to the cave. Several cats ran to meet them, gathering around to gaze at the prey.
“It’s huge!” Turtle Tail exclaimed, her green eyes shining as she bounded up to Gray Wing. “I can’t believe you brought it back for us.”
Gray Wing dipped his head, feeling slightly embarrassed at her enthusiasm. “It won’t feed every cat,” he mewed.
Shattered Ice, a gray-and-white tom, shouldered his way to the front of the crowd. “Which cats are going out to hunt?” he asked. “They should be the first ones to eat.”
Murmurs came from among the assembled cats, broken by a shrill wail: “But I’m hungry! Why can’t I have some? I could go out and hunt.”
Gray Wing recognized the voice as being his younger brother, Jagged Peak’s. Their mother, Quiet Rain, padded up and gently nudged her kit back toward the sleeping hollows. “You’re too young to hunt,” she murmured. “And if the older cats don’t eat, there’ll be no prey for any cat.”
“Not fair!” Jagged Peak muttered as his mother guided him away.
Meanwhile the hunters, including Shattered Ice and Turtle Tail, lined up beside the body of the hawk. Each of them took one mouthful, then stepped back for the next cat to take their turn. By the time they had finished, and filed out along the path behind the waterfall, there was very little meat left.
Clear Sky, watching beside Gray Wing, let out an irritated snort. “I still wish wecould have eaten it.”
Privately Gray Wing agreed with him, but he knew there was no point in complaining. There isn’t enough food. Every cat is weak, hungry—just clinging on until the sun comes back
The pattering of paws sounded behind him; he glanced around to see Bright Stream trotting over to Clear Sky. “Is it true that you caught that huge hawk all by yourself?”
Clear Sky hesitated, basking in the pretty tabby she-cat’s admiration. Gray Wing gave a meaningful purr.
“No,” Clear Sky admitted. “Gray Wing helped.”
Bright Stream gave Gray Wing a nod, but her gaze immediately returned to Clear Sky. Gray Wing took a couple of paces back and left them alone.
“They look good together.” A voice spoke at his shoulder; Gray Wing turned to see the elder Silver Frost standing beside him. “There’ll be kits come the warmest moon.”
Gray Wing nodded. Any cat with half an eye could see how friendly his brother and Bright Stream had become as they stood with their heads together murmuring to each other.
“More than one litter, maybe,” Silver Frost went on, giving Gray Wing a nudge. “That Turtle Tail is certainly a beautiful cat.”
Hot embarrassment flooded through Gray Wing from ears to tail-tip. He had no idea what to say, and was grateful when he saw Stoneteller approaching them. She took a winding path among her cats, pausing to talk to each one. Though Stoneteller’s paws were unsteady because of her great age, Gray Wing could see the depth of experience in her green gaze and the care she felt for every one of her Tribe.
“There’s still a bit of the hawk left,” Gray Wing heard her murmur to Snow Hare, who was stretched out in one of the sleeping hollows, washing her belly. “You should eat something.”
Snow Hare paused in her tongue-strokes. “I’m leaving the food for the young ones,” she replied. “They need their strength for hunting.”
Stoneteller bent her head and touched the elder’s ear with her nose. “You have earned your food many times over.”
“Perhaps the mountains have fed us for long enough.” It was Lion’s Roar who had spoken from where he sat, a tail-length away.
Stoneteller gave him a swift glance, full of meaning.
What’s that all about?Gray Wing asked himself.
His thoughts were interrupted by Quiet Rain, who came to sit beside him. “Have you eaten anything?” she asked.
All we ever talk about is foodOr the lack of it.Trying to curb his impatience, Gray Wing replied, “I’ll have something before I go out again.”
To his relief, his mother didn’t insist. “You did very well to catch that hawk,” she meowed.
“It wasn’t only me,” Gray Wing told her. “Clear Sky made this amazing leap to bring it down.”
“You bothdid well,” Quiet Rain purred. She turned to look at her young kits, who were scuffling together close by. “I hope that Jagged Peak and Fluttering Bird will be just as skillful when they’re old enough to hunt.”
At that moment, Jagged Peak swiped his sister’s paws out from underneath her. Fluttering Bird let out a wail as she fell over, hitting her head on a rock. Instead of getting up again, she lay still, whimpering.
“You’re such a silly kit!” Jagged Peak exclaimed.
As Quiet Rain padded over to give her daughter a comforting lick, Gray Wing noticed how small and fragile Fluttering Bird looked. Her head seemed too big for her body, and when she scrambled to her paws again her legs wobbled. Jagged Peak, on the other hand, was strong and well muscled, his gray tabby fur thick and healthy.
While Quiet Rain took care of his sister, Jagged Peak scampered to Gray Wing. “Tell me about the hawk,” he demanded. “How did you catch it? I bet I could catch one if I was allowed out of this stupid cave!”
Gray Wing purred excitedly. “You should have seen Clear Sky’s leap—”
A loud yowl cut off Gray Wing’s story. “Let all cats be silent! Stoneteller will speak!”
The cat who had made the announcement was Shaded Moss, a black-and-white tom who was one of the strongest and most respected cats of the Tribe. He stood on a boulder at the far end of the cavern, with Stoneteller beside him. The old cat looked even more fragile next to his powerful figure.
As he wriggled his way toward the front of the crowd gathered around the boulder, Gray Wing heard murmurs of curiosity from the others.
“Maybe Stoneteller is going to appoint Shaded Moss as her replacement,” Silver Frost suggested.
“It’s time she appointed some cat,” Snow Hare agreed. “It’s what we’ve all been expecting for moons.”
Gray Wing found himself a place to sit next to Clear Sky and Bright Stream, and looked up at Stoneteller and Shaded Moss. Stoneteller rose to her paws and let her gaze travel over her Tribe until the murmuring died away into silence.
“I am grateful to all of you for working so hard to survive here,” she began, her voice so faint that it could scarcely be heard above the sound of the waterfall. “I am proud to be your Healer, but I have to accept that there are things even I cannot put right. Lack of space and lack of food are beyond my control.”
“It’s not your fault!” Silver Frost called out. “Don’t give up!”
Stoneteller dipped her head in acknowledgment of the elder’s support. “Our home cannot support us all,” she continued. “But there is another place for some of us, full of sunlight and warmth and prey for all seasons. I have seen it .  .  . in my dreams.”
Utter silence greeted her announcement. Gray Wing couldn’t make sense of what the Healer had just said. Dreams? What’s the point of that? I dreamed I killed a huge eagle and ate it all myself, but I was still hungry when I woke up!
He noticed that Lion’s Roar sat bolt upright as Stoneteller spoke, and was staring at her, his eyes wide with astonishment.
“I believe in my heart that the other place is waiting for those of you who are brave enough to make the journey,” Stoneteller went on. “Shaded Moss will lead you there, with my blessing.”
The old white cat glanced once more around her Tribe, her gaze full of sadness and pain. Then she slid down from the top of the boulder and vanished into the tunnel at the back of the cave, which led to her own den.
A flood of shocked speculation passed through the rest of the cats. After a couple of heartbeats, Shaded Moss stepped forward and raised his tail for silence.
“This has been my home all my life,” he began when he could make himself heard. His voice was solemn. “I always expected to die here. But if Stoneteller believes that some of us must leave to find the place of her dream, then I will go, and do my best to keep you safe.”
Dappled Pelt sprang to her paws, her golden eyes shining. “I’ll go!”
“So will I!” Tall Shadow added, her sleek black figure tense with excitement.
“Are you flea-brained?” Twisted Branch, a scraggy brown tom, stared incredulously at the two she-cats. “Wandering off with no idea where you’re heading?”
Gray Wing remained silent, but he couldn’t help agreeing with Twisted Branch. The mountains were his home: He knew every rock, every bush, every trickling stream. It would tear my heart in two if I had to leave just because Stoneteller had a dream.
Turning to Clear Sky, he was amazed to see excitement gleaming in his brother’s eyes. “You’re not seriously considering this?” he asked.
“Why not?” Clear Sky demanded in return. “This could be the answer to all our problems. What’s the point of struggling to feed every mouth if there’s an alternative?” His whiskers quivered eagerly. “It will be an adventure!” He called out to Shaded Moss: “I’ll go!” Glancing at Bright Stream, he added, “You’ll come too, won’t you?”
Bright Stream leaned closer to Clear Sky. “I don’t know .  .  . would you really go without me?”
Before Clear Sky could reply, little Jagged Peak wormed his way forward between his two older brothers, followed by Fluttering Bird. “I want to go!” he announced loudly.
Fluttering Bird nodded enthusiastically. “Me too!” she squeaked.
Quiet Rain followed them, and drew both kits closer to her with a sweep of her tail. “Certainly not!” she meowed. “You two are staying right here.”
“You could come with us,” Jagged Peak suggested.
His mother shook her head. “This is my home,” she said. “We’ve survived before. When the warm season returns, we’ll have enough to eat.”
Gray Wing dipped his head in agreement. How can they forget what Quiet Rain told me when I was a kit? This place was promised to us by a cat who led us here from a faraway lake. How can we think of leaving?
Shaded Moss’s powerful voice rose up again over the clamor. “No cat needs to decide yet,” he announced. “Give some thought to what you want to do. The half-moon is just past; I will leave at the next full-moon along with any—”
He broke off, his gaze fixed on the far end of the cave. Turning his head, Gray Wing saw the hunting party making their way inside. Their pelts were clotted with snow and their heads drooped.
Not one was carrying prey.
“We’re sorry,” Shattered Ice called out. “The snow is heavier than ever, and there wasn’t a single—”
“We’re leaving!” some cat yowled from the crowd around Shaded Moss.
The hunting party stood still for a moment, glancing at one another in confusion and dismay. Then they pelted down the length of the cavern to listen as their Tribemates explained what Stoneteller had told them, and what Shaded Moss intended to do.
Turtle Tail made her way to where Gray Wing was sitting and plopped down beside him, beginning to clean the melting snow from her pelt. “Isn’t this great?” she asked between licks. “A warm place, where there’s plenty of prey, just waiting for us? Are you going, Gray Wing?”
“I am,” Clear Sky responded, before Gray Wing could answer. “And so is Bright Stream.” The young she-cat gave him an uncertain look, but Clear Sky didn’t notice. “It’ll be a hard journey, but I think it’ll be worth it.”
“It’ll be wonderful!” Turtle Tail blinked happily. “Come on, Gray Wing! How about it?”
Gray Wing couldn’t give her the answer she wanted. As he looked around the cave at the cats he had known all his life, he couldn’t imagine abandoning them for a place that might only exist in Stoneteller’s dreams.
第一章
第一章
山脊犹如一排利齿直入云霄。灰翅艰难地沿着白雪皑皑的山坡往上爬，他小心翼翼地踮着步子，唯恐踩破冰面，掉进松软的雪坑。雪花轻轻飘落，在他那深灰色的皮毛上化作点点白斑。灰翅饥寒交迫，脚掌下的肉垫已冻得毫无知觉，肚子也饿得咕咕直响。
我都记不得以前那些不用挨饿受冻的日子了。
在上一个阳光明媚的季节里，他还是一只幼崽。那时，他常和同窝手足晴天在山洞外的水潭边打打闹闹。而现在，那些日子都好像已经是上辈子的事了。灰翅只能依稀记得那时山上矮树丛里的茂密绿叶，还有那照耀在岩石上的温暖阳光。
灰翅停住脚步，仔细辨认着猎物的气味。他凝望着远方：群山延绵不绝，四下里一片白雪茫茫，头顶那片阴沉沉的天空正是更多大风大雪的前兆。
然而，灰翅丝毫嗅不到任何猎物的气息，他只好拖着沉重的脚步继续往前走着。这时，晴天从一块岩石后面冒了出来，他那身浅灰色的皮毛在白雪的映衬下若隐若现。晴天同样一无所获，见到灰翅，他摇了摇头。
“哪里都闻不到一丁点儿猎物的味道！”晴天喊道，“我们干吗不——”
就在此时，上空一道尖厉的长啸声打断了晴天的话。一个阴影从灰翅头顶一闪而过。他仰头一看，只见一只老鹰向山坡俯冲而下，鹰爪形如弯钩，尖利凶残。
见老鹰飞过，晴天向空中一跃而起，张开锋利的前爪，插进老鹰的翅膀，在落回地面的同时生生把老鹰给拖了下来。那老鹰栽倒在地，发出刺耳的叫声，翅膀不停地在雪地上扑棱着。
灰翅见状，从山坡下猛冲过来，脚掌落地处碎雪四溅。他飞奔到晴天跟前，用力将前爪深深插进老鹰身侧那不停扑打的翅膀。老鹰那黄色的眼睛恨恨地盯着他，挥舞着鹰爪一阵狂抓，灰翅不得不左右避让。
晴天迅速地伸过头来，朝老鹰的脖颈处一口咬下。老鹰猝然一颤，身子顿时瘫软下来，眼神渐渐失去了光彩，鲜血从伤口汩汩流出，染红了地上的雪。
胜利的喜悦犹如暖流般涌过灰翅的全身，他气喘吁吁地看着哥哥，激动地喊道：“干得好！”
晴天摇了摇头：“可你瞧瞧，这鹰也太瘦了吧。现在山里根本打不到能吃的东西，我看在积雪融化之前，我们也别幻想还能捕到什么像样的猎物了。”
晴天蹲伏在猎物旁，准备开吃。灰翅坐在他身边，一想到那牙齿咬进鹰肉的感觉，不禁垂涎欲滴。
突然，灰翅想起了山洞中饥肠辘辘的众猫为一点儿猎物残骸争吵不休的情景，说道：“我们应该把猎物给大家带回去，他们吃了东西才能有力气去打猎。”
“可我们也需要力气呀。”晴天一边抱怨着，一边撕咬下一片鹰肉。
“没关系的。”灰翅轻轻碰了一下晴天的侧腹，“我们可是部落里最优秀的狩猎猫，咱兄弟俩一配合起来，什么猎物都逃脱不了我们的脚掌心。对咱们来说，狩猎要更容易些。”
晴天吞咽着鹰肉，朝灰翅翻了翻眼，咕哝道：“你干吗总是这么大公无私啊？那好吧，我们回去。”
两只猫齐心合力拖着老鹰走下山坡，他们翻过一块块砾石，穿过狭窄的溪谷，一路来到瀑声阵阵的水潭边。虽然猎物并不重，但途中要解决这只老鹰的运送问题可并非易事，因为老鹰的翅膀和爪子一直甩来甩去，不是磕到了暗处的石头，就是被卡在了荆棘丛中。
晴天费力地把老鹰从小路上一直拖到瀑布后面，嘴里不停地嘟囔着：“如果你让我们之前就吃掉它，现在就不必这么麻烦了。但愿他们能懂得感谢我们的付出。”
灰翅心想：晴天又在抱怨了，不过他知道这是我们应该做的。
见到这对兄弟拖着老鹰回到山洞，众猫喜出望外，顿时一片沸腾。好几只猫上前迎接，大家凑在一起盯着猎物。
“这只老鹰好大啊！”玳尾兴奋地叫道，她蹦蹦跳跳地向灰翅跑来，绿莹莹的眼睛里闪烁着炽热的光芒，“真不敢相信你们把它给大家带回来了。”
灰翅低下头来，玳尾热情的问候弄得他有点儿不好意思：“可惜这还是不够让大家都吃饱。”
碎冰是一只灰白相间的公猫，他挤到众猫前面问道：“哪些猫要出去狩猎？应该让他们先吃。”
众猫开始小声议论起来。突然，大家的议论被一道尖厉的哭号声打断了：“可是我好饿！为什么不能也给我吃点儿？我也可以出去狩猎的。”
灰翅听出这声音来自他年幼的弟弟锯峰。他们的妈妈寂雨走上前来，把锯峰轻轻地朝睡觉的洼地方向推了过去。她对锯峰柔声说：“你太小了，还不能去狩猎。如果出去狩猎的猫不吃东西，大家就都不会有猎物吃了。”
“这不公平！”锯峰咕哝着，不情愿地跟着妈妈走开了。
与此同时，碎冰、玳尾等几只狩猎猫已经在死鹰旁边排开，他们各自吃了一口后便退回让下一只猫吃。狩猎猫们吃罢，列队从瀑布后的小路上鱼贯而出。这时，鹰肉已所剩无几了。
晴天在灰翅身边看着，愤愤地哼了一声：“我还是在想，当初要是我俩把它吃了就好了。”
灰翅私下里也和晴天想的一样，但他知道抱怨是无济于事的。现在猎物稀缺，每只猫都食不果腹，虚弱不已。大家只能挨过这些时日，等待着太阳重新照耀群山。
这时，灰翅听到身后有猫的脚步声，他环顾四周，看见清溪正朝着晴天跑去。“真的是你独自抓住那只老鹰的吗？”
晴天迟疑了一下，他此时正陶醉在这只靓丽的虎斑母猫对他的仰慕之情中。灰翅别有深意地打了个咕噜。
“不是，灰翅也帮忙了。”晴天承认道。
清溪朝灰翅点了点头，但很快又将目光转向晴天。灰翅让他俩单独相处，自己知趣地退开了几步。
“他俩看上去处得不错啊。”有个声音从灰翅肩后传了过来。他转过头，看见老年猫银霜正站在他的身边。“等天气暖和时，就会有幼崽出生啦。”
灰翅点点头。此时他的哥哥和清溪正头靠着头哝哝低语，哪怕是仅有一只眼睛能看见东西的猫都能瞧得出来这一对是多么的情意依依。
“说不定还不只一窝幼崽呢。”银霜继续说着，轻轻推了灰翅一下，“玳尾也出落得十分美丽哦。”
灰翅听了一阵脸红耳热，从耳朵到尾巴尖都觉得尴尬，不知该如何作答。正在此时，他看到尖石巫师朝他们走了过来，不由感到一阵庆幸。只见她从猫群中穿过，停下来和每一只猫说话。虽然由于上了年纪，尖石巫师的脚步有些蹒跚，但灰翅仍能从她绿幽幽的目光中看到她所经历过的风风雨雨，以及她对部落中每只猫的关切之情。
“还有些剩下的鹰肉，你应该吃些东西。”灰翅听到尖石巫师对雪兔说。雪兔正在窝里舒展身子，清洁腹部。
雪兔停下舔梳，回答道：“食物就留给年轻的猫吃吧。他们有了力气才能去狩猎。”
尖石巫师低下头，用鼻子碰了碰这只老年猫的耳朵：“你应该分到比这多得多的食物，才配得上你的付出。”
“也许大山已经无法再养活我们了。”说这话的是坐在一尾远处的狮吼。
听到这话，尖石巫师向狮吼迅速地使了个眼色，那眼神中颇有深意。
尖石巫师的眼神是想传达什么信息呢？灰翅暗暗思考起来。
寂雨在灰翅身边坐下，打断了他的思绪。寂雨问道：“你吃过东西了吗？”
我们现在的全部话题不是食物，就是多么缺乏食物。灰翅努力按捺住心中的焦躁，回答道：“出发前我会再去吃点儿的。”
让他高兴的是，他的妈妈并没有坚持让他现在就去吃东西。“你抓住了那只鹰，干得真漂亮！”她夸赞道。
“不是我独自抓的。”灰翅说，“是晴天飞身一跳先把老鹰拽下来的。”
“你俩都很棒。”寂雨发出满意的咕噜声。她转过身，看到两只幼崽正在不远处扭打成一团。“等锯峰和振翼鸟长大后，希望他们的身手也能像你们一样出色。”
正在这时，锯峰贴着地面猛然出掌，击歪了妹妹的脚掌。振翼鸟跌倒在地，脑袋撞到了石头上，顿时哭号了起来。她没有重新站起来，而是趴在地上呜咽着。
“你这小傻猫！”锯峰嚷嚷道。
寂雨走上前舔了舔振翼鸟，安慰着女儿。这时，灰翅才注意到他的小妹妹看上去是多么瘦弱不堪。和她那弱小的身躯比起来，振翼鸟的脑袋大得有些不成比例。她想努力站起来的时候，腿在不住地颤抖。相比之下，锯峰则长得体格健壮、肌肉结实，他那身灰色的虎斑皮毛浓密厚实，色泽十分健康。
当寂雨忙着照顾他的妹妹时，锯峰蹦蹦跳跳地向灰翅跑来，追问道：“快和我说说那只鹰吧。你俩是怎么抓到它的？他们要是能让我离开这愚蠢的山洞出去狩猎的话，我敢打赌我也能抓到一只。”
灰翅兴奋地咕噜了一声：“你要能看到晴天当时是怎样跳到空中的就好了——”
不过他的故事还没讲完，就听见有猫大声喊道：“大家安静一下！尖石巫师有话要讲！”
向大家通报这事的是荫苔。荫苔是只黑白相间的公猫，他是部落中最强壮、最有声望的猫之一。此刻，他正站在洞穴深处的一块大砾石上，尖石巫师正坐在他的身旁。和荫苔那强壮的身躯相比，年迈的巫师显得十分衰弱苍老。
众猫已在大砾石前聚集。灰翅走上前去，听见众猫正好奇地议论着。
银霜猜道：“说不定尖石巫师是要宣布让荫苔继任她的位置了。”
“是时候指定猫来接替她了。这事我们已经等了几个月了。”雪兔附和道。
灰翅在晴天和清溪身边找了个位置坐下，他抬起头看着尖石巫师和荫苔。尖石巫师站了起来，环视四周，直到山洞里的议论声完全消失。
“感谢大家这么长时间以来一直在饥饿的折磨下坚强地生存。”尖石巫师微弱的声音几乎被瀑布声淹没，“作为你们的医巫，我深感荣幸，但是我得承认，有些事情是我力所不能及的。生存空间的狭窄和食物短缺问题已经让我感到力不从心了。”
“这不是你的错。”银霜喊道，“别放弃！”
尖石巫师微微点头，向老年猫的支持表示感谢。她继续说道：“我们的家园现在已经不能养活全部的猫了，但是另一个地方正等待着我们之中的一些勇士。那里四季阳光充沛、气候温暖、猎物充足，我已经……在梦里见过那里了。”
尖石巫师的话音落毕，众猫一片沉寂。灰翅怎么也想不透医巫刚才说的究竟意味着什么：在梦里？那又有什么意义呢？有次我梦到自己杀了只巨大的老鹰，自个儿把整只鹰都吃了。可是我美梦醒来，还不是饿得肚子直叫！
灰翅注意到，当尖石巫师说话时，狮吼正笔直地坐在一旁注视着她，他那眼中尽是惊讶的神色。
尖石巫师继续说道：“我相信我的心，那个全新的家园一定正等待着你们当中那些敢于踏上这次迁徙之旅的勇士们。荫苔会带上我的祝福，率领你们找到那个地方。”
说完，这只年老的白色母猫又痛心地向四周环视了一番，她那眼神里满是悲哀。之后，她便从砾石顶部跳了下来，向自己的巢穴走去，那衰老的身影消失在山洞后方那深邃的通道里……
众猫惊诧不已，顿时沸腾起来，开始交头接耳。没过多久，荫苔走上前去，竖起尾巴，示意众猫安静。
“我生在这里，长在这里。”荫苔看大家渐渐平静了下来，开始郑重地说道，“我也一直希望自己能在这山中过完一生。但是，如果尖石巫师相信我们其中的一些猫必须去寻找她梦中所见的那个地方，我会义不容辞地出发，并尽自己全力保证大家的安全。”
斑毛跳了起来，她那金色的眼睛闪闪发亮。“我愿意去。”她说。
“我也愿意。”高影接着说，她兴奋地绷紧了那黝黑修长的身体。
“你们都是跳蚤脑子吗？”瘦削的棕色公猫扭枝难以置信地盯着这两只母猫说道，“你们连目的地在哪儿都不知道，就这么走了？”
灰翅虽没有说话，但他心里非常赞同扭枝的看法。大山是他的家，他熟悉山中每一块岩石，每一丛灌木，还有每一条涓涓流淌的小溪。他默默地想：如果只是因为尖石巫师做了个梦我就不得不离开此地的话，我真的会心碎的。
他转向晴天。出乎意料的是，他竟发现哥哥的眼中闪烁着兴奋的光芒。“你不会是把这事当真了吧？”灰翅问。
“为什么不呢？这有可能正是我们所有问题的解决之道呀。如果有其他路可走，何必还要苦苦设法喂饱每一张嘴呢？”晴天激动得胡须微微发颤。他对荫苔高喊：“这将是一次探险之旅！我要去！”接着，晴天又望了清溪一眼，问道：“你也会和我一起去的，是吧？”
清溪向晴天走近了一些，说：“我不知道……你真的会丢下我离开吗？”
还没等晴天回答，小锯峰歪歪扭扭地爬到两位哥哥之间，小振翼鸟紧跟在后面。锯峰大声宣布道：“我想去！”
振翼鸟热切地点点头，尖声叫道：“我也想去！”
寂雨跟上前来，尾巴一扫，将这对小兄妹拢了过来。“没门儿！”她说，“你俩就待在这里。”
锯峰提议道：“你可以和我们一起去呀。”
寂雨摇了摇头说：“这里是我的家。我们之前已经挨过了艰难的日子。等暖和的季节来临，我们就会有足够的食物的。”
灰翅点了点头表示同意。他们怎么可以忘记小时候妈妈讲的故事呢？曾经有只猫带领大家从遥远的湖泊来到这里，许诺这儿就是大家的安居之地。我们怎么可以想着离开呢？
喧嚷之中，荫苔洪亮有力的嗓音又一次响起：“大家不必现在就做出决定。你们可以花些时间考虑一下自己的打算。月半之日刚刚过去，当下一个满月到来，我就会踏上旅程，和那些……”
这时，出去狩猎的猫们正往洞里走来。刚才那番话还没说完，荫苔便把目光投向了他们，只见狩猎队的众猫一个个垂头丧气，皮毛已凝上了斑斑点点的雪块。
没有一只猫带了猎物回来。
“我们很抱歉。”碎冰大声地说，“雪越下越猛，没有看见一只——”
“我们就要离开这里了。”荫苔周围的猫群中有声音喊道。
听到这话，狩猎猫们顿时瞠目结舌，全都呆住。他们面面相觑，困惑不已，忙上前听大家解释，将尖石巫师宣布的事情以及荫苔的下一步计划详详细细地了解了一番。
玳尾走到灰翅身旁重重地坐下，开始清理皮毛上融化的雪花。她一边舔梳着皮毛，一边对灰翅说：“这真是个好消息！暖和的地方，充足的猎物，这些都在等着我们呢。灰翅，你去不去？”
还没等灰翅回答，晴天便抢着说：“我要去，还有清溪也要去。”听到这话，那只年轻的母猫犹豫地看了看晴天，不过晴天并没在意。“虽然旅途艰辛，但这值得一试。”
玳尾开心地眨着眼睛说：“这一定很棒！来吧，灰翅，怎么样？”
然而，灰翅并没有给玳尾一个满意的回答。他看着山洞里众猫熟悉而亲切的身影，无法设想自己会舍下这一切去寻找一个未知之地，更何况那个地方或许只存在于尖石巫师的梦境里。
Chapter 3
Dawn light had begun to filterthrough the screen of falling water, though shadows still lay deep at the sides of the cave. Gray Wing hauled himself out of his sleeping hollow and spotted Shaded Moss huddled with Clear Sky and the other cats who wanted to leave. The group was larger than before.
Their heads turned toward Gray Wing as he padded over to join them; there was surprise in their eyes.
“You’ve changed your mind?” Clear Sky asked, blinking hopefully.
Gray Wing dipped his head. “I’m thinking about it,” he responded reluctantly.
Turtle Tail came to sit by his side. “I’m so pleased you’re coming with us,” she purred, her eyes shining.
“It’s not long now before we leave,” Shaded Moss meowed, his gaze traveling over each cat in turn. “All of you should rest up and eat as much as you can.”
“Lying around while others hunt for us?” Dappled Pelt objected. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
Shaded Moss flicked his tail impatiently. “It’s only for a day or two,” he pointed out. “And once we leave, the others will have enough prey to go around. But if we don’t have our full strength before we set out—”
A screech from the other side of the cave interrupted him. Gray Wing looked around to see Dewy Leaf charging toward them across the cavern. The tortoiseshell queen halted in front of Moon Shadow, her legs stiff with fury and her neck fur bristling.
“What are you doing, skulking around over here?” she demanded. “I’m going to have your kits! You promised that you’d stay with me!”
“Uh-oh .  .  . trouble,” Turtle Tail breathed into Gray Wing’s ear.
Moon Shadow flinched backward. “There isn’t enough food,” he explained awkwardly. “Our kits will be better off if there are fewer mouths to feed.”
Dewy Leaf bared her teeth in a snarl. “And who’s going to catch prey while I’m still nursing them?”
Hearing her complaints, other cats hurried over to find out what was going on.
“She has a point,” Twisted Branch meowed, glaring at Moon Shadow. “Cats with responsibilities should stay here.”
“Are you saying we’re irresponsible to leave?” Tall Shadow snapped back at him.
“Yeah.” Shattered Ice sprang to his paws to stand beside the black she-cat, his green eyes narrowed. “We’re going off into the unknown, into danger, to make a better home for you and the other cats who stay here. You don’t have to do anything!”
Sharp Hail thrust himself forward, his tail lashing. “No—just sit here and starve!”
In the midst of the commotion, Gray Wing noticed Bright Stream hanging back, not part of either group and not joining in the argument.
Has she really made up her mind to leave with Clear Sky?he asked himself. She doesn’t look as if she knows what she wants. His heart ached for her, and for Fluttering Bird, and for all his Tribemates who seemed ready to fight with claws and teeth over the future.
“Enough!” The voice came from the back of the cave, not loud, but with such authority that it cut through all the wrangling. The cats fell silent, parting as Stoneteller limped into the center of the group. “I can’t bear to see you squabbling like this,” she continued. “My vision promised something better for those cats willing to go in search of it. But I could be wrong.” She shook her head, clearly wracked with uncertainty. “Perhaps we should forget about finding somewhere else to live.  .  .  .”
As she was speaking, Lion’s Roar came up behind her and stood close to her side. Bending his head, he spoke into her ear; though his voice was low, Gray Wing managed to make out the words.
“Don’t lose faith in what you saw.” Addressing all the cats, he went on, “My mother told me that before she and the others left the lake, they held a vote to decide their shared future. Why don’t we vote again now?” he suggested. “If most cats want us to stay here and take a chance with the rest of the cold season, then Shaded Moss won’t leave. What do you think, Stoneteller?”
The old white she-cat blinked thoughtfully, then turned to Shaded Moss. “Would you accept the result of a vote?” she asked.
Shaded Moss nodded. “I don’t want to go without enough cats to stand a chance of surviving the journey.”
Stoneteller glanced around at the other cats. Gray Wing could see that their anger was dying down. “Gray Wing, Bright Stream,” the Healer mewed, “please collect as many stones as there are cats.”
“Even me?” Jagged Peak squeaked, with an excited bounce.
Quiet Rain stretched out her tail to caress her son’s ear. “No, not the kits—” she began.
“Even the kits,” Stoneteller interrupted gently. “Every cat will have a chance to be heard. We are still one community, friends and kin over seasons upon seasons. We must all have a part in deciding our future.”
Dipping his head to Stoneteller, Gray Wing headed out of the cave with Bright Stream. They found a scatter of small stones not far from the waterfall, under an overhang, and began to roll them together into a heap.
“Quiet Rain wants me to leave,” he told Bright Stream after a moment.
Bright Stream’s eyes widened and her ears flicked up in surprise. “I’d have thought she would want you and Clear Sky to stay now.”
Gray Wing shook his head. “She believes we stand a better chance of survival in the place that Stoneteller has seen.”
Bright Stream added another stone to the pile before she responded. “Are you going to go?” she asked hesitantly.
“I don’t know.” Gray Wing found himself giving voice to his inward struggle. “The way Fluttering Bird died showed me how vulnerable we are here in the mountains. But .  .  . is it cowardly to run away?”
“No cat could think that you’re a coward, Gray Wing,” Bright Stream told him.
When they had collected enough stones, they carried them back into the cave, a few at a time. Shaded Moss and Tall Shadow gathered the pebbles into a pile at Stoneteller’s paws, their gaze solemn with the importance of their task.
“Now,” Stoneteller meowed, “every cat must take a stone. Place it on the waterfall side of the cave if you think Shaded Moss and all the cats who want to go should leave the mountains, and on the inner cave wall if you think they should stay. Shaded Moss, you go first.”
Shaded Moss stepped forward and dipped his head to Stoneteller with deep respect. “I trust you with my life,” he told her. “If you have seen a better place for some of us to live, I promise I will find it.”
Taking a stone in his jaws, he carried it to the waterfall side of the cave and laid it down so close to the cascade that drops of sparkling water splashed over it.
Meanwhile the rest of the Tribe lined up for their turn to vote. Jagged Peak scraped his claws along the cave floor as if he was too excited to wait.
Lion’s Roar was the next cat to pick up a pebble, and he laid it down near the waterfall. “My old bones won’t carry me on the journey,” he rasped. “But if I were young enough, I’d leave.”
Snow Hare and Misty Water followed, both voting for the cats to stay. Clear Sky came next, in a little group with Dappled Pelt and Turtle Tail, all of them taking their stones to the waterfall side. Then Jagged Peak bounced up to the pile of stones and took one, carefully carrying it over to set it down beside his brother’s.
Quiet Rain shook her head. “My beloved son, I can’t allow you to leave. But the oldercats should have the chance to go.” She took her stone and laid it by the waterfall beside her kits’.
Jagged Peak’s eyes sparkled rebelliously as he stomped toward the sleeping hollows, his tail high in the air.
Bright Stream was the next cat to take a stone. Without hesitation she placed it with the others beside the waterfall.
Clear Sky’s fur fluffed out with surprise as he watched her, a look of warm affection creeping into his eyes. “Thank you,” he whispered as she joined him, standing so close that their pelts were brushing.
“I did it for all our future kits,” she responded.
Gray Wing realized that his turn to vote had come. He felt a hard jolt in his belly, as if a falling rock had struck him. I can’t put off my decision any longer
Looking around, he noticed afresh the jutting bones of his companions, their dull eyes, their air of exhaustion. At last he met his mother’s gaze, and saw her eyes full of pleading. He knew that she believed his future safety lay in leaving the cave.
But what abouther safety? And Jagged Peak’s? And all the cats who want to stay here? They need strong hunters.
When Gray Wing took up a stone, he felt as though he were trying to move the whole mountain. But his paw steps were steady as he carried it to the inner wall and set it down.
Without looking at his mother again, Gray Wing padded back to rejoin the other cats around Stoneteller. He was in time to see Moon Shadow pick up a stone and march determinedly over to the waterfall.
Dewy Leaf padded alongside him. “Your kits will never know their father’s name!” she hissed.
Moon Shadow didn’t reply. After a heartbeat, Dewy Leaf whisked around, picked up her own stone, and carried it to the inner wall.
The rest of the cats voted in silence. When the last stone had been set in place, Stoneteller examined the piles. Without looking closely, Gray Wing thought that they seemed about the same size.
What will we do, if the votes are equal for staying and leaving?
At last Stoneteller limped back to the center of the cave. “There are more stones in the leaving pile,” she announced.
A murmur passed through the cats who surrounded her, like wind blowing over rock. They looked at each other with apprehension in their eyes, as if they had suddenly realized the magnitude of the decision they had helped to make.
“Good luck to those who wish to leave,” Stoneteller continued. “We will always remember you.”
The mood in the cave remained somber. Gray Wing couldn’t sense any feeling of triumph, or even relief, that a firm decision had been made.
“Come on,” Shaded Moss meowed at last. “We’ll go and scout the route again. We need to know exactly what we’re doing before we finally set out.”
He led the way to the cave entrance, and the cats who planned to go with him followed.
Gray Wing stayed behind, feeling awkward as he watched Clear Sky and the others disappearing into the dazzle of light from the falling water. After a moment he realized that Quiet Rain had padded up to him.
“I told you to leave,” she murmured. “You need to consider your future.”
Gray Wing stretched out his neck to touch noses with her. “My future is here,” he told her. With a brief nod, he headed out of the cave and toward the ridge, his ears pricked and his jaws parted for the faintest hint of prey.
As he climbed, Gray Wing spotted Shaded Moss and his followers on top of the ridge. Shaded Moss seemed to be explaining something with waves of his tail, while his companions offered comments and suggestions. They’re making their plans to leave, Gray Wing thought, with a pang of loss at his heart.
He didn’t want to meet them. Turning, he bounded in the opposite direction, down into the valley, hoping he might come across another hare. From the corner of his eye he glimpsed a flicker of movement and veered toward it, his paws skidding in a flurry of snow.
It was a small creature—a mouse or vole—scampering rapidly over the icy surface. Gray Wing put on an extra burst of speed, but just before he caught up, it slipped through a narrow gap between two boulders and was gone. Gray Wing tried to squeeze through after it, but the space was too small.
He halted, letting out a growl of frustration. His tail drooped dejectedly, and for a few heartbeats he lost all hope. Why is it so hard to go on living here? Why must so many cats leave?
A faint sound from behind made him whirl, his claws extended. Then he froze with astonishment. Stoneteller stood in front of him, her white pelt barely visible against the snow. Gray Wing couldn’t remember the last time she had left the cave.
“Are—are you all right?” he stammered.
“I’m fine,” Stoneteller responded. Padding past him, she clambered awkwardly to the flat top of a nearby rock. “I just wanted some fresh air,” she continued. “It’s been a long time.  .  .  .”
Gray Wing leaped up to sit beside her. “Stoneteller,” he blurted out, “are you surethere’s a better place beyond the sunrise?”
Stoneteller turned her green gaze on him. “I felt more certain during my dream than ever before in my life,” she assured him. “I’m sad to watch so many cats leave, but I truly believe it will give all of us the best chance of survival.”
“Then why did you leave the lake?” Gray Wing asked. He was awestruck to be questioning Stoneteller about an event that had happened so long ago. She was there .  .  . she remembers all of it. “Was it worth it, to come and live here?”
“It was,” Stoneteller replied, a wistful note in her voice. “We left for the best of reasons, and for a long time now these mountains have sheltered us well. And I had the honor of leading the Tribe in our new territory.”
Gray Wing felt a pang of pity for the old she-cat. Stoneteller gave up her whole life in our service. She never had the chance to have a mate and kits of her own
“Things could have been different for you,” he suggested awkwardly. “Did you ever want another kind of life?”
Stoneteller shook her head, seeming to understand what he meant. “All the cats in the Tribe are my kits, even the elders. And as for finding a mate .  .  . I knew love once, and once was enough. We can never be sure of our future, Gray Wing,” she added quietly. “All we can do is trust that what we believe is right.”
“Well, Ibelieve that it’s the right thing for me to stay here,” Gray Wing meowed.
Stoneteller did not reply in words, but the nod she gave him silenced his doubts.
第二章
第二章
灰翅从饥饿中醒来，肚子咕咕直叫。自从几天前尖石巫师宣布了迁徙的事情以来，饥饿就愈发折磨着他。山洞里总是回响着众猫嗡嗡的议论声。他们在琢磨离开大山究竟是不是明智的选择；与此同时，大家对那个新的地方也好奇不已。
灰翅蜷在窝里，听着不远处众猫的议论。
“你觉得我们在那里能捕到什么样的猎物呢？”灰翅听出来说这话的是斑毛。“也许我们能捉到各种各样的鸟，说不定还有……那些老年猫在讲故事时提到过的松鼠。”
“我们必须保持警惕。”云斑的声音听起来仍和往常一样深思熟虑，“吃得太多就会发胖，倘若大家都胖得没法狩猎，到时候我们该怎么办呢？”
灰翅听到雪兔的嗤笑声：“我倒是希望自己能吃到发胖呢。”
灰翅抬起头，看见这三只猫正和高影坐在一起。高影舒展着黝黑的四肢，优雅地站了起来：“我在想我们需要学习哪些新的狩猎技巧。大家在新的地方生存，肯定需要掌握新的狩猎技能。”
“嘿，你一向很擅长匍匐潜行。”雪兔打趣地说道，“猎物睡觉时，你可以悄悄溜上去把它抓住。”
高影得意扬扬地舔了舔胸前的皮毛：“说不定我真会那样做哦。”
灰翅从窝里爬了出来，他抖落附着在皮毛上的苔藓和羽毛，弓起身子，伸了个大大的懒腰，决定出去狩猎。我们现在就需要食物，光在这儿想象别处的猎物又有什么用呢。
阳光斜照进山洞，在洞口的水幕上洒满耀眼的光彩。灰翅从瀑布后方的小路走出来，抬眼望去，湛蓝的天空下，群山延绵不绝。灰翅激动得脚掌微微发麻，他大口呼吸着山中寒冷而清新的空气，享受着新鲜空气如流水般拂过皮毛的感觉。
我怎么舍得抛下这里的一切离开呢？
他继续走在白雪皑皑的山石上，雪已经被许多路过的猫踩实了。这时，灰翅听到了头顶上方传来的声音。
“清溪，你必须和我一起走。”
灰翅抬起头，看到晴天和清溪正站在崖顶，瀑布从那里的岩石边上倾泻而下。
晴天继续说：“我们一起去探索新的地方吧，那一定会是很棒的经历。”
清溪扭开了头：“我不知道……这里是我的家，而且这么久以来，我们都克服困难生存了下来。”
“难道你就仅仅满足于生存吗？”晴天一边问道，一边用尾巴裹住清溪的肩部，努力劝道，“我想离开，但如果你不和我一起走，这趟旅途对我来说就大不一样了。”
清溪的眼睛立刻亮了起来，可她还是摇了摇头，说道：“我还要再考虑几天。”
在晴天失望的眼神中，清溪轻盈地跳下岩石。灰翅见她向自己走来，不由得心跳加速：她好可爱……但总有一天她会成为晴天的伴侣。晴天真是只幸运的猫，毋庸置疑。
“我可以和你一起去狩猎吗？”清溪问道，她从岩石上跳到灰翅身边，“不过你可别像晴天那样老是劝我跟着荫苔离开大山哦。”
“不会的。”灰翅答应道，“我连自己也还没拿定主意呢。”
“就这一次，我真希望你们啥也捕不到。”晴天在岩石顶上对他们高喊，“这样你们才会明白我们必须离开。”
灰翅朝他打趣地摆了摆尾巴，朝山脊走去，清溪连忙紧随其后。随着他们离山峰越来越近，刺骨的寒风朝他们猛袭而来，卷得雪片乱飞。灰翅和清溪毫无藏身之处，被大风吹得灰头土脸。遥远的天边布满了昏黄的浊云，这正是更大降雪的前兆。
灰翅背朝大风，凝望四周，看见远处的山谷中还有三只猫。由于相隔太远，他们看上去就像几个小黑点，灰翅无法辨认清楚。那几只猫正追赶着一只老鹰，他们翻过山坡渐行渐远，一会儿就不见了踪影。
这时，山中的寂静被清溪的声音打破了：“灰翅，你怎么看尖石巫师的梦呢？”
灰翅犹豫了一番，最后承认道：“我不知道。尖石巫师发现了适合我们的新栖居地，可是她又不知道这地方究竟在何处。会有这种事吗？为什么其他的猫没有做这种梦呢？”
“也许这种梦只有尖石巫师才会有。”清溪猜道。她停了下来，若有所思地眨眨眼，灰翅看到了她那美丽的大眼睛中闪过不安的神色。“虽然天气寒冷，有时还得挨饿，但我还是喜欢住在山里。”她继续说，“我总幻想着自己能在这儿把孩子们抚养长大……但是，我也一直希望他们的爸爸会是晴天。”
说完，她扭过头去，害羞地舔了舔肩部的皮毛。灰翅没想到今天清溪竟会和自己吐露这么多的心事。平日里，她总是那么的完美自信、沉默矜持。想到这里，灰翅甚至感到有一丝妒忌：清溪竟能鼓起勇气，放下长久以来的希望与梦想，义无反顾地跟着晴天去探索未知之地。而且，她和晴天的感情是多么的深厚啊。
没等灰翅想到该如何作答，清溪便抖了抖皮毛，说：“要不你还是忘了我刚才的话吧。不许告诉晴天，我可不想让他知道我已经做出决定了。”
“我一个字都不会说的。”灰翅向她保证道。
灰翅的内心开始苦苦挣扎了起来。我觉得自己正在被撕成两半。一直以来，我都和晴天形影不离，可现在，我是该和他一起离开呢？还是该留在其他至亲身边呢？我现在只有在两者之间做出抉择了。
突然，有阵动静打断了他的思绪。是只雪兔！灰翅连忙转身冲过斜坡，跟在猎物后面穷追不舍起来。雪兔厚厚的白色毛皮能在雪地里很好地掩护它的行踪，可一旦它逃到被风吹秃的岩石堆里，便无可遁形了。
清溪也跑过来一起追捕雪兔，但灰翅奔跑的速度很快超过了清溪。他在岩石间疾驰，享受着风呼呼掠过胡须的感觉。
最后，灰翅纵身一跃，扑到猎物身上，一口咬住它的咽喉，雪兔惊恐的尖叫声戛然而止。
“干得漂亮！”清溪气喘吁吁地说，“你速度真快！”
“这兔子还不错。”灰翅说道，用脚掌戳了戳猎物。他难得捕到身上还似乎长了些肉的猎物。“我们可以先吃点儿，然后带些回山洞去。”
灰翅和清溪并肩坐了下来，开始享受着猎物的美味。当他们大快朵颐之时，灰翅欣赏着眼前壮丽连绵的山峰与溪谷。
“你会留在这里，是吗？”清溪凝视着灰翅问道，她那绿莹莹的眼睛清澈无比。
灰翅深吸了一口气，说道：“是的，我会留下来。”
他俩吃饱后，将剩下的兔肉收拾停当，便带着踏上归程。想到能给部落猫们带回食物，灰翅心里洋溢着胜利的喜悦。
当瀑布映入眼帘时，他看到一队猫正艰难地爬上山坡向他们走来。领头的猫是荫苔，并排走在一侧的是晴天。高影、斑毛、雨拂花紧随其后，玳尾则走在最后面。
等他们走近灰翅，晴天喊道：“嘿，你们捕了只兔子啊！”
灰翅欣慰地点点头：“是的，我们正把它往回拖呢。”
“我们要爬到山岭上去。”晴天尾巴一挥，指着大伙儿解释道，“我们想找到一条最好的路线，朝着太阳升起的方向走出大山。”
“你们不和我们一起去看看吗？”玳尾跳到灰翅身旁问道。
灰翅迟疑了起来。他已决心留下，只是现在还没做好心理准备让大家知道他的决定。于是他回答道：“我们狩猎回来有些累了，下次再说吧。”
走进山洞，灰翅能感受到部落猫们的焦躁。他们有些三三两两地聚在洞旁窃窃私语，有些不安地在洞里来回走着。不过，却没有尖石巫师的身影。
“你觉得他们真的会离开吗？”石歌路过时轻轻向身旁的伴侣空树问道。
“我想是的。”空树说，“这些猫都是跳蚤脑子吗？他们对外面的情况一无所知，甚至不知道要去的那个地方是否真的存在。”
灰翅知道他俩的话反映了许多部落猫的心声。他真心希望，要是尖石巫师从没见过那个幻象就好了，或者她对所见景象绝口不提也行。难道尖石巫师就不知道这事正在使部落走向分裂吗？
“可为什么我不能去？”锯峰向洞口走去，又一次被寂雨截了回来。
“我最后一次告诫你，你太小了，不能出山洞。”寂雨一边说着，一边不耐烦地抽动着尾巴尖。
“这不公平！”锯峰肩部的皮毛竖了起来，生气地瞪着妈妈。
“快来，锯峰。”雪兔走上前来，向寂雨点点头，“我来教你玩个新游戏吧。看看你能不能抓到这块石头。”说完，她脚掌一挥，把一块扁石头贴着地面撇了出去。
锯峰兴奋地尖叫一声，乐颠颠地跑去追石头了。
“谢谢你，雪兔。”寂雨轻声说道，“现在外面积雪太深，我不能让他出去。”
“不客气。”老年猫说道。
灰翅把剩下的兔肉叼到寂雨脚掌边放下。“你想不想吃点儿？”他问道。
寂雨发出咕噜声表示感谢。“这猎物真不错，我给振翼鸟拿些去。”说着，寂雨的声音颤抖了起来，“今天早晨振翼鸟连窝都不肯出了，但只要给她吃点儿东西，她一定会好起来。”
寂雨把兔肉叼到窝边，灰翅跟在后面，看见振翼鸟在窝里缩成一团。
“你会和荫苔走吗？”寂雨把猎物放在窝旁淡淡地问道，“我知道晴天要离开……”很明显她想掩饰自己的心情，但话音落下，她还是悲哀地叹了口气。
“我会留下。”灰翅一边说，一边用鼻子蹭了蹭她的耳朵，“这里是我的家。我想捕到多多的猎物，这样，这些留下来的猫就不会挨饿了。很久以前，祖先们离开湖泊迁徙到这里，我相信这其中是有原因的。”
寂雨把口鼻靠在灰翅的脑门上，轻声说：“我为你骄傲。”那一刻，灰翅仿佛想起小时候那种趴在妈妈的腹部吮吸奶水的感觉，心里充满了温馨的安全感。
寂雨在窝前俯下身，舔了舔振翼鸟的肩部说：“小宝贝，快醒醒，我给你带吃的来啦。”
灰翅看了看振翼鸟，霎时间，他心中剧烈的悲痛与忧愁刺穿了身体——振翼鸟好像已经没有呼吸了。
“振翼鸟！”寂雨用前掌碰了碰女儿，可是小振翼鸟没有醒过来。“灰翅，快去把尖石巫师找来。”寂雨惊慌地说。
灰翅急忙穿过山洞，冲进连着尖石巫师巢穴的通道。这里他以前只来过一次。当他靠近入口，虽然心急火燎，但出于敬畏，还是不由自主放慢了脚步。
他轻轻走进洞穴，只见几束阳光从洞顶的小孔透了进来，照在了数根有好几条尾高的石柱上。地上水洼遍布，波光粼粼，洞穴里滴水声声，回荡不绝。
一开始，灰翅没看到尖石巫师。之后，他才发现尖石巫师正闭着眼睛坐在阴影中，尾巴裹着脚掌。
她睡着了吗？灰翅靠近时，心里暗忖。
不过，当灰翅又向前走了几步，尖石巫师睁开了双眼，问道：“灰翅，出什么事了吗？”
“是振翼鸟。”灰翅心跳加速，向她解释道，“她醒不过来了。”
尖石巫师立刻起身，走到一块裂开的岩石旁，从石缝里拿出几片干枯的叶子。灰翅往里面瞥了一眼，只见草药已所剩不多。看样子他们只能等到天气慢慢转暖了。当冰雪消融、万物复苏之时，部落才能获得新的草药补给。
灰翅跟着尖石巫师来到振翼鸟的窝旁。寂雨一直站在那里，焦躁地伸缩着爪子。灰翅看到寂雨眼里那深深的绝望，知道她此时已经悲痛欲绝。
尖石巫师俯下身子，用前掌摸了摸振翼鸟的胸膛，看她是否还有呼吸和心跳。接着，尖石巫师嚼碎叶片，掰开振翼鸟的嘴，把草药糊吐在她的舌头上，喃喃说道：“加油，小宝贝。把这吃了，你就会好起来的。”
然而振翼鸟双目紧闭，一动不动。
尖石巫师抬头看着寂雨，轻轻地说：“她已经离我们远去了。饥饿夺走了她的生命。寂雨，你得做好心理准备。”
灰翅的母亲蹲伏下来，爪子不停地划着石头地面。“都是我的错。”她说道，“我要是把我的食物全都给她吃就好了。我那时在想什么啊，为什么要在这大冷天生幼崽啊！”
灰翅满心悲哀，他走上前，将身体紧挨着寂雨，说：“这不是你的错。”
“我要是——”
尖石巫师抬起前掌，示意寂雨停止自责：“别出声，寂雨。振翼鸟可能会听见你的话。不要让她在去往黑暗的途中感受到你的惊恐和愤怒。”
灰翅看得出母亲在努力让自己镇定下来。她悄悄地走进窝，用身体裹住振翼鸟，为她舔梳皮毛。寂雨呢喃低语道：“我为你骄傲，我唯一的女儿。你对我们来说是那么的重要，我们不会忘记你。”
灰翅看着眼前的一切，不禁陷入深深的哀伤。妹妹的侧腹微微抬起了些许，随之又纹丝不动了。“永别了，振翼鸟。”他低声说。
尖石巫师向寂雨点了点头，朝通道走去。
灰翅转向母亲，问道：“需要我帮忙把振翼鸟带到外面安葬吗？”
寂雨把女儿的身体裹得更紧了。“现在不用。她的身体还有余热。”她回答道，“你去把锯峰找来吧。”
灰翅环视四周，看到锯峰正在山洞的另一头和一些幼崽玩耍。他连忙跑过去，尾巴一挥，示意弟弟过来。
锯峰此时正与一只幼小的虎斑母猫摔跤，他仰头问道：“怎么了？”
“妈妈要见你。”灰翅回答。
锯峰爬了起来，一路小跑来到窝旁。寂雨小声和他说了几句，锯峰瞪大了眼睛，张大嘴巴尖声哭号了起来。
寂雨伸出尾巴，把锯峰拢到身边。看着妈妈搂着两只阴阳相隔的幼崽，并把鼻子埋在弟弟妹妹的皮毛里，灰翅痛苦极了，内心仿佛被冰冷的尖石划过。
他不知道母亲还舍不舍得让锯峰离开她的怀抱。这时，洞口传来一阵声响。灰翅转身一看，原来是荫苔、晴天他们探路回来了。
“太好了！”晴天抖落身上的雪水，“我们找到离开的路线了。”
“路就沿着山谷一直往前。”荫苔谨慎地说道，“走出那个山口，我们就离开山地了。我们必须从一条冰封的小河上过去，大家要多加小心。”
“但这条路终归是最短的！”玳尾一边插话，一边兴致勃勃地摆了摆尾巴。
“看上去是这样。”荫苔赞同地说，“如果运气不错，我们还能绕开下面的雪坑。”
当其他猫聚上来围着荫苔问这问那时，灰翅上前用尾巴尖碰了碰晴天。晴天扫视四周，看到寂雨和两只幼崽待在窝里，不由得睁大了眼睛。
“出什么事了？”晴天问道。
“振翼鸟死了。”灰翅说道。
晴天倒抽了一口气，一时语塞。他迅速跑到妈妈身边，灰翅跟在后面走了过去。
“我很难过！”晴天痛苦地说着，低下头用鼻子碰了碰妹妹的耳朵，“振翼鸟，我们会怀念你的！”接着，他坐直身子，低头对母亲说：“等我们到了新的家园，这种事就不会再发生了。如果你和我们一起走，我这辈子都会保护你，我会狩猎给你吃。请和我们一起走吧。”
寂雨摇摇头，说道：“我不会让我的女儿独自留在这个地方。”
她从窝里起身，让灰翅和晴天把振翼鸟那如细枝般弱小的身躯抬出山洞。他们每到一处，众猫就纷纷退后，肃穆地在两旁排开。灰翅和晴天抬着振翼鸟走出洞口，朝瀑布后的岩架走去。
他们叼着振翼鸟的遗体艰难地穿过狭窄的小路。寂雨和锯峰紧随其后。这时，有几滴水落到了振翼鸟的皮毛上。灰翅意识到振翼鸟再也不能起来把水舔掉了，心中不由得一阵酸楚。
他们小心翼翼地爬上了结冰的岩石，终于来到了山洞顶部的石台，在河边把振翼鸟放了下来。灰翅和晴天刨开小石子和冰冻的泥土，挖了一个浅坑，寂雨把女儿安放在坑内。她最后一次用鼻子碰了碰女儿的皮毛，然后退到一边。她的儿子们开始用土和稍大些的石块将遗体掩埋了起来。随后，四只猫都站在墓旁，默默地低头致哀。
锯峰首先打破了这片沉静。他转过身，惊诧地眺望着向四处蜿蜒伸展开来的群山，双眼睁得滚圆，身上的皮毛也蓬松开来。和他身边的大砾石比起来，锯峰的身躯显得非常渺小。
“你们爬上过所有的山峰吗？”锯峰低声问道。
“没有全都去过。”晴天来到锯峰身边，用尾巴指指点点了一番，“那儿有个山口，我们离开时会从那里过去。”
锯峰的眼睛瞪得更大了。“要是我也能跟你们一起走就好了。”他对哥哥说道。
“别胡说，小家伙。”寂雨走上前，把尾巴搭在了锯峰的背上，“你第一次出来，在外面待的时间够长的了。你现在就自己回山洞里去。”
“可我不想回去！”锯峰抗议道，“我还有好多地方没看到呢。”
晴天亲昵地轻推了锯峰一下：“大山又不会跑走，你可以改天再过来看。现在还是先给我们看看你能不能自己爬下这些岩石吧。”
锯峰嘴里嘟囔着，跟着哥哥下了岩石。
灰翅在悬崖边站了片刻，凝视着这片冰冷的群山。积郁的愤怒犹如暴雨前的黑云慢慢在他的心中升起。这个美丽的地方怎么可以这么残忍？不过他最不能原谅的还是他自己。
我本该多抓些猎物的。我本不该让振翼鸟挨饿的。
灰翅感到寂雨已经站在了他的身旁。“这是个残酷的地方。”寂雨说出了儿子心中的念头，“但不管怎么样，这里是我的家。”
“我不会再让这种事发生了。”灰翅悲愤交加地哑着嗓子说道，“一定能找到更好的狩猎方法。我们——”
“你必须离开这里。”寂雨打断了他的话，“锯峰太小，不能加入远行，但是你必须和晴天他们一起去找寻新的家园。我不想看着你的孩子以后也像振翼鸟一样离开这个世界。”
灰翅大吃一惊，直直地盯着寂雨喊道：“我还以为你是想让我留下来！”
寂雨从容地看着灰翅，眼里满是悲伤。“我太爱你了，所以我不能那么做。”她说道，“为了我，你走吧。”
Chapter 5
Gray Wing headed for the caveentrance, but halted when he saw Dewy Leaf and Twisted Branch returning, only heartbeats after they had left. Both were covered in snow, and stopped to shake their pelts.
“There’s a blizzard out there,” Twisted Branch announced. “We won’t be able to catch anything until it’s over.”
Dewy Leaf gave a snort of disgust. “The wind nearly blew me off the mountain.”
Quiet Rain padded to Gray Wing’s side. “You can’t leave in weather like this,” she mewed, her voice sharp with anxiety
Gray Wing understood how worried she must be about Jagged Peak, especially now that the snow had set in. “I can try—”
“No!” Quiet Rain interrupted. “Do you think I want allmy kits to freeze to death?”
“She’s right.” Stoneteller approached and touched Quiet Rain’s ear with her nose. “Jagged Peak will find shelter, and so will Shaded Moss and his cats. You won’t fall any further behind by waiting until the storm is over.”
Gray Wing’s paws itched with impatience as the day continued, snowflakes outside whirling like white feathers out of a gray sky. By the time the storm blew itself out, the sun was setting behind the mountains in a dull red glow. Sharp Hail and Hollow Tree went out to hunt, but Gray Wing knew that it was too late for him to start his journey.
Grief and apprehension had settled over the cave like a low cloud. Every cat feared the worst for Jagged Peak. Gray Wing could only hope that Stoneteller was right, and his little brother had been able to find shelter.
His mother bore the waiting with quiet dignity, though her eyes were dark pools of pain. Gray Wing padded to where she crouched near the cave entrance.
“It doesn’t seem fair that you should lose all your kits,” he murmured, sitting beside her.
“I have no choice,” Quiet Rain sighed. “And I still have Fluttering Bird near me, beneath her pelt of stones.”
Gray Wing leaned closer to his mother so that his fur brushed hers, and sat with her as the light from the gray screen of falling water faded to darkness. His heart felt like it might burst with grief.
The sound of paw steps roused him and he saw Hollow Tree and Sharp Hail returning, their legs and belly fur plastered with snow. Hollow Tree was carrying a small, scrawny bird.
“Gray Wing, you should have this,” she meowed, dropping it in front of him. “It will give you the strength to follow Jagged Peak.”
“I can’t,” Gray Wing protested, with a glance toward his Tribemates deeper inside the cave. “No cat has eaten today.”
Sharp Hail pushed the bird closer to Gray Wing with one paw. “And this miserable thing won’t fill one cat, let alone the whole Tribe.”
“You need it,” Stoneteller agreed, appearing from the shadows. “None of us would begrudge you a mouthful.”
“Thank you,” Gray Wing mewed.
He gulped down the bird in a few bites, then went to his sleeping hollow. Even though he knew he needed to rest for his journey, it took a long time for him to sleep. Curled up with the noise of the waterfall in his ears, he wondered drowsily if this was the last time he would ever hear it.
Toward dawn he sank into deeper sleep, and woke to the sound of a cat padding past him. Turning his head, he spotted Stoneteller heading toward the cave entrance, where she sat and stared into the thunderous water. Gray Wing went to join her.
As he sat down at her side, Stoneteller glanced at him. “I don’t know if I did the right thing by sending so many cats away,” she admitted. “But the vision of the sun trail seemed to offer a way out of the agony of seeing my Tribe starve to death in the long cold season.  .  .  .”
Her voice was quiet, almost as if she was talking to herself. Gray Wing hardly knew what to say. “None of us knows what the future holds,” he mewed at last. “We can only trust our instincts.”
Stoneteller dipped her head in acknowledgment. “We’ll miss you, Gray Wing.”
“I didn’t want to leave,” Gray Wing confessed. “But now I know there’s something I must do. I promise that I’ll find Jagged Peak and take him to join the others in their new home.”
Light began filtering through the waterfall, and Gray Wing heard the sounds of his Tribemates stirring. One by one they gathered around him and Stoneteller.
“Remember to be careful where you’re putting your paws,” Lion’s Roar advised. “This fresh snow could be hiding all sorts of dangers.”
I’m not a kit, Gray Wing thought, though he didn’t speak the words aloud. He realized that the elders only wanted to make sure he traveled safely.
“I wouldn’t want to set off all on my own,” Stone Song confessed, giving Gray Wing a friendly nudge. “You’re a brave cat.”
Hollow Tree nodded. “We’ll be thinking of you.”
Gray Wing didn’t feel brave. Now that it was time to leave, his belly churned with apprehension. But he had no choice: Jagged Peak needed him.
Among the gathered cats, he spotted Dewy Leaf. “Do you want to come?” he asked her. “It’s your last chance to be with Moon Shadow again.”
Dewy Leaf hesitated, glancing at her rounded belly, then shook her head. “My kits belong in the mountains,” she replied, her tone not bitter, but resigned. “And I think things will be better here now. But when you see Moon Shadow, tell him I hope he’s happy in his new home.”
“I will,” Gray Wing promised.
Misty Water nudged her way to the front of the crowd. “Don’t forget the route I showed you,” she meowed. “Over those boulders and around the side of the mountain.”
“I know.” Gray Wing dipped his head respectfully. “We wouldn’t know where Jagged Peak went, if it wasn’t for you.”
Misty Water gave a satisfied snort.
Quiet Rain was the last cat to step forward. “I’ll come with you a little way,” she murmured, giving Gray Wing’s ear a lick.
With a final farewell to the other cats, Gray Wing led the way out into the open. Quiet Rain padded softly behind him. On the mountainside the dawn light was still gray and dim, the sky covered with clouds, though a gathering brightness on the horizon showed where the sun would rise. A stiff breeze blew loose snow into their faces.
Together Gray Wing and Quiet Rain climbed the rocks toward the plateau, halting beside the boulders where Jagged Peak had veered aside. “Wait here a moment,” Gray Wing murmured, before scrambling up the rest of the way and heading across to the heap of stones that showed where Fluttering Bird was buried.
“I don’t know if you can still hear or see me,” Gray Wing whispered, bowing his head, “but I promise I will never forget you.”
After a couple of heartbeats he turned away and clambered back to his mother. Side by side they skirted the boulders and made their way along the ledge where they had last seen Shaded Moss and his companions.
Gray Wing had been afraid that the fresh snow would have blotted out the trail, but here and there, in crevices where little snow could reach, he picked up traces of the traveling cats, and Jagged Peak’s fresh scent lying on top.
“He did come this way,” Quiet Rain mewed, sounding a little encouraged.
Jagged Peak’s faint scent led them around the flank of the mountain; a shiver ran through Gray Wing from ears to tail-tip as he glanced back, taking one last look at the waterfall. For a little while, their surroundings were still familiar from hunting expeditions, but well before sunhigh they were padding into new territory, where every paw step felt strange.
The trail began to lead into a valley, and he heard the sound of a river. He halted on the bank with Quiet Rain at his side and looked out across a fierce, tumbling torrent, pouring steeply down the side of the mountain. A cobweb-thin casing of ice stretched from bank to bank, with dark water gurgling along underneath.
“The ice will only take one cat across,” Quiet Rain mewed. “This is where my journey ends.”
Though her voice was calm, grief welled up in her eyes, and Gray Wing knew how hard it must be for her to bid good-bye to her last kit. He pressed against her side, twining his tail with hers and parting his jaws to draw in her scent.
“I’ll find Jagged Peak,” he promised. “And I’ll never let him and Clear Sky forget our home.”
Quiet Rain let out a long sigh, then nudged him away. “Go quickly,” she told him. “Before the sun rises higher and melts the ice.”
With a final good-bye, Gray Wing stepped out onto the ice, uncomfortably aware of how fragile it was. If it gave way, the turbulent water would sweep him down the mountain to a certain death on the rocks below. He placed one paw after another cautiously, not daring to stop or look back; he just kept his gaze fixed on the safety of the rocks at the other side.
Then there was an ominous creaking underpaw.
Quiet Rain screeched, “Run!”
Gray Wing sprang forward, hurling himself at the opposite bank. Behind him he heard the ice give way and fall into the river; spray boiled up from the thunderous water, blotting out the firm ground ahead. His forepaws landed on rock just as the ice finally shattered and he felt freezing water surge around his hindquarters. Scrabbling frantically, he dragged himself to safety and whirled, peering through the spray for Quiet Rain on the opposite bank. But the mist had risen between them and he couldn’t see her.
“I’m alive!” he yowled as loudly as he could.
For a few heartbeats he ran up and down the bank, trying to get a clear view of his mother, but the water was too fierce, the spray too thick, and every moment he risked losing his balance on the slippery rocks and plunging into the torrent.
“Good-bye!” he yowled again, hoping that Quiet Rain could hear him. He could hardly bear the thought that she might believe he was dead too. “I won’t forget you, or the mountains!”
Turning away from the river, Gray Wing tried to work out where he should go next. The sun was only a pale disc behind the clouds, hardly enough to guide him. I’ll just have to hope that Jagged Peak came this way too, he thought.
By sunhigh, Gray Wing needed to rest. His paws ached. “I’ve never traveled so far in my life,” he muttered as he looked for a sheltered spot. And maybe that’s the problem, he thought. We’ve always hunted close to home. We might have found more prey if we’d spread our search a bit wider. Not that I’ve seen much prey out here .  .  .
The breeze stiffened and became an icy wind, swirling up loose snow. Gray Wing dived thankfully into shelter under a split rock. Familiar scents wrapped around him as he flopped down.
The other cats were here!
But he couldn’t detect Jagged Peak’s scent among the othersIt should be stronger and fresher than the rest, but I can’t pick it up at all.
He cast his mind back to the iced-over river. Jagged Peak had no experience of walking on iceMaybe he was too afraid to try.
Gray Wing wondered if Jagged Peak had headed into the valley instead, trying to find a safer place to cross.
Determination to find his brother flooded through him. He forced his way into the wind again. There was no fresh snow falling, only sharp flakes tossed up by the gale.
His fur flattened to his sides, Gray Wing blinked as he peered down into the valley, then up the trail where the other cats had gone. He knew they might be close.  .  .  .
I can’t go on up the trail without looking for Jagged Peak first.
Gray Wing plunged down the slope as fast as he could, bounding from boulder to boulder. In his haste he landed clumsily and slipped, letting out a hiss of pain as skin scraped off one of his pads. Agony shot up his leg, but after a few limping paw steps the cold numbed his injury.
To his relief, the wind dropped as he reached the valley. A broad stretch of ground lay in front of him, riddled with deep-set streams and scattered with boulders. A few stunted trees and bushes poked up through the snow. Feeling hunger gnawing at his belly, Gray Wing stayed alert for signs of prey, as well as traces of Jagged Peak’s scent. But he found nothing of either. All he could see was the body of an old snow hare lying under a bush.
Disgusting!His nose wrinkled as he sniffed at it. A cat eatsfresh prey, not buzzardfood. But with nothing else to quiet his growling belly, he forced himself to bite into the frozen flesh.
When he could force down no more, his belly feeling chilled and uncomfortable, Gray Wing studied the valley. Looking back in the direction he had come, he could see the river crashing down the mountainside, and wondered if Jagged Peak could be behind him now. His little brother might have taken a long time to work his way down among the rocks at the river’s edge.
Gray Wing began to head up the valley, but it was slow going because he had to wind around so many boulders. Limping and frustrated, he glanced around to find the biggest one and scrambled on top of it.
From his vantage point he could scan the valley in both directions. There was no sign of Jagged Peak between him and the river, but his brother was small enough to be hidden amongst the boulders.
Turning to look along the valley in the direction the traveling cats would have headed, Gray Wing saw that it was empty too, except for a flicker of movement above as an eagle swooped from a crag. His gaze tracked its flight closely, trying to spot where its prey was hiding. If it misses, I might be able to catch the prey later, he thought.
The eagle flung itself down and Gray Wing heard its screech of fury as it came up again empty-clawed. Beneath the screech, Gray Wing thought he could make out a faint yowl.
His heart slammed into his throat. Jagged Peak?
Gray Wing leaped from the boulder, ignoring his injured pad as the wound broke open, and raced toward the eagle, which had begun another dive. As he drew closer he saw that the bird was young, with soft feathers around its face and legs.
Good! That means it’ll be easier to deal with.
As he scrambled desperately among the rocks, Gray Wing could hear the panic-stricken caterwauling more clearly.
“Leave me alone! Help!”
“I’m coming!” Gray Wing yowled in reply. “Hold on!”
The eagle had alighted on a rock, and was reaching down with one claw, trying to grab Jagged Peak from a narrow crevice below. Gray Wing could just make out the tips of his brother’s ears, and realized that he was trapped in the tiny space.
I’ll have to distract the eagle so that Jagged Peak can escape
Gray Wing sprang forward and crouched in front of the bird, his lips drawn back. The eagle flapped awkwardly around to fix its beady yellow eyes on him. It lunged, squawking. Gray Wing tried to dodge aside, but his injured paw made him stumble. With a stab of panic he felt the bird’s talons fasten in the loose fur at his neck. He thrashed to free himself and fell back among the rocks, but before he could struggle to his paws the eagle beat its mighty wings and grabbed hold of him again.
“Gray Wing! I’m coming!”
Gray Wing heard his brother’s shriek and caught a glimpse of Jagged Peak scrambling out of the crack, fearlessly launching himself at the eagle.
The bird flapped madly against the weight of two cats, and Gray Wing felt himself lifted from the ground. The pain in his neck was shooting through all his body and a red mist covered his eyes. He struggled to stay conscious. Then he felt the eagle let go with one talon to grab at Jagged Peak.
Hah!he thought. Mistake, greedy-belly!
He managed to twist around and batter at the eagle’s underbelly with his hind legs. With a screech the bird released him and he plunged downward to hit the rocks with a bone-jarring crash.
Looking up, Gray Wing saw Jagged Peak hanging on to the eagle’s wing with his claws. “Jagged Peak! Let go!” he yowled.
Jagged Peak glanced at the ground, then unhooked his claws and fell back onto the stones. The eagle swooped toward them again with another furious screech; with a heartbeat to spare, Gray Wing shoved Jagged Peak into the space between two rocks. They cowered there in the tiny gap while the eagle shrieked overhead.
Jagged Peak was trembling from pain and fear, looking like nothing more than a kit. Gray Wing curled his body around him and soothed him with long, slow licks.
“It’s okay,” he murmured. “You’re safe now. I’ve found you.”
第一章
第三章
山洞深处仍被幽暗的阴影笼罩着，但曙光已渐渐从飞瀑外边渗了过来。灰翅拖着身子从窝里爬出来，看到荫苔、晴天和另外几只想要离开的猫聚在一起。这支队伍比以前愈加壮大了。
灰翅走过去加入了他们，那几只猫都惊诧地转过头来瞧着他。
“你改变主意了吗？”晴天问道，一脸期待地眨着眼睛。
灰翅点点头，有些勉强地说道：“我正在考虑这事。”
玳尾走过来坐在他身旁。“知道你要和我们一起走，我好高兴。”她发出开心的咕噜声，眼里闪着喜悦的光芒。
“我们很快就要出发了。”荫苔说着话，四下扫视了一番，“大家要好好休息，尽量吃饱肚子。”
“你是说让要我们躺在窝里睡大觉，等别的猫去给我们狩猎吗？”斑毛反驳道，“我可不喜欢这个做派。”
荫苔不胜其烦地甩了甩尾巴。“只不过是休息一两天罢了。”他说，“何况我们一旦离开，山里的猎物就够留下来的猫吃了。不过，要是出发前我们没把精力养好的话——”
突然，一道尖厉的叫声从山洞那头传来，打断了荫苔的话。灰翅朝周围看了看，发现露叶正朝他们冲来。这只玳瑁色的母猫在月影面前停了下来。她气得四肢僵直，颈部的毛发根根倒立。
“你在这儿鬼鬼祟祟的干什么？”她质问月影，“我马上就要生了，怀的是你的孩子啊！你之前承诺过要和我在一起的。”
“呃……麻烦来了。”玳尾凑到灰翅耳边说。
月影后退了几步，尴尬地解释道：“可是这里猎物稀少。如果要靠大山养活的猫能少一些，我们的孩子才会过得更好。”
露叶龇着牙齿吼道：“那在我给孩子们喂奶时，谁去为我们狩猎？”
众猫听到露叶的怨言，纷纷跑过来一探究竟。
“她说得有道理。”扭枝瞪眼看着月影说，“有责任心的猫应该留在这里。”
“你是说我们这些要离开的猫都是不负责任的吗？”高影厉声驳斥道。
“就是。”碎冰纵身跳到这只黑色母猫的身边，眯起绿幽幽的眼睛说道，“我们即将涉险深入未知之地，只有这样，你们和其他留在此处的猫才能拥有更好的家园。你们只是坐享其成！”
烈雹挤上前，愤愤地甩着尾巴说道：“哪是坐享其成！是坐以待毙吧！”
众猫还在嚷嚷。灰翅注意到清溪退到了一旁。她一言未发，没有参加双方的论战。
灰翅心里嘀咕着：她真的下定决心和晴天离开了吗？看上去她并不知道自己想要什么啊！想到这里，灰翅的心不禁隐隐作痛，既是因为清溪和振翼鸟，也是因为争执不下的部落猫。这些猫似乎要为他们的未来大打一场了。
“够了！”就在这时，一个威严的声音从山洞后方传来。声音虽然低沉，却压住了这片喧嚣。众猫安静下来。尖石巫师颤巍巍地走了过来。大家纷纷让出道，将尖石巫师围在中间。“你们这样争吵不休，我实在看不下去了。”她继续说，“我是看到了幻象，这预示着那些愿意去探索的猫会找到更好的栖居之地，但我也有可能错了。”说罢，尖石巫师茫然地摇了摇头，她那痛苦的神色清楚地刻在了脸上：“或许我们还是断了出去寻找新家的念头吧……”
当尖石巫师说话时，狮吼从后边来到她的身旁。他低头朝尖石巫师耳语了几句。虽然狮吼的声音不大，但灰翅还是听到了他的话。
“不要对你所看到的景象产生怀疑。”狮吼对尖石巫师轻声说了这句话后，继而转向众猫。“我的母亲以前告诉过我，当初在离开那个湖泊之前，他们曾投过一次票决定大家的未来。我们现在为什么不也投票表决一次呢？”他提议道，“如果大多数猫都认为我们应该留在此地，应该继续在冰天雪地里艰难求生，那么荫苔就不再离开。尖石巫师，你看呢？”
年迈的白色母猫若有所思地眨了眨眼睛，随即转身面向荫苔，问道：“你能接受投票表决的结果吗？”
荫苔点了点头：“如果没有足够的猫加入迁徙的队伍，我们也许根本无法走完这趟旅途。与其那样，不去也罢。”
尖石巫师环视四周。灰翅看到众猫的怒气渐渐平息了下来。“灰翅、清溪，”医巫吩咐道，“请按所有猫应投的票数去找些石子来。”
“我也能投票吗？”锯峰一边尖叫道，一边高兴地蹦了起来。
寂雨伸出尾巴抚摩着儿子的耳朵：“不行，幼崽不能参加——”
“幼崽也可以参加。”尖石巫师和蔼地打断了寂雨的话，“每只猫都有机会发出自己的声音。季复一季，我们大家在一起生活，我们是朋友，是同胞。我们必须让每只猫都参与决定我们的未来。”
灰翅向尖石巫师低了一下头，便和清溪出去收集石子了。在离瀑布不远的地方有块悬垂的岩石，他们在那下面寻了些零星散落的小石头，把它们堆在了一起。
“寂雨想让我离开。”过了一会儿，灰翅对清溪说。
惊诧之余，清溪的两眼瞪得大大的，耳朵也竖了起来：“我还以为她现在会叫你和晴天都留下来呢。”
灰翅摇了摇头：“她觉得我们在尖石巫师所看到的那个地方能活得更好。”
清溪犹豫了一下，在石子堆上又放了一块小石头，问道：“你会离开吗？”
“不知道。”灰翅说出了内心深处的纠结，“振翼鸟的死让我感觉到，在大山里，我们是多么不堪一击。可是……离开会不会是怯懦的行为呢？”
“灰翅，没有哪只猫会觉得你懦弱。”清溪说。
待收集到了足够的石子，灰翅和清溪便将石子几颗几颗地分批运回山洞。荫苔和高影将运来的小石子堆在尖石巫师的脚掌边。他们知道这事的重要性非同小可，所以脸上的神情也格外严肃。
待一切准备就绪，尖石巫师向众猫宣布：“现在，每只猫都要叼起一颗石子。如果你认为荫苔和那些想走的猫应该离开大山，请把石子放在靠近瀑布的一边。如果你认为他们应该留下，请把石子放在山洞里边。荫苔，你先来吧。”
荫苔走上前，毕恭毕敬地向尖石巫师低下头。“我用生命相信你。”他对尖石巫师说，“如果你曾见过有更好的地方能让这里的一部分猫安定下来，我向你保证，我一定会找到那里。”
说完，荫苔叼起一颗石子，朝洞里靠瀑布的那头走去。他把石子放在了离水流很近的地方。几滴晶莹的水珠从瀑布落下，洒在了石子上。
与此同时，剩下的众猫已经排好队准备投票。锯峰在洞里的地面上来回磨着爪子。他跃跃欲试，仿佛已经等不及这一刻的到来了。
第二个投票的是狮吼，他叼起一颗小石子放在了瀑布边上。“我这把老骨头是走不动了。”他粗声粗气地说道，“但要是我还年轻，我就会离开的。”
接着，雪兔和雾水走上前来，她俩都投票支持留下。下一个是晴天，斑毛和玳尾跟在他身后，他们仨都把石子放在了瀑布旁。随后，锯峰蹦蹦跳跳地跑到前面，在石子堆里衔了一块小石头，小心翼翼地将它放到了哥哥投下的那块石子旁。
寂雨摇摇头：“我的宝贝儿子，我是不会让你离开家的。不过那些比你年龄大的猫应该得到离开的机会。”说完，她叼起石子走到瀑布旁，把它放在了儿子们投下的石子边。
小锯峰昂首挺胸地踏步走回窝边，他的尾巴翘得高高的，眼里闪着桀骜不驯的光芒。
接着轮到清溪投票了。她毫不犹豫地把石子放在了瀑布边的那个小石头堆上。
晴天惊讶得蓬起了皮毛，眼里流露出浓烈的爱意。等清溪走了回来，晴天温柔地对她说：“谢谢你。”两只猫情意依依地靠在了一起。
“这都是为了我们孩子的未来。”清溪对晴天说。
灰翅知道下面该轮到自己投票了。他心里一震，仿佛身子被落石砸中了一样。我不能再迟疑不定了。
他环顾四周，又一次注意到大伙儿饿得肋骨都凸了出来，他们眼神呆滞无光，已然精疲力尽。最后，灰翅的目光和寂雨相遇，他看到了母亲眼中恳切的期待。他知道，寂雨深信，只有他们离开山地，才能平平安安地活着。
可她自己的安危呢？还有锯峰，还有那些想留下的同胞们的安危呢？他们需要身强力壮的狩猎猫啊。
灰翅叼起一块石子，那感觉就像正在搬动一座大山。但是，他迈着坚定的步伐，毅然把石子放在了山洞里边的小石头堆上。
灰翅没有再看向母亲的方向，而是直接回到了聚在尖石巫师周围的猫群中。这时，他看到月影衔起一颗石子，意志坚决地朝瀑布那里走去。
露叶走在月影身旁，朝他嘶吼道：“你的孩子们永远不会知道他们的父亲是谁！”
月影没有说话。等待了一个心跳后，露叶迅速扭身叼起一块石子，把它放在了山洞里边。
其余的猫依次默不作声地投好了票。在最后一票投出后，尖石巫师开始上前查验石子的数量。灰翅从远处看去，感觉两堆石子数目相当。
万一支持留下和支持离开的石子一样多，那该怎么办？
终于，尖石巫师蹒跚着走到山洞中间，向众猫宣布：“支持离开的那堆石子数量更多。”
话音刚落，围在她周围的猫群中便发出窃窃私语声，犹如风从岩石上吹过。他们相视对望，恍然大悟，仿佛方才明白过来他们刚刚参与了一项重大事项的表决。
“祝那些想要离开的猫好运。”尖石巫师接着说，“我们会永远记住你们。”
尽管如此，山洞里的气氛依旧凝重。虽然这项重大的决议刚刚尘埃落定，但灰翅却没有一丁点儿胜利的喜悦，也没有丝毫的轻松感。
最后，荫苔发话了：“走吧。我们再出去把离山的路线探察一番。出发前我们必须要做到心中有数。”
荫苔率先走到山洞出口，那些打算离开的猫尾随其后。
灰翅待在洞内，看着晴天和其他猫一起消失在瀑布那耀眼的光晕中，心里很不是滋味。片刻之后，他觉察到寂雨朝他走了过来。
“我之前叫你离开的。”寂雨喃喃地说，“你得为自己的将来考虑啊。”
灰翅伸长脖子，和寂雨互触了一下鼻子，说道：“我的未来就在这里。”他朝母亲点了点头，没多说什么便走出山洞，向山脊跑去。一路上，他支棱着耳朵，大口呼吸着，努力搜寻着猎物最微弱的气息。
在上山的途中，他看到荫苔和他的追随者正站在山脊上。荫苔摆动着尾巴，像是在解释着什么，而他的同伴则在一旁献计献策。看来他们正在制订出行的计划呢。灰翅闷闷不乐地想着，心里有一种怅然若失的伤感。
他不想碰到荫苔他们，便转身向另一头的山谷中走去，希望还能再逮到只兔子。突然，他的余光瞥到有什么东西从身旁一闪而过，立即掉转方向，追了上去，飞奔的脚掌踏起片片碎雪。
那是一只小不点儿，不是只老鼠就是只田鼠。那小家伙正在冰面上急速逃窜。灰翅加快了速度，就在他马上要把它擒住时，那小东西竟一下子钻进两块砾石间的缝隙逃走了。灰翅想挤过去继续追赶，但无奈石缝的间隙实在太窄。
灰翅只好作罢。他仰天长叹，尾巴悻悻地拖在身后。霎时间，他心灰意冷：为什么在这里生存如此艰难？为什么这么多猫必须离开啊？
这时，灰翅听到身后有轻微的响动，他连忙弹出爪子转过身来。随即，他呆若木鸡，直愣愣地杵在那里。尖石巫师来到了他的面前。白雪衬着她那身白色的皮毛，使她几乎难以被发现。灰翅想了想，发现自己竟忘了她最近一次出山洞的时候了。
“你……你还好吗？”他结结巴巴地问。
“我还好。”尖石巫师回答道。她从灰翅身边走过，费力地爬上附近的一块岩石。“我只是想出来吸吸新鲜空气。”她接着说，“我已经很长时间……”
灰翅倏地跳上岩石，在她身旁坐了下来。“尖石巫师。”他脱口问道，“你确定在太阳升起的那个方向，有个更好的地方正等着我们吗？”
尖石巫师用她那绿莹莹的眼睛凝视着灰翅，向他保证道：“我在梦里见到的景象非常的真实，那景象比我以前看到的任何东西都要真切。看到这么多猫要离开，我心里也很不好受，但我确信这是能让所有猫生存下来的最好机会。”
“那么当初你们为什么要离开那个湖泊呢？”灰翅问道。想到自己能亲口向尖石巫师询问那些年代久远的事情，灰翅不由得肃然起敬：她此刻就坐在我的面前，她记得当初发生的一切。他接着问：“你们当时一路上千辛万苦地从湖区迁徙到山地，你觉得那一切值吗？”
“值。”尖石巫师回答道，她的语气里充满了对往日时光的眷念，“那时，我们出于种种原因离开了湖区，而这片群山也在漫长的时光里给了我们庇护。能带领着部落众猫在新的领地扎根生存，我深感荣幸。”
灰翅不禁深深地同情起这位长者来。尖石巫师为了大家放弃了正常的生活。她不能有自己的伴侣，也不能有自己的孩子。
“对你来说，情况本可以完全不一样的。”灰翅拐弯抹角地问道，“你曾经想过要拥有另外一种生活吗？”
尖石巫师似乎听懂了灰翅的言外之意，摇了摇头。“部落里所有的猫都是我的孩子，就连老年猫们也是。至于说伴侣……我曾爱过一次，一次就足够了。灰翅，我们无法预知将来会发生什么。”她平静地又补充了一句，“我们所能做的只是相信自己内心正确的选择。”
“若是这样，那么我的心告诉我应该留在这里。”灰翅说。
尖石巫师没说什么，只是朝他点了点头。不过，她的这一举动已经足以驱散灰翅心中的自我怀疑。
Chapter 4
Gray Wing stood on top ofthe rocks in the pale dawn light, his fur buffeted by the wind. All the cats, even the kits, were gathered around Stoneteller, who stood on a boulder near the waterfall. Those leaving with Shaded Moss stood close together. Gray Wing watched them flexing their paws impatiently, exchanging excited, apprehensive glances.
As they waited for Stoneteller to speak, Clear Sky broke from Shaded Moss’s group to pad over to where Gray Wing stood beside their mother and brother.
“Good-bye,” he murmured, brushing his muzzle against Quiet Rain’s shoulder and then Gray Wing’s, before stooping to touch Jagged Peak’s ear with his nose. “I hope everything will go well for you now. And who knows?” he added, clearly trying to sound cheerful. “One day I might come back and visit.”
Gray Wing exchanged a glance with Quiet Rain, seeing that she knew perfectly well that would never happen.
But neither of them spoke their thought aloud.
“Travel safely, my son,” Quiet Rain mewed.
“Why can’t I come with you?” Jagged Peak broke in loudly.
Quiet Rain silenced him with a glance; the young kit scrabbled sulkily at the loose pebbles beside the river. Quiet Rain’s glance drifted beyond him, to the small pile of stones that covered Fluttering Bird.
“Are you sure you won’t come?” Clear Sky meowed to Gray Wing. “It won’t be the same without you.”
Gray Wing touched his muzzle to Clear Sky’s, and the two brothers twined tails. “I’m sorry you have to do this without me,” Gray Wing responded, loss piercing his heart like an eagle’s talon. “But my place is here, with Quiet Rain and Jagged Peak.”
“I’m glad they have you to care for them,” Clear Sky told him.
He dipped his head one last time and padded back to stand beside Bright Stream. She held her head high, but Gray Wing could see the uncertainty in her eyes.
At last Stoneteller flicked her tail toward Shaded Moss. “Tonight the moon will be full,” she mewed. “It is time for you to leave us. Shaded Moss, do you wish to speak?”
The sturdy black-and-white tom leaped up onto the boulder beside her and glanced around at the assembled cats. “We trust the Teller of the Pointed Stones to know where our future lies,” he began. “We will follow the path to the rising sun, but we will always carry the mountains, and all of you, in our hearts.”
“That won’t stop us missing you,” Misty Water muttered.
Shaded Moss bowed his head in respect to the elder before continuing. “I hope that, with fewer cats to feed, the hunting will become easier.”
As Shaded Moss finished speaking, Stoneteller touched his shoulder with her tail-tip and took a step forward. “I thank you, Shaded Moss, and all departing cats, for your selfless courage. This is the greatest gift that you could give us. We will never forget you.” She took a breath, and focused her bright green gaze on the cats with Shaded Moss. “You’ll meet strange creatures on your journey,” she continued. “Hairless creatures called Twolegs, because they walk on their hind legs. And shiny roaring beasts that seem like monsters, racing along hard black tracks we called Thunderpaths.”
Turtle Tail’s eyes stretched wide and she let out a gasp of dismay. “You mean those are real?” she asked. “I thought they were just elders’ tales.”
Stoneteller shook her head. “They’re real, but they can be avoided. The monsters seem unable to leave the Thunderpaths, but you’ll still need to use all your cunning.” Her voice sounded more anxious now. “Don’t forget that there’ll be new enemies too—not just birds, but foxes and badgers. And did I tell you that there might even be trouble from other cats?”
Shaded Moss dipped his head. “We discussed all this, Stoneteller.”
“Don’t forget,” Cloud Spots put in, “Dappled Pelt and I know a lot about herbs and healing. If things go wrong, we’ll be able to help.”
The old white cat’s whiskers twitched and her shoulder fur began to rise. Gray Wing’s pads tingled with apprehension as he realized that she wasn’t as certain as she had always seemed.
“Trust nothing,” Stoneteller meowed urgently, “but your own instincts.”
Shaded Moss laid his tail reassuringly over Stoneteller’s back. “We will learn as we travel,” he responded gently. “We have trusted you to send us toward the sun; now trust usto travel safely and to find this new place to live.”
Stoneteller let out a long sigh. She slid from the rock and padded over to those who were leaving with Shaded Moss, touching her nose to each cat’s shoulder as she spoke. “Find somewhere that suits all of you,” she mewed. “Tall Shadow, your gift for stalking and guile; Clear Sky, your gift for bringing down birds from the air; Turtle Tail, your speed and sharp eyes; Rainswept Flower, your ability to track far-off prey by scent alone. All of your talents must find the right place to blossom.” She gazed at the cats, her green eyes full of love and grief. “Good luck,” she added at last.
Shaded Moss waved his tail and led his group down the rocks toward the pool below the waterfall.
“Good-bye!” Gray Wing called, his gaze fixed on his brother. “Stay safe!”
“Good riddanceis what I say!” Dewy Leaf snarled. “Cowards! They’re just leaving us all to starve.”
“Right,” Twisted Branch agreed. “Well, we don’t need them.”
Gray Wing stood beside Quiet Rain and watched the departing cats as they wound their way down the mountainside until they were out of sight.
The remaining cats stood for a moment in silence, looking at one another. The Tribe seemed so small now, with so few cats left. Gray Wing realized elders and kits now outnumbered the stronger cats. His paws tingled with apprehension, but he crushed it down.
“We can’t stand here all day,” he meowed at last. “Stone Song, Twisted Branch, Dewy Leaf, we should hunt while it’s still light.”
“What?” Dewy Leaf lashed her tail. “Have you forgotten I’m expecting kits?”
You don’t let us forget it, Gray Wing thought, though he stopped himself from speaking the words aloud. “We’re the strongest cats left behind,” he went on quietly. “We must try to catch enough food for every cat.”
Twisted Branch nodded, a look of determination in his amber eyes.
“You’re not Stoneteller. You don’t get to order me around,” Dewy Leaf muttered. She paused for a heartbeat, then shrugged. “Okay, I’ll hunt.”
As Stoneteller began to lead the rest of her Tribe down toward the cave, Sharp Hail and Silver Frost stayed behind. “We’ll hunt too,” Silver Frost announced. “We might not be as young as you, but our claws are still sharp.”
“Right,” Sharp Hail agreed. “We owe it to the cats who have gone not to give up now. We need to find a new way to survive.”
“Thank you,” Gray Wing responded, grateful for the older tom’s wisdom.
Leaving the other cats behind, Gray Wing trekked along the cliff edge, moving away from the river. The mountains seemed even quieter than usual. He paused from time to time, straining his ears for any sign of the traveling cats farther along the valley, and gazed around him in the hope of catching one last glimpse of them. But they had vanished against the snow and rocks.
I’ll never see them again.
A dark shadow passed over Gray Wing’s head and he looked up to see a young hawk skimming the surface of the snow as if it too was searching for prey. As it mounted into the air again Gray Wing flung himself upward, remembering Clear Sky’s favorite move.
His claws snagged one wing; he and the hawk fell to the ground together and rolled over in the snow. Gray Wing felt talons rake through his pelt. With a yowl of mingled pain and fury he sank his claws into the hawk’s breast and brought his teeth together in its throat with a swift snap.
The hawk went limp. Puffing, Gray Wing scrambled to his paws and shook the snow off his pelt. Then he picked up the hawk by the neck and began plodding back to the cave, his prey’s strong, barred wings trailing in the snow.
By the time he reached the path behind the waterfall the other hunting cats were also returning. Stone Song and Silver Frost had each caught a mouse, and Twisted Branch and Dewy Leaf were dragging a snow hare between them.
“We caught it together,” Twisted Branch mumbled through a mouthful of fur. “I chased it, and it doubled back—right into Dewy Leaf’s claws. It was great!”
The other cats gathered around as the hunters dropped their prey on the floor of the cave. Even so, Gray Wing thought that the cavern seemed quiet and empty, with so few cats remaining. Their voices seemed to echo strangely as they shared the prey, taking a mouthful and then exchanging with one another.
“I will hunt tomorrow,” Quiet Rain promised.
“So will I,” Hollow Tree agreed, brushing her tail along the flank of her mate, Stone Song.
“Why don’t we take turns?” Stone Song suggested. “So every cat keeps their hunting skills sharp, and no cat has to go out every day.”
Stoneteller gave the dark gray tabby tom an approving nod. “A very good idea. Stone Song, would you like to arrange it?”
Stone Song’s eyes gleamed at his Healer’s praise. “I’d be glad to.”
Gray Wing glanced at his Tribemates, and caught the same look of determination on all their faces. He felt reassured that the sacrifice of the cats who had left would not be wasted.
We can make this work.
A paw prodding him in the side woke Gray Wing the next morning. He blinked blearily in the light that slanted through the waterfall, and made out Stone Song standing over him.
“Are you okay to hunt?” the tabby tom asked. “I’m arranging the new plan, starting today. Quiet Rain and Hollow Tree are going out, and I’ll go myself. I want to find out if four cats hunting every day are enough.”
“Sure.”
The light from the cave entrance was brighter than Gray Wing had seen it for many days, as if the sun was shining outside.Maybe that’s a good sign, he thought. Better than trying to hunt in a blizzard, anyway.
As he loped toward the entrance he heard the swift pattering of paws behind him, and Jagged Peak’s voice rose shrilly. “Gray Wing! Wait for me!”
Gray Wing turned as Jagged Peak skidded to a halt beside him. “I want to hunt with you,” the kit announced.
Gray Wing suppressed a sigh. “You’re too young,” he replied. “Go and play with the other kits.”
“They only want to do dumbstuff,” Jagged Peak muttered. “Pouncing on a pebble and pretending it’s an eagle! I want to pounce on realeagles.”
“An eagle would just make a mouthful of you,” Gray Wing meowed.
“Would not!” Jagged Peak protested. “I’m big! I’m the oldest kit—I should be allowed to hunt.”
Reluctantly, Gray Wing admitted to himself that his brother had a point. Maybe it is time he started to train. We could certainly use another hunter.
“What’s the matter?” Quiet Rain asked, padding up to them. “Jagged Peak, are you making a nuisance of yourself?”
“He wants to learn how to hunt,” Gray Wing explained, before Jagged Peak could reply.
He caught a swift flash of fear in his mother’s eyes, as if she was thinking of all the dangers outside the cave for a cat as small as Jagged Peak. “He’s so young.  .  .  .”
Jagged Peak’s fur bristled. “I’m the oldest—”
Gray Wing slapped his tail over the kit’s mouth, earning himself an indignant glare.
“He is nearly old enough,” he told Quiet Rain. When his mother still looked doubtful, he added, “Better he comes with me than tries to sneak out on his own.”
Quiet Rain hesitated for a moment longer, then gave a reluctant nod. “All right.” Turning to Jagged Peak, she added, “Stay with Gray Wing, and do exactlywhat he tells you.”
Jagged Peak nodded vigorously. His eyes were bright and he began pacing with excitement. “Let’s go!”
Gray Wing held Jagged Peak back with his tail as the kit tried to scamper up the path that led behind the waterfall. “The first thing you have to learn,” he said, “is not to go dashing off. Follow me, and keep quiet.”
Though Jagged Peak’s eyes still sparkled, he settled down and padded after Gray Wing. Quiet Rain brought up the rear. Stone Song and Hollow Tree had already left; when he emerged into the open, Gray Wing spotted them together, climbing the opposite slope.
Quiet Rain caught up to Jagged Peak, hesitated, then mewed, “Good hunting,” before she headed up the rocks toward the top of the cliff.
Gray Wing guessed that she would rather have stayed with her kit, but she knew she had to concentrate on her own hunting.
“Okay,” he began, “the most important thing to remember is that, out here, youcan be prey too. Some of these birds are strong enough to fly away with a full-grown cat in their talons. Alwaysbe aware of what’s going on above your head. Got that?”
Jagged Peak’s eyes stretched wide. “Got it.”
Gray Wing was relieved that his brother seemed to be taking the warning seriously.
“The next thing,” he went on, “is searching for prey. Charging around is pointless—you’ll just scare the animals back into their holes. Use your eyes and nose, and taste the air for scent. Try it now, and see if you can pick up anything.”
Jagged Peak stood still, his ears pricked and his jaws parted. His gaze swiveled around, taking in the snow-covered slopes; Gray Wing was glad to see that he kept casting glances upward as well.
“Can you spot anything?” he asked after a moment.
Jagged Peak dipped his head, looking disappointed. “No.”
“Don’t worry, neither can I,” Gray Wing told him. “Prey doesn’t usually come this close to our cave. We’ll go and look somewhere else in a moment, but first I want to show you how to stalk. You have to learn to get as close as you can to your prey without it knowing you’re there. How do you think you might do that?”
Jagged Peak crouched down into the snow. “Keep as small as I can?” he suggested.
“Right. But when there’s snow on the ground, don’t drop so low that it clogs your fur and slows you down. Move like this.  .  .  .”
Gray Wing lowered himself into position so that his belly fur was just brushing the surface of the snow. Then he crept forward slowly and carefully. Jagged Peak stayed by his side, copying.
“That’s good,” Gray Wing told him, impressed by how quickly his brother was learning. “And what about scent? How can you stop your prey from scenting you before you’re close enough to pounce?”
Jagged Peak thought for a moment, his whiskers quivering, then grumbled, “I don’t know.”
“Think about wind,” Gray Wing prompted.
“Wind .  .  .” Jagged Peak sank into deep thought again. “I know!” he exclaimed at last. “The wind carries scent, so I’ve got to make sure that it’s blowing from my prey to me, and not the other way.”
Gray Wing let out a satisfied purr. “You’ll be a hunter in no time. Now let’s go and see what we can find. Don’t forget to keep looking at the sky.”
He led the way up the slope toward the ridge. “This is a good place for finding snow hares,” he told Jagged Peak. “Remember that their fur turns white in the cold season, so it’s hard to spot them unless they’re against the bare rocks. And they’re very fast, so you need to get as close as you can before they know you’re there. If you end up chasing one, you’ll likely lose it.”
As he spoke, Gray Wing realized that Jagged Peak was distracted, constantly staring into the distance. “Hey—concentrate!” he meowed.
“Sorry.” But after a few more paw steps, Jagged Peak was gazing around again.
Gray Wing stopped, irritated, but before he could speak he spotted movement among the rocks above. The white-furred body of a hare was just visible between two boulders.
Nudging Jagged Peak, he flicked his ears in the direction of the hare. “Want to see if you can catch it?” he whispered.
Jagged Peak’s eyes widened in excitement. Crouching down carefully, he crept closer to his prey.
He’s forgotten the wind, Gray Wing realized, though he said nothing.
Jagged Peak had covered about half the distance when the hare suddenly sat up, its long ears erect and its nose twitching. Then it burst from the shelter of the boulders and fled across the slope, snow spraying from under its paws.
Letting out a yowl of frustration, Jagged Peak hurtled in pursuit. As he was so small and light, his paws skimmed easily across the surface of the snow. Gray Wing raced after him.
At first Jagged Peak seemed to be gaining ground, but the hare was bigger and stronger, and soon started to outpace him. We’re going to lose it, Gray Wing thought, forcing his muscles to bunch and stretch in an effort to catch up.
A heartbeat later, a harsh cry rang out. A hawk plummeted from the sky, talons outstretched. The hare let out a squeal of terror and swerved away, heading back toward Jagged Peak.
The young cat sprang and collided with the creature in a small storm of flying snow. Gray Wing saw a thrashing knot of legs and Jagged Peak’s wildly waving tail.
But the hawk hadn’t given up. It dived again. Gray Wing realized that if it couldn’t catch the hare, it would settle for Jagged Peak.
With a wild screech, Gray Wing leaped for the hawk as it bore down. He felt his claws scrape the underside of the hawk’s wing. With another harsh cry the bird mounted into the air, higher and higher until it was only a black dot in the sky.
Once he was sure it wasn’t a threat anymore, Gray Wing spun around toward his brother. He saw Jagged Peak standing shakily on all four paws, the body of the hare stretched motionless in the snow in front of him.
“I got it!” he exclaimed. “I’m a hunter now!”
“Terrific!” Gray Wing praised him. “You did really well. But don’t forget,” he added, “you still have a lot to learn.”
The hare was bigger than Jagged Peak, and he needed Gray Wing’s help to drag it back to the cave. The rest of the Tribe gathered around, exclaiming in wonder when Gray Wing told them how Jagged Peak had made his catch.
“Prey had better watch out!” Lion’s Roar gave the young cat a friendly prod with his tail.
“It’s your prey,” Gray Wing pointed out to his brother. “So you can eat first.”
Jagged Peak’s eyes gleamed as he tore into the hare. Watching him gulp down mouthful after mouthful, Gray Wing reflected on how hungry the kit had been for so long. This could be the first good meal he’s ever had
There was still plenty left when Jagged Peak drew back. “I’m stuffed!” he declared.
The rest of the Tribe was just beginning to eat when Quiet Rain came back, a hawk dangling from her jaws.
“You had good hunting,” she remarked, dropping her prey beside the remains of the hare.
“Jagged Peak caught it,” Gray Wing replied, while Jagged Peak puffed out his chest with pride.
Quiet Rain’s eyes glowed as she gazed at her young son. “Wonderful!” she exclaimed. “Gray Wing, thank you for teaching him so well.”
As Gray Wing settled down to eat his share of the prey he wondered once again what their departed Tribemates were doing. It still felt strange that there were so few cats left in the cave. I hope they’re all safe, and that they’ve found enough to eat.
“Can we go out again?” Jagged Peak mewed when Gray Wing had finished eating. “Hunting’s really exciting!”
Gray Wing glanced toward the cave entrance and saw that the short day was already coming to an end, dusk gathering beyond the waterfall.
“Not now,” Quiet Rain responded, before he could speak. “It’s time for you to go to your nest. You can hunt again tomorrow.”
“But I’m not tired!” Jagged Peak protested. “I can—” His words were interrupted by an enormous yawn.
“No more arguing,” Quiet Rain mewed briskly.
She nudged Jagged Peak across the cavern to their sleeping hollows, and Gray Wing followed. As he settled down, he realized once again how empty the nest now felt. He desperately missed the feeling of his brother’s fur against his.
I wonder where the traveling cats are now.  .  .  .
Gray Wing woke abruptly to see pale dawn light filtering through the waterfall. Quiet Rain was pacing nervously beside him, and he realized that her growls had awoken him.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, springing out of his hollow
“Jagged Peak’s nest is empty,” his mother replied. “He must have gone out by himself—and he knowsthat he’s not supposed to do that.”
Gray Wing let his tail-tip rest on his mother’s back comfortingly. “He couldn’t have gone far,” he meowed. “I’ll bring him back.”
He scanned the slopes as he emerged from behind the waterfall. Nothing moved in all the snowy landscape.
“Jagged Peak! Jagged Peak!” he yowled.
Silence.
Stupid kit, he thought, scrambling up the rocks that led to the plateau. Wind buffeted his fur as he reached the top and looked around carefully. There was no sign of his brother, and no reply when he called out again.
Beginning to feel troubled, Gray Wing returned to the cave to find his mother waiting anxiously beside the waterfall, a few of the other cats gathered around her. “I’m sorry,” he mewed. “I can’t find him. He’s not beside the pool or on the plateau.”
Quiet Rain began pacing again. “A hawk must have taken him!” she wailed. “Or he’s been smothered in a snowdrift.”
Silver Frost brushed her tail along Quiet Rain’s side. “Jagged Peak is a strong young cat,” she said. “And he’s not stupid. He knows to keep himself out of danger.”
“That’s right,” Lion’s Roar agreed. “He’ll probably turn up soon, with a piece of prey twice his own size!”
“I wish I could believe you,” Quiet Rain murmured.
Gray Wing was worried too. “I’ll go out and take another look,” he promised. “Misty Water,” he added, turning to the elder, “will you come with me?”
“What?” Snow Hare pushed herself between Misty Water and Gray Wing. “She’s too old, and her eyesight is failing,” she hissed into Gray Wing’s ear. “She’ll be no help!”
“That’s not true.” Gray Wing gently nudged Snow Hare aside. “Misty Water,” he mewed, “Broken Feather told me many times that you were the best scent tracker he had ever known. If any cat has a chance of tracking Jagged Peak, it’s you.”
Misty Water blinked up at him with milky blue eyes. “I’ll come,” she responded.
Gray Wing led the way out of the cave, and Misty Water followed, her paw steps stiff and shaky. As soon as she came to the end of the path, she grew more alert, her nose to the ledge, her jaws open to draw in scent. “He went this way,” she announced, beginning to haul herself awkwardly over the rocks that led to the plateau. “I’ll clawthat pesky kit when I catch him,” she panted. “My old bones aren’t fit for this.”
Gray Wing scrambled up beside her. “This can’t be right,” he protested, struggling with disappointment. “Jagged Peak was up here two days ago, with the rest of us, when we said farewell to the others.”
Misty Water halted and glared at him. “You think I can’t tell a two-day-old scent from a fresh one?” she demanded. “This scent is laid on top ofthe older one. You young cats think you know everything.”
Gray Wing kept quiet and followed the elder as she dragged herself over the lip of the plateau, then padded to the little heap of stones that covered Fluttering Bird.
“Did Jagged Peak come over here two days ago?” she asked.
Gray Wing thought back, picturing the scene in his mind. “No,” he replied at last.
“Well, he came here today,” Misty Water mewed. “His scent has pooled, so it shows he spent some time here.  .  .  .” She paused, scenting all around the heap of stones, before clambering down beside the waterfall again. “Then he went this way.”
The old cat branched off over a clump of boulders.
Gray Wing stared at her in amazement. “Are you sure?”
Misty Water glanced back, her eyes narrowed in an icy glare. “Are you saying I’m too old to recognize a scent trail?”
“No, but .  .  . that’s the way the traveling cats went.”
As Gray Wing spoke the sun finally pierced through the dark clouds that were massing on the horizon, casting a yellow beam over the side of the mountain. Realization hit him like a blow from a falling rock. “Jagged Peak left to find the traveling cats!” he exclaimed. “He’s following the trail of the sun.”
Misty Water gave the boulders a last sniff, then returned to Gray Wing’s side. “Stupid kit,” she muttered. “He’ll be back when his belly starts rumbling.”
Gray Wing wished he could share her confidence. Jagged Peak is so stone-headed. And since he caught that hare, he probably thinks he can catch anything he wants.
He helped Misty Water down the rocks, then ran ahead back to the cave, where he found Quiet Rain anxiously telling Stoneteller what had happened. She whipped around as Gray Wing raced over to her. “Did you find him?” she asked.
Gray Wing shook his head. “Misty Water picked up Jagged Peak’s scent,” he explained. “It looks as if he went to say good-bye to Fluttering Bird at the pile of stones, and then followed the other cats heading out of the mountains.”
Quiet Rain gasped in horror, her eyes wide with dismay. “Oh,no.  .  .” Her voice quivered with anguish. “He’ll be killed!”
Gray Wing pressed his muzzle against his mother’s shoulder. “Jagged Peak can look after himself—”
“He can’tlook after himself!” Quiet Rain’s voice rose to a wail. “He’s too young.” Straightening up, she took a deep breath, obviously fighting for self-control. “Gray Wing,” she meowed, “you wouldn’t leave when I told you to before. But now you must. You have to find your brother and make sure he reaches this new place safely.”
Gray Wing glanced at Stoneteller. The old white she-cat didn’t speak, but he saw encouragement in her green eyes. Glancing around the cave, he saw Twisted Branch and Dewy Leaf on their way out to hunt. The Tribe would not lack for hunting with those two around.
Then he remembered the golden path of sunlight that he had seen stretching across the valley, tugging him away from his home in the cave.
He turned back to meet his mother’s pleading gaze. “All right,” he agreed. “I will go after Jagged Peak.”
第四章
第四章
破晓时分，天空灰蒙蒙的一片。灰翅站在岩石上，任由晨风吹拂着他的毛发。此时，尖石巫师正伫立在瀑布边的一块大砾石上。所有的猫，包括幼崽在内，都被召集到她的周围。那些即将跟随荫苔离开的猫站在一起，只见他们正急不可耐地伸缩着爪子，彼此间会意地交换着眼神，只只意气风发，已经迫不及待地想要启程了。
当大家等着尖石巫师发话时，晴天从荫苔的远行队伍中走到了灰翅跟前，灰翅正站在母亲和锯峰的身边。
“再见。”晴天轻轻地说着，他用口鼻先后蹭了蹭寂雨和灰翅的肩膀，然后俯身用鼻子碰了碰锯峰的耳朵。“我希望你们今后一切都好。再说了，谁知道呢？”他又故作开心地补充道，“说不准哪天我会回来看你们的。”
灰翅和寂雨对视了一眼。他看得出来，其实他们的母亲也非常清楚，经此一别，晴天是不可能再回来了。
不过他俩都把这个念头埋在了心底。
“儿子，祝你一路顺风。”寂雨说。
“为什么我不能跟你走？”锯峰打断寂雨的话，高声向晴天问道。
寂雨瞪了锯峰一眼，小家伙便不再作声。锯峰闷着一肚子气，用脚掌划拉起河边松散的鹅卵石来。寂雨的目光掠过锯峰，停在了那一小堆埋葬着振翼鸟的石头上。
“你确定不和我们一起走吗？”晴天对灰翅说，“少了你，我们的旅途将大不相同。”
灰翅碰了碰晴天的口鼻，兄弟俩的尾巴缠在一起。“很抱歉，我不能和你们一起离开。”灰翅回答道，兄弟别离的痛苦犹如鹰爪一般刺透了他的心脏，“我属于这里，我要陪着母亲和锯峰。”
“他俩有你照顾我就放心了。”晴天对他说。
晴天低头与至亲们作别后，回到了清溪的身旁。虽然清溪的头昂得高高的，但灰翅仍能看到她眼中的忐忑。
最后，尖石巫师向荫苔挥了挥尾巴，说道：“今天是月圆之夜，也是诸位离开我们的时候了。荫苔，你有什么话要说吗？”
这只身强力壮的公猫长着一身黑白相间的皮毛，他跳到大砾石上，在尖石巫师身边站好。接着，他环视着众猫，说道：“我们相信尖石巫师为我们的未来指引出的方向。我们将沿着升起的太阳一路前行，但我们心中会永远记着群山，记着大家。”
“可我们还是会忍不住想你们的。”雾水咕哝道。
荫苔恭恭敬敬地向这位长者低下头，随后说：“我们走了以后，需要靠大山养活的猫就少了。希望以后部落的狩猎能变得轻松些。”
荫苔说完，尖石巫师用尾巴尖碰了碰他的肩。之后，尖石巫师向前迈了一步。“荫苔，我很感谢你和所有离开的猫。你们无私无畏，勇气可嘉。这是你们送给大家的最好礼物。我们永远都不会忘记你们。”她深吸一口气，用明亮的绿眼睛凝视着即将和荫苔一起离开的猫，继续说道，“你们一路上会遇到一些奇异的生物，比如两脚兽，它们不长毛发，用两只后腿走路；还有一种会发光咆哮的野兽，它们像怪物一样，在又黑又长的坚硬路面上飞速狂奔，我们把那种路叫雷鬼路。”
玳尾瞪大了双眼，惊讶地倒抽一口气，问：“你是说这些都是真实存在的？我还以为那只是老年猫们讲的故事呢。”
尖石巫师摇了摇头：“它们确实存在，但你们可以设法避开。那些怪物好像不能离开雷鬼路，但你们还是得开动脑筋应付它们。”这时，尖石巫师的声音听起来更加忧虑了：“别忘了，你们还会碰到新的敌人——不仅有危险的鸟类，还有狐狸和獾。甚至别的猫也会来找你们的麻烦。我以前和你们说过吧？”
荫苔点了点头：“我们之前讨论过这些情况，尖石巫师。”
“你别担心。”云斑插嘴说，“我和斑毛熟悉草药，也懂不少治疗的方法。如果大家出了什么事，我们会出手相助的。”
尖石巫师抽动着胡须，肩部的毛发渐渐竖起。灰翅意识到，此时的尖石巫师似乎不像平日里那样自信。想到这里，灰翅不由得担心起来，脚掌也开始微微作痛。
“除了自己的直觉，你们什么也不要轻信。”尖石巫师焦急地叮嘱道。
荫苔把尾巴搭到尖石巫师的背上，请她放心。他轻声对她说道：“我们在远行的路上会不断学习的。因为相信你，所以我们选择迎着太阳踏上征程。现在，也请你相信我们，我们定会一路平安，找到新的家园。”
尖石巫师长叹一声。她从岩石上跳下来，向即将与荫苔同行的众猫走去。她用鼻子依次触碰了每只猫的肩部。“你们要找到适合大家居住的地方。”她说，“高影，你足智多谋，有跟踪猎物的天赋；晴天，你擅长把鸟从空中拽下来；玳尾，你身手敏捷、目光锐利；雨拂花，你嗅觉灵敏，仅靠气味就能追踪身在远处的猎物。你们应充分发挥各自所长。”说着，她凝视众猫，绿幽幽的眼睛里满含关爱与悲切之情。最后，她添了一句：“祝你们好运！”
荫苔挥动尾巴，率领众猫走下岩石，向瀑布下方的水潭走去。
“再见！”灰翅喊道，他的目光紧紧跟随着他的哥哥，“多保重！”
“我只想说，他们总算走了！”露叶低吼道，“一群胆小鬼！丢下我们在这儿挨饿，自己却跑了。”
“就是。”扭枝表示赞同，“哼，我们才不需要他们呢。”
灰翅陪在寂雨身边，目送远行的队伍离开。他们沿着蜿蜒的山路走着，渐渐消失在灰翅的视线中。
一时间，留下的众猫相视无言。愿意留在山中的猫寥寥可数，因此部落现在竟变得如此弱小。灰翅发现，老年猫和幼崽的数量已经超过了身强力壮的猫，忧虑使他的脚掌不禁又刺痛了起来，不过他仍强作镇定。
“我们总不能一整天都在这里干站着。”最后，灰翅说道，“石歌、扭枝、露叶，我们趁天还亮着一起去狩猎吧。”
“什么？”露叶抽打着尾巴，“难道你忘了我就要生幼崽了吗？”
灰翅心想：你是不会让我们忘掉这点的。不过他忍住没把这想法说出口。“我们是现在部落里最强壮的猫了。”他平静地说道，“我们必须想办法给大家捕到足够的猎物。”
扭枝点点头，他那琥珀色的眼睛中闪着坚定的目光。
“你又不是尖石巫师。你没资格使唤我。”露叶咕哝道。但后来她迟疑了一下，又耸了耸肩说：“好吧，我去狩猎。”
尖石巫师带领剩下的部落猫向山洞走去，不过烈雹和银霜留了下来。银霜对灰翅他们说：“我们也参加狩猎。虽然没你们年轻，但我们的爪子还是锋利无比的。”
“对。”烈雹表示赞同，“我们要感谢那些离开的猫，所以我们不能放弃。我们必须找到能生存下去的新方法。”
“谢谢。”灰翅不由得对这位睿智的长者心存感激。
与其他猫作别后，灰翅率先离开河边，在悬崖边艰难地前行。大山好像比往日更安静了。他时不时地停住脚步，竖直耳朵，想要捕捉到山谷那边远行队伍的声音；同时，他左顾右盼，希望还能看他们最后一眼。然而，他们早已消失在白雪茫茫的大山中了。
我再也见不到他们了。
正在此刻，灰翅的上方闪过一道黑影。他仰头一看，只见一只幼鹰正从雪地上掠过，好像也在搜寻猎物。当幼鹰再次飞上半空时，灰翅想起了晴天的拿手绝技，于是他也纵身跃到空中。
灰翅用爪子一把钩住幼鹰的翅膀，将它生生拽了下来。一时间，猫和鹰一起在雪地上不停地翻滚。灰翅感到鹰爪嵌进了自己的皮毛，顿时觉得生疼。他勃然大怒，高吼一声，把爪子深深地插进幼鹰的胸腔，接着利齿锁喉，咔吧一声结果了它的小命。
幼鹰顿时软了下来。灰翅深吸一口气，吃力地站起来，抖落身上的雪花。接着，他叼起幼鹰的颈部，拖着它费力地向山洞走去。幼鹰那斑驳有力的翅膀一路耷拉着，在积雪上划出一道长长的印子。
灰翅走到瀑布后的小路上，其他出去狩猎的猫也回来了。石歌和银霜各自捕到一只老鼠，扭枝和露叶正拖着一只雪兔往回走。
“这是我们一起捕到的。”扭枝叼着雪兔的皮毛，从嘴里挤出几句话，“我在后面追，兔子折路往回逃，一下子就跑到了露叶的脚掌下。棒极啦！”
几只狩猎猫把猎物放在了洞里，其他猫很快聚上前来。尽管如此，由于留下来的猫是那么少，灰翅觉得山洞里格外寂静空旷。大家彼此分享着猎物，各自先咬一口后再交换着吃。他们的谈话在山洞里发出怪怪的回声。
“明天我出去狩猎。”寂雨承诺道。
“我也去。”空树用尾巴轻抚着伴侣石歌的侧腹。
“要不我们轮流去狩猎吧。”石歌建议道，“这样，每只猫既能时常练习狩猎技巧，也不至于每天都要出去操劳。”
尖石巫师向这只深灰色的虎斑公猫投去赞许的目光，她点点头说：“这个主意很好。石歌，你愿意安排一下吗？”
听到医巫的赞扬，石歌的眼睛发亮。“这是我的荣幸。”他说。
灰翅看了看同胞们，发现大家的脸上都带着坚定从容的神色。想到离开的猫做出的牺牲没有白费，他顿时感到一阵欣慰。
他在心里默默地给自己打气：我们会成功的。
次日清晨，灰翅在酣睡中被一只脚掌弄醒。晨光斜透过瀑布照进山洞，灰翅眨了眨惺忪的双眼，认出叫醒他的猫是石歌。
“你能狩猎吗？”虎斑公猫问道，“从今天开始，我要制订新的狩猎计划。寂雨和空树今天都会出去，再加上我自己。我想看看每天安排四只猫狩猎是否足够。”
“当然可以。”
此刻，洞口的光线比灰翅几日来看到的明亮多了，仿佛在山洞外面，太阳正当空照耀着大地。灰翅心想：兴许这是个好兆头，至少总比在暴风雪中狩猎要强吧。
他大踏步走到洞口时，忽然听到身后响起急促的脚步声。锯峰尖声喊道：“灰翅！等等我！”
灰翅转过身。锯峰跑到他身边刹住脚步，倔强地说：“我要和你一起狩猎去。”
灰翅忍住叹息，对他说：“你还小，去和其他幼崽玩耍吧。”
“他们只会玩那些蠢游戏！”锯峰咕哝着，“他们竟拿石头当老鹰扑上去抓！我想去抓真正的老鹰。”
“老鹰一口就能把你吃了。”灰翅吓唬他说。
“才不会呢！”锯峰毫不示弱地说，“我已经长大了！在幼崽中，我的年龄是最大的。你们应该允许我去狩猎了。”
灰翅不得不承认弟弟说得着实有几分道理。也许他是该开始接受训练了吧，这样我们就又能多一位狩猎猫了。
“怎么了？”寂雨走上前问道，“锯峰，你是不是又不听话了？”
“他想学习狩猎。”灰翅没等锯峰回答便解释道。
灰翅看到他妈妈的眼中闪过一丝恐惧的神色，她似乎在想象外面的世界对于锯峰这么小的幼崽来说是多么的危险重重：“他年纪太小了——”
锯峰竖起根根毛发：“我是最大的——”
灰翅尾巴一挥，堵住了弟弟的嘴巴，锯峰愤愤地瞪了他一眼。
“他差不多也快到能狩猎的年龄了。”灰翅对寂雨说。见寂雨仍一脸的疑虑不安，灰翅接着说：“还是让他跟我出去吧，这总比他自己溜出去要好。”
寂雨又迟疑了一会儿，最后无可奈何地点了下头。她转向锯峰，说道：“好吧。不要离开灰翅，他叫你干什么你就干什么。”
锯峰两眼冒着亮光，欣喜若狂地点着头。接着，他兴奋地迈开大步说道：“我们出发！”
锯峰刚要冲上瀑布后的小路，便被哥哥用尾巴一下子拦住了。灰翅对他说：“你要学的第一件事就是不要横冲直撞。跟我来，别出声。”
虽然锯峰的眼睛仍闪烁着兴奋的光芒，但他还是老老实实地跟着灰翅走了出去。寂雨为他们殿后。此前，石歌和空树已经离开。灰翅走到外面，看到他俩正在对面的斜坡上攀爬着。
寂雨追上锯峰，犹豫了一下，还是对儿子说了句：“祝你狩猎成功。”说完，她爬上岩石，向崖顶的方向走去。
灰翅明白，虽然寂雨更想和她的孩子在一起，但她清楚自己还是得把心思都放在狩猎上。
“好啦。”灰翅对锯峰说，“你必须记住，最重要的一点是：在外面，你自己也会成为猎物。有些鸟非常强壮，它们能把一只成年猫抓走。所以，你要时刻留意头顶上方的状况，明白了吗？”
锯峰的眼睛立刻睁得大大的：“明白。”
灰翅看到弟弟好像很重视自己的警告，稍稍放心了一些。
他继续说：“接下来，你要记住的是，搜寻猎物的时候，不要跑来跑去的，这样只会把猎物吓得跑回洞中。你要用眼睛观察，同时用鼻子嗅空气中猎物的气味。现在你试试，看看能不能嗅到什么。”
锯峰停住脚步。他耳朵竖起，嘴巴张开，眼睛转来转去地在白雪茫茫的山坡上搜寻着猎物的踪迹。灰翅看到弟弟还时不时地仰头观察空中的动静，甚感欣慰。
“你察觉到了什么吗？”过了一会儿，灰翅问。
锯峰低下头，失望地说：“没有。”
“别着急，我也什么都没发现。”灰翅对他说，“猎物一般不会在距离我们山洞太近的地方活动，我们再换个地方试试。不过，首先我要教你怎样跟踪猎物：你必须在猎物浑然不知的情况下尽量地靠近它。那么你觉得该怎样才能做到这点呢？”
锯峰在雪地上蹲伏下来。“是不是要尽可能把自己缩成一团？”他问道。
“对。不过如果地上有雪，注意不要把身子放得太低，否则雪会附在毛发上，拖慢你的速度。跟我学，这样往前走……”
灰翅压低身体，他腹部的毛发刚好从雪上擦过。随后，他小心谨慎地慢慢前行，锯峰在一边也学着做同样的动作。
“好。”眼看弟弟很快就学会了动作要领，灰翅不禁暗暗惊喜。接着，他又问：“那气味怎么办？当你还没完全接近猎物时，在起跳之前，你该怎样做才能避免让猎物嗅到你的气味呢？”
锯峰想了一会儿，他的胡须微微发颤。接着，他嘀咕着：“我不知道。”
“想想风啊。”灰翅提醒道。
“风吗……”锯峰又陷入了沉思。最后，他叫道：“知道啦！因为风能传送气味，所以我要确保风是从猎物那里吹过来的，而不是从我这儿吹过去的。”
灰翅发出满意的咕噜声：“你很快就会成为狩猎猫了。现在我们去看看能找到什么猎物。别忘了要时时注意空中的情况。”
灰翅当先从山坡爬上山脊。“这个地方时常有雪兔出没。”他告诉锯峰，“你要记住，雪兔的毛发在冷天会变成白色，因此除非它们跑到光秃秃的岩石附近，否则一般很难发现它们。另外，雪兔跑得很快，趁它们还没警觉时，你要尽量地靠近它们。如果你被发现了，最后又不得不去追它们的话，很可能就会让它们跑掉了。”
方才说话时，灰翅发现锯峰分心了，小家伙时不时地往远处瞧着。“哎！集中精神！”灰翅喊道。
“对不起。”可刚走了几步，锯峰又开始东张西望起来。
灰翅停下脚步，有些不悦。不过未等开口，他就察觉了上方的岩石中的动静，一只雪白的兔子在两块大砾石间若隐若现。
灰翅轻推了锯峰一下，耳朵朝向雪兔轻轻一弹，小声对锯峰说：“想不想试试自己能不能抓住它呀？”
锯峰兴奋不已，眼睛睁得溜圆。他小心翼翼地蹲伏下来，悄悄朝猎物爬去。
他忘了风向了。灰翅看出了锯峰的问题，不过他没说什么。
锯峰朝着那只雪兔走了约莫一半的距离，突然，雪兔坐直身子，竖起了长长的耳朵，鼻子不停地抽动着。接着，它倏地跳出砾石间的藏身处，从山坡上仓皇而逃，脚爪刨得雪末飞溅。
锯峰懊恼地大叫一声，连忙奋起追击。他体形瘦小，身轻如燕，脚掌灵活地掠过地面的积雪。灰翅跟在后面飞快地跑着。
起先，锯峰渐渐逼近了雪兔，可是雪兔块头很大，长得也更为健壮，它很快又把锯峰甩开了一段距离。我们快追不上了！灰翅虽心里担忧，但仍然全身发力，奋起直追。
突然，一声尖厉的叫声响起。空中，一只老鹰伸出铁爪，俯冲了下来。雪兔发出惊恐的尖叫，转身朝锯峰的方向逃窜。
锯峰猛地扑起，向雪兔撞去，地上腾起一阵雪屑。锯峰和雪兔扭成一团，锯峰的尾巴剧烈地挥舞着。
可是老鹰没有善罢甘休，它又俯冲下来。灰翅明白，如果老鹰抓不着兔子，就要把锯峰视为目标了。
这时，老鹰直冲而下。灰翅尖吼一声，奋力朝老鹰跳去。他感到自己的利爪划过老鹰的翅膀。老鹰哀号一声，飞上天空。它越飞越远，在空中渐渐淡成了一个黑点。
当确定老鹰已不再是威胁后，灰翅连忙转身朝弟弟跑去。只见锯峰四肢颤抖，雪兔的尸体一动不动地躺在他身前的雪地上。
“我成功了！”锯峰激动地大喊道，“我是狩猎猫啦！”
“太好了！”灰翅夸赞着锯峰。“你做得很好。不过别忘了。”他补充道，“你还有很多东西要学。”
这只雪兔的身子比锯峰大出许多，因此多亏有灰翅出力相助，锯峰才把兔子运回了山洞。见他俩归来，洞里的部落猫聚到周围，大家一边听灰翅绘声绘色地讲着锯峰狩猎的经过，一边称赞连连。
“这下猎物们可要当心了！”狮吼友好地用尾巴碰碰锯峰。
“这是你捕到的。”灰翅指指猎物，对弟弟说，“所以，你可以第一个吃。”
听到灰翅的话，锯峰眼睛发光，马上对着兔肉撕咬起来。灰翅看着他狼吞虎咽的样子，这才想起小家伙已经有很长时间没吃饱过肚子了。这很有可能是自他出生以来最好的一顿了。
锯峰吃好后退了下来。兔子身上还剩了许多肉。“我吃饱了！”锯峰对大家说。
其他的猫刚开始进食，寂雨也叼着一只老鹰回来了。
“你们干得很漂亮。”她把猎物放到了吃剩的兔子旁。
“是锯峰抓到的。”灰翅对寂雨说。锯峰在一旁自豪地挺起胸膛。
寂雨看着自己的小儿子，眼里洋溢着喜悦。“太好了！”她高兴地叫了起来，“灰翅，谢谢你把弟弟教得这么好。”
灰翅蹲下来开始进食，此时他又开始想那些离开的猫正在忙些什么。他暗自想道：现在洞里的猫实在太少，这种感觉好怪。希望他们一路上平安无事，不会挨饿。
等灰翅吃完，锯峰问道：“我们能再出去狩猎吗？狩猎实在是太刺激了！”
灰翅望了望洞口，只见白昼将尽，瀑布外已夜幕降临。
“现在不行。”寂雨不等灰翅回答便说道，“你该回窝睡觉了。明天你可以再出去狩猎。”
“可我还不累呢！”锯峰不服气地说，“我能……”不过，他话还没说完便张大嘴巴打了个哈欠。
“不许再狡辩了。”寂雨严厉地说。
她把锯峰轻推到窝里，灰翅跟在后面。灰翅在窝里躺下，又一次有了那种空荡荡的感觉。好怀念晴天在他身边睡去的那些日子啊。
不知那些远行猫现在走到哪里了……
微弱的曙光从瀑布后面渗进山洞，灰翅突然醒了。寂雨正在他身旁不安地来回走着，原来是寂雨的吼声把他吵醒的。
“出什么事了？”灰翅从窝里跳了出来。
“锯峰不在窝里面。”寂雨说，“他一定是独自离开了。他明知道他不能那样做。”
灰翅把尾巴尖搭在母亲的背上，安慰着她：“他不会走远的。我这就去把他找回来。”
他从瀑布后面探出身子，将几道山坡上上下下观察了一番。茫茫的雪地上一片沉寂。
“锯峰！锯峰！”灰翅大声呼唤着。
四周仍是一片寂静。
这傻崽子。灰翅想着。他攀上通向洞顶石台的岩石。爬上山洞顶端后，他又开始四下里搜寻。山风猛烈地吹打在灰翅身上。不见弟弟的踪影，他又放声呼喊，但没有得到一丝回应。
灰翅开始担心起来。他返回山洞，看到母亲正在瀑布边焦急地等待着，她的身旁围着几只猫。“对不起。”灰翅说道，“我找不到他。他不在水潭边，也不在洞顶石台那里。”
寂雨又开始走来走去。“他一定是被老鹰抓走了！”她号啕大哭起来，“要不就是被积雪埋了。”
银霜用尾巴拂着寂雨的侧身，安慰道：“锯峰年纪轻轻，长得又结实。他不傻，应该能保护自己的。”
“说得对。”狮吼应和道，“说不定他很快就会出现，还抓了只比他大上一倍的猎物呢！”
“要真像你们说的那样就好了。”寂雨喃喃地说。
灰翅也心急如焚。“我这就出去再找找。”他向寂雨承诺。接着，他转过身向一只老年猫问道：“雾水，你愿意和我一起去吗？”
“什么？”雪兔挤到雾水和灰翅中间。“她年纪太大，眼睛也看不清了。”她在灰翅的耳朵旁小声说道，“她帮不上忙的！”
“不是这样的。”灰翅轻轻推开雪兔。“雾水，”灰翅说，“断羽多次和我说过，你是他所见过的最擅长气味追踪的猫。如果要问谁能搜寻到锯峰的气味，那肯定非你莫属了。”
雾水抬起头，眨了眨浑浊的蓝色眼睛，对他说：“好吧，我去。”
灰翅当先出了山洞，雾水跟在后面，步履僵硬而蹒跚。她走到路的尽头，打起精神，将鼻子紧贴到岩架上，张开嘴深吸了一口空气。“他从这边走了。”雾水说，她拖起身子，在通往洞顶石台的岩石上艰难地前行。“我要是抓到那皮孩子，非揍他几下不可。”她气喘吁吁地说，“我这把老骨头可受不了这罪哟。”
灰翅爬上岩架，来到雾水身边。“不对啊。”他失望地质疑道，“锯峰到这里来应该是两天前的事了。我们那时一起过来和离开的猫们道别的。”
雾水停住脚步，瞪了灰翅一眼。“怎么？你觉得我分不清什么是两天前的陈旧气味，什么是刚留下的气味吗？”她质问道，“这层新鲜的气味浮在那层陈旧气味之上。你们这些少不更事的猫呀，还自以为什么都懂似的。”
灰翅知趣地不再说话，跟着颤巍巍的雾水一路爬上洞顶石台的边缘，走到埋葬振翼鸟的石子堆旁。
“锯峰两天前来过这里吗？”雾水问。
灰翅回忆了一下当日的情形，最后回答道：“没有。”
“嗯，他今天来过这里。”雾水说，“他的气味积聚在这里，这表示他在这里待过一段时间……”她停下脚步，在四周的石头上都嗅了一番，接着往下方的瀑布艰难地走去。“他后来往那个方向去了。”
说完，老年猫朝一堆大砾石旁的岔路走去。
灰翅惊诧不已，盯着她问：“你确定吗？”
雾水回过头，眯起眼睛，冷冷地瞪着灰翅：“你是说我已经老到连气味踪迹都分辨不出了吗？”
“我不是那个意思。可这是远行猫离开时走的路啊。”
灰翅说话的时候，红日终于破开了天边郁积的乌云，将金色的阳光洒向山坡。灰翅一下子明白了过来，似乎是被岩石砸中了身子。“锯峰离家去找远行猫了！”灰翅惊叫起来，“他沿着日光小径走了。”
雾水最后嗅了嗅砾石，回到灰翅身边。“这傻崽子，”她嘀咕着，“等肚子饿得咕咕叫的时候，他自己就会回来了。”
然而灰翅却没那么肯定。锯峰的脑子倔得像石头一样，而且他昨天还捉到了那只兔子，他很可能以为自己天下无敌了。
灰翅照应着雾水爬下岩石后便匆匆奔回山洞。山洞中，寂雨正在焦急地和尖石巫师说着情况。寂雨看到灰翅跑来，忙转身问：“你找到他了吗？”
灰翅摇摇头，解释道：“雾水嗅到了锯峰的气味。情况似乎是这样，他先到振翼鸟的墓前道了别，接着便循着远行猫的足迹离开了。”
寂雨吓得倒抽一口气，瞪大了双眼。“啊，不要……”她的声音痛苦地颤抖着，“他会遭遇不测的！”
灰翅把口鼻抵在母亲的肩部：“锯峰会照顾好他自己的——”
“他根本照顾不了他自己！”寂雨声音里带着哭腔，“他太小了。”随后，寂雨坐直身子。她深呼吸了一下，明显是想控制住自己的情绪。“灰翅，”她说道，“之前我让你离开的时候，你不愿意走，但是现在你必须离开。你必须找到锯峰，然后把他安全护送到新的家园。”
灰翅看了尖石巫师一眼。这只年迈的白色母猫虽然没有说话，但灰翅从她碧绿的眼睛中看到了鼓励。灰翅环视四周，只见扭枝和露叶正要出去狩猎。有他们在，部落同胞是不会挨饿的。
接着，灰翅记起了他之前见到的景象：一条洒满金色阳光的道路蜿蜒穿过山谷，而他却不得不背井离乡，踏上远行之路。
灰翅转过身，望着母亲恳切的目光，答应道：“好。我去追锯峰。”
Chapter 8
Ignoring the pain in his leg,Gray Wing scrambled out from under the bush and launched himself upward. But his outstretched claws only brushed Bright Stream’s tail as the eagle flapped out of reach, screeching in triumph.
“Fight back!” Gray Wing yowled to Bright Stream as he raced along the ground below. “Get free somehow!”
He spotted the two eagles who had chased Turtle Tail and Cloud Spots circling back to join their companion. Out of the corner of his eye he glimpsed Clear Sky and the cats with him finishing off the fourth eagle with bites to its neck.
The other three eagles soared higher. Bright Stream’s cries faded as she was carried into the sky. Horror gave speed to Gray Wing’s paws as he followed, leaping from boulder to boulder, skidding on loose stones, flaying the skin off his pads.
“Gray Wing! Stop!” Dimly he heard Turtle Tail’s voice screeching after him.
Cloud Spots and Turtle Tail raced up to him, pacing him on either side. “You can’t help her now,” Cloud Spots panted.
With a shriek of loss and frustration Gray Wing skidded to a halt and found himself on the very edge of the cliff. A few more paw steps and he would have toppled down into the valley below.
“Bright Stream!” he gasped out, his flanks heaving as guilt and grief flooded through him. “It was my fault!”
Cloud Spots pressed himself against Gray Wing’s side. Turtle Tail’s voice shook as she tried to comfort him. “You did everything you could.”
Gray Wing hovered at the cliff edge, imagining himself crashing down below, his body shattered on the rocks. For a moment he swayed, his head spinning; then he felt Cloud Spots’s claws drag him back from the edge.
“Come on,” the black-and-white tom meowed. “We have to go back to the others.”
As Gray Wing turned away from the precipice, Clear Sky and Tall Shadow came running to meet them.
“We did it!” Clear Sky exclaimed triumphantly. “We killed the eagle!”
Even Tall Shadow, usually so reserved, was excited, her green eyes gleaming.
Jackdaw’s Cry came racing up behind them. He had a torn ear, but otherwise looked uninjured. “Those birds won’t trouble us again,” he declared with satisfaction.
Clear Sky halted, and gazed around, puzzled. “Where’s Bright Stream?” he asked.
Gray Wing opened his jaws to reply, but found no words, grief crashing over him again.
“I’m so sorry,” Turtle Tail mewed gently. “One of the eagles took her.”
Clear Sky stared at her, as still as a cat made of ice. “Impossible!” he rasped. “Bright Stream is too fast to be caught like that! Gray Wing,” he went on, turning on his brother, “why didn’t you help her?”
“I .  .  . hurt my leg,” Gray Wing stammered. “She was helping me escape, under a bush.”
Horror welled up in Clear Sky’s eyes. “You left her outside?”
Gray Wing shook his head helplessly. “It wasn’t like that .  .  .” he began to protest, then let his voice die away, because there was nothing he could say that would convince any cat, least of all himself, that he wasn’t responsible for Bright Stream’s death.
“Don’t,” Cloud Spots murmured, brushing one paw along Gray Wing’s flank. “It wasn’t any cat’s fault.”
“Right.” Clear Sky straightened and swung around, scanning the landscape. “Which way did the eagle go?”
While the rest of the cats stared at him, Gray Wing saw Shaded Moss approaching from the overhanging rock where they had sheltered. Tall Shadow ran back toward him, mewing urgently as she told him what had happened.
Approaching the group, Shaded Moss laid his tail on Clear Sky’s back. “We won’t be able to find Bright Stream now,” he meowed.
“We must!” Clear Sky protested, his voice full of love and pain. “She’s going to have my kits!”
Gasps of horror came from the assembled cats. Gray Wing felt more wretched than ever, remembering the tiny lives that had been destroyed with their mother.
Shaded Moss shook his head. “So much loss .  .  .” he murmured.
Keeping his tail across Clear Sky’s back, he coaxed him toward the overhang where the other cats were waiting. Turtle Tail ran ahead to break the news, while Cloud Spots padded alongside Gray Wing.
A grief-stricken silence greeted the cats as they slipped under the overhang again. Even Moon Shadow was too stunned for his usual chatter.
They gathered around Clear Sky, offering hushed words of comfort, but Gray Wing knew there was nothing any cat could say that would ease his brother’s pain. They couldn’t even reassure him that Bright Stream had died quickly and painlessly.
Gray Wing crept into a corner and lay down, resting his head on his paws. A moment later Turtle Tail settled down beside him, so close that her pelt brushed his.
“It wasn’t your fault,” she whispered.
But it was, Gray Wing thought in anguish. It absolutely was.
No cat got much sleep that night. As a gray, chilly dawn began to break, they crept out into the open. When Gray Wing emerged, Shaded Moss was dragging the body of the dead eagle across the snow toward them.
“We need to eat,” he announced, dropping the prey in the midst of the group. “We have to keep our strength up.”
Clear Sky was the last cat to appear, his eyes dark with grief. At first he turned away from the bird, but Tall Shadow nudged him closer, and eventually he crouched and choked down a few mouthfuls.
“Clear Sky,” Shaded Moss began when he had finished eating, “do you want to return to the cave?” The usually confident leader sounded uncertain. “Because Bright Stream died here, in the mountains, you might want to stay.”
Clear Sky hesitated, then shook his head. “I promised Bright Stream that there was a better place for us to live. I will keep my promise by finding it—for her sake, and our kits’.”
A fresh pang of grief and guilt clawed at Gray Wing’s heart at his brother’s courage.
“Bright Stream gave her life so that we could escape from the eagles,” Shaded Moss meowed. “Honor her by carrying her in your heart, always.”
Clear Sky bowed his head, but did not respond.
“Right,” Shaded Moss continued, clearly finding it hard to sound as brisk and efficient as usual. “We’ll carry on toward the clump of pine trees. We should get there by sunhigh.”
Sadness clung around the cats like fog as they set off again. Gray Wing noticed that all the cats seemed uneasy around Clear Sky. He braced himself to go over and walk at his side. I’d deserve it if he clawed my ears off, but I can’t ignore him.
But at that moment Moon Shadow stepped forward. “Come,” he murmured to Clear Sky. “I’ll walk with you today.”
As they headed for the pines, Cloud Spots fell in beside Gray Wing. He didn’t offer words of sympathy. They just padded along in comfortable silence.
As Shaded Moss had predicted, it was almost sunhigh when they reached the wind-blasted copse of pines. Tall Shadow sprang up the trunk of the tallest and balanced precariously on a thin, prickly branch that swayed under her weight.
“I can see the way out of the mountains!” she called.
“Wow! We’re almost there!” Turtle Tail exclaimed.
“What’s it like?” Quick Water asked.
But the excited comments died quickly to silence. Gray Wing knew that every cat was remembering Bright Stream, grief-stricken that she didn’t make it this far.
“Which way now?” Shaded Moss asked, looking up at Tall Shadow in the tree.
“Down this slope,” Tall Shadow replied, gesturing with her tail. She dug her claws into the bark, beginning to edge her way down. “Around the shoulder of this peak there’s a narrow valley that leads to the end of the ridge. It’s flatdown there!” she finished triumphantly as she leaped down the last couple of tail-lengths.
As the cats continued, the sun shone into their eyes and wind buffeted their fur. Gray Wing felt uneasy as they crossed an open expanse of stone—a pair of eagles circled high above. But they came no closer.
“They’ve learned their lesson about messing with cats,” Jackdaw’s Cry declared.
Gray Wing wondered silently if he was right. Or does it just mean that the birds fed well yesterday?
He wished that he could go to Clear Sky, admit his guilt and tell him how sorry he was that he had let Bright Stream die. But he knew that he could never find the words. Instead, he padded along a few paw steps behind his brother, biting pain in his heart.
Soon, the ground became less stony; expanses of short, wiry turf appeared through a much thinner covering of snow. The mountains had changed, too; the rocky pinnacles giving way to softer, rounded shapes.
Continuing around the flank of the mountain, the cats began a steep descent into a narrow valley. Lower down were taller trees. Used to the wind-blasted pines around the waterfall, Gray Wing gazed in wonder at their wide-spreading branches.
As they climbed farther down, Gray Wing spotted movement against the trunk of one of the trees. A small russet creature was swarming upward. A squirrel!he thought. Just like in the elders’ tales!
He launched himself toward it, but Quick Water was faster, flashing past him in a blur of gray and white. She clawed her way up the tree after the squirrel as it tried to escape along a branch. She grabbed it and killed it with a quick bite to the neck.
“This is great!” she exclaimed as she dropped her prey to the ground and jumped down triumphantly after it. “We haven’t left the mountains yet, and already there’s prey!”
All the cats crowded around and took a bite from the squirrel, except for Clear Sky, who turned away. “I’m not hungry,” he muttered.
Gray Wing forced himself to eat his share, but it tasted like dust in his mouth. He glanced after Clear Sky, wishing that he knew what words would ease his brother’s grief.
At the bottom of the valley a shallow river gurgled over stones. On its far side, a grassy path led to a wide stretch of flat land.
“We’ve really done it!” Rainswept Flower exclaimed. “We’re leaving the mountains!”
“Almost.” Shaded Moss touched his daughter’s shoulder with his nose. “First, we have to find a way to cross this river.”
The cats spread out, padding up and down the bank in search of a place where they could safely cross. Though the river was shallow near the banks, there was a deeper channel in the middle, and the current looked strong enough to carry a cat off its paws.
“Over here!” Hawk Swoop called out from farther upstream. “Look,” she continued as the rest of the group crowded together to see what she had found. “We might be able to cross by these rocks.”
Gray Wing saw that here the current was broken by rocks poking out of the water, though some of them were spaced very far apart, and one or two had water lapping over them.
“I’m not sure I like the look of that,” Jackdaw’s Cry muttered; Gray Wing could see that some of the others agreed with him.
“Well, I doubt we’ll find anything better,” Shaded Moss declared. “Well spotted, Hawk Swoop. I’ll go first.”
Gray Wing watched as their leader’s sturdy figure leaped from rock to rock, making the crossing seem easy. Clear Sky followed, so quickly and carelessly that Gray Wing wondered whether his brother was even thinking about staying safe.
At first Gray Wing hung back as some of the others crossed, but when Jagged Peak launched himself onto the first rock, he followed close behind, ready to help if the kit got into trouble. But Jagged Peak leaped across strongly, squealing in excitement. He reached the far bank with hardly a splash, and padded about importantly with his tail in the air.
Gray Wing turned to watch the final cats crossing. Quick Water was taking a long time, bracing herself for each leap and flinching if the least drop of water splashed up onto her fur. Halfway across, she halted on a flat rock. “I don’t like water lapping over my paws,” she complained.
“Then don’t stand there!” Moon Shadow yowled back unsympathetically.
Quick Water hissed back angrily, jumping for the next rock without sizing up the leap. Gray Wing winced as she landed badly, her paws scrabbling against the slick, wet stone. A heartbeat later she let out a terrified screech and fell into the water, thrashing frantically.
Remembering his previous struggle, Gray Wing looked around for a branch to help her out, but there was nothing in sight.
Before any other cat could react, Falling Feather leaped from the bank and paddled over to Quick Water. Gray Wing found it hard to breathe as he watched. There was no grace in her swimming, but she was confident and fast, catching up with Quick Water as she began sinking.
Holding her head high out of the water, Falling Feather grabbed Quick Water by the scruff of the neck. Even though Quick Water was much bigger than she was, Falling Feather managed to flounder toward the opposite bank, pushing the gray-and-white she-cat in front of her.
Gray Wing and Shaded Moss crouched on the bank as they approached, reaching down to haul Quick Water to safety. Falling Feather clambered out behind her, and shook water droplets from her fur.
“That was great!” Jagged Peak exclaimed, staring at Falling Feather with admiring blue eyes. “You were so brave.”
“I only did what any cat would have done,” Falling Feather mewed.
“Most cats don’t jump intorivers,” Hawk Swoop pointed out.
Quick Water was lying on the bank, shivering and coughing up water. “I’m so sorry!” she gasped. “I was stupid, and I put Falling Feather in danger.”
“Well, everything’s okay now.” Turtle Tail comforted Quick Water, bending to dry her fur with long, strong licks.
Gray Wing and Cloud Spots joined Turtle Tail to get Quick Water’s fur dry faster. Meanwhile Falling Feather gave her own pelt a couple of swipes with her tongue. “It’s dry, it’s fine,” she mewed when Dappled Pelt offered to help her. “Come on. We don’t want to stay here all day.”
By this time, sunlight was fading. Shadows gathered around the cats as they trudged along the path beside the river, growing more tired and chilled with every paw step.
“My fur is so cold,” Quick Water grumbled. “No cat should have to get that wet.”
Jagged Peak, padding alongside Gray Wing, let out a faint snort of amusement. “I think Quick Water should change her name to No Water!”
Eventually Shaded Moss halted beside a thicket of bushes and raised his tail to signal that they should stop. “We’ll spend the night here,” he announced. “Do any of you feel like hunting?”
“It’s too dark,” Hawk Swoop objected.
“But I can scent prey,” Moon Shadow meowed, licking his jaws in anticipation. “I’ll see what I can track.”
“Me too!” Jagged Peak added enthusiastically.
“It’s great that you want to try,” Dappled Pelt remarked. “But I seriously doubt you’ll catch anything.”
As the two hunters set off, the rest of the cats started to find spots for makeshift nests among the bushes. Gray Wing took a step toward his brother, hoping they might share a nest as they had in the cave, but Clear Sky turned away and curled up underneath a low branch. Gray Wing sighed and went to find his own spot. He was flattening a clump of longer grass when Shaded Moss padded up to him.
“You shouldn’t blame yourself for Bright Stream’s death,” the black-and-white tom began. “Every cat knew the dangers when they chose to come on the journey.”
“But it wasmy fault,” Gray Wing insisted bleakly. “She was trying to help me instead of taking care of herself.”
Shaded Moss fixed Gray Wing with a gaze full of sympathy and understanding. “You would have done exactly the same thing in her position. If she were still alive, she wouldn’t blame you.”
Gray Wing turned his head away, unable to meet that penetrating look. “If she were still alive, she wouldn’t needto blame me,” he rasped.
Shaded Moss said no more, and Gray Wing heard him padding away. He curled up in his grassy nest and closed his eyes. After a moment he felt another cat curling up beside him. Turtle Tail’s scent washed over him.
He was slipping into sleep when he heard bounding paw steps and Jagged Peak’s triumphant voice. “Look what we caught!”
Gray Wing scrambled to his paws along with Turtle Tail and the rest of the cats, who crowded around Jagged Peak and Moon Shadow. On the ground in front of them lay a small brown bird and a plump rat almost the size of a kit.
“Who said we couldn’t hunt at night?” Jagged Peak meowed.
After the days of near starvation in the mountains the prey seemed like a feast, and the cats’ spirits rose. Even Clear Sky ate a few mouthfuls.
“We should remember Stoneteller at times like these,” Shaded Moss announced when the prey had been eaten. “We should thank her for directing us out of the mountains to a place where there’s enough food, even in the cold season.”
I do thank you, Stoneteller, Gray Wing thought, raising his eyes to the stars. I just wish I could tell you that we’ve made it this far
Gray Wing awoke at dawn and scrambled to his paws. Around him the other cats were emerging from their nests in the thicket. The sun was just beginning to rise ahead of them, its golden beams pouring down to illuminate the valley. The narrow cleft where they had slept opened out into a soft green landscape that stretched flat and welcoming all the way to the distant blurry horizon.
“Wow!” Dappled Pelt whispered. “It’s the sun trail, just like Stoneteller said.”
A breeze was blowing toward them from the valley, carrying harsh, unfamiliar sounds. Gray Wing pricked his ears, trying to make sense of the distant buzzing, but it was like nothing he had ever heard before.
Turtle Tail came to stand beside him. “Why do I feel that our journey is only just starting to get difficult?” she asked
Gray Wing nodded. “I know what you mean.”
Clear Sky appeared, climbing the bank from the river and shaking water droplets from his whiskers. Gray Wing noticed that he was moving more resolutely, with new determination in his eyes as he strode up to Shaded Moss. “This is it,” Clear Sky meowed. “We leave the mountains today. For Bright Stream’s sake, I’ll help you find our new home.”
“Good.” Shaded Moss touched the younger cat on the shoulder with his tail.
Gray Wing squared his shoulders. If Clear Sky, after all he had lost, could focus on their journey, then he could, too. He still felt full from his share of the prey the night before, and he guessed that the others were, too; they were all ready to set out after a drink from the river.
Quick Water padded along briskly; she had found time to groom herself, and looked recovered from her fall into the river.
Gray Wing quickened his pace to walk alongside her. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine.” Quick Water gave her chest fur a couple of embarrassed licks. “But I still feel really stupid for falling off that rock.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Gray Wing purred. “At least we found out that Falling Feather doesn’t mind swimming. That could be useful at some point.”
As the cats continued, the mountains fell away on either side. The last vestiges of snow vanished from the landscape. Emerging from the mouth of the valley, every cat halted to stare in silent astonishment.
The river flowed away through flat stretches of green grass, dotted with huge spreading trees. The closest stretch of grass was enclosed by shiny mesh and lines of thick bushes growing close together. Inside were strange animals that looked like clouds, though they had hard black paws and black faces that bent to nibble the grass.
Warily the cats approached to peer through the bushes. The nearest animal turned to look at them and let out a weird bleating cry. Gray Wing jumped and flinched back a pace, then felt embarrassed until he realized that all his companions had done the same.
“I’m pretty sure those are sheep,” Shaded Moss meowed. “I remember the elders telling tales about them. They’re not dangerous.”
“Just huge.” Jackdaw’s Cry gulped.
Jagged Peak crept up to the line of bushes again. “I wonder what they taste like.”
Gray Wing gave him a gentle flick over the ear with his tail. “You will notstart hunting sheep!”
Turning away from the creatures, the cats padded on beside the river. Gray Wing was nervous about venturing into the vast open stretch of grass, and guessed that his companions felt the same.
“This is a bit scary,” Turtle Tail confessed, coming to walk at his side.
“I know,” Gray Wing agreed. “There’s nowhere to hide!” But I could run so fast here, he thought with a twinge of longing. I could stretch my legs farther than ever before.
Gazing across the landscape he spotted a flicker of movement: something small and brown hopping through the grass. Rabbit!Without pausing to think, Gray Wing took off, racing over the ground until the land and the sky vanished into a blur. The rabbit hurtled away from him, but he kept his gaze fixed on it.
Everything seemed to slow down. Gray Wing felt his muscles bunching and stretching under his fur, his paws pushing off from the soft grass, propelling him forward. Suddenly the rabbit was in front of him; he leaped on top of it, killing it with a swift bite.
Slightly dazed, Gray Wing stood up. On the far side of the grass, his companions were watching him, openmouthed. A bleat from one of the sheep startled him, making him realize how close the strange creatures were. Stumbling a little with the rabbit hanging from his jaws, he trotted back to the riverbank.
“That was .  .  . fast,” Cloud Spots mewed.
“Amazing!” Jagged Peak added.
Gray Wing wasn’t sure what had taken hold of him. He set the rabbit down and stepped back. “Come on, eat,” he invited with a wave of his tail.
Dappled Pelt shook her head. “Thanks, but I’m not hungry,” she murmured.
“Neither am I,” Tall Shadow agreed. “I mean .  .  . great catch, Gray Wing, but we all ate well last night.”
“Even so, we should all eat whenever we have the chance.” Shaded Moss crouched down beside the rabbit. “Who knows when we’ll find more prey?”
The rest of the cats watched him dig in, then moved forward to take their share. Gray Wing was the last to eat, and when he was full there was still some of the rabbit left. He took another mouthful, but it was hard to choke it down.
“I can’t manage any more,” he meowed, feeling shocked at the sight of leftover prey. “If no cat wants it, we’ll have to leave it.”
Shattered Ice looked just as shocked. “What kind of place is this,” he asked, “where there is too muchfood?”
第五章
第五章
灰翅朝洞口走去，但很快便停下了脚步，因为露叶和扭枝刚刚离开就又回来了。他俩的身上都落了一层雪，正停下来抖掉身上的雪花。
“外面有暴风雪。”扭枝对大家说，“风雪不停，我们没法狩猎。”
露叶悻悻地哼了哼鼻子：“我险些给大风刮下山去。”
寂雨走到灰翅身边，焦急万分地说：“这种天气，你不能出去。”
灰翅知道她此时有多么担心锯峰的安全，尤其是在这种风雪交加的天气里。“我可以试试——”灰翅道。
“不行！”寂雨打断他的话，“你是觉得我想看到自己的孩子都冻死吗？”
“她说得对。”尖石巫师走过来，用鼻子碰了碰寂雨的耳朵，“锯峰会找到地方躲避的，荫苔和其他的猫也能应付。你等暴雪停了之后再走，也不会被他们落下太远。”
时间流逝得异常缓慢，灰翅急得脚掌直痒痒。外面的天色阴沉沉的，鹅毛大雪漫天狂舞。暴雪停后，太阳映着一片暗红的霞光，已经沉到了群山的背面。烈雹和空树出去狩猎了，但灰翅知道自己现在去找锯峰为时已晚。
悲伤和焦虑的气氛笼罩着山洞，犹如空中郁积的厚厚低云。大家都在担心锯峰会不会出事。灰翅只能祈盼一切就像尖石巫师说的那样，他年幼的弟弟自己能找到避雪的地方。
在漫长的等待中，虽然母亲的眼里饱含痛苦，但她一直保持冷静，神态庄严。她蹲伏在洞口，灰翅向她那里走了过去。
“如果你失去了所有的孩子，这对你就太不公平了。”他在寂雨身边坐下，轻声说。
“我没有别的选择。”寂雨叹了口气，“我身边还有振翼鸟陪伴，她就住在那堆石头下面。”
灰翅挪了挪身子，和母亲靠在一起。透过瀑布的光线渐渐变暗，灰翅的心好像再也无法承受住这份悲伤。
这时，灰翅听到一阵脚步声，空树和烈雹回来了，他们的四肢和腹部的毛发上都沾满了雪花。空树叼着一只瘦不拉叽的小鸟。
“灰翅，你把它吃了。”空树把鸟往灰翅面前一放，“这样你才有力气去找锯峰。”
“我不能吃。”灰翅谢绝了，他看了一眼山洞深处的同胞们，“今天大家还都没吃东西。”
烈雹用脚掌把鸟推到灰翅跟前：“这可怜的小东西给一只猫吃都填不饱肚子，怎么够大伙儿分呢？”
“你需要它。”尖石巫师从洞里的背光处走了出来，赞同地说，“我们也不会羡慕你吃这么一点点东西的。”
“谢谢大家。”灰翅说。
他三口两口吞下小鸟后回到窝里。虽然灰翅知道自己需要养精蓄锐，但还是久久不能入睡。他蜷在那儿，听着瀑布隆隆的水花声，思忖着自己往后是不是就听不到这声响了。
黎明将近，灰翅陷入沉睡。一只猫从他身边走过，灰翅又醒了过来。他转头望去，只见尖石巫师走到洞口，在瀑布前端坐了下来，出神地望着雷鸣般的水帘。灰翅也走上前去。
他在尖石巫师身边坐下，尖石巫师看了灰翅一眼。“我不知道自己让这么多猫离开是不是对的。”她承认道，“但我实在无法眼睁睁地看着大家这样饥寒交迫地死去，而那时我见到的日光小径似乎能使我们从这样的痛苦中解脱……”
她的声音很平静，好像是在自言自语。灰翅不知该说什么才好。“我们谁也不知道将来会发生什么。”他最后说道，“我们只能相信自己的直觉。”
尖石巫师赞同地点点头：“灰翅，我们会想念你的。”
“其实我不想离开。”灰翅承认道，“但我知道自己现在必须去做一些事情。我保证会找到锯峰，我会带着他和其他猫会合，找到新的家园。”
光线开始渐渐从瀑布外透了进来，灰翅听见了部落猫起身走动的声响。他们一只接一只地走过来，围在了灰翅和尖石巫师的身边。
“记住，你每走一步都要倍加小心。”狮吼建议道，“刚下过雪，雪地里可能危机四伏。”
我已经不是幼崽了。灰翅心里嘀咕着，不过没说出声来。他知道老年猫们只是想让他路上平平安安的。
“我可不想只身上路。”石歌坦白道。他友好地推了推灰翅：“你真勇敢。”
空树在一旁点头说道：“我们会想你的。”
不过，灰翅并没觉得自己有多么勇敢。出发的时辰已到，他现在心里也七上八下的，但他没有别的办法：锯峰需要他。
在猫群里，灰翅看到了露叶，便问她：“你想一起走吗？这是你能和月影重逢的最后机会了。”
露叶有些犹豫，她看了看自己鼓鼓的腹部，摇了摇头回答道：“我的孩子属于大山。我相信这里会越来越好。不过，等你见到月影时，请告诉他我希望他在新的家园快乐地生活。”露叶的话里并没有挖苦的意味，看来她已经接受了现实。
“我会的。”灰翅答应道。
雾水挤到众猫前面，叮嘱他说：“别忘了我告诉你的路线。绕过那些大砾石，沿着山坡走过去。”
“我记住了。”灰翅恭恭敬敬地向雾水低下头，“如果没有你，我们不可能知道锯峰的下落。”
雾水满意地哼了一声。
最后走过来的是寂雨。她舔了一下灰翅的耳朵，轻声说道：“我来送你一程吧。”
灰翅和众猫作别，率先走出山洞，寂雨轻轻地跟在他后面。从山坡上看去，天空仍是灰蒙蒙的一片。云层中出现一个越来越大的亮点，太阳即将升起。寒风将松软的积雪吹了他们一脸。
灰翅和寂雨一起爬上通往洞顶石台的岩石，在锯峰离开时绕过的大砾石那里停下。“稍等。”灰翅轻声说，他爬上石台，来到埋葬振翼鸟的石子堆前。
“虽然我不知道你能不能看到我，也不知道你能不能听到我的声音。”灰翅低下头轻轻说，“但我保证永远都不会忘记你。”
几个心跳之后，他转过身，爬下岩石回到了母亲的身边。母子俩并排绕过砾石，走上岩架，他们正是在这里最后一次见过荫苔一行的身影。
灰翅原本担心刚下的雪会把气味踪迹遮掩住，但他发现四处的石缝中还残留着远行猫的气味，上面还有锯峰刚刚留下的气息。
“他确实是从这里走的。”寂雨说道，她的声音听起来振奋了一些。
他俩循着锯峰微弱的气味走过山坡。灰翅回首翘望，一阵战栗从耳尖传到尾尖。他依依不舍地看了瀑布最后一眼。刚才经过的地方他还算是熟悉的，以前狩猎的时候去过。可还没等晌午，他们就走在了以前从未踏足过的路上，每迈出一步都觉得十分陌生。
母子俩跟着气味走向一个山谷，灰翅听见了淙淙水声。他俩在岸边停下，只见湍急的水流沿着陡峭的山坡奔涌而下。河面上虽已结冰，但冰面薄如蛛网，底下暗流涌动。
“这冰只能承受一只猫的重量。”寂雨说，“我就送你到这儿吧。”
虽然她的声音很平静，但眼里却满含悲伤。灰翅深知，这种和最后一个孩子作别的感觉让她十分痛苦。灰翅依偎着母亲，他俩的尾巴缠绕在一起。灰翅张开嘴，大口嗅着她的气息。
“我会找到锯峰的。”他承诺道，“我不会让他和晴天忘记我们的家园。”
寂雨长长地叹了一口气，把灰翅轻轻推开，对他说道：“快走吧，过会儿太阳再升高些，冰就要化了。”
灰翅向寂雨作了最后的道别，他踏上冰面，方才深感不安起来：这脚掌下的冰是多么的脆弱啊。如果冰面破裂，下面的急流就会把他冲到山下的岩石上撞死。灰翅提心吊胆地慢慢踮着步子，既不敢中途停下，也不敢回头张望，只能目不转睛地盯着对面河岸上的岩石。
突然，灰翅脚掌下的冰吱地响了一声。这可是不祥之兆。
寂雨尖叫道：“快跑！”
灰翅猛地向前跳去，迅速冲向对岸。他听见身后的冰面破裂，落入河中，汹涌的水流腾起阵阵水雾，模糊了前方的视线。在冰面完全破碎的那一刹那，灰翅前脚掌落下，扒住了岸边的岩石。他感到后腿已被冰冷透骨的水流淹没，连忙没命地挣扎了一番，拖着身子爬到安全的地方。灰翅扭身透过水雾向寂雨所在的那头望去，无奈薄雾已然升起，茫茫一片，他什么都没看见。
“我没事！”他扯着嗓子拼命喊着。
灰翅在岸边跑来跑去，想尽办法要看清母亲，无奈水流太急，水雾太厚，加上岩石太滑，每时每刻他都有坠入湍流的危险。
“再见！”灰翅又大喊一声，希望寂雨能听见他的声音。说不定他母亲还以为他刚刚已命丧此河，他不敢再多想了。“我不会忘记你，也不会忘记大山！”
灰翅离开河边，试着分析接下来应该走哪条路。太阳像一个苍白的圆盘挂在云层后面，几乎不能为他指引方向。他暗忖：看来我只能祈祷锯峰走的就是这条路了。
太阳升了起来，灰翅觉得需要休息休息，他的脚掌酸痛不止。“我这辈子都没走过这么长的路。”他一边寻找避身处，一边咕哝着，心里寻思：也许这正是问题所在吧，我们总是在离家不远的地方狩猎。如果我们扩大搜寻猎物的范围，说不定能收获更多。不过我在这里倒没见到什么猎物……
风越刮越猛，冰冷彻骨。蓬松的积雪被风旋起，霎时又洋洋洒洒地落了一地。让灰翅庆幸的是，他在一块裂开的岩石下找到了遮蔽处，便匆匆钻了进去。他累得瘫倒在地。这时，一股浓郁熟悉的气息向他涌了过来。
其他的猫也来过这里！
不过他却没有嗅到锯峰的气味。锯峰刚留下的气味应该更浓烈啊，可我怎么闻不到他的气息呢？
灰翅的思绪回到了那条结冰的河上。锯峰没有从冰面上过河的经验，可能他太害怕了，根本没从这里过河。
灰翅琢磨着锯峰是不是进了山谷去找更安全的路了。
此时，他在心中毅然下定要找到弟弟的决心。灰翅强迫自己又走进寒风中。天没有再下雪，只有呼啸的狂风卷起片片碎雪扑面而来。
风中，灰翅的毛发根根平贴在身侧，他眨眨眼睛，先俯视山谷，又看了看其他猫走的路。灰翅明白他们很可能就在附近……
可是我得先把锯峰找到，才能再去找他们。
灰翅以最快的速度跃下山坡，他从一块砾石跳到另一块砾石。匆忙之间，他落脚时没有站稳，不慎从大石头上摔了下来，把脚掌上的皮擦破了一块。灰翅发出痛苦的嘶叫。他的腿钻心地疼，但这样一瘸一拐走了几步后，他就冻得麻木了。
走进山谷，风势终于缓了下来，灰翅松了口气。他眼前开阔起来，只见条条小溪纵横流淌，块块砾石散落其间。雪地上还挺立着几棵矮树和一丛丛灌木。灰翅肚子饿了，便一边嗅着锯峰的踪迹，一边开始搜寻起猎物来。可惜他除了在一簇灌木丛下发现了一只死去的老雪兔，一无所获。
灰翅凑上前闻了一下，不禁皱起了鼻子。真恶心！猫吃的是新鲜的猎物，不会像秃鹫那样以腐尸为食。但此时灰翅的肚子已饿得咕咕作响，他只好硬着头皮啃了几口冻肉。
那冻兔子肉吃得灰翅胃里冰凉，极不舒服。他实在咽不下去了，便开始细细观察起山谷来。他扭头朝来时的方向望了望，只见河水正沿着山坡奔流而下。他揣测现在锯峰是不是已经落在他后头了。光是河边的这些大石头，就够他弟弟走上好一阵子呢。
灰翅朝着山谷上方走去，不过在这么多大砾石间穿来穿去，着实拖慢了他的脚步。灰翅一边拖着跛脚郁郁寡欢地走着，一边环视四周。他找到那块最大的石头，费力地爬了上去。
他站在石头上，山谷两边的情形尽收眼底，从这儿到河边都没有看到锯峰的踪迹。但他弟弟身材瘦小，也有可能躲进砾石缝里了。
灰翅向山谷另一头远行猫可能走过的方向看去，那儿也是空旷一片，只是上方有什么东西一闪而过。原来，一只老鹰从悬崖上俯冲而下。灰翅的目光紧紧地循着老鹰，搜索着猎物的藏身之处。他心想：如果老鹰没得逞，过会儿我就去把它抓住。
霎时间，老鹰骤然下扑，可它尖号一声后又飞了上来，两爪空无一物。在那声鹰唳之下，灰翅好像听见了微弱的哭号声。
灰翅的心一下子提到了嗓子眼：是锯峰吗？
灰翅猛地跳下砾石，不顾脚掌上伤口的剧痛，向老鹰冲了过去。老鹰发动了另一轮攻击。灰翅跑近一看，只见那鹰的面部和腿部羽毛柔软，原来是只幼鹰。
很好！看来这鹰不难对付。
灰翅不顾一切地在石头堆里爬行，那里传出猫的惊叫，声音越来越清楚了。
“别抓我！救命啊！”
“我来了！”灰翅高声回应着，“坚持住！”
幼鹰飞落到一块岩石上，它伸出一只鹰爪，想要把锯峰从狭窄的石缝中抓出来。灰翅隐隐约约看到了弟弟的耳朵尖，知道他被鹰困在那道窄缝里了。
我得把鹰引开，让锯峰逃脱。
灰翅向前一跳，在幼鹰面前蹲伏下来，龇出牙齿。幼鹰笨拙地扑棱着翅膀，豆大的黄色眼睛直直地盯着灰翅。突然，它长啸着扑了上来。灰翅想要避闪，但受脚伤拖累，步履有些蹒跚。一刹那，他惶恐地感到幼鹰的利爪已经深深陷进他脖颈上松软的毛发。灰翅奋力还击，挣脱鹰爪，跌在了几块岩石间。可还没等他站起来，幼鹰拍打着强有力的双翅，又一次把他抓住了。
“灰翅！我来了！”
灰翅听到弟弟尖吼一声，看见锯峰从裂缝中爬出，勇敢地向幼鹰冲了过来。
幼鹰疯狂地扑打着翅膀，恨不得把这两只猫都拖到空中。灰翅感到身体已经离开了地面，脖颈处的剧痛迅速传遍周身，红雾模糊了他的双眼。他挣扎着想保持清醒。随后他感到幼鹰腾出一只爪子，想要把锯峰也抓住。
灰翅顿时暗喜：哈！你这好吃的家伙，你可犯了大错啦！
他旋即扭动身体，用后腿对准幼鹰的腹部一阵狂蹬。幼鹰尖号一声，松开爪子，灰翅跌落地面，骨头咯噔一声重重磕在了岩石上。
灰翅仰头望去，只见锯峰的前爪还挂在幼鹰的翅膀上，连忙大喊：“锯峰！快放开！”
锯峰向地上瞄了一眼，他放开爪子，摔落到岩石上。幼鹰又怒啸着朝他们冲来，就在这一刹那，灰翅把锯峰猛地推到两块岩石间的缝隙中。兄弟俩在狭小的石缝中缩成一团，那鹰盘旋在他们上空，发出尖厉的号鸣。
锯峰此时疼痛难忍，惊恐万分，就像幼崽那样弱小无助，瑟瑟发抖。灰翅用身体把锯峰紧紧裹住，慢慢地舔梳着他，安慰着他。
“没事了。”他喃喃地说道，“你现在安全了。我可终于把你找到了。”
Chapter 6
At last the screeching died awayand Gray Wing dared to stick his head out of the crack. The sky was clear; the eagle was nowhere to be seen. “Okay, we can leave,” he mewed to Jagged Peak.
Jagged Peak looked up at him with worried eyes. “What if the eagle’s waiting for us?”
“It’s not. It’s gone.”
Gray Wing squeezed into the open and after a moment’s hesitation Jagged Peak followed. He stood quietly, still shaking a little, while his brother checked him over, nosing carefully down one side and then the other.
“You have a few scratches,” Gray Wing announced at last, with a quiver of relief that it was no worse. “But you’ll be fine.” Anger surged up to replace his anxiety. “What were you thinking, leaving the cave like that, you little fuzz-brain?”
Recovering rapidly from his fear, Jagged Peak faced him defiantly. “I wanted to go with the others! Quiet Rain had no right to stop me!”
“She’s your mother,” Gray Wing meowed. “She knows what’s best for you.”
His eyes narrowing, Jagged Peak retreated a pace. “You haven’t come to take me back, have you?” he asked. “Because I’m not going. I’ll fight you if I have to!”
Gray Wing had to suppress an amused mrrowat the sight of his little brother, tail lashing and claws out. “Calm down,” he sighed. “I won’t make you go home. We’re going to find the others.”
Jagged Peak’s eyes widened in surprise. “But you wanted to stay!” he objected.
“You need me more than they do.”
Jagged Peak’s shoulder fur fluffed up with renewed indignation. “I’m fine on my own!” he declared.
“You nearly got carried off by an eagle,” Gray Wing pointed out.
Jagged Peak waved his tail dismissively. “Well, I found the way down into the valley without falling.”
Gray Wing realized that there was no point in arguing. “We still have a long way to go before we’re clear of the mountains,” he continued. “Things could get even more dangerous.”
“We’ll be okay,” Jagged Peak asserted. “We have each other now! And did you see how I fought off that eagle? You’d have been chickfeed if it wasn’t for me!”
The little cat set off again, bounding over the boulders. Gray Wing followed more slowly; the pain from his neck and torn paw pad stabbing him like sharp thorns. The sun had vanished behind the mountains, and dusk was gathering around them.
“We need to look for somewhere to shelter!” he called to Jagged Peak.
His brother halted and turned to look back at him. “I want to keep going,” he mewed obstinately. “The others will be so far ahead by now!”
“It’s too dangerous to travel in the dark,” Gray Wing insisted. “There are still places to fall, even though we’re in the bottom of the valley. Tomorrow we’ll follow the ledge up there,” he added, pointing with his ears.
Jagged Peak looked as if he was about to argue, then gave in and dipped his head. Gray Wing led the way to a sheltered spot in a hollow between the roots of a scrubby tree. As he was scraping out some of the gritty earth to make the den bigger, he heard Jagged Peak’s belly growl.
“Are you hungry? Do you want to hunt?” he asked.
Jagged Peak shook his head. “I’ll be fine until morning,” he mewed bravely.
Gray Wing had given up expecting Jagged Peak to apologize for running away, but as they settled down in the hollow the young cat nestled into his fur. “I’m glad you’re here,” Jagged Peak murmured drowsily.
I guess that’s good enough, Gray Wing thought.
Gray Wing woke to a cold, gray morning. Through the branches above his head he could see the sky was heavy with clouds, threatening more snow. Jagged Peak was curled into a tight ball with his tail wrapped over his nose, deeply asleep. The journey must be even more exhausting for such a small cat. Listening to his brother’s snuffling breath, Gray Wing had to admit how brave Jagged Peak had been to leave the cave on his own, and to attack the eagle.
If he’s this determined to find our new home, then I’ll make sure he gets there
Soon Jagged Peak stirred and lifted his head, blinking sleepily. “Where’s Mother?” he asked with a yawn. “Has she gone out hunting?”
“You’re not in the cave anymore,” Gray Wing reminded him. “You stay here and wake up properly, while I go and see if I can find some prey.”
Clambering out of the hollow he padded up the valley. Soon he spotted a mouse scuffling around in the debris under a thornbush. At last, somegood luck, he thought, springing to kill it.
When he returned to their makeshift sleeping hollow, he found Jagged Peak sitting on a tree root, grooming himself. The little cat’s eyes brightened as he saw the limp body dangling from his brother’s jaws.
“You got something!” he exclaimed.
“Yes, and it’s all for you,” Gray Wing meowed, ignoring his own grumbling belly as he dropped the prey in front of his brother. “You need to keep your strength up.”
Jagged Peak didn’t need to be told twice. “Thanks!” he mumbled, gulping the prey down in famished bites. His blue eyes sparkled as he swallowed the last mouthful and swiped his tongue around his jaws. “Today’s going to be great!” he exclaimed. “The others will be so surprised when we catch them!”
Gray Wing murmured agreement as he studied their surroundings, looking for the best route up to the rocky shelf. The clouds seemed thicker than ever, and the air smelled of snow. We need to get up as high as we can, and quickly, he thought. It’s going to snow again, and we might get stuck in drifts
There was no obvious track. Gray Wing decided it was best to make straight for the ledge. “This way,” he meowed, waving his tail for Jagged Peak to follow him.
Once they set out, he found the ground wasn’t as clear as he had hoped. They had to climb over boulders, and once they came to a wide stream chattering over stones. The edges were frozen, but there was a clear channel in the middle. Gray Wing leaped over it, and turned to face Jagged Peak.
“Jump as far as you can,” he advised. “I’m here, ready to grab you.”
With a determined expression on his face, Jagged Peak backed away several paw steps, then bounded up to the bank of the stream and launched himself, letting out a squeal as he soared upward with his paws splayed out. He landed on the ice at the far side; Gray Wing heard it start to crack, and grabbed Jagged Peak by the scruff just before he fell into the swiftly running water.
“Thanks!” Jagged Peak gasped as he straightened up. “Hey,” he added, “that was a good leap, wasn’t it?”
“It was fantastic,” Gray Wing assured him.
A little farther on, the ground began to rise steeply. Eventually they came to a halt in front of a sheer wall of rock that stretched as far as they could see in both directions.
Jagged Peak gazed upward in dismay. “Now what do we do?”
Gray Wing studied the rock face carefully, realizing that it wasn’t as sheer as he had first thought. There were ledges, even if they were only as wide as a claw-scratch, and crevices where clumps of grass had rooted themselves.
“I think we can climb it,” he mewed.
Jagged Peak’s eyes widened. “Are you fuzz-brained? I’m not climbing that!”
Gray Wing shrugged. “Okay, we go home.”
Jagged Peak hesitated for a moment; then, without another word, leaped onto the rock face, and started clawing his way upward. Gray Wing watched, ready to break his fall. Grit and scraps of grass showered down on Gray Wing’s head, but at last Jagged Peak reached the top.
Gray Wing began to climb, digging his claws into the cracks and scrabbling strongly with his hind paws. He winced as sharp pain stabbed up his leg from his injured paw. There was one heart-stopping moment when he slipped, but he forced himself upward with all the strength in his legs until he stood beside Jagged Peak on the slope above the cliff.
From here, Gray Wing could see a clear track zigzagging in the direction of the ledge they were making for. “Come on,” he meowed as he headed off, setting a brisk pace.
He assumed that Jagged Peak was following him until he heard a plaintive, “Hey, Gray Wing!” from some way behind. He looked back to see his brother plodding to catch up.
“We haven’t got all day for you to dawdle,” he commented.
“I’m notdawdling!” Jagged Peak protested indignantly. “My legs are shorter than yours.”
Gray Wing realized that his brother was right: Not only did Jagged Peak have shorter legs, but his muscles were soft from living in the cave all his life. “Okay, I’ll slow down,” he sighed, picturing the other cats drawing farther and farther ahead.
Trying to match his brother’s pace, Gray Wing felt impatience rising inside him. When they reached a large rock blocking the track, he grabbed Jagged Peak unceremoniously by the scruff and hauled him over the obstacle.
Jagged Peak twitched his whiskers as Gray Wing set him down. “I couldhave gotten over that by myself!”
We wouldn’t have to do this at all if it wasn’t for you!Gray Wing bit back the words he wanted to say.
Jagged Peak stalked up the track, his tail high in the air. As he followed, Gray Wing noticed that the first flakes of snow were beginning to fall. He quickened his pace until he was padding beside Jagged Peak again.
“We must find shelter,” he meowed. “Let’s try that boulder up there.”
The place he pointed out was only a few tail-lengths away, but by the time he and Jagged Peak reached it the snow was already falling heavily, and the wind was blustering around the rocks, making Gray Wing afraid that his lighter brother would be blown off his paws.
He shoved Jagged Peak into the narrow gap between the boulder and the mountainside, and scrambled in after him tail-first. Gazing out of the cleft, he saw that everything had been blotted out by a screen of driving snow.
“We’re never going to find the others,” Jagged Peak muttered fearfully, peering out over his brother’s shoulder. “We might even freeze to death!”
“We won’t,” Gray Wing assured him, his irritation vanishing. “And the others won’t get too far ahead in this weather.”
He hoped he was right.
Jagged Peak curled up and closed his eyes; shortly afterward, his light snores told Gray Wing that he was asleep. Gray Wing finally dozed off, dreaming he was pursuing the other cats over endless mountain peaks, sometimes picking up a scent-trace but never managing to catch them. He jerked awake when Jagged Peak prodded him in the side.
“Look!” his brother exclaimed. “The snow has stopped!”
Gray Wing blinked in the dazzling light. The sky had cleared and the sun shone down on the fresh, untouched expanse of white. His eyes widened in dismay as he realized that the blizzard had completely transformed the landscape. The track they had been following was covered, and so was the ledge they had been headed for.
While he was still trying to work out their route, Jagged Peak pushed past him and bounded enthusiastically into the snow. The surface gave way beneath him and he was floundering in a drift, letting out squeaks of alarm.
Gray Wing approached him cautiously, managing to find firm ground under the white covering, and stretched out his neck to grab Jagged Peak by the scruff.
“Next time, don’t go dashing off,” he warned, as he set his brother down beside him. The kit shook himself vigorously so that melting snow spattered over Gray Wing, who shivered. “Listen, Jagged Peak, you need to watch where you’re putting your paws. If you look carefully, you can see the shapes of rocks under the snow—that’s how you’ll know it’s safe to walk there. And if you can’t seeany rocks, then test the snow as deep as you can with one paw before you put your weight on it.”
“I understand,” Jagged Peak meowed.
The next stage of their climb was slow and exhausting. Gray Wing thought he could remember where the ledge should be, and led the way toward it, testing each paw step and struggling to find a safe route around boulders that lay in their way.
Eventually the boulders thinned out and a flat stretch of snow lay in front of the two cats. He tested the first few paw steps and discovered hard earth a little way down. At last, Gray Wing thought, somewhere easy to run across!
He launched himself onto the white expanse, relishing the chance to stretch his muscles and the feeling of the wind rushing through his pelt. “Come on, keep up!” he called behind to Jagged Peak.
Without warning the snowy surface gave way beneath Gray Wing’s paws. He let out a screech as he plunged into icy water. Paddling furiously, managing to keep his head clear, he tried to climb out, but the snow around him was deep and slushy, and broke away when he tried to put his weight on it.
Gray Wing had fallen into a stream, which was carrying him slowly down the mountainside. Fighting to stay afloat, he looked around for Jagged Peak. The little cat was running along the bank, his eyes wide with panic.
“What can I do?” he wailed.
Gray Wing looked around, trying to stay calm as his legs weakened. Bitter claws of cold gripped him. A little farther down the mountain he spotted a branch sticking out of the snow, and guessed it had been carried there when the stream was in flood.
“See that branch?” he called. “Push one end of it toward me.”
Jagged Peak bounded ahead and began struggling to drag the branch out of the snow. Gray Wing waited as he was carried down toward it. He was so cold now that he couldn’t feel his legs, and his soaked pelt dragged at him.
If this doesn’t work, I’m buzzardfood.
“That’s right,” he meowed as Jagged Peak freed the branch. “Now push it across the stream. Keep it anchored, though.”
Slowly Jagged Peak dragged the branch until it stuck out across the stream. He crouched down on the other end, using all his weight to hold it still, his claws dug firmly into it.
Gray Wing felt a stab of terror as the current surge carried him to the branch, and almost dragged him past it. Forcing his aching limbs to move, he stretched to grab the end with his teeth.
Jagged Peak backed away from the edge of the stream, tugging determinedly at the branch. In the midst of his fear Gray Wing felt a flash of admiration for his brother’s sturdy strength and courage. The little cat went on struggling, pulling Gray Wing out of the slush; Gray Wing paddled desperately with his legs until he felt firm ground underneath him.
Once he was sure he was safe, Gray Wing collapsed, drenched and freezing. For a moment he couldn’t move. Then through a fog of fatigue he realized that Jagged Peak was licking him with strong tongue-strokes, just as Quiet Rain had done when they were kits. He felt his brother stretching to curl himself around his body. With a long sigh Gray Wing relaxed, feeling Jagged Peak’s rough, comforting tongue until his fur dried and warmth crept through his body.
At last Gray Wing felt revived enough to sit up.
“I thought you were going to die,” Jagged Peak mewed, his eyes wide and scared.
“I’m fine,” Gray Wing responded. “Thanks to you.”
Embarrassment crawled through his pelt at the thought that he had to be rescued. I can’t believe I ran across that open space, after all I said to Jagged Peak!
Not wanting to go near the snowbound stream again, Gray Wing headed directly upward, testing the snow cautiously with every paw step to make sure that they stayed on the bank.
“Look!”
Jagged Peak’s scared voice came from just behind. Turning, Gray Wing saw that another eagle was hovering lazily overhead. And there was nowhere to hide. The snow-covered slope was smooth, without even a boulder poking above its surface.
Gray Wing glanced upward again. The eagle didn’t seem to have spotted them yet, but it wouldn’t be long before its piercing gaze picked them out.
“I know!” he gasped, shivering with relief as an idea came to him. “We’ll dig scoops in the snow and bury ourselves.”
The eagle had flown higher up the mountain, skimming the surface as it cast about for prey with its beady gaze. Knowing they only had heartbeats to hide themselves, Gray Wing dug furiously at the snow and shoved Jagged Peak inside.
“I’ll suffocate!” Jagged Peak protested as Gray Wing scooped snow on top of him.
“You won’t. Now shut up and keep still.”
With no time to dig another hole for himself, Gray Wing crouched down and burrowed into the drift until he felt as if he was fully covered. Claws of cold pierced his pelt; he had to clench his teeth to stop them from chattering in case the eagle heard. His ears were muffled with snow, but he could see the shadow of the bird swoop over them.
Nothing for you here, he thought, holding his breath. Just keep going.  .  .  .
The shadow slid away over the white surface until Gray Wing couldn’t see it anymore. He waited for as long as he could bear before bursting out of his hole. His bones felt like sticks of ice as he scanned the sky, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw it was clear.
Still checking for movement above his head, Gray Wing turned to where he had buried his brother and began scraping snow away.
Jagged Peak scrambled out, shaking clots of snow from his pelt. “Is it gone?”
“For now. Come on—we should run to warm ourselves, and find a better place in case the eagle comes back.”
On numb, stumbling legs the two cats staggered up the slope. At first, all Gray Wing could think about was finding somewhere to hide, and when at last he paused to look around, he realized that they had climbed much higher than the ledge they had been headed toward. The jagged rocks of the ridge were only a few tail-lengths away.
“I’m sorry,” he panted to Jagged Peak. “We’ve come too far.”
Jagged Peak looked up at the ridge, his eyes bright with excitement. “We might as well keep going to the top,” he mewed. “I’ve never been so high!”
Gray Wing let out a faint purr, understanding the little cat’s excitement. “Okay, let’s do it,” he agreed.
Wind buffeting their fur, the two cats hauled themselves up sheer rock and onto a tiny pinnacle, with barely enough space for them to stand side by side.
“Wow!” Jagged Peak breathed out. He gazed round-eyed at summit after summit rolling away on all sides. “I never knew there were so many mountains! I didn’t know the worldwas as big as this!” Stretching up, he added, “Can we see the waterfall from here?”
“No,” Gray Wing replied. “We’ve come too far. I think it must be hidden behind that crag over there.” He pointed with one paw.
Turning in the other direction, toward the sunrise, Gray Wing felt a tingle of excitement in his fur. Somewhere out there is our new home, just like Stoneteller promised. And we’re going to find it!
Jagged Peak let out a sudden squeal, startling Gray Wing so much that he almost lost his balance on the pinnacle. “What?” he demanded. “Another eagle?”
“No! I can see the others!”
Gray Wing squinted at where Jagged Peak was pointing, and made out a line of tiny shapes on the side of the valley, a long way ahead.
“Come on!” Jagged Peak was bouncing up and down precariously. “Let’s go!”
“Calm down, before you fall,” Gray Wing told him. “We have to plan our route carefully. It’s too windy and exposed up here, so we’ll need to head down, but forward as well, so we can catch up to them.”
Side by side the two cats studied the terrain. To Gray Wing’s relief there was more cover in the direction they needed to go.
“Why not head for that fallen tree?” Jagged Peak suggested, pointing with his tail at a tangle of dead branches poking up out of the snow.
“Okay,” Gray Wing agreed, impressed that the young cat had such a good idea of the best route, with cover from dangerous birds. “But let me take the lead.”
“Just as long as you don’t fall in any hidden streams,” Jagged Peak meowed, his eyes sparkling.
This time they made better progress, hopping over boulders and treading carefully where the snow concealed slopes of loose scree.
Before they had gone very far, Jagged Peak halted. “I smell prey!” he announced.
Gray Wing glanced at him in surprise, sure at first that his brother must be wrong. He couldn’t see anything but, after a moment, he picked up a very faint scent trail. “Wow, you’re good at this,” he told Jagged Peak. “You’d better track it.”
He admired how his brother instinctively dropped into the correct crouch, and his light steps as he followed the scent trail. Gray Wing watched as the younger cat crept closer to a small pile of stones. A small mountain shrew shot out of the heap; Jagged Peak pounced, piercing it with his sharp claws.
“I got it!” he exclaimed in astonishment, as if he couldn’t believe his success. He bent down to take one bite and then pushed the rest of it over to Gray Wing.
“You caught it,” Gray Wing protested. “You should eat it.”
Jagged Peak shook his head firmly. “We share,” he mewed. “That’s the properway to behave.”
Gray Wing dug in, then swiped his tongue around his jaws to catch the last juices. “Thanks,” he purred. “I feel so much better now.”
The next stretch of their journey meant slithering down a tricky stretch of boulders, where small stones skidded from beneath their paws. Gray Wing was thankful to come to a halt on a narrow ledge that led in the direction they wanted to go.
Then as he drew in a breath he realized that a familiar scent was bathing his muzzle. Jagged Peak picked it up at the same moment. “This is the path the others took!” he exclaimed, sounding as thrilled as if they had caught up with their friends already.
“Don’t get too excited,” Gray Wing warned, though his own paws were tingling. “There’s still a good way to go.”
The sun was behind them, casting long shadows ahead as it sank behind the mountaintops.
“We need to stop and find shelter for the night,” Gray Wing meowed.
“No,” Jagged Peak objected. “I want to keep going. We might not be able to see, but I can follow the scent trail!” He closed his eyes tightly and padded along the ledge with his nose to the surface of the snow. Gray Wing darted to one side, ready to catch him in case he came too close to the edge, but the kit walked confidently, his tail held high.
“See?” Jagged Peak mewed at last, halting and opening his eyes again.
Gray Wing gave in to his desire to find the other cats. “Okay. But we have to stop if it starts feeling too risky.”
Jagged Peak nodded eagerly, then set off in the lead.
The night was cloudy, and although the moon was still close to full it only shone fitfully. There were times when Gray Wing couldn’t see his own whiskers. Jagged Peak headed along the ledge, slowly and carefully, seeming certain of where the scent trail was leading him. Gray Wing followed a paw step behind, until suddenly he bumped into his brother. “What’s the matter?” he asked.
“I’m not sure,” Jagged Peak responded.
In the dim light Gray Wing could just make out that Jagged Peak was casting around as if he had lost the scent. At last he straightened up. “The trail veers off here,” he announced.
Gray Wing paused before replying, wondering if this was the point when they should stop and wait for daylight. But he knew Jagged Peak would argue. “Let’s follow it, then,” he mewed at last. “But be very careful.”
Jagged Peak led the way a short distance up the mountain, then began doubling back toward the ledge.
“What’s going on?” Gray Wing asked, with a hiss of annoyance as he set his injured paw down on a sharp stone. “Why not just go straight along the ledge? It would be a lot easier.”
“I don’t know,” said Jagged Peak as the stones gave way beneath his paws. He slid down, ending up on the ledge again. “But this is the way the other cats went.”
Gray Wing could detect the scents too, although not with Jagged Peak’s precision. Reaching his brother’s side, he looked back, puzzled. At that moment a ray of moonlight pierced the cloud cover, revealing a yawning gap behind them where the path had completely slipped away.
“Look at that!” he exclaimed, feeling his legs shake at the thought of what might have happened. “If it wasn’t for your tracking skills, we would have fallen!”
Jagged Peak’s eyes shone with pride, and he headed along the trail even more confidently.
Soon the young cat’s paw steps began to falter. Gray Wing’s own legs ached, and his sore pad was troubling him again. Jagged Peak must have been exhausted.
“We’ve done enough,” Gray Wing meowed. “We need to rest now. I’m sure we’ll catch up with the others tomorrow.”
Jagged Peak opened his jaws to argue, then sighed. “I ampretty tired,” he confessed.
Together the two cats curled up at the side of the path beneath an overhanging rock. Jagged Peak fell asleep almost at once, his whiskers twitching as if he was still following the scent trail in his dreams.
Gray Wing dreamed that he was back in the cave, with sheltering walls around him and the roof lost in shadows. The murmuring voices of other cats were all around him.
“It’s time we were moving off again,” Shaded Moss meowed.
“First, we should hunt,” Clear Sky objected. “My belly thinks my throat’s clawed out.”
“Whatever, just wake up Moon Shadow first,” Turtle Tail added.
More voices joined the debate. Gray Wing wondered vaguely why all the cats he could hear were the ones who had left the cave to follow the sun trail.
He opened his eyes to see the sun beginning to rise above the mountaintops, with wisps of cloud scattered across a pale blue sky. His jaws parted in a huge yawn and he stretched his stiff limbs, daunted by the thought of another day plodding through the snow.
Then he realized that he could still hear the voices from his dream. The mewing of several cats reached his ears—and then Clear Sky’s voice, raised clearly: “Well, Shaded Moss, we’re seeing the sun at last. It should be easier traveling today.”
“Jagged Peak! Jagged Peak!” Gray Wing leaped to his paws, weariness forgotten, and prodded his little brother in the ribs. “The others are here!”
Jagged Peak stared at him for a moment, his blue eyes still confused by sleep, then bounced up to stand beside him. “What are we waiting for?”
With Gray Wing in the lead they raced along the ledge and around a corner, their paws skidding on the hard snow.
“I’ve found their scent!” Jagged Peak announced excitedly.
At the same moment Gray Wing spotted the traveling cats a short way down the slope, milling around a hollow tree trunk. The first rays of the sun were just reaching them. More cats were emerging from inside the trunk, arching their backs for a good long stretch.
Then Bright Stream looked up and let out a yowl. “Look! It’s Gray Wing and Jagged Peak!”
The rest of the cats followed her gaze, then bounded toward the newcomers.
“Gray Wing!” Turtle Tail was one of the first to reach them. “It’s really you!”
“I can’t believe this!” Clear Sky exclaimed, joy in his eyes, as all the cats crowded around the two newcomers. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
“You did well coming all this way by yourselves,” Tall Shadow added.
“But what are you doing here?” Shaded Moss asked.
The first astonished mews of welcome died away and Gray Wing saw some of the cats exchange flickering glances of anxiety.
“Is all well in the cave?” Bright Stream asked.
“Is Quiet Rain okay?” Clear Sky added.
“Every cat is fine,” Gray Wing reassured them.
Jagged Peak stepped forward, puffing his chest out proudly. “I came to find you!” he announced. “I voted to leave, remember? Then Gray Wing came after me.”
“Oh, so you just set off on your own?” Clear Sky meowed, giving his little brother a friendly shove. “Why am I not surprised? You took a huge risk, and you’re very lucky that Gray Wing found you.”
“I know,” Jagged Peak admitted with a glance of gratitude. Then he let out a gleeful mrrowand added, “I had to rescue him, too!”
“That’s true,” Gray Wing mewed. He turned to Clear Sky. “And how are all of you?”
“We’re fine,” his brother replied. “The blizzard slowed us down, but we’re pretty sure we’re heading in the right direction.”
“We climbed right up to the top,” Gray Wing reported, gesturing with his tail. “From up there, we could see land beyond the mountains. It’s still a long way off, but you’ll see it once you’ve crossed this next ridge.”
“That’s great!” Clear Sky exclaimed, his eyes gleaming.
“We need to get moving as soon as we can,” Shaded Moss meowed, glancing around and gathering the rest of the cats around him with a wave of his tail.
“Just as soon as we’ve eaten,” Moon Shadow put in.
As he spoke, Gray Wing spotted Quick Water and Jackdaw’s Cry toiling up the slope, dragging a snow hare between them.
“Great catch.” Shaded Moss praised them as they reached the group and let their prey drop, blinking in surprise when they spotted Gray Wing and Jagged Peak.
All the cats gathered around to share the prey. Turtle Tail sat beside Gray Wing, pressing herself close to him. “I’m so glad you changed your mind,” she murmured.
Gray Wing looked around at the other cats, sensing their excitement. “I’m glad too,” he mewed.
第六章
第六章
等鹰唳声渐渐消失，灰翅这才从石缝里探出头来。空中已不见幼鹰的踪影。“好了，我们可以走了。”他对锯峰说。
锯峰焦虑地看着他：“它会不会一等我们出来就飞过来抓我们啊？”
“不会的。它已经飞走了。”
说着，灰翅从石缝中挤了出来。锯峰犹豫片刻，也跟着哥哥钻出了石缝。出来后，他一声不吭地站在那里，身子还在微微发颤。为了检查锯峰有没有受伤，灰翅把他上上下下嗅了一番。
“你身上有几处擦伤，但很快就会没事的。”他告诉锯峰。看到弟弟伤势不重，灰翅不禁松了一口气，但又随即怒容满面：“你这绒毛脑子到底是怎么想的？你就那样不声不响地离家出走了？”
锯峰怯意全消，不服气地说道：“我想和其他猫一起走！寂雨没权阻止我！”
“她是你妈妈。”灰翅说，“她知道什么对你最好。”
锯峰眯缝起眼睛，向后退了一步，问：“你不会是来带我回去的吧？我是不会和你走的。如果你逼我，别怪我对你不客气！”
说罢，锯峰抽动尾巴，张开爪子，摆好了架势。看着弟弟那副模样，灰翅强忍住笑意，叹道：“别激动，我不会把你拖回家的啦。我们一起去找其他猫吧。”
锯峰惊讶得双眼圆睁，有些不相信地问道：“可是你不是想留在山里吗？”
“你比他们更需要我。”
听到这话，锯峰又蓬起肩部的毛发，愤愤地说：“我自己好得很！”
“可你差点儿被鹰抓走。”灰翅指出。
锯峰抽动着尾巴，一脸不屑地说：“哟，我这一路走到谷里，可是一个跟头都没摔哦。”
灰翅意识到这样无休止地争下去是没有意义的。“我们还要走很远才能出山。”他接着说，“前面可能更加危险。”
“不会有事的。”锯峰十分肯定地说，“我们现在是一起上路了。你刚才看到我是怎么把鹰打跑的了吗？要不是我，你早就被鹰吃啦！”
锯峰动身出发，在砾石堆里蹦蹦跳跳地前进。灰翅放慢速度，脖颈处和脚掌上的伤像尖刺一样扎心地痛。夕阳西下，消失在群山中。暮色渐浓，夜色笼罩了大地。
“我们要找个地方过夜！”他对锯峰喊道。
锯峰停下脚步，扭头瞧着他，固执地说：“可我还想赶路呢。其他猫现在已经离我们老远了。”
“走夜路太危险了。”灰翅坚持道，“虽然我们在谷底，但不小心还是会摔倒的。我们明天从岩架上走。”说着，他用耳朵向上方指了指。
锯峰尚要争辩，但最终还是低头妥协。灰翅在树丛里找到一处浅坑，决定在这里避上一晚。他开始刨坑里的沙土，好把地方弄大让他俩睡得舒服些。刨着刨着，他听到锯峰的肚子咕咕叫了起来。
“你饿了吧？想去狩猎吗？”灰翅问。
锯峰摇了摇头，坚强地说：“没事，我能撑到明天早上。”
直到现在，锯峰都一直没有为不辞而别而道歉的意思，灰翅便也不再指望。不过，他俩在沙坑里趴下准备休息时，小锯峰依偎着他的身子，打着瞌睡嘀咕着：“很高兴你能来。”
灰翅心想：他能说这话我就很满足了。
灰翅早晨醒来时，天仍灰蒙蒙的。透过树枝的缝隙，只见空中乌云密布，这是要下大雪的兆头。锯峰紧紧地蜷成一小团，他用尾巴盖住鼻子，此时仍在酣睡。这样的远行对锯峰那样的小猫来说，着实更消耗体力。听着弟弟的呼吸声，灰翅不得不承认：锯峰只身离家上路，关键时刻袭击老鹰，的确很有勇气。
如果弟弟寻找新家园的决心如此坚定，那我一定会确保他能到达那里。
不久，锯峰动了动身子，抬起头，睡眼惺忪地问：“妈妈呢？”他打了个哈欠继续问道：“她是不是出去狩猎了？”
“你已经不在洞里了。”灰翅提醒他，“你先在这儿缓缓劲，我去捕些猎物来。”
灰翅从坑中爬出，往山谷上方爬去。很快，他瞥到一只老鼠在一簇荆棘丛下的碎石间活动。终于有猎物了，我们可算是走运了一次。他向前一跃，结果了老鼠的小命。
灰翅回到他们的临时落脚点，看到锯峰正坐在树根上为自己清洁皮毛。小家伙看到灰翅嘴里叼着的死老鼠，顿时喜上眉梢。
“你抓到猎物啦！”锯峰高兴地喊。
“是的，都是你的。”灰翅说着便把猎物朝弟弟面前一放，没去管自己正饿得直叫的肚子。“吃些东西，保持体力。”他说。
锯峰没有和哥哥客气。“谢谢啦！”他咕哝着，风卷残云般吃了起来。他咽下最后一口老鼠肉，舔了舔嘴唇，扑闪着蓝色的眼睛，兴奋地喊道：“今天一定会很顺利的！等我们赶上其他猫，定会让他们大吃一惊！”
灰翅含糊地应和着，他将周围环境观察了一番，想找到爬上岩架的最佳路线。云层越积越厚，空气中弥漫着雪花的气息。他心里想：马上就要下雪了，我们要尽快爬到高处，否则可能会陷到雪坑里。
可是，他也看不出来走哪条路更好，于是决定就取直道上去。“走这边。”灰翅尾巴一挥，示意锯峰跟上。
他俩刚出发，就发现道路并没想象的好走。路上砾石遍布，他们只得一一爬过。他们来到一条小溪前。小溪在岩石间汩汩流淌着，溪水两岸已经结冰，但中间的水道还没冻住。灰翅跳了过去，转身望向锯峰嘱咐道：“尽量跳远些。我在这儿接应着你。”
锯峰神色坚定，后退了几步，纵身向小溪对岸跃去。只见他腾到空中，尖叫一声，随即展开爪子，在对岸的冰面上落下。突然，灰翅听到冰开始破裂的声音，连忙赶在锯峰差点儿掉入急流的那一刹那叼住他的颈背，把他拎起。
“谢谢你！”锯峰直起身子，喘着粗气说道。“嘿，”他又说道，“我刚才那一跳很棒吧？”
“你刚才那一跳潇洒极了。”灰翅称赞道。
他俩没走多远，地势突然陡峭起来。最终，兄弟俩来到一面陡峭的岩壁前停了下来。岩壁向左右延伸，一眼望不到尽头。
锯峰惊呆了，他仰头望着岩壁，不知所措地问：“我们这下该怎么办？”
灰翅细细查看岩壁，发现它并没有开始想得那么陡不可攀。岩壁上有凸起的石块可以落脚，虽然很窄，但还是够爪子抓住往上爬的。岩壁上还有很多裂缝，里面野草丛生。
“我想我们可以爬上去。”灰翅说。
锯峰瞪大了双眼：“你脑子进绒毛了吗？我才不要呢！”
灰翅耸耸肩：“行，那我们回家。”
锯峰犹豫了片刻，随后，他一言未发就跳到了岩壁上，一步一个爪印向上攀去。灰翅紧紧盯着，随时准备接应。沙石和碎草雨点般朝灰翅头上落下，但最终锯峰爬上了岩顶。
轮到灰翅了。他将爪子深深插入岩缝，后腿发力往上攀爬。脚伤像利刃一样刺着腿部，痛得灰翅面部扭曲。突然，他向下滑去，但在这千钧一发之际，灰翅用后腿竭力抵住，拼尽全身之力往上使劲，终于爬上悬崖，走上山坡，来到了锯峰身边。
站在坡上，灰翅清楚地看到一条小路向他们要去的岩架上蜿蜒延伸过去。“快来。”他轻快地朝那里奔去。
灰翅以为锯峰一直跟在他身后，可忽然听到锯峰哀怨地喊着：“喂，灰翅！”他回过头，看见弟弟正拖着步子往这边赶来。
“我们可没时间让你这么磨磨蹭蹭的。”灰翅不满地说道。
“我才没磨蹭呢！”锯峰气愤地抗议，“我的腿没你的长。”
灰翅意识到弟弟说得有道理：小锯峰不仅腿短，而且由于一直待在洞里，他的肌肉也没啥力气。“好吧，我走慢点儿就是了。”灰翅叹道，脑海中浮现出其他猫越走越远的画面。
灰翅放慢脚步，以免落下锯峰，但他心里的焦躁却开始滋长。前方有块大岩石挡住了去路，灰翅问都没问一声，一下子叼起锯峰脖颈处的皮毛，拖着他爬过了岩石。
灰翅把他放了下来。锯峰抽动着胡须，不满地嘀咕着：“我本可以自己爬过岩石的！”
灰翅生气地想：要不是你，我们还本不用吃这么多苦头呢！不过，他还是把这些话生生地咽了回去。
锯峰气呼呼地竖起尾巴，大步往前走去。灰翅跟在锯峰后面。看到雪花开始落了下来，灰翅加快步伐，追上锯峰。
“我们必须找到避身处。”他说，“我们去那块大砾石下看看。”
那块大砾石离他们只有几尾远的距离，可当他俩来到那里时，雪已经纷纷扬扬地下起来了。寒风咆哮着从岩石间刮过，灰翅不禁有些担心，小锯峰体重较轻，会不会被风吹得连脚跟都站不稳？
他一把将锯峰推进砾石和山体的间隙中，自己也赶快倒退着缩了进去。他从岩石的裂缝向外看去，只见漫天飘洒的雪花已经把大地变成了白茫茫的一片。
“我们赶不上其他猫了。”锯峰从哥哥的肩上探出脑袋，望着外面，怯生生地嘟哝着，“我们可能会冻死的！”
“不会的。”灰翅安慰着弟弟，心中的不悦顿时烟消云散，“这种天气，其他猫也走不了多远。”
灰翅真希望自己说的是对的。
锯峰蜷成一团，闭上眼睛。片刻后，灰翅便听到弟弟轻微的鼾声，知道锯峰已经睡熟。最后，灰翅也打起了盹，进入了梦乡。梦中，为了追上其他猫，他翻越了一座又一座山峰，有时他能嗅到远行猫的气息，可总是追不上他们。忽然，灰翅从梦中惊醒，原来是锯峰在轻戳他的身侧。
“看！”锯峰开心地喊道，“雪停啦！”
光线明晃晃的，炫得灰翅直眨眼睛。初雪新霁，阳光照耀在茫茫的雪原上。灰翅见大雪彻底改变了地貌，不禁惊愕地睁大了眼睛。他俩先前所走的小路已经完全被雪覆盖，原先计划爬上的岩架也变得杳无踪影。
灰翅正绞尽脑汁想着路线的问题，锯峰一下子冲到他的前面，蹦蹦跳跳地跑到了雪地里。突然，锯峰脚下的雪塌了下去，他掉进雪坑，一边挣扎扑腾，一边尖叫连连。
灰翅在雪地上探着坚实的地面，警惕地靠近雪坑。接着，他伸长脖子，叼住锯峰的颈背，把他拖了上来。
“下次可别再乱冲乱撞了。”灰翅一边警告锯峰，一边把他在身旁放了下来。小锯峰将皮毛上融化的雪水连连抖落，冰冷的水溅了灰翅一身，害得灰翅直打哆嗦。
“听着，锯峰！你要看清每次落脚的地方。如果仔细观察，你就会看出白雪覆盖下石头的形状。这样你才能判断走那里是否安全。如果你看不见石头，就先伸出脚掌探一探，看看雪究竟能踩进去多深，然后再决定是不是从上面走过去。”
“我明白了。”锯峰说。
他俩继续往上爬着。路程艰难，兄弟俩步伐缓慢，疲惫不堪。灰翅觉得自己还能记得清岩架的方向，就率先走在前面。为了找到安全的道路前进，每走一步他都要先检查一番，努力绕过挡道的砾石。
到了后面，砾石越来越少，出现在他俩面前的是一片平坦的白雪。灰翅边检查边走了几步，发现踩下去是坚实的地面。终于遇到一段能一口气跑完的路了。灰翅心想。
他往雪地上跳去，一边舒展四肢，一边享受着风吹皮毛的感觉。“快点儿跟上！”他对身后的锯峰喊。
霎时间，灰翅脚掌下的雪毫无预兆地开始塌陷，他惊叫一声，猝不及防地掉进了冰冷的水中。灰翅疯狂地扑腾着，想要保持镇静。他想爬上来，可周围的积雪又湿又深，泥泞一片，每次他身子一挪，积雪便塌陷了下来。
灰翅掉进了小溪，溪水正把他冲下山坡。他挣扎着浮在水面上，想要寻找锯峰。小锯峰正顺着岸边飞奔，脸上满是惊恐的神色。
“我该怎么做？”锯峰哭号着问。
灰翅环视四周，想努力保持平静，但他的四肢已经开始发软。寒冷像利爪一样把他紧紧攥住。这时，他看到下边不远处有根树枝从雪堆中伸出，看样子是小溪涨水时把树枝冲到那里的。
“看到那根树枝了吗？”灰翅喊道，“把树枝的那头推过来。”
锯峰跃上前去，奋力想把树枝拖出雪堆。灰翅焦急地等着，身子已被水流冲到了树枝附近。此时，他冻得全身僵硬，腿已经没了知觉，湿透的皮毛越来越沉，好像要把他拖进水中。
如果这办法不管用，我就只能等着被秃鹫吃了。想到这里，灰翅不禁黯然伤心。
终于，锯峰成功移开了树枝。灰翅激动地朝他大喊道：“对，就这样。把树枝推过来，然后固定好树枝，千万别把它松开。”
锯峰费力地把树枝推向水面。他蹲伏下来，爪子插进树枝，用全身的力气把它牢牢地压住。
水流把灰翅冲向树枝，又险些把他从树枝旁边冲走，一阵恐惧袭上灰翅心头。他艰难地划动疼痛的四肢，往前使劲，终于一口咬住了树枝。
锯峰连忙拖住树枝使劲拉了起来。胆战心惊之余，灰翅不禁佩服起弟弟顽强的力量和勇气。小锯峰继续用力，终于把哥哥从一片泥泞中拉了出来。灰翅疯狂地扑腾了一阵，终于踩到了坚实的地面上。
灰翅见自己终于脱险，一下子瘫倒在地。他浑身湿透，冷得直打哆嗦。有一阵子他甚至动弹不得。朦胧之间，他意识到锯峰正在用力为他舔梳，就像在他们年幼时寂雨为他们做的那样。灰翅感到弟弟伸长身体把自己裹了起来。他长叹一声，开始放松身子，感受着锯峰粗糙舌头的抚慰。最终，灰翅的毛发干了，暖流传遍了他的全身。
他终于恢复了体力，坐了起来。
“我还以为你要死了。”锯峰睁大眼睛惊恐地说。
“我没事了，这都是你的功劳。”灰翅对锯峰说。
想到自己被锯峰所救，灰翅不禁尴尬万分：真不敢相信，我之前还对锯峰千叮咛万嘱咐的，自己却犯傻朝雪地直奔了过去！
灰翅不想再靠近那条被积雪遮住的小溪，便直接朝上方走去。这次，每走一步他都小心翼翼地检查一番，以免又掉到水里去。
“快看！”
锯峰恐惧的声音从后方传了过来。灰翅看到有一只鹰在空中慵懒地盘旋。四周没有避身之处。山坡上白雪茫茫，平坦一片，连一块能遮身的砾石也没有。
灰翅又仰头看了看。老鹰好像还没发现他俩，但很快它犀利的目光就能在雪地中发现这两只猫了。
“我看到了！”灰翅喘着粗气，突然灵光一现有了主意。想到这里，灰翅虽舒了一口气，但还是打了个寒战。“我们在雪地里挖个坑，把自己埋起来。”
老鹰向山的更高处飞去，它掠过山坡，用滚圆的眼睛搜寻着地上的猎物。灰翅知道时间所剩无几，他猛地刨开积雪，把锯峰塞了进去。
“我会闷死的！”锯峰在灰翅往他身上堆雪时抗议道。
“你不会的。现在别说话，别动弹。”
这时，灰翅已没时间再挖个坑了，于是俯下身子，直接钻到了积雪里。他感到积雪已经完全覆盖住了自己。寒冷如利爪般刺透了他的皮毛，他紧紧咬住牙关，以免老鹰听到他牙齿打战的声音。灰翅的耳朵里塞满了雪花，但他仍能看到老鹰的影子从他们头上直冲而过。
这里没你的猎物，快点儿飞走吧……灰翅大气都不敢喘，只能在心里默默祈祷着。
老鹰的影子从雪地上滑向远方，接着从灰翅的视野中完全消失了。灰翅又等了一会儿，实在忍不住了才从积雪里钻出来，他感觉浑身上下骨头已冻成了冰柱。灰翅仰头察看了一番，见空中不再有威胁，这才长长地舒了一口气。
接着，他一边继续盯着空中，一边转向埋着锯峰的雪堆，开始往外刨雪。
锯峰爬了出来，抖落身上的雪块，问：“它飞走了吗？”
“暂时飞走了。来吧，我们快跑起来暖暖身子，我们还要找一个更好的遮蔽处，防止老鹰再飞回来。”
两只猫拖着麻木的腿，跌跌撞撞地往山坡上跑去。一开始，灰翅满脑子都是找地方避身，等最后停下来一看，他才发现早已经跑过了原来要走的那个岩架。现在他俩离那参差的山岭只有几尾远的距离了。
“对不起。”他喘着粗气对锯峰说，“我们跑得太远了。”
锯峰仰望着山脊，兴奋地两眼发光，说：“不如我们一直爬到山顶吧。我还从来没到过这么高的地方呢！”
灰翅理解这小家伙的激动心情，轻轻地发出咕噜声：“好吧，那我们上去。”
寒风无情地吹打着他俩的毛发，兄弟俩拖着身子爬上陡峭的岩石，来到了山顶。山顶空间有限，只勉强够他俩并肩站在上面。
“哇！”锯峰睁大眼睛眺望四面连绵不绝的群山，惊叹道，“我从来都不知道这里竟有这么多的山！我从没想过世界竟有这么大！”他伸长脑袋，又接着问道：“我们在这里能看到瀑布吗？”
“看不到的。”灰翅回答道，“我们走得太远了。我想瀑布应该是藏在那座悬崖的后面。”说着，他伸出一只脚掌朝那个方向指了指。
这时，灰翅转了个身。他面朝升起的太阳，激动得全身微微发麻：正如尖石巫师所说的那样，我们的新家就在前面的某个地方，我们会找到它！
突然，锯峰又发出一声尖叫。灰翅吓了一大跳，差点儿从山顶掉下去：“怎么了？又有老鹰来了？”
“不是！我看到其他猫了！”
灰翅眯缝起眼睛朝锯峰指的方向望去。只见很远的地方，有一队小小的身影正在山坡上走着。
“来吧！”锯峰蹦蹦跳跳地说，“我们出发！”
“少安毋躁，可别掉下去了。”灰翅对他说，“我们要仔细规划一下路线。山顶风太大了，这里又毫无遮挡，我们要先想办法下去，同时也得保持前进，这样才能追上他们。”
兄弟俩开始并肩研究起地形来。让灰翅欣慰的是，他们要走的方向有更多的遮蔽处。
“我们朝那棵倒下的树走过去怎么样？”锯峰建议着，竖起尾巴指了指雪地里的一堆枯枝。
“好。”灰翅赞同地说。他暗暗惊叹小锯峰对路线的选择有这么好的判断力，竟知道只有从能藏身的地方走才能避开危险的大鸟。“不过，我来带头。”他补充了一句。
“只要你别又掉到雪下的小溪中就行啦。”锯峰忽闪着眼睛说。
这次兄弟俩走得还算顺利，他俩从一块砾石跳到另一块砾石。当踩到雪下松动的石子堆时，他们十分谨慎地往前走着。
不过没走多远，锯峰就停了下来，说道：“我闻到猎物的气味了。”
灰翅吃惊地看着他，起初以为弟弟一定是弄错了。他可什么都没看见，但是很快，他也嗅到了一股微弱的气味。“哇，你很擅长发现猎物气息啊。”灰翅对锯峰说，“不过最好还是你去追踪吧。”
锯峰依着自己的直觉蹲伏下来，在追寻气味踪迹时，他的脚步轻轻提落。灰翅见弟弟的追踪姿势完全正确，不由得暗自欣喜。小锯峰爬到一小堆石头边，一只小山鼩从里面窜了出来。锯峰跃起，张开利爪，一把刺穿了山鼩的身体。
“我抓到它了！”他惊叫道，好像没想到自己竟会成功。锯峰弯下身咬了一口，把剩下的山鼩肉推到了灰翅面前。
“是你抓到的。”灰翅拒绝道，“应该你吃。”
锯峰摇摇头，斩钉截铁地说：“我们应该一起吃，分享食物才是正确的做法。”
灰翅开始吞食起来。吃完后，他用舌头舔干净嘴边的肉汁，发出一阵咕噜声：“谢谢。我现在感觉好多了。”
接下来，他们要从一片砾石间走过，小石子让他们的脚掌下不住地打滑。幸好，他俩在一条狭长的岩架前刹住了脚步，这岩架正是他们原先计划要走的路。
灰翅吸了一口气，一股久违的熟悉气味迎面扑来。这时，锯峰也嗅到了这股气息。“这就是其他猫走的路！”他兴奋地大喊道，那开心的样子就好像他们已经追上了其他猫似的。
“别高兴得太早。”虽然灰翅也激动得脚掌发麻，他还是警告锯峰，“我们还有不少路要走呢。”
日落时分，太阳沉入了群山。暮日从他们的身后斜下，在这对兄弟的前方投下狭长的影子。
“我们要停下来找地方过夜了。”灰翅说。
“我不要。”锯峰反对道，“我想继续赶路。虽然我们可能看不清路，但我可以跟着气味踪迹走啊！”说罢，他紧紧闭上眼睛，把鼻子贴近地上的积雪，就这么一路嗅着向前走去。灰翅连忙冲到一边护着接应，生怕弟弟掉落悬崖。然而，这小家伙信心十足地向前挺进，尾巴还翘得老高。
“看到了吧？”锯峰停住脚步，睁开双眼，得意扬扬地说。
灰翅也想早点儿找到其他猫，便屈从了内心的愿望：“好吧。不过如果有危险，我们要及时停下来。”
锯峰迫不及待地点点头，率先走在了前面。
这是个多云的夜晚。虽然几近满月，可月亮藏在云层中时隐时现。有时，灰翅甚至连自己的胡须都看不见。锯峰在前面带路，他循着气味踪迹，谨慎地沿着岩架慢慢走着，俨然一副十拿九稳的模样。灰翅紧紧尾随其后，突然，他一头撞在了弟弟身上。“怎么了？”灰翅问。
“我有点儿拿不准了。”锯峰回答。
朦胧的月光中，灰翅隐约看见锯峰正四处探望，好像气味踪迹突然消失了。最后，锯峰直起身子，对灰翅说：“气味踪迹从这里转过去了。”
灰翅停顿了一下，想着是否应该就地歇息，等待天明，可他知道锯峰不会就此作罢的。最后，他说道：“那我们就跟着气味踪迹走吧，不过可要多加小心。”
锯峰带头向山上爬了一小段路，又向岩架折回。
“怎么了？”灰翅受伤的脚掌不慎踩到了一块尖尖的石头，心有不悦地问道，“为什么不直接顺着岩架走呢？那样岂不更容易些吗？”
“我不知道。”突然，锯峰脚掌下的石子打滑，他一下子又滑到了岩架上，“不过其他猫就是从这里走的。”
虽然灰翅的嗅觉没锯峰那么灵敏，但他也闻到了其他猫的气味。他来到弟弟身边，一脸茫然地回头望去。正在那时，一束月光从云层中透了出来，一条宽大的裂口呈现在了他们面前，路面已经完全断开。
“快看！”灰翅大叫起来，想起刚才绝境逃生的惊险，他的四肢不由得瑟瑟发抖，“要不是你擅长气味追踪，我们刚才就掉下去了！”
听到这话，锯峰眼里闪着自豪的光芒，他循着气味踪迹，更加信心满满地走在了前头。
不久，小家伙的步伐开始蹒跚。灰翅的腿也是疼痛不已，脚伤又开始折磨他了。小锯峰一定是筋疲力尽了。
“我们走得够远的了。”灰翅说，“现在我们需要休息。我确定明天就能赶上其他的猫。”
锯峰刚要开口反驳，但他叹了口气，不得不承认道：“我实在是太累了。”
兄弟俩在路边一块悬垂的岩石下蜷起身子。锯峰几乎立刻就睡着了，他的胡须微微颤动，好像在梦中他还在追寻着气味踪迹呢。
灰翅做了个梦。梦中，他回到了山洞，四周是坚实的石壁，洞顶隐匿在一片阴影中。他听到了周围众猫的低语声。
“我们又该动身了。”荫苔说。
“我们应该先去狩猎。”晴天反对道，“我的肚子正在怀疑我的喉咙是不是断了。”
“不管怎样，先把月影叫醒吧。”玳尾接着说。
越来越多的猫加入了争论。朦胧中，灰翅心里有些纳闷，他听到的怎么都是那些离开家园踏上日光小径的猫的声音啊？
他睁开眼睛，只见太阳即将升到山顶，淡蓝的天空中飘着几缕白云。灰翅张大嘴巴打了个哈欠，舒展了一下僵硬的四肢。想到还要在茫茫雪地中跋涉一天，灰翅不由得心里有些发怵。
随后，他意识到此时梦中猫的话音还回荡在耳边。他又听到大家的议论声，接着晴天的声音清晰地在耳畔响起：“这下好了，荫苔，我们终于看到太阳了。今天的路应该好走些了吧？”
“锯峰！锯峰！”灰翅一跃而起，疲劳顿消。他戳戳弟弟的身侧：“他们就在这里！”
锯峰睡眼蒙眬地盯着他看了一会儿，忽然缓过神来，跳起来站在哥哥身边：“那我们还等什么？”
灰翅带头，兄弟俩顺着岩架向前全速跑去。在一个转弯处，积雪已经被踩硬实了，他俩撑起脚掌，滑过雪地。
“我找到他们的气味了！”锯峰激动地说。
与此同时，灰翅看到下坡不远处，远行猫们正围着一截空树桩走着。清晨的第一缕阳光正照耀在他们身上。又有几只猫从树桩里走了出来，弓起身子，伸着长长的懒腰。
这时，清溪最先看到了他俩，她大叫起来：“快看！灰翅和锯峰来啦！”
其他的猫顺着清溪的目光看到了他们，陆续上前围了过来。
玳尾和另外几只猫最先跑上前来，她开心地说：“灰翅！你真的来啦！”
这时所有猫都聚了过来。晴天眼里洋溢着喜悦：“真不敢相信！我还以为永远见不到你们了。”
“你们这一路能自己走过来，真的很不容易。”高影接着说。
“不过，你们为什么要来这里呢？”荫苔问道。
短暂的寒暄过后，灰翅见到众猫开始面面相觑，大家眼里最初的惊喜淡去，转而泛起了忧虑的神色。
“山洞里一切都好吗？”清溪问。
“寂雨还好吗？”晴天接着问道。
“大家都很好。”灰翅打消了他们的疑虑。
锯峰走上前，自豪地挺起胸脯，对大家说：“是我出来找你们的！还记得我当时投的是离开的票吗？然后，灰翅就也跟过来啦。”
“噢，这么说，你是独自上路的了？”晴天友好地捅了捅锯峰，说，“我怎么一点儿都不感到意外呢？你可真敢冒险啊，幸亏那时灰翅找到了你。”
“我知道。”锯峰感激地看了灰翅一眼，随后他开心地叫了一声，又接着说，“其实我也救过他的命呢！”
“确实如此。”灰翅说。接着，他转向晴天，问道：“你们还好吗？”
“我们还不错。”他哥哥回答道，“暴风雪拖慢了我们的脚步，但我们很确定所走方向是对的。”
“我们去过山顶。”灰翅用尾巴指了指那座山峰，向大家汇报，“在那里，我们看到了大山之外的地方。还有不少路要走，但你们翻过下一座山就能看到了。”
“太棒了。”晴天眼里闪着兴奋的光芒。
荫苔环视四周，挥动尾巴示意大家都聚到一起：“我们要尽快动身。”
“我们还是先吃饱肚子再上路吧。”月影打断了他的话。
这时，灰翅看到疾水和寒鸦啼正一起拖着只雪兔，艰难地朝坡上爬来。
“干得漂亮。”荫苔称赞道。他俩来到众猫面前放下猎物，看到灰翅和锯峰也在那里，疾水和寒鸦啼惊讶得直眨眼睛。
众猫围上前来开始进食。玳尾紧挨灰翅坐着，她轻声说：“很高兴你改变了主意。”
灰翅看了看四周，见大家也是一脸兴奋的样子。“我也很高兴。”他说。
Chapter 7
As the cats were finishing theirmeal and beginning to groom themselves, Shaded Moss came to stand beside Gray Wing and Jagged Peak. “How is Stoneteller?” Blinking with a trace of anxiety in his eyes, he added, “It seems as if we’ve been away from the cave for moons already.”
“She’s okay,” Gray Wing replied. “But she’s desperately worried about all you cats who have left; she’s afraid she made the wrong decision.”
“Wewere the ones who decided,” Shaded Moss pointed out. “Each cat who came on the journey. Stoneteller just pointed out the opportunity.”
Try telling Stoneteller that, Gray Wing thought wryly.
The cats gathered for the day’s traveling. Shaded Moss was clearly in command, though Gray Wing noticed that Clear Sky didn’t hesitate to offer his opinions.
“Why don’t we head for that tree?” he suggested, flicking his tail. “Then we could cross the stream to avoid that stretch of rock.”
Shaded Moss nodded. “Good idea.”
The cats set out; Shaded Moss took the lead, with Clear Sky and Bright Stream close behind him. Jagged Peak trotted hard on Clear Sky’s paws, clearly proud of the adventures that had led him here. The youngest cats, apart from Jagged Peak, were Hawk Swoop, Falling Feather, and her brother Jackdaw’s Cry. Because they weren’t fully grown they had trouble scrambling over the larger boulders. Shaded Moss’s daughter, Rainswept Flower, and Shattered Ice walked beside them, offering help where they needed it.
Farther back in the line, Quick Water and Cloud Spots padded along together, reserved but alert. Just behind them, Dappled Pelt and Moon Shadow walked side by side. “Did you see how I frightened off that eagle yesterday?” Moon Shadow asked boastfully. “It would have carried off Jackdaw’s Cry if I hadn’t been there.”
Dappled Pelt rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you and the rest of us,” she muttered, only just loudly enough for Gray Wing to hear.
Leaving the cave hasn’t changed Moon Shadow, Gray Wing thought. He’s still annoying.
Moon Shadow’s sister Tall Shadow, loping along in his paw steps, made no comment about his boasting. Gray Wing remembered that even back in the cave she hardly ever spoke; but when she did, she was always worth listening to.
How could one litter produce one intelligent cat and one fuzz-brain?
As the cats followed Shaded Moss they gradually fell into a line, two by two. Gray Wing glanced aside to see that Turtle Tail had caught up with him.
“May I walk with you?” she mewed gently.
“Sure,” Gray Wing responded.
“I like being in the rear,” Turtle Tail confided as they padded on. “I like seeing that my denmates are all safe in front of me.”
Gray Wing purred understandingly. His heart lifted as they climbed along the side of the valley, the sun warming their fur
“It’s definitely hotter than it was a moon ago,” Turtle Tail remarked. “The cold season is really coming to an end.”
Soon, the cats came to a pool where a stream spread out before plunging farther down the mountain. The ice that covered the surface had begun to melt in the strong sunlight. There was enough space for every cat to gather around the edge, to drink and bathe their sore pads.
Gray Wing settled beside Dappled Pelt, stretched out his neck and lapped at the icy water. It tasted of stone and mountain air. “I’m so glad we found you,” he remarked. “I was worried about Jagged Peak.”
“Yes, he’s really too small for this,” the tortoiseshell cat responded. “But he’s doing very well. And when—”
Dappled Pelt broke off, swiftly dipping one paw into the water and flicking a plump silver fish onto the rock beside her. It flapped and wriggled in the air until she killed it with a swipe of her claw.
“Where did you learn to do that?” Gray Wing asked, as the other cats clustered around with exclamations of surprise.
Dappled Pelt shrugged. “I used to catch fish sometimes in the pool below the waterfall, before the cold season came,” she explained, bending her head to take one bite from the fish before pushing it toward her companions. “Here, try it.”
One by one the rest of the cats came up to take a bite. Gray Wing wasn’t sure that he liked it, preferring the earthy taste of hare, but Falling Feather gulped down her mouthful with relish.
“Will you teach me how to do that?” she asked Dappled Pelt.
The she-cat’s golden eyes gleamed as she gazed at Falling Feather. “Of course. When we get where we’re going.”
“I’m not sure about this.” Jackdaw’s Cry licked his lips as if he didn’t like the taste. “No offense, Dappled Pelt, but I think I’ll stick to hares and eagles.”
“Hey, it’s food!” Moon Shadow mewed cheerfully, eyeing the remains of the fish as if he hoped he would get a second bite.
“I think it’s great!” Bright Stream purred, and Rainswept Flower nodded agreement.
“I guess you’ll want to eat more fish when we find our new home,” Bright Stream continued, her tone gently teasing as Clear Sky ate his share.
“Hmm .  .  .” Clear Sky looked doubtful, then brushed his mate’s pelt with his tail. “Maybe I’ll have to give in if our kits have a taste for it.” He and Bright Stream exchanged a glowing glance.
Gray Wing gave his brother a prod. “Is Bright Stream expecting kits?” he whispered.
Clear Sky nodded, blinking happily. “She thinks so. I know the timing’s not ideal, right at the beginning of our journey, but .  .  . I can’t wait to be a father.”
“Bright Stream will be a wonderful mother,” Gray Wing mewed, ignoring the stab of envy he felt.
When all the cats had eaten their share, they gave in to the temptation to lie on the rocks around the pool, enjoying the warm sunlight.
“Hey, Turtle Tail!” Quick Water pointed to a turtle basking in a sunbeam at the opposite side of the pool. “You’ve found your natural home here!”
Good-humoredly Turtle Tail flicked the gray-and-white she-cat with her paw. “So is your home anywhere it’s raining, Quick Water?”
Meanwhile, Clear Sky was watching the small birds that circled overhead. “Do you want me to see if I can catch any of those?” he asked Shaded Moss.
Shaded Moss glanced along the trail in the direction they needed to go, then shook his head. “We haven’t traveled far enough yet.”
“What’s the rush?” Moon Shadow complained. “This new home, wherever it is, won’t disappear, will it?”
“That’s right,” Jackdaw’s Cry agreed. “We’ve been walking for ages!”
Other cats murmured in agreement.
“You lazy bunch!” Turtle Tail exclaimed. “We’ve only been traveling for four sunrises. We haven’t even left the mountains yet.” Her neck fur fluffed up with indignation. “No cat said it would be easy.”
Before any cat could argue, Tall Shadow rose to her paws and pointed with her tail to a distant clump of pine trees on the side of the mountain. “Let’s aim for those by tonight,” she suggested.
“Good idea,” Dappled Pelt agreed.
To Gray Wing’s relief, the threatened discord vanished like frost in sunlight as the cats rose to their paws, ready to set out again. As they moved off, he fell in beside Bright Stream. “Clear Sky tells me you’re having kits,” he mewed. “That’s great!”
Bright Stream glanced at her paws in embarrassment. “I don’t want any cat to know yet,” she murmured. “I don’t want the others to think I’m going to slow them down.”
“No cat will think that,” Gray Wing reassured her. “And your kits will be a great start for our new home, wherever we end up.”
Sunhigh had just passed when Shaded Moss drew to a halt; the other cats bunched up behind him. Gray Wing saw that the ledge they had been following had petered out. A wide slope of slippery scree lay in front of them, leading to a sheer drop into a valley far below.
“I don’t like the look of that,” Hawk Swoop muttered.
“Me neither,” Jackdaw’s Cry added. “Do we have to go this way?”
“Yes, we do,” Shaded Moss stated firmly, before any cat could start arguing. “We’ll take it slowly, in pairs. The younger, less experienced cats can walk on the inside.”
“Can I go with you, Clear Sky?” Jagged Peak asked, wriggling forward until he stood at the edge of the scree.
Gray Wing admired his little brother’s courage. Guessing where he could be of most help, he padded over to Jackdaw’s Cry. “You can come with me if you like,” he mewed.
Jackdaw’s Cry gave him a grateful glance. “Thanks.” His whiskers twitched nervously, but his voice was steady as he added, “I keep worrying about the drop into the valley. It’s a long way down.”
“Then don’t look down,” Gray Wing advised. “Stay close to me, and make sure there’s something solid under your paws before you put your weight on them.”
Jackdaw’s Cry listened seriously to what Gray Wing told him. “What about using my tail for balance?” he asked.
“Good idea. Keep your gaze fixed on the far side, and whatever you do, don’t panic,” Gray Wing added.
Jackdaw’s Cry nodded. “I’m ready now.”
Shaded Moss had already started off across the scree, heading slowly and steadily for the mountainside beyond, where boulders and scrubby thorns broke up the slope. Clear Sky set out after him, with Jagged Peak at his side.
Bright Stream and Falling Feather followed, with Bright Stream taking the outer position, nearer the cliff edge. Glancing back, Clear Sky looked uncertain for a moment, as if he wanted to go back and help his mate.
“I’ll be fine!” Bright Stream called out to him. “Watch where you’re putting your own paws.”
Gray Wing exchanged a glance with Jackdaw’s Cry, and ventured out onto the scree with the young black tom at his side. Even though he didn’t look, he was aware of the sheer drop into the valley, only a couple of tail-lengths away. His paws slipped as he dislodged some of the smooth, flat stones and sent them skittering over the edge. For a heartbeat he thought he was going to follow them, but he managed to regain his balance.
“Are you okay?” Jackdaw’s Cry asked, his eyes wide and his ears flattened.
“Fine,” Gray Wing replied tersely. “Just keep going.”
Glancing over to the far side, he saw that Shaded Moss had already reached safety, and Clear Sky was nudging Jagged Peak up onto a flat, snow-covered stone before clambering off the scree and sitting down beside him.
“Come on!” Jagged Peak called encouragingly in his shrill voice. “It’s not too hard!”
Bright Stream and Falling Feather reached them a few heartbeats later. Gray Wing began to relax a little, seeing the solid ground was only a few paw steps away. He risked a glance over his shoulder and saw the long line of cats behind him, moving steadily.
I think we’ll be okay
A sudden screech split the quiet air. “Eagles! Eagles!”
Jagged Peak was leaping up and down on the flat rock, his tail waving at the sky. Gray Wing looked up to see two huge birds swooping down toward the cats exposed on the scree.
Yowls of panic rose up and the cats began to run, loose stone sliding beneath their paws as the well-organized line broke up. A horrible vision flashed through Gray Wing’s mind of cats plummeting helplessly into the valley, or shrieking as they were carried away in the eagles’ talons.
Jackdaw’s Cry had frozen in terror a tail-length from safety. Gray Wing grabbed him by the scruff and hurled him off the scree toward Clear Sky and Shaded Moss. Then he whipped around and headed back toward his Tribemates.
His paws slipping as he tried to hurry, Gray Wing noticed that Dappled Pelt had lost her footing completely and was sliding helplessly down the slope. She let out a panic-stricken yowl as she struggled to find a firm paw hold.
“I’m coming!” Gray Wing called.
He ran between Dappled Pelt and the line of his Tribemates, dodging the rain of loose stones that pattered around him, dislodged by the other cats’ paws. Reaching a place above the she-cat where the stones weren’t moving, he cut back down toward her, aiming for a spot just below her where he could halt her fall.
Dappled Pelt stared at him, her eyes stretched wide with fear and her tail waving as she scrabbled vainly at the scree.
Reaching the spot, Gray Wing dug his paws firmly between the stones to find a firm purchase, and braced himself to take Dappled Pelt’s weight. When she slithered into him he panicked for a moment as he felt the ground shift under his paws, but he managed to hold her.
Still frantic, Dappled Pelt tried to claw back up the way she had come, but there was nothing solid for her to grip.
“Keep still!” Gray Wing gasped. His belly lurched with fear as he saw the eagles swooping lower, their claws extended and their wing tips brushing the heads of the cats. Most of the others had reached safety, but Hawk Swoop and Rainswept Flower had fallen behind, and Gray Wing couldn’t make any progress with Dappled Pelt.
We’re chickfeed, for sure!
As Dappled Pelt kept on struggling, Moon Shadow came bounding down the slope just ahead of them. “Come on .  .  . this way,” he meowed to Dappled Pelt, bracing his shoulder against her.
Dappled Pelt stumbled forward, heading paw step by paw step toward the end of the scree, with Moon Shadow taking part of her weight. Gray Wing followed, scrabbling to keep his paw hold.
When they reached solid ground, Moon Shadow boosted Dappled Pelt ahead of him, then clambered up beside her. Gray Wing raced after them as they dived underneath an overhanging rock where the rest of the cats were hiding. Rainswept Flower and Hawk Swoop joined them a heartbeat later, just managing to dodge an eagle’s outstretched claws.
“Is every cat okay?” Shaded Moss asked, gazing around at the group as they cowered under the rock.
“We’re fine,” Clear Sky replied.
“Just scared out of our fur,” Turtle Tail added.
Dappled Pelt was crouching with her head down and fur still fluffed out. She was shaking. “I’m so sorry,” she murmured. “I panicked back there, and I could have got you both killed.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Moon Shadow puffed out his chest. “You’ll know better next time.”
Turtle Tail leaned over to whisper into Gray Wing’s ear. “I’m quite impressed by how Moon Shadow saved Dappled Pelt. But I’d never tell him so!”
Gray Wing nodded, grateful for her humor. “He’s brave, but he’s still an annoying furball,” he whispered back.
Quick Water, who had been keeping watch at the edge of the overhang, glanced over her shoulder. “Those eagles are out there,” she reported. “They know we’re here, and they seem prepared to wait all day.”
Gray Wing remembered how helpless he had felt when the eagle was trying to lift him off his paws. “If it’s the only way to stay safe, we’ll have to put up with staying under this rock,” he pointed out.
“For how long?” Hawk Swoop demanded. “I don’t know about any other cat, but I need some prey!”
Indignant murmurs showed that some of the others agreed with her.
“We have to protect ourselves,” Shaded Moss decided, with a nod to Gray Wing. “It’s just a matter of waiting.”
With a few more grumbles the cats settled down, licking pads sore from crossing the scree, or curling up to sleep. At first they seemed glad to rest, but as the day dragged on their anxiety began rising again.
Cloud Spots stuck his head out into the open, then jerked back into cover. “There are two more eagles out there,” he reported, his eyes wide with dismay. “They’re sitting on the top of this rock.”
More screeches split the air and Gray Wing shivered. It was as if the eagles were challenging the hidden cats. They know exactly where we are.
As daylight faded, the eagles showed no signs of leaving. Even worse, one of them hopped down and stretched its neck under the rocky overhang. His heart pounding with fear, Gray Wing shoved Turtle Tail behind him to keep her away from the snapping yellow beak. All the cats shrank back, pressing themselves against the rock wall in a shuddering heap of fur. The eagle watched them for a few heartbeats with malignant yellow eyes, then flapped out of sight, but every cat knew that all four eagles were still there.
“We’re not mice!” Clear Sky announced when the eagle had withdrawn. “We will not be treated like prey! We need to show these eagles that catsare the hunters around here.”
“And how are we going to do that?” Rainswept Flower demanded.
Clear Sky’s glance raked the cowering group. “By catching one of the eagles ourselves,” he meowed.
Gray Wing couldn’t stifle a gasp of shock. Looking around, he saw the others exchanging scared glances.
“That’s impossible,” Shaded Moss stated, in a tone that didn’t invite contradiction. “There are four eagles out there!”
Clear Sky was undaunted. “And there are more of us in here,” he retorted.
Admiration for his brother’s courage rose inside Gray Wing, bringing a trickle of hope like the first thawing of an icicle. “Let’s at least hear what Clear Sky has to say,” he urged the others.
Shaded Moss hesitated, then gave a curt nod.
“I believe that four cats could bring down one eagle,” Clear Sky explained. “Me, Tall Shadow, Quick Water, and Jackdaw’s Cry.” Glancing at the cats he had named, he added, “We can all jump high, and together we have the strength to pull down a bird.”
Gray Wing took a pace forward. “I want to help,” he meowed.
“You will,” Clear Sky responded. “You’re the fastest among us. I want you to draw the other birds away. Take three cats with you.”
Shaded Moss shouldered his way forward until he stood beside Clear Sky. There was quiet authority in his voice. “Tell me exactly what you think we should do.”
Clear Sky scraped a few pebbles together with one paw and began to lay them out as he spoke. “Here are the four eagles. Gray Wing and his cats will get three eagles to follow them. My group will isolate the fourth and surround it.”
The other cats had gathered around him, watching closely. Gray Wing tried to picture the plan in his head, and eventually nodded. “It could work,” he agreed.
“Or we could just wait until dark and sneak away,” Turtle Tail suggested.
Clear Sky turned on her in outrage. “And let the birds follow us tomorrow, and the next day, and the next? We have to take them on now, so that they leave us in peace.”
“Clear Sky is right,” Tall Shadow declared.
No other cat looked so certain, but they all gradually let out murmurs of agreement.
“Okay,” Clear Sky mewed briskly. “We must move fast, because it’ll be dark soon.”
“Turtle Tail, Cloud Spots, and Bright Stream will go with Gray Wing to lure three of the birds away.” Shaded Moss gave his orders calmly. “Leave the fourth eagle as close to the rock as you can, so that Clear Sky and his cats can spring out and catch it.”
Clear Sky’s whiskers twitched in alarm as his mate’s name was mentioned. “I’m not sure Bright Stream is fast enough,” he objected.
Shaded Moss flicked his ears in surprise. “She’s almost as fast as Gray Wing.”
Gazing at his brother, Gray Wing knew exactly why Clear Sky was reluctant for his mate to play such an important part in their plan. He’s worried about their kits.
“I’ll be fine,” Bright Stream insisted, her tone full of hidden meaning. “Gray Wing will take care of me,” she added, flicking Clear Sky playfully over the ear with her tail-tip.
“And what about the rest of us?” Jagged Peak asked, his tail twitching irritably. “I’ve attacked an eagle before, you know. I’ve got experience!”
“The rest of you will stay here under the overhang, ready to rush out and help wherever you’re needed,” Shaded Moss meowed. Solemnly he added to Jagged Peak, “You must be ready to pounce at any moment.”
Jagged Peak nodded eagerly and crouched down at the edge of the overhang, ready to spring.
Gray Wing motioned to Turtle Tail, Bright Stream, and Cloud Spots with a flick of his ears, and they ventured out from beneath the overhang. The gathering darkness helped to conceal them as they crouched low among the rocks until they were some distance away.
“Now!” Gray Wing mewed.
Together they sprang into the open, caterwauling loudly to attract the attention of the eagles. All four birds were perched on the crags above them. A shudder went through Gray Wing from his ears to his pads as four heads swiveled toward him and his denmates.
Two of the eagles took off with cumbersome wing-beats to gain height—then they swooped.
“Cloud Spots! Turtle Tail!” Gray Wing yowled. “Run to the next boulder! Lure the birds toward you!”
The two cats took off, racing across the snow-covered slope, and the pair of eagles flapped after them. Gray Wing and Bright Stream huddled into the shelter of a boulder as the birds passed over their heads.
“I’ll attract the others,” Bright Stream whispered.
Before Gray Wing could respond, she slipped out into the open, and began trotting in circles, pretending to limp. As the other two eagles took off and flew toward her, she darted back under the rock where Gray Wing was waiting.
“That was risky,” he muttered.
“It worked, didn’t it?”
The two eagles settled, one on top of the rock and one on the ground, peering underneath. Gray Wing spotted Clear Sky and the others creeping out from under the overhang, preparing to surround the bird on the rock.
We have to lure the one on the ground farther away, Gray Wing thought.
Hoping Bright Stream would understand, he gestured with his tail toward a nearby bush. Bright Stream nodded. “I’m ready.”
Together Gray Wing and Bright Stream sprang into the open, right in front of the eagle on the ground. Gray Wing heard it screech as it took off after them. Glancing over his shoulder he saw Clear Sky powering upward, leaping so high that he grabbed the neck of the eagle on the rock. It tried to take off, but Clear Sky’s weight was too much for it. The other three cats crowded after him and dragged the bird down to the top of the rock.
Transfixed by the sight, Gray Wing didn’t look where he was going. His flying paw struck something and he stumbled. Haredung!he hissed, spotting a gnarled tree root almost concealed by snow.
His pace faltered as a sharp pain sliced through his leg. He could sense the pursuing eagle swooping down on him and struggled to move faster. A heartbeat later Bright Stream’s pale tabby-and-white pelt reappeared in the dim light and he realized that she had swerved around to help him. Boosting him with her shoulder, she shoved him toward the bush, into a narrow gap beneath the thorny branches.
His vision blurred by terror, Gray Wing scrabbled to pull himself farther in and give Bright Stream space to follow. But when he turned, he saw her sliding backward, her claws digging uselessly into the ground.
What .  .  . ?Pain made Gray Wing slow to realize what was happening. Then he saw that the eagle had caught hold of Bright Stream, its cruel talons sunk into her haunches. She shrieked as the bird lifted her off the ground.
“Gray Wing! Help me!”
第七章
第七章
众猫进食完毕，开始清洁皮毛。荫苔来到灰翅和锯峰身边，问道：“尖石巫师还好吗？”荫苔的眼里掠过一丝担忧。他眨眨眼睛，接着说：“从我们离开山洞之日起，仿佛都过了几个月了。”
“她很好。”灰翅回答道，“只是她十分担心你们，唯恐自己做出了错误的决定。”
荫苔说：“做出决定的是我们自己，是每只踏上这次远行的猫。尖石巫师只是给了我们这个机会。”
灰翅在心里苦涩地想：你去试试和尖石巫师那么说。
众猫集结好队伍，准备动身。很显然，荫苔是这次行动的指挥，但灰翅注意到晴天一有想法就会不假思索地提出来。
“我们为什么不朝那棵树走呢？”晴天摆着尾巴建议道，“然后我们可以越过小溪，这样就不用走那片岩地了。”
荫苔点头同意：“这主意不错。”
众猫出发，荫苔领头，晴天和清溪紧随其后。锯峰跟着晴天的脚步一路小跑，这小家伙对自己先前的冒险经历感到十分自豪。除了锯峰之外，年幼的猫还有鹰扑、落羽和寒鸦啼。寒鸦啼是落羽的哥哥。现在这四个小家伙还没完全长大，所以爬过大砾石时显得力不从心。荫苔的女儿雨拂花和碎冰就走在这些幼崽身边，好在他们需要时提供帮助。
疾水和云斑并排走在队伍后面，他俩不太说话，时刻保持着警惕。斑毛和月影正并肩走在他俩后头。“你看到我昨天是怎么把老鹰吓跑的了吧？”月影得意地说，“要不是我那么英勇，那会儿寒鸦啼就被它抓走了。”
斑毛眼睛一翻，不屑地咕哝着：“是啊，说得好像我们其他猫都没出力一样。”不过她的声音很轻，只有灰翅能听见。
灰翅暗想：看来月影离开山洞后性格一点儿也没变，他还是那么讨厌。
高影正沿着她弟弟月影的脚印大步走着。听见月影的自吹自擂，她未发一言。灰翅记得那时在山洞里，她也一直沉默寡言。不过她一旦发话，总是很有见地。
都是同窝生，怎么一个如此睿智，一个却是十足的绒毛脑子呢？
众猫跟着荫苔继续前行，不知不觉地，猫儿们便两两并排走到了一起。灰翅向身边瞅了一眼，看见玳尾跟了上来，走在了他的旁边。
“我可以和你走一起吗？”玳尾温柔地问。
“当然可以。”灰翅回答。
他们继续赶路，玳尾向灰翅倾诉起来：“我喜欢走在队伍后面。我喜欢看着大家平安走在前面的感觉。”
灰翅发出咕噜声，表示理解。他们顺着山谷向上爬去。渐渐地，灰翅的心情开朗了起来。太阳照在他们身上，暖暖的。
“和一个月之前相比，现在明显暖和了。”玳尾说，“寒冷的日子就要结束了。”
不久，众猫来到一个水潭前，小溪的水面在这里变宽，然后冲下山崖。阳光很强烈，潭面上的冰已经开始融化。大家都围到潭边，有的在饮水解渴，有的开始浸泡酸痛的脚垫。
灰翅坐在斑毛身边，他伸长脖子舔着泉水喝了起来。冰凉的泉水里满溢石头的清香和山里空气的甘甜。“能找到你们真好。”灰翅说，“我太担心锯峰了。”
“是啊。他那么小，只身跑来，太危险了。”这只玳瑁色母猫说道，“但是他做得很好。那时……”
说着说着，斑毛突然迅速将一只脚掌伸进冰冷的水中，啪地把一条鳞光闪闪的大鱼掀到了身边的岩石上。大鱼扭来扭去，不停地用身子拍打着岩石。斑毛利爪一挥，结果了它的性命。
“你这招是从哪儿学的呀？”灰翅吃惊地问。这时，其他猫也聚了上来，个个惊叹不已。
斑毛耸了耸肩，解释道：“以前天没转冷的时候，我常在瀑布下面的水潭里抓鱼。”说着，她低头咬了一口鱼肉，然后把鱼推到大家面前：“来，你们也尝尝。”
其他猫依次上前咬了一口鱼肉。灰翅不确定自己是否喜欢这种味道，他觉得还是山中带着土腥味的野兔更可口些，但落羽津津有味地把鱼肉咽了下去。
“你可以教我捉鱼吗？”她向斑毛问道。
斑毛金色的眼睛闪闪发亮，她看着落羽说道：“当然可以，我们到了新家之后就教你。”
“我也说不清楚是否喜欢这味道。”寒鸦啼舔了舔嘴唇，好像并不喜欢鱼肉的味道，“斑毛，你别见怪，我想我已经吃惯兔子和老鹰了。”
“嘿，这可是食物啊！”月影兴致勃勃地说，他紧紧盯着剩下的鱼肉，好像还想再吃上一口。
“我觉得味道很棒！”清溪发出咕噜声，雨拂花应和着点点头。
轮到晴天吃的时候，清溪在一旁打趣道：“我猜等我们到了新家，你就会想要多吃点儿鱼了吧。”
“呃……”晴天的口气有些不确定，他用尾巴拂了拂伴侣的皮毛，说，“不过如果我们的孩子喜欢吃鱼，我也会吃的。”说完，他和清溪深情地对视了一眼。
灰翅轻轻碰了一下哥哥，悄悄地问：“清溪是不是怀孕了？”
晴天点点头，满脸幸福地眨了眨眼睛：“她感觉是这样的。我知道时机不太好，毕竟刚出发就怀孕了，但是……我已经等不及要做爸爸了。”
听到这话，灰翅心头顿时上涌起一股浓浓的妒意，不过他还是强颜欢笑地说：“清溪会是一个好妈妈的。”
大家吃了自己的那份鱼肉，都忍不住想偷个闲，于是纷纷在潭边的石头上晒起太阳来。
巧的是，水潭对面有只乌龟也趴在那里晒太阳。疾水指指乌龟，揶揄道：“嘿，玳尾！原来你家是住在这里的呀！”
玳尾用脚掌轻轻掸了一下灰白相间的母猫，打趣道：“这么说来，疾水，哪里雨哗哗直下，哪里就是你家喽？”
这时，晴天正望着在他脑袋上方盘旋的小鸟，向荫苔问道：“你想不想让我试试看能不能抓只鸟过来？”
荫苔朝他们要走的方向望了望，摇摇头：“我们还有不少路要赶呢。”
“急什么呀？”月影嘟哝着，“不管这新家在哪里，它都跑不掉的，是吧？”
“是啊。”寒鸦啼附和道，“我们好像都走了几年的路了。”
众猫纷纷应和。
“你们这帮懒家伙！”玳尾呵斥道，“我们才走了四天，现在连大山都还没出呢。”说着，她竖起颈部的毛发：“我们都知道这个任务不容易。”
未等其他猫发话，高影站了起来。她用尾巴指了指远处山腰上那几棵挺拔的松树，建议道：“要不我们今天就争取走到那些松树下吧。”
“好主意。”斑毛赞同地说。
方才一触即发的紧张气氛顿时冰消雪融。灰翅见众猫纷纷起身准备出发，不禁舒了一口气。大家动身后，灰翅慢慢落到队伍后方，走到清溪身边，说：“晴天告诉我你怀了幼崽了。这太棒了！”
清溪害羞地盯着脚掌。“我还没准备好要告诉大家这个消息。”她喃喃地说，“我不想让大家觉得我会拖累他们。”
“没有谁会那么想的。”灰翅安慰道，“不管我们在哪里安家，你孩子的诞生都会是一个极好的开始。”
晌午刚过，荫苔停止前行，众猫也停住脚步，纷纷聚到他身后，他们此时已经走到了岩架的尽头。前方有一道大斜坡，坡上碎石遍布、非常滑脚。这道斜坡通向一面陡峭的悬崖，悬崖下方则是幽深的山谷。
“我可不喜欢这种路。”鹰扑嘴里嘀咕道。
“我也不喜欢。”寒鸦啼接着问，“我们一定要从这里走吗？”
“是的，我们只能走这条路。”荫苔不等众猫反对，就神色坚定地说，“我们结对慢慢走。年幼的猫可以走在里边。”
“晴天，我能和你走一起吗？”锯峰扭动着身子爬到碎石坡前。
灰翅暗暗佩服小锯峰的勇气。他想了想谁最需要他的帮忙，于是向寒鸦啼走去，对他说：“如果你愿意，可以和我一起走。”
寒鸦啼感激地看了灰翅一眼。“谢谢。”虽然他的胡须紧张得微微发颤，但他还是尽力使声音平稳下来，“我没法不担心那面悬崖，太险了。”
“你不要看下面就行。”灰翅提醒他说，“紧紧靠着我，落脚时先确定脚掌踩在了硬实的地方，再把身子移过去。”
寒鸦啼认认真真地听着灰翅的话，问道：“我可以用尾巴保持平衡吗？”
“好主意。眼睛看向前方，不管怎么样，都要保持冷静。”灰翅说。
寒鸦啼点点头：“我准备好了。”
这时，荫苔已经开始爬上碎石坡，他慢慢地稳步朝前面的山腰走去，那儿有堆砾石，还有片荆棘丛。晴天把锯峰带在身边，跟着荫苔爬了上去。
接下来是清溪和落羽。清溪靠外侧走，因此离悬崖边更近。晴天担心地回头看了一眼，好像很想回去帮清溪一把。
“我不会有事的。”清溪对他喊道，“你自己落脚时小心些。”
灰翅和寒鸦啼对视了一眼，并肩上了碎石坡。虽然灰翅没有往下看，但他知道自己离悬崖只有几尾远。忽然，他脚掌打滑，踢到了几块光滑平坦的石头，石头纷纷滚落悬崖。一刹那，灰翅真怕自己也会和那些石头一起掉下去，不过他还是设法保持住了平衡。
“你还好吗？”寒鸦啼问道，他双耳贴平，眼睛瞪得大大的。
“没事，我们接着走吧。”灰翅没多说什么。
他朝前方瞄了一眼，只见荫苔已平安到达。前方一块平坦的大石头上落了一层白雪。晴天把锯峰轻轻推到大石头上后，这才艰难地爬出碎石坡，在锯峰身边坐了下来。
“加油！”锯峰大喊着给大家鼓劲，“这路也没那么难走！”
很快，清溪和落羽也安全到达。灰翅见坚实的路面就在前方，心情这才放松了一些。他壮着胆子回头瞅了一眼，只见身后大家正陆续稳步走来。
我们不会有事的。
突然，一声尖叫打破了周遭的寂静：“老鹰来了！老鹰来了！”
锯峰大声嚷嚷着，他在那块石头上跳来跳去，摆着尾巴指向天空。灰翅抬头看到两只老鹰正向碎石坡上无处藏身的猫俯冲下来。
一时间，众猫惊慌失措。大家乱了阵脚，开始逃命，碎石子在他们的脚底滑来滑去。灰翅脑海中浮现出一幅恐怖的景象：有的猫失足跌入谷底，有的猫尖叫着被老鹰抓走。
寒鸦啼原本还差一尾远就能抵达安全的地方，此刻却惊恐地愣在那里。灰翅见状猛地叼起他的颈背，把他拖出斜坡，推向晴天和荫苔。随即，灰翅果断掉转方向，朝部落猫走去。
他想加快速度，无奈脚掌却开始打滑。灰翅注意到，斑毛此时已无法刹住脚，她惶恐地哀号着，正无奈地向下滑去，挣扎着想要站稳脚跟。
“我来了！”灰翅喊道。
他向部落猫和斑毛之间的地带跑去，众猫踩落的石子如雨点般朝他头上落下，灰翅连忙左右躲闪。他跑到斑毛上面一处没有落石的地方站稳，瞅准斑毛下方一个能落脚的地方，便急转方向跑了过去，准备在那里把斑毛接住。
斑毛盯着灰翅，眼里满是恐惧，她用力摆着尾巴，徒劳地在碎石坡上划拉着脚掌。
灰翅来到那个落脚处，把爪子深深插入石缝，稳住脚跟，绷紧身子，准备承受斑毛滑下来时的重量。随即，斑毛滑到了灰翅身上，灰翅感到自己脚掌下的大地开始移动，他也慌乱起来，庆幸的是他终究还是接住了斑毛。
斑毛发疯似的又想爬上坡去，但四周实在没什么结实的东西能让她抓住以停止下滑。
“不要动！”灰翅喘着粗气说。这时，老鹰已俯冲下来接近了他们。见老鹰张开利爪，翅膀尖掠过部落猫的头顶，灰翅不禁心惊胆战起来。
大多数猫已经安全到达，可是鹰扑和雨拂花仍落在后面，而此时灰翅也还没救下斑毛。
看来我们注定要成为老鹰的美餐了。
正当斑毛奋力挣扎时，月影从他们头顶上方的斜坡跳了下来。“快来，走这边。”他一边对斑毛说，一边撑起肩膀抵住了她。
斑毛跌跌撞撞地一步步向碎石坡的尽头走去，月影承受着她部分的重量。灰翅跟在后面，脚掌划拉了一通才设法站稳。
他们终于走上了坚实的地面，月影把斑毛推到前面，吃力地爬到她身边。接着，月影和斑毛一起冲到了一块悬垂的岩石下面，大家都躲在那里，灰翅飞奔着跟了上来。很快，雨拂花和鹰扑也及时从鹰爪下逃脱，匆匆跑了进来。
众猫在岩石下缩成一团。“大家都好吗？”荫苔环视着大家问道。
“我们还好。”晴天回答。
“就是差点儿吓得丢了魂。”玳尾接着说道。
斑毛垂着头蜷缩在那里，她仍蓬着一身毛，浑身瑟瑟发抖。“对不起。”她喃喃地说，“刚才我被吓蒙了，差点儿害你们丢了性命。”
“别再担心了。”月影挺着胸膛说，“下次你就有经验应付了。”
玳尾靠近灰翅，贴着他的耳朵说：“月影救斑毛的行为，我还是很佩服的。不过他永远不会知道这点，因为我根本就不会告诉他。”
灰翅被她逗乐了，他点点头对玳尾小声说：“虽然他勇气可嘉，但他还是个讨厌的毛球。”
疾水一直紧盯着悬垂岩石边上的动静，回头对大家说：“那两只鹰就在那里。它们知道我们在这儿，看来它们准备守上一整天了。”
此前，灰翅险些被老鹰抓走，那种绝望的感觉现在想起来仍令他不寒而栗：“如果这是能让大家平安无事的唯一办法，我们不如就在岩石下一直等他们飞走吧。”
“那要等多久啊？”鹰扑质疑起来，“我不知道其他猫怎么样，反正我是要吃东西了。”
众猫窃窃私语起来，有些猫愤愤地附和着鹰扑的话。
“我们要保护好自己。”荫苔向灰翅点了一下头，做出了决定，“我们就在这里等着吧。”
猫群里咕哝了几声，渐渐安静下来，有的开始舔脚掌缓解酸痛，有的蜷起身子睡觉。起初，大家似乎很高兴有休息的时间，但随着时间慢慢过去，他们又开始焦虑起来。
云斑从岩石下探出脑袋，又猛地缩了回来。他瞪圆了双眼，大惊失色地汇报道：“又飞来了两只老鹰。他们就停在这块岩石顶上。”
这时，从空中传来几声鹰唳，灰翅打了几个寒战。这些老鹰仿佛摆出了和众猫一决胜负的架势。他们知道我们就在岩石下面。
夜幕降临，可老鹰没有要飞走的意思。更糟的是，有只老鹰还跳了下来，把脖子伸进岩石下探察情况。眼看那黄色的鹰喙咔吧咔吧地张合着，灰翅害怕得心扑扑直跳，他迅速把玳尾推到身后护着，以防鹰喙伤害到她。众猫纷纷后退，贴着石壁瑟瑟地缩成一团。老鹰用它那双黄眼睛恶狠狠地盯着他们看了好一会儿，这才扑打着翅膀飞走，不过大家都知道那四只鹰仍守在那里。
“我们可不是老鼠！”老鹰飞走后，晴天对大家说，“别把我们当成猎物！我们给老鹰们点儿颜色瞧瞧，让它们知道，在这里，我们才是狩猎者。”
“那我们该怎样做呢？”雨拂花问。
晴天的目光扫过蜷在一起的众猫，冷静地说：“我们出去抓一只老鹰下来。”
听到这话，灰翅顿时吓了一跳。他看了看周围，只见其他猫也惊恐地面面相觑。
“这是不可能的。”荫苔坚决地说道，他的声音有些不容置疑，“外面共有四只鹰呢。”
晴天无所畏惧地反驳道：“我们这里的猫更多。”
灰翅暗暗佩服哥哥的勇气，心里涌起一线希望，犹如冰锥开始消融时流下的水滴。他向大家劝道：“至少我们先听听晴天有什么办法吧。”
荫苔先迟疑了片刻，然后把头一点。
“我相信四只猫就能抓下一只鹰来。”晴天解释道，“我、高影、疾水和寒鸦啼。”晴天的目光掠过被点了名字的猫，接着说道：“我们四个都能跳得很高，可以合力把一只老鹰给拽下来。”
灰翅上前一步，说：“我也想帮忙。”
晴天回答：“正有需要你出力的地方。你跑得最快，我想让你去把其他老鹰引开。你带上三只猫一起行动。”
荫苔挤到前面，站到晴天身边，平静而威严地说：“你需要我们怎么做，把你的具体计划告诉我。”
晴天用一只脚掌拨过来几颗圆石子，一边把石子排开，一边说道：“那四只鹰在这里。灰翅带领他的猫把三只老鹰引开。我带着猫上去把第四只鹰围困住。”
众猫注视着晴天，纷纷聚了上来。灰翅在脑海中过了一遍晴天的计划，最终点头同意：“这办法应该能行。”
“要不我们就在这里一直等到天黑，然后悄悄溜走怎么样？”玳尾建议。
晴天大怒，他转向玳尾，大声斥责：“然后呢？明天怎么办？后天、大后天又怎么办？就这么让老鹰一直追着我们？我们要先制住它们，这样，那些家伙才不敢再来惹我们。”
“晴天说得对。”高影表示支持。
其他猫虽没有那么确定，不过他们也都接二连三地同意了晴天的计划。
“好。天色已晚，我们要立即行动。”晴天干脆地说道。
荫苔镇定地开始部署捉鹰计划：“玳尾、云斑、清溪，你们跟着灰翅去引开三只老鹰。尽可能让剩下的那只鹰留在岩石附近，这样晴天他们好跳出去抓住它。”
听到荫苔点了清溪的名字，晴天慌了神，他抽动着胡须反对道：“清溪跑得可能不够快。”
荫苔惊诧地抽了抽耳朵：“她跑得几乎和灰翅一样快。”
灰翅注视着哥哥，心里知道晴天为什么反对荫苔给清溪安排这么重要的任务：他是在担心他们还没出生的幼崽。
“我不会有事的。”清溪坚持着，话里有话地又说了句，“灰翅会照顾我的。”说完，她调皮地用尾巴尖拂了拂晴天的耳朵。
“那我们剩下的要做些什么呢？”锯峰急躁地抽动着尾巴说，“你们知道的，我之前袭击过一只鹰，我有经验对付它们！”
荫苔说：“你们剩下的猫就留在这里。如果有需要，随时冲出来接应。”接着，他严肃地对锯峰说：“你得时刻做好准备，随时发动袭击。”
锯峰迫不及待地点点头，马上在悬垂的岩石边俯下身子，随时准备跃出去。
灰翅抽了抽耳朵，向玳尾、清溪和云斑示意出发。他们不顾危险一起从岩石下方走出来，借着暮色在岩石间匍匐前进，一直爬到了离岩石有段距离的地方。
“行动！”灰翅发出了命令。
他们一下跳出岩石，高声叫着吸引老鹰的注意。四只鹰纷纷飞来，在他们头上的悬崖上飞落。这时，那四颗脑袋朝他们扭了过来，一瞬间，恐惧涌上灰翅的心头，他浑身颤抖起来。
两只鹰扑扇着笨重的翅膀飞到高处，随即俯冲下来。
“云斑！玳尾！跑到那块砾石那里，把老鹰引过去！”
两只猫接到命令，飞奔过白雪皑皑的斜坡，两只老鹰拍打着翅膀追了过去。当老鹰从灰翅和清溪头上飞过时，他俩赶紧挤在一起躲在砾石下面。
“我来把另外两只引来。”清溪轻声说道。
灰翅还没来得及作答，清溪已经悄悄跑了出去，假装崴了脚，在雪地上转着圈小跑起来。另外两只鹰起身向她飞来，她猛地冲回那块砾石，和灰翅会合。
“好险！”灰翅咕哝着。
“不过这招管用，对吧？”
两只鹰飞了下来，一只停在岩石上，另一只落在地上向里面窥视。灰翅见晴天他们爬出岩石，准备向落在岩石上的那只鹰发起围攻。
我们得把地上的那只鹰引到远处。灰翅心里琢磨。
他用尾巴指了指附近的一处灌木，希望清溪能明白他的用意。清溪会意地点点头：“我准备好了。”
随即，他俩一起跳到空地上，跑到落在地上的那只老鹰的前面。老鹰长啸一声，飞身追逐。灰翅回头望去，看见晴天奋力一跃，高高跳起，抓在了岩石上的老鹰脖子上。老鹰想飞起来，但晴天重重地挂在它身上。另三只猫见状一跃而上，合力把老鹰从岩石上拖了下来。
这一幕看得灰翅瞠目结舌，他竟然忘了留意脚掌下的路。霎时间，他飞奔着的脚掌卡到了什么硬邦邦的东西，他失足绊了一跤。“兔子屎！”灰翅低嘶着定睛一看，原来雪地里掩着一截长满瘤子的树根。
一阵剧痛朝他腿上袭来，灰翅的脚步踉跄了起来。他感到老鹰正向他俯冲过来，忙拖着脚掌奋力向前移动。忽然，在昏暗的光线下，清溪那身虎斑皮毛在他眼前一闪，灰翅意识到清溪掉转方向跑来救他了。她用肩膀抵住灰翅，把他向一丛灌木推了过去，接着用力把他推进了荆棘枝间的窄缝中。
灰翅心里充满了恐惧，此时眼前已模糊一片。他扒拉着荆棘，身子往里直拱，好腾出地方让清溪也钻进来。可他刚转过身来，就看见清溪朝外滑了出去，她挣扎着想把爪子插进地里，但一切努力都是徒劳。
怎么回事？剧痛使灰翅一时间没回过神来。随后，他看见老鹰抓住了清溪，那鹰爪残忍地插进了她的臀部。清溪惨叫连连，但那只鹰扇动着翅膀，拎起她飞离了地面。
“灰翅！救救我！”
Chapter 10
Hunched against the rain, the catscrossed a grassy space and reached a broad path of dark stone leading toward the Twoleg dens.
“This is a Thunderpath,” Tall Shadow meowed, halting at the edge. “There’ll be more monsters.”
But everything was quiet. Shaded Moss led the way along the Thunderpath, keeping to the edge, and the rest of the cats followed, their fur bristling.
Suddenly a throaty growl sprang up and a monster headed toward them, slowly at first and then with gathering speed.
“It’s spotted us!” Rainswept Flower screeched.
“This way!” Gray Wing saw a much narrower path leading between two high walls of red stone, and raced toward it. “Follow me! The monster won’t be able to reach us down here!”
The cats streamed after him, just in time as the monster bore down on them. It passed by with a roar of frustration, its eyes glowing with a harsh yellow light.
“It missed us!” Turtle Tail mewed with relief. “Gray Wing, you were brilliant.”
“We still need to find somewhere safe and dry to spend the night,” Gray Wing pointed out. Bright lights like tiny suns were appearing in the dens, casting yellow squares onto the path. The shadows seemed much darker by contrast.
Taking the lead, Gray Wing walked down the narrow path, feeling trapped and suffocated between the high walls. It opened out into a square stone clearing surrounded by smaller dens. Glancing around, Gray Wing saw that one was gaping open, and padded cautiously up to it. Inside it was dark, and the reek of monsters was so strong he could hardly breathe.
“This must be a monster’s den,” Jagged Peak suggested, creeping up beside Gray Wing and staring wide-eyed into the darkness.
“The smell is stale and old, though,” Gray Wing mewed. “Maybe the monster doesn’t use it anymore.”
Rainswept Flower bounded past him into the den and looked around. “We’ll stay here tonight,” she announced briskly. “At least it’s out of the rain, and we can take turns keeping watch.”
Shaded Moss nodded as he came to stand beside his daughter. Gray Wing saw how his tail drooped, and his eyes were full of weariness. It can’t be easy for Shaded Moss, he thought. Leading us and being responsible for everything.
“You look tired,” Rainswept Flower murmured, pushing her nose into her father’s shoulder fur. “Get some sleep. I’ll take the first watch.”
“I’ll join you,” Gray Wing offered at once.
“But I’m hungry,” Quick Water protested as she padded into the den. “Aren’t we going to hunt before we sleep?”
“It’s too dangerous here,” Clear Sky pointed out. “And we haven’t smelled any prey since we left the woods.”
“We should have hunted earlier, when I wanted to,” Moon Shadow snapped.
“He’s right,” Hawk Swoop added. “It was a stupid decision to come into this Twolegplace.”
“No, it was our best chance of shelter,” Tall Shadow pointed out, her tail lashing irritably. “Away from dogs and all the things that were watching us from among the trees.”
Gray Wing agreed silently. We may be safer than we would be out in the open, but this is still a ghastly place. Dawn can’t come soon enough for me.
He sat at the opening of the den beside Rainswept Flower, looking out into the clearing. Gray Wing’s ears rang with the growl of distant monsters, shrieks of Twolegs, dogs barking—and then a yowl that made his fur stand on end.
Cats!
Rainswept Flower leaned over to whisper into his ear. “I never thought about what would happen if we met other cats! Do you think they’re .  .  . kittypets?”
Gray Wing remembered the elders’ tales of cats who chose to live with Twolegs, eating their food and sleeping inside their dens. Back in the cave, Gray Wing had thought the stories were just thistlefluff from the elders’ brains. But here, where everything seemed so crowded and dangerous, he could imagine they were true.
“What do you think kittypets are like?” he asked Rainswept Flower. “Will they understand us?”
“Surely they’d envy us?” Rainswept Flower responded. “We’ve seen more than they ever will.”
Gray Wing listened to his rumbling belly and looked down at his filthy pelt. Are wereally enviable right now?
The yowls came no closer, and eventually Gray Wing felt sleep drifting over him. The louder roaring of a monster roused him and he saw it enter the clearing, its yellow eyes raking the walls.
Rainswept Flower and Gray Wing shrank back into the mouth of the den.
“Has it spotted us?” Gray Wing asked, struggling to control panic. “Are we in itsden?”
“Distract it!” Rainswept Flower ordered, springing to her paws. “I’ll get the others.”
Gray Wing’s belly trembled with terror. Distract it? How?
But before he could make a move, the entrance to another den gaped open and the monster crawled inside. The den mouth glided shut behind it with a clang and the growling stopped.
“That was close!” Gray Wing exclaimed. “It must have gone to sleep.”
Rainswept Flower met his gaze with horror-filled eyes. “Then all these other dens could have sleeping monsters inside!” she whispered.
Gray Wing nodded. “Why do the Twolegs have their dens so close to the monsters? Aren’t they scared?”
Rainswept Flower shrugged, not replying, and settled down to watch once more. Gray Wing, still quivering from shock, thought he would never close his eyes again; but the next thing he knew, Rainswept Flower was prodding him in the side.
“It’s time you changed places with another cat,” she told him. “Get some proper rest.”
Gray Wing stumbled to the back of the den and woke Hawk Swoop by tripping over her. “It’s your turn to go on watch,” he told her.
“Okay, fine,” she mewed drowsily, and got up to join Rainswept Flower, who rose in her turn and fetched Jackdaw’s Cry before curling up to sleep.
Gray Wing lay down where Hawk Swoop had been, feeling her warmth on the dusty floor, and closed his eyes.
A heavy paw landing on his tail woke him, and he looked up to see Moon Shadow in the pale gray light filtering into the den.
“Sorry,” Moon Shadow mewed. “I’m going hunting.”
Gray Wing nodded, wondering if he ought to go as well, but too weary to make his legs move. “Good luck,” he said, watching Moon Shadow leave the den with a murmured good-bye to Turtle Tail and Shattered Ice, who were standing guard.
When he had gone, Gray Wing drifted into sleep again. He dreamed that he stood on the cliff top with Quiet Rain, gazing out over a vista of sunlit mountain peaks.
But the vision was shattered by a dreadful yowling.
Gray Wing sprang to his paws as Shattered Ice and Turtle Tail began scrambling out of the den. “Moon Shadow is being attacked!” Shattered Ice meowed urgently.
Gray Wing raced out of the den with the others. He could hear Moon Shadow on the other side of a wall at the far side of the clearing, screeching in fury. The voices of two other cats mingled with his shrieks, as if all three were battling.
Gray Wing, Tall Shadow, and Clear Sky raced across the clearing, outpacing their denmates, and leaped on top of the wall. Fur bristling, Gray Wing looked down and saw Moon Shadow rolling over and over on a wide stretch of grass, lashing out with teeth and claws as two cats raked at his fur.
Those are kittypets?Gray Wing thought, appalled, as he took in their plump bodies and the tendrils around their necks. None of the elders ever said kittypets were fierce!
Gray Wing plunged down and landed on top of the nearest kittypet, a huge, fluffy black-and-white tom. Clear Sky and Tall Shadow hurled themselves at the other, a ginger she-cat.
The black-and-white kittypet flipped over, slamming Gray Wing onto the ground, and slashing at his ears. Infuriated by the stinging pain, Gray Wing reared up and snapped at the kittypet’s throat, closing his teeth instead on a mouthful of fur. Choking, he felt forepaws battering at his shoulders. This kittypet isn’t as soft as he looks!
Spitting out the fur, Gray Wing brought up his hind paws and struck out at the kittypet’s belly, glad of his sharp claws and the wiry strength of his muscles.
The kittypet squirmed away, lashing out at him with clumsy blows that hardly connected. Gray Wing struggled to his paws as Moon Shadow barreled past him, butting the kittypet in the side with his head. Faced with two enemies, the black-and-white kittypet turned tail and ran. Panting, Gray Wing glanced around to see Clear Sky and Tall Shadow chasing off the ginger she-cat.
Both kittypets swarmed up a thin wall of wood on the far side of the grass. It wobbled under their weight, but they kept their balance as they turned and hissed.
“Rogues aren’t welcome here!” the ginger she-cat warned. “If you’re not gone by tonight, you’ll be in big trouble.”
With a final snarl, both kittypets disappeared down the other side of the fence.
“Good riddance!” Moon Shadow yowled after them.
“What were you doing,” Tall Shadow mewed, “going off on your own like that? Are you flea-brained?”
“‘Rogues’?” Clear Sky interrupted. “What did those kittypets mean—‘rogues’? Is that their name for cats who don’t live with Twolegs?”
Gray Wing was just as confused, though glad that they could understand what the kittypets were saying. His muscles ached from the fight, and the ear the big tom had slashed was dripping blood. Are we going to have to fight cats all the way to our new home?he wondered. It was a daunting thought. In the mountains there were no cats to fight. It was just us
He and his friends clambered back over the wall. The other cats were huddled together in the mouth of the den.
“Who knew kittypets would fight?” Jackdaw’s Cry mewed. “In the elders’ tales, they’re all scaredy-sparrows!”
“Maybe you should have talked to them,” Rainswept Flower suggested. “You could have explained that we’re just passing through.”
Clear Sky rolled his eyes. “Oh, yeah? While they were clawing our throats out? They weren’t in the mood for conversation!”
Shaded Moss listened to the exchange, his paws shifting uneasily. “We have to get out of this place as soon as we can,” he announced. “We can’t afford more fighting.”
He set off at once and the others followed, the younger cats stumbling with tiredness. Gray Wing brought up the rear with Turtle Tail, both of them tense and watchful.
Shaded Moss led the way along narrow stone paths between the Twoleg dens, crossed quiet Thunderpaths and raced through enclosed stretches of grass. Gray Wing realized that Shaded Moss was determined to travel in a straight line, toward the peaks they had seen.
While they were crossing one stretch of grass beside a Twoleg den, the air was split by an outburst of shrill barking. Every cat froze in horror. Then, as he looked around, Gray Wing spotted the dog: a little white creature trapped behind a clear shiny sheet that blocked the entrance to the den.
“Look at that!” Moon Shadow meowed, taking a pace toward it. “Hey, flea-pelt! Wouldn’t you like to get at us?”
“Flea-brain!” Cloud Spots shoved Moon Shadow roughly after the others, who were already moving on. “What if the Twoleg lets it out?”
As he followed his denmates, Gray Wing kept a lookout for kittypets. He didn’t see any, but their scents were everywhere.
It was a relief to reach the edge of the Twolegs’ dens and gaze out again across open landscape. The rugged peaks were in plain view now.
“They’re not as big as the mountains,” Quick Water mewed, sounding disappointed.
“Stoneteller wouldn’t have sent us to live somewhere just the same, would she?” Dappled Pelt observed. “Our new home will be completely different.”
“I miss the mountains,” Falling Feather whispered.
Gray Wing rubbed his paws over the hard black stone at the edge of the Thunderpath. He sympathized with the young white she-cat. Picturing the cats they had left behind, he wondered how they were. If only there were a way to let them know that we’re safe!
“Come on!” Jagged Peak suddenly began marching ahead. “We’re not going to get anywhere if we stand around all day.”
Gray Wing suppressed a small mrrowof amusement at the young cat’s confidence as he and the others followed. Clouds covered the sky, so there was no sun to guide them, but the outline of the peaks was clear enough.
After the noise and reek of the Twolegplace, it was soothing to be back in the open, surrounded by soft grass and animal scents and sounds. Soon they reached another line of bushes; Moon Shadow swerved off and plunged into the branches. He emerged a moment later with a small brown bird in his jaws.
Dropping the bird on the ground, Moon Shadow took a mouthful then pushed the remains toward Shaded Moss.
Shaded Moss raised a paw to stop him. “Thanks, but let’s all hunt for ourselves,” he meowed. “There’s enough prey here.”
A shiver of excitement ran through the cats as they split up. Gray Wing headed into the open grass, searching for signs of movement. He spotted Clear Sky leaping into the air after a bird, and Jagged Peak with his nose down on a scent trail.
Tasting the air for prey, Gray Wing scrambled backward as a huge black-and-white animal loomed over him. His heart pounded as he gazed up at it and saw that more were following it, lumbering through a gap in the line of bushes.
They’re even bigger than sheep!he thought, casting his mind back to the elders’ stories. Maybe they’re cows?One of them let out a deep-throated moooo, and Gray Wing remembered how Misty Water loved to imitate that noise, scaring the kits who were listening to her tales.
He crouched in the long grass, too scared to move in case the cows saw him and gave chase. But the vast creatures bumbled past him without taking any notice, so he crept forward, skirting them at a safe distance.
Beyond the cows, Gray Wing spotted a rabbit startled out of hiding, and set off after it. He relished the feeling of wind in his fur, though the long grass tangled his paws and slowed him down.
The rabbit reached the bushes and darted into a hole among the roots. Haredung!Gray Wing thought, staring in frustration at the narrow opening.
“Hey!”
Gray Wing turned to see Turtle Tail with a small bird under her paws. “I got one!” she announced. “Do you want to share?”
Gray Wing left the burrow, still wondering whether he would be able to hunt underground. The rest of the cats were gathering in the shelter of the bushes. They had caught plenty of prey, so those like Gray Wing who had been unlucky wouldn’t go hungry.
“I got two crows!” Clear Sky boasted, flicking his tail toward two heaps of untidy black feathers.
Before they began to eat, Shaded Moss stood gazing back toward the mountains they had left, now no more than a blur on the horizon. “Thank you, Stoneteller,” he meowed, “for sending us to this place.”
When every cat was stuffed full, there was still prey left over.
“It seems so wrongto leave it,” Rainswept Flower murmured regretfully.
As the cats headed away, Gray Wing glanced back to see a thin, red-furred creature slink out of the grass. At first he stiffened, thinking it was a dog, but its snout was sharper and it had a stronger, rank scent. It snatched some of the remains of the prey and stood gulping it down, its gaze darting to and fro.
Gray Wing nudged Shattered Ice, who was walking next to him. “What’s that, do you think?” he asked.
“I have no idea,” Shattered Ice replied.
“It looks mean,” said Gray Wing. He quickened his pace, but decided not to alarm the others.
By the time the light started to fade, the cats had crossed several narrow Thunderpaths and skirted a cluster of red stone Twoleg dens where a number of dogs lurked, barking. Beyond the dens, the ground sloped down into a marshy hollow, covered by tussocky grass with clumps of reeds here and there.
“We can’t go this way,” Quick Water protested, staring down into the dip with a look of disgust on her face. “We’ll get our paws wet.”
Shaded Moss glanced in both directions; following his gaze, Gray Wing realized that the boggy area stretched out of sight on each side. “We haveto,” Shaded Moss decided. When Quick Water opened her jaws to argue, he added, “Wet paws won’t kill any cat.”
But when they reached the bottom of the slope, Gray Wing and the others realized that they would be lucky to escape with nothing worse than wet paws. The ground shivered as they padded across; as they moved farther into the marsh, they began to sink until every cat was wading through mud up to their bellies. The stench of it rose around them and clouds of midges billowed into the air.
“This is awful!” Hawk Swoop exclaimed. “I’ll never get my fur clean.”
Quick Water was muttering under her breath as she floundered from tussock to tussock, and even Falling Feather looked uncomfortable.
Jagged Peak, the lightest of the cats, was having an easier time than the rest—until he slipped sideways from a clump of grass and started to sink, his forepaws splashing vainly at the mud.
“Help!” he wailed.
Rainswept Flower hauled herself onto the clump of grass and bent over, grabbing Jagged Peak by the scruff of the neck. She dragged him out and set him on his paws again, his pelt plastered with mud.
“Thanks!” he gasped.
Every cat was cold, soaked, and filthy by the time they reached the other side of the marsh. All they could think of was finding some kind of shelter.
Not far away, they spotted a huge cave made out of wood. It must be a different kind of Twoleg den, Gray Wing thought.
Shaded Moss took the lead again as they trudged toward it, pausing cautiously when they reached the entrance. Gray Wing peered over his shoulder. The den contained huge stacks of pressed, dried grass, and he felt even more exhausted as he thought about the warm and comfortable nests they could make in it. There were several raised pools of water in stone hollows; Gray Wing passed his tongue over his lips, realizing how thirsty he was after taking several mouthfuls of the foul marsh water. Even better, the scent of mice wafted out to meet them, and Gray Wing could hear myriad squeaks and scufflings coming from the dried grass.
“What are we waiting for?” Moon Shadow asked, shouldering his way past Shaded Moss. “This place is teeming with prey!”
Shaded Moss nodded. “It seems safe enough. There are no Twolegs here.”
With his go-ahead, the cats dived into the den, eager to huntWe’ve eaten once today, Gray Wing thought, as his claws closed on a mouse, but I can definitely manage more. We can’t waste all this prey!
The cats settled in the warm grass to share their catch, taking one bite and then exchanging as they did in their mountain home. Gray Wing could feel his pelt tighten as his belly swelled, full of delicious food.
“I’ve been thinking,” Rainswept Flower announced while they were still eating. “Everything we want is here. What else could we possibly be looking for? What if we’ve foundour new home?”
第八章
第八章
灰翅顾不得腿上的剧痛，急忙从灌木丛下爬了出来，猛地向上跃起，但他伸出的前掌只碰到了清溪的尾巴。老鹰展翅飞到了高处，发出得意的尖啸。
“快还击！”灰翅一路疾追，朝清溪大喊，“先想办法让它松爪！”
只见之前追赶玳尾和云斑的两只老鹰在空中盘旋了一圈，随即朝它们的同伙飞去。灰翅用眼角的余光瞥见晴天他们已经制服了第四只鹰，几只猫咬住它的脖子，几口便结果了老鹰的性命。
另三只鹰在空中越飞越高。清溪被抓上了天，她的呼救声渐渐消失。灰翅惶恐至极，穷追不舍。他从一块砾石跳到另一块砾石，在松散的石头间一蹿而过。他拼命地加速，脚垫已被磨得血肉模糊。
“灰翅！别追了！”他隐约地听到玳尾在身后喊着。
云斑和玳尾追上灰翅。云斑上气不接下气地说：“你现在追不上她了。”
灰翅万念俱灰，他长嚎一声，失落到了极点。霎时间，他刹住脚步，发现自己已经追到了悬崖的边缘。方才要是再跑几步，他就会坠下山谷。
“清溪！”灰翅沉浸在愧疚和悲伤之中无法自拔，他喘着粗气，侧腹剧烈地起伏着，“都是我害了你！”
云斑身子靠紧灰翅。玳尾颤抖着声音安慰他：“你已经尽全力了。”
灰翅待在崖边，不肯离去。他想象着自己掉下去在岩石上摔得粉身碎骨的情形，不由得脑袋一阵眩晕，身体左右晃动。云斑见状忙把他从崖边硬拖了开来。
“快来。”这只黑白相间的公猫劝道，“我们要去和大家会合了。”
灰翅转过身离开了悬崖。这时，晴天和高影迎着他们跑了过来。
“我们成功了！”晴天胜利地高喊，“我们把那只鹰给解决了。”
这时，就连平日里一向沉默矜持的高影也难掩兴奋之情，她那双绿莹莹的眼睛闪动着。
寒鸦啼也跑了过来站在他们身后。他的一只耳朵被扯破了，还好身上的其他地方没有大碍。“这下这些鸟就不敢再来骚扰我们了。”他心满意足地说。
忽然，晴天一怔，他环视四周，不解地问：“清溪呢？”
灰翅本想开口回答，但悲伤再度袭上心头，说不出话来。
“对不起。”玳尾轻声说，“一只老鹰抓走了她。”
晴天顿时瞪大眼睛，怔怔地站着，仿佛变成了一座冰雕。“这不可能！”他吼道，“清溪跑得那么快，怎么可能被老鹰抓走！”他转向弟弟，质问道：“灰翅，当时你为什么不帮她？”
“我……腿受伤了。”灰翅结结巴巴地说，“是清溪帮我逃到了灌木丛里。”
晴天的目光里立刻多了几分愤恨：“你把她丢在外面了？”
灰翅无助地摇着头，他本想为自己辩解：“情况不是那样的……”但他很快就把话咽了回去，因为他不知该说什么来向大家证明自己的无辜。要是说清溪的死不该由他负责，这种话他自己第一个不会相信。
“好了。”云斑用一只脚掌拂着灰翅的侧腹，喃喃地说，“这不是任何猫的错。”
“是这样。”晴天站了起来，迈着步子探察起了地形，“老鹰是往哪个方向飞走的？”
大家都直盯着灰翅。这时，荫苔从那块悬垂的岩石下走了出来。高影急忙上前向荫苔汇报情况。
荫苔走到猫群前，他把尾巴搭在了晴天的背上，说道：“我们现在已经无法救出清溪了。”
“我们必须去救她！”晴天抗议道，他的声音里满含温情和痛苦，“她已经怀了我的孩子！”
听罢，众猫大惊失色，纷纷叹息。一想到这些小生命还没出生就和他们的妈妈一起丧生鹰腹，灰翅更是悲不自胜。
荫苔摇摇头，喃喃地说：“我们失去了太多太多……”
荫苔一直把尾巴搭在晴天的肩上，他好不容易才把晴天劝住。这两只猫一起往悬垂的岩石走去，其他猫还等在那里。玳尾已先走一步，回去公布清溪的死讯。云斑则陪着灰翅走着。
他们一行回到岩石下。大家都已沉浸在悲痛的气氛中，四下里一片肃穆。此时，甚至连月影都瞠目结舌，不再像平日里那般絮叨。
众猫围住晴天，静静地表示哀悼。然而灰翅知道，此时无论说什么都不能缓解晴天的悲伤。他们甚至不能使他相信清溪死得干脆利落、毫无痛苦。
灰翅爬到角落里躺了下来，把头搭在脚掌上。没过多久，玳尾来到他的身边，紧靠着他，他俩的皮毛贴在了一起。
“这不是你的错。”她轻轻说道。
灰翅心里痛苦地想：但是这事怪我，这事绝对怪我。
那天晚上，大家都没怎么睡好。拂晓时，天又冷又暗，众猫从岩石下爬出，来到了空地上。灰翅也钻了出来，荫苔正把老鹰的尸体往他们面前拖。
“我们需要吃东西。”荫苔把猎物放到猫群中间，“我们需要保持力气。”
晴天是最后出来的，他的眼睛黯然无神，充满悲伤。起初，他从猎物旁边走开，但高影把他轻推了过去。最后，晴天蹲伏下来，吃了几口。
等他吃完，荫苔开口问道：“晴天。你想回山洞吗？”这位一贯雷厉风行的领队此刻听上去有些不太确定。“清溪是在这大山里离世的，也许你会想要留下。”
晴天迟疑了一下，接着摇了摇头：“我向清溪保证过我们会找到更好的家园。为了她，也为了我们的孩子，我要找到这个地方，兑现我的承诺。”
看到哥哥展现出的勇气，灰翅感到了撕心裂肺的痛，他再次陷入极度的悲伤和自责中。
“清溪为了我们大家逃离鹰爪，牺牲了自己。”荫苔对晴天说，“为了纪念她，我们要永远将她铭记在心。”
晴天低下了头，但是没有说话。
“好。”荫苔接着说，他发现自己很难再发出像往常那样干脆利落的声音，“我们继续向前，走到那些松树那里。我们要在中午前赶到那儿。”
众猫继续前行。一路上，悲伤的气氛一直笼罩着他们。灰翅发现晴天身边的猫都不太自在。他硬着头皮走到哥哥身边，做好了心理准备：就算晴天把我的耳朵撕下来，我也毫无怨言，但我不能对他不闻不问。
不过这时，月影走上前，对晴天轻声说：“来，今天我来陪你走。”
他们朝松树的方向走去时，云斑放慢脚步，落到队伍后面，走在了灰翅的身边。为了避免尴尬，云斑并没有说什么安慰的话，他们就这样一起静静地走着。
正如荫苔所料，当他们走到那片松树时，已接近晌午。棵棵松树在风中摇曳着。高影跳上最高的那棵松树，小心翼翼地在一根多刺的松枝上站稳，她脚掌下的那根细枝来回摇晃个不停。
“我看到出山的路了！”她喊道。
“哇！我们就快到了！”玳尾兴奋地喊道。
“路是什么样子的？”疾水问道。
然而，猫儿们激动的议论声很快安静下来。灰翅知道大家此时都想起了清溪，都在为她没能和大家一起走到这里而深深难过。
“现在该走哪条路？”荫苔抬头望着树上的高影问道。
“从这道斜坡下去。”高影回答，她用尾巴指了指方向。说完，她用爪子插进树皮，沿着树干，慢慢下了树。“在这座山峰下有道狭窄的溪谷通向山脊的尽头。那里的路是平的！”她一边说，一边从几尾高处的树干上跳下来，脸上满是胜利的喜悦。
众猫继续赶路。阳光有些晃眼，大风吹乱了他们的皮毛。他们走过一片宽阔的石坡，灰翅感到有些心神不安——两只老鹰正高高盘旋在他们的上空，不过它们并没靠近猫群。
寒鸦啼说：“看来他们已经吸取了教训，不敢再对我们怎么样了。”
灰翅什么也没有说，他不知道该不该支持寒鸦啼的观点。也许这只能说明它们昨天饱餐了一顿。
他希望自己能有勇气走到晴天旁，向哥哥忏悔。清溪遇害，自己难辞其咎，灰翅好想告诉哥哥自己是多么的难过。但是，他知道他无论如何也开不了口。最后，灰翅在离晴天几步远的地方走着，把痛苦深深地压在心底。
很快，地面愈发平坦，石头越来越少，积雪越来越薄，又粗又短的草皮露了出来。大山的样子也发生了变化。岩石遍布的陡峭山峰渐渐变成了地势平缓的圆顶山包。
众猫绕过山侧，从一道陡坡走下狭窄的山谷。谷内的树木高大而葱翠。灰翅以前只见过瀑布边那些饱经风霜的松树，现在，看到此处的大树长得是如此枝繁叶茂，不禁惊得瞪大了眼睛。
他们向下走得更远了。突然，灰翅发觉一棵树的树干上有些许动静，只见一个赤褐色的小家伙正在往上爬。灰翅很快反应了过来：是松鼠！和老年猫故事里说得一模一样！
想到这里，灰翅纵身扑了上去。不料，疾水的动作更快，她那灰白相间的身影从灰翅旁倏地闪过。只见她利爪攀着树干，在松鼠后面穷追不舍。那小东西刚想沿着树枝逃生，就被疾水一把抓住。疾水嘴巴一张，一口结束了它的小命。
她把猎物往下一抛，得意扬扬地跳下树来，高兴地大喊：“太好了！我们还没离开大山，就能捕到猎物了！”
大家都围上来，各自咬了一口松鼠肉。只有晴天还在原处，他转过身去，咕哝道：“我不饿。”
灰翅硬是逼着自己吃了一口下去，不过那东西味同嚼蜡。他眼望晴天，心里搜肠刮肚地想要找到话来安慰哥哥，好让他不再那么悲伤。
谷底，一条浅浅的小河正在山石间汩汩流淌。远处有条绿草如茵的小路通向一大片平原。
“我们成功了！”雨拂花兴奋地喊，“我们就要走出大山了！”
“快了。”荫苔用鼻子碰了碰女儿的肩部，“首先我们得想办法过河。”
大家散开，沿着河岸来来回回地走着，以求找到能安全过河的最佳方法。虽然岸边的水较浅，但河水中央有一道深深的暗沟，那湍急的河水看上去甚至能把一只猫卷走。
“快过来！”鹰扑从远处河水上游向大家喊道。等众猫聚上前来，她继续说道：“或许我们能踏着这些石头过河。”
灰翅也看到了这一段水域中破开浪头的凸起岩石，然而某几块岩石之间的距离未免也太宽了，有一两块石头甚至会不时被水花浸没。
“我可不觉得我会喜欢这个过河的办法。”寒鸦啼嘀咕着。灰翅发现有几只猫和寒鸦啼一样心存顾虑。
“看样子我们也别无他策了。”荫苔说，“鹰扑，你想的办法很不错。我先过去。”
灰翅看着荫苔那跳跃在石头上的矫健身影，顿时感到过河这事变得容易了许多。接下来是晴天。灰翅看着哥哥过河时那草率匆忙的样子，不禁担心他是否真把自己的安全当回事。
起初，灰翅退到后面打算让其他的猫先过河，然而锯峰一下子跳到了过河的石头上，灰翅只有连忙跟了上去，这样万一弟弟遇到麻烦，他也好帮上一把。可没想到的是，锯峰一边稳稳地在石头上跳来跳去，一边兴奋得尖叫连连。最后，小家伙几乎滴水未沾就到了对岸，自命不凡地竖起尾巴在岸边走来走去。
灰翅转过身来，有几只猫还在河的另一边。现在正在过河的是疾水，她的动作迟缓不定，每跳一次都犹犹豫豫，哪怕一点儿水花溅到身上都畏首畏尾。她好不容易到了河中央，可又在一块平坦的石头上停了下来。“我不喜欢河水漫过脚掌的感觉。”疾水抱怨道。
“那就别傻站在那儿！”月影毫不留情地对她嚷嚷。
疾水愤愤地朝月影低嘶了一声。气愤之余，她没算准两块石头间的距离就跃了出去。这一幕吓得灰翅顿时面部扭曲了起来，只见疾水落脚不稳，脚掌在又湿又滑的石头上划拉了一通。转眼间，她尖叫一声，掉进河里，在水里慌乱地扑腾着脚掌。
灰翅想起自己之前落水时的狼狈情景。他环视四周，希望此时也能找到根树枝救下疾水，但他没有看到任何能派上用场的东西。
这时，还没等大家反应过来，落羽就从河岸跃入水中，向疾水划了过去。灰翅眼睁睁地看着这一切，顿觉紧张得喘不上气来。落羽游泳的姿势虽然算不上优雅，但她动作迅速利落，那一招一式里透着十足的自信。就在疾水开始下沉的那一刹那，她赶到了疾水的身边。
落羽把头高高地伸出水面，紧紧咬住疾水颈背处的皮毛。虽然疾水的个头比她大了许多，落羽还是推着这只灰白相间的母猫，奋力挣扎着向岸边游去。
当她俩向岸边靠近时，灰翅和荫苔在岸上蹲伏下来接应，一起把疾水拉上了岸。落羽跟在后面吃力地爬了上来，将皮毛上的水花纷纷抖落。
“太棒了！”锯峰喊道，他那双湛蓝的眼睛盯着落羽，目光里满是钦佩，“你真勇敢！”
“我只是做了任何猫都会做的事。”落羽谦虚地说。
“大多数猫是不敢往河里跳的。”鹰扑说。
疾水躺在岸上，浑身发颤，不住地往外吐水。“真对不起。”她大口喘着气说，“我真蠢，刚才害落羽冒险了。”
“好啦，现在没事了。”玳尾一边安慰着疾水，一边伏下身用力把她皮毛上的水舔掉。
为了让疾水身上的毛快点儿变干，灰翅和云斑也一起上来帮忙舔梳。同时，落羽也舔梳自己的皮毛。当斑毛主动问落羽需不需要她也帮忙舔梳时，落羽谢绝了，说：“没事，已经干了。快点儿，我们可别在这里待上一整天。”
这时，阳光渐渐褪去了颜色，阴影向猫群周围拢了过来。众猫沿着河边的小路跋涉着，他们冷得瑟瑟发抖，每迈出一步都倍感疲倦。
“我的毛凉飕飕的。”疾水咕哝道，“我全身都湿透了，正常猫不该遭这种罪。”
锯峰正走在灰翅身边，他轻轻地嗤笑了一声：“我觉得疾水应该把她名字改成避水了！”
最终，荫苔在一丛灌木边停下，竖起尾巴示意大家停止前进。“我们就在这里过夜。”他向众猫宣布道，“你们有想去狩猎的吗？”
“天太黑了。”鹰扑反对道。
“但我可以嗅到猎物。”月影说，他迫不及待地舔着嘴巴，“我来看看能追踪到什么猎物。”
“我也是！”锯峰兴致勃勃地补充道。
“你们想去试试，这很好。”斑毛说，“但我真怀疑你们能不能抓到什么东西。”
两只狩猎猫离去后，其他的猫开始在灌木丛中寻找能临时睡上一觉的地方。灰翅朝哥哥走近了一些，他希望他俩还能像在山洞里那样睡在一起。然而晴天转过身去，在一根低低的树枝下蜷了起来。灰翅叹了口气，只好去找其他地方休息。他找到一处草丛趴了下来，这时，荫苔走了过来。“你不该把清溪的死归罪于自己。”这只黑白相间的公猫开口说道，“当初每只猫既然选择了离开，就知道他们今后可能会面临危险。”
“但那明明就是我的错。”灰翅阴郁地坚持道，“她是为了帮我，才忘记留意自己的安危的。”
荫苔同情地凝视着灰翅，目光里充满了理解：“如果当时你是她的话，你也会做出一模一样的事。要是清溪还在世，她是不会怪你的。”
灰翅把头转了过去，他避开了荫苔那锐利的目光，粗声粗气地说：“要是她真能生还，她就没必要怪我了。”
荫苔没有再说什么，灰翅听见了他离开的脚步声。灰翅蜷在草窝里，闭上了眼睛。不一会儿，他感到有只猫蜷在了他的身边，玳尾的气息扑面而来。
灰翅刚要睡着，便听到重重的脚步声，接着传来锯峰得意扬扬的声音：“快看我们捕到了些什么！”
灰翅和玳尾爬了起来，其他猫也纷纷站了起来。大家上前围住了锯峰和月影。他们面前的地上放着一只褐色的小鸟和一只肥大的老鼠，那只老鼠的个头差点儿可就赶上了一只猫崽。
“刚才谁说的我俩晚上不能狩猎的啦？”锯峰沾沾自喜地说。
大家在山里饿了好几天，眼前的猎物无疑好似山珍海味。众猫顿时精神大振，就连晴天也吃了几口。
“每当这时，我们都要记起尖石巫师。”待众猫吃完猎物，荫苔说，“感谢她为我们指明方向，我们这才得以离开大山，去寻找猎物常年丰沛的地方。”
灰翅抬头仰望星空，在心里说道：尖石巫师，我打心底里感谢你。如果我能当面告诉你我们已经走了这么远就好了。
黎明时分，灰翅醒了，他爬了起来。四周的猫儿们也都从灌木丛里的窝中探出身子。这时，太阳刚刚在空中升起，那金色的光辉洒向山谷，照亮了大地。在大家过夜的那道狭窄山口前方出现了一片地势平缓的绿地，一条平坦的路向远处模糊的地平线延伸过去，好似在欢迎着他们的到来。
“哇！”斑毛轻叹道，“这就是日光小径，就像尖石巫师说的那样。”
这时，谷中有阵微风向他们吹来，传来了远处陌生刺耳的声音。灰翅支棱起双耳，想要辨明这嗡嗡声是从什么地方发出的。他以前从未听过这种声音。
玳尾来到他身边，问：“我怎么觉得真正艰难的旅途才刚刚开始呢？”
灰翅点了点头：“我懂你的意思。”
这时，晴天出现了，他从河里爬上岸，抖落胡须上的水珠，迈步向荫苔走去，眼睛里重新充满了坚毅的神情。灰翅看得出他的步伐也更坚定了。“就这样。”晴天说，“我们今天就走出大山。为了清溪，我会帮你找到新的家园。”
“好。”荫苔用尾巴碰了碰这只年轻公猫的肩膀。
灰翅不由得挺起胸膛。如果晴天在经历了那么惨重的伤痛后，还能专注地投身于这次远行，那么他灰翅也能做到。昨晚吃的猎物现在还没消化，他琢磨其他猫也是如此。大家在河边喝了点儿水，准备出发。
疾水轻快地走着，之前她已抽空为自己梳理了一番，现在她看上去已经从落水的心理阴影中走了出来。
灰翅加快脚步，赶上疾水，问：“你还好吗？”
“还不错。”疾水尴尬地舔了舔胸部的毛发，“但我还是觉得自己好蠢，竟然从那块石头上掉了下来。”
“别再为那事纠结了。”灰翅发出了咕噜声，“至少我们发现了落羽擅长游泳。这种技能以后可能会派上用场。”
大家向前走着，两旁的大山渐渐向后退去，连最后一抹积雪也从眼帘中淡去。众猫从谷口走了出来，忽然他们停住了，个个目瞪口呆。
小河在一片平坦的绿草地上蜿蜒流过，草地上点缀着枝繁叶茂的大树。最近的那片草地被一些闪闪发光的网状物和几道茂密的灌木丛围了起来，里面有一些奇怪的动物，它们长着坚硬黝黑的脚掌，身子就像一团团白云，正弯下黑黢黢的脸啃食青草。
众猫小心翼翼地上前打探个究竟。离他们最近的那只动物转头看了他们一眼，发出怪异的咩咩声。灰翅吓得往后跳了一步，这让他感到有些丢脸。直到他发现大家和他一样，也都吓得向后退去，心里这才舒坦了些。
“我很确定这些动物是绵羊。”荫苔说，“记得老年猫们讲过关于绵羊的故事。它们并不危险。”
“只是很庞大罢了。”寒鸦啼紧张地咽了口唾沫。
锯峰又爬到灌木丛的边上：“我很好奇它们的肉会是什么味道。”
灰翅用尾巴轻轻掸了下小家伙的耳朵：“你可别打它们的主意！”
众猫离开了那些动物，沿着河边继续前行。灰翅想到马上就要走进这片一望无际的草地，不禁有些惴惴不安，他在心里揣测其他猫说不定也有同样的担忧。
“这有点儿可怕啊。”玳尾坦言道，她来到灰翅身边，和他一起并肩前行。
“我知道。”灰翅表示同意，“没有任何可以藏身的地方！”然而，他突然发现自己竟有些向往这里：我能在这里尽情地奔跑，这可能是最适合我舒展腿脚的地方了。
灰翅凝望着这片草地，忽然，他察觉到一丝动静，只见有个褐色的小东西正在草丛里跳跃着。是兔子！灰翅没有多想，在草地上飞奔了起来。顷刻之间，大地和天空在视野中化成茫茫的一片。虽然那兔子猛地掉转方向，但灰翅的目光早已紧紧锁住了目标。
时间仿佛变慢了下来。灰翅感到皮毛下的肌肉在一张一弛地伸缩，他的脚掌从柔软的草叶上弹起，使他全速前进。转眼，灰翅跑到猎物跟前，他扑倒兔子，一口就结果了它的小命。
灰翅站直身体，感到有些许眩晕。大伙儿正在草地那头远远地望着他，已然瞠目结舌。这时，一只羊的咩咩叫声使灰翅清醒了过来，他这才意识到自己离这些奇怪的动物已仅有几步之遥。他叼起兔子，拖着有些踉跄的脚步，一路小跑回到河边。
“你可真是……好快。”云斑说。
“你太厉害了！”锯峰补充道。
灰翅也不知道刚才是哪儿来的一股劲。他把兔子放下，后退几步，尾巴一挥，招呼大家道：“来吧，快吃吧。”
斑毛摇摇头，小声说：“谢谢，但我还不饿。”
“我也不饿。”高影说，“我想说……灰翅，你刚才干得真漂亮，不过昨晚我们都吃得很饱了。”
“尽管如此，我们也要在有猎物时都吃一些。”荫苔在兔子旁蹲伏下来，“谁能知道下一餐会是什么时候呢？”
众猫看着荫苔朝兔子咬了下去，这才也纷纷上前吃了几口。灰翅是最后一个吃的，他吃饱后，还有些兔肉剩在那里。他又咬了一口，不过他的肚子已经胀得再也咽不下去了。
“我实在是吃不下了。”他惊愕地看着剩下的兔肉，对大家说，“如果没有谁还想吃，那么我们只有把它丢在这里了。”
碎冰此时也满脸惊诧。“这究竟是什么样的好地方啊？”他懵懂地问，“猎物竟然多得吃都吃不完！”
Chapter 9

The sun rose higher as thecats made their way beside the bank of the river. Huge stretches of green grass lay along their route, enclosed by bushes or the weird shiny meshes. Sheep watched them curiously as they passed. Gray Wing was unnerved by their stares, and could see that his companions felt the same.
Shaded Moss took the lead as before, with Clear Sky and Tall Shadow beside him. Soon, he paused under a large tree and gathered the other cats around him.
“Now that we’re not high up,” Shaded Moss began, “it’s impossible to see much of the route ahead. But we’ll head straight for the point where the sun rises.” He gestured with his tail: “That will lead us to those pointed stones.”
Gray Wing looked at the place his leader indicated. The ground ahead still led gently downward, and just visible on the horizon were dark peaks outlined against the bright sky. That’s an awfully long way off, he thought, with a prickle of apprehension.
“We’ll never get that far!” Jagged Peak gulped. He glanced up at Gray Wing, his blue eyes full of misgivings. “Our paws will be worn away to nothing!”
“It’s just one step at a time,” Shaded Moss said encouragingly.
As they continued they still clung to the riverbank. Gray Wing wondered if he was the only one comforted by the sound of running water. Though it was much softer than the waterfall, it was almost the only familiar thing in this strange land.
Cloud Spots and Dappled Pelt sniffed at the lush clumps of herbs hanging over the water. Dappled Pelt’s whiskers quivered with excitement as she spotted each new patch of growth.
In several places the lines of thick bushes stretched down to the water’s edge, and the cats had to push their way through, their pelts catching on thorns and sharp twigs. Small birds flew up in twittering flocks, startled by the cats’ presence.
The first time they saw the birds, Moon Shadow and Hawk Swoop sprang forward—only to halt, confused, when Shaded Moss called them back.
“We’re not hungry yet,” he told them. “There’s no need to waste prey.”
Moon Shadow and Hawk Swoop exchanged bewildered glances. “It just seems so wrong, letting prey escape,” Moon Shadow mewed.
Gray Wing remembered the rabbit they had been unable to finish. For once, he thought the black tom spoke for all of them.
Jackdaw’s Cry walked beside Gray Wing, staring around, wide-eyed. “The grass is so soft!” he said. “And there are so many creatures .  .  . not just the sheep, but the birds too.” The excitement faded from his voice. “Who knows what else might be hiding in the bushes and watching us?” he finished, shivering.
Gray Wing understood what the young tom meant. “Don’t forget we’re faster than most animals,” he murmured. “We can run away for safety.”
But all the cats were walking closer together now, flinching at sudden noises, and Gray Wing wondered how long they could continue under this kind of stress. Being able to run away didn’t seem as reassuring as it should have.
His ears flicked forward when he heard a rumbling sound that grew louder with every paw step. It came from the other side of a dense, bristly line of bushes. Tasting the air, he picked up a strong, acrid scent.
“What’s that yucky smell?” Jagged Peak asked, passing his tongue over his jaws as if he’d tasted buzzardfood.
“I don’t know.” Shaded Moss drew the cats together with a gesture of his tail. “Keep together until we find out what we’re facing.”
The fur on Gray Wing’s shoulders rose. Looking around at his denmates, he saw that they were bristling too, their eyes wide.
“I’ll go through first and see what’s on the other side,” Clear Sky offered.
Gray Wing’s belly lurched with fear. He couldn’t let his brother face this unknown danger alone. “I’ll go with you,” he declared, stepping forward to stand beside his brother.
Clear Sky glanced at him, then looked away. “Come on, then,” he mewed tersely.
Gray Wing’s head drooped sadly. He blames me for Bright Stream’s death .  .  . and he’s right.
“Thank you both.” Shaded Moss gave an approving nod. “Come straight back once you’ve assessed any dangers.”
Gray Wing followed his brother as they thrust their way through the dense, prickly branches, hissing in annoyance as sharp twigs scraped his shoulder, snagging a tuft of fur.
“I don’t get this,” Clear Sky muttered as he halted to lift one paw and pull a thorn from his pad. “Why are all these bushes in a straight line? It doesn’t make sense.”
“I guess it’s just how things are here,” Gray Wing responded.
Slimmer than his brother, he found it easier to slip through the bushes, and was the first to emerge on the other side. Terror froze his paws to the ground. Huge, roaring creatures flashed to and fro a tail-length in front of him, dazzling him with their glittering, unnatural colors. A foul stench poured over him and he struggled to breathe.
I’m going to die!
Before he could warn his brother, Clear Sky slipped out of the bushes beside him. “Stupid prickles!” he hissed. “I’ve left half my fur—”
He broke off with a gulp of astonishment.
Gray Wing braced himself against the gusts of wind and raised his voice to a yowl. “This must be the Thunderpath Stoneteller told us about!”
Clear Sky nodded. “It certainly soundslike thunder. And those must be the monsters. She warned us to stay away from them.”
There was a moment’s peace, with no monsters hurtling past them. Gray Wing set his front paws on the path. It was made of black stone, and felt smooth beneath his pads. On the far side, thick undergrowth grew up to the edge of the stone, with bigger trees beyond, which would offer good cover from the monsters if only they could reach it.
“We’ll be able to cross here,” he meowed. “Unless monsters attack.”
Before he had finished speaking, the roaring began again, growing rapidly louder. “Watch out!” Clear Sky screeched.
He fastened his claws in Gray Wing’s shoulder, dragging him back without a heartbeat to spare as another monster growled past.
“Thanks!” Gray Wing gasped. “It must have been waiting out of sight, ready to pounce.”
Another gap followed the last monster, and Gray Wing heard Shaded Moss’s voice calling through the bushes. “What can you see? Are you okay?”
“Hang on!” Clear Sky replied, and added to Gray Wing, “Keep watch. Tell me if there are any more monsters lying in wait.”
Gray Wing held his breath as Clear Sky padded all the way to the center of the Thunderpath. It was marked by a straight white line.
“Is that snow?” Gray Wing asked, wondering why it would be lying there and nowhere else.
Clear Sky bent his head to sniff the line. “No,” he replied. “I don’t know what it is.”
As he spoke Gray Wing heard another faint rumble that swiftly grew into a roar. “Monster!” he yowled.
Clear Sky leaped back to safety as a shining scarlet creature roared past on round black paws.
“We’ll never get across if they’re waiting for us,” Gray Wing meowed.
“They obviously can’t see that well,” Clear Sky responded thoughtfully. “It rushed straight past us. And I had enough time to get all the way across before it spotted me. I think we’ll be able to cross if we’re careful.”
Gray Wing couldn’t share his brother’s confidence. “What if that last monster was old and slow?” he asked. “Faster, younger monsters might catch us before we even reach the white line!”
Clear Sky gave him a somber glance. “This journey was never going to be easy,” he mewed. “We can’t give up now.”
Gray Wing murmured agreement. “We’d better report back.”
Pushing their way back through the bushes, they described what they had seen to Shaded Moss and the others.
“What are we going to do?” Jackdaw’s Cry asked, his eyes wide with dismay. “Those things will eat us!”
Tall Shadow let out a snort. “What good are we if we can’t outwit them? They may be huge and stinking, but it sounds like they’re pretty stupid.”
“Stoneteller told us that they don’t seem able to leave the Thunderpath,” Rainswept Flower meowed thoughtfully. “It looks as if she’s right—we haven’t seen any of them on the grass beside the river. As long as we can cross the black stone, we should be safe.”
“Good thinking.” Shaded Moss gave his daughter an approving nod. “We’ll cross in twos. Clear Sky and Gray Wing, you’ve seen what these creatures are like, so you can supervise.”
“I’ll go first,” Dappled Pelt volunteered instantly. “I want to get it over with.”
“I’ll come with you,” Rainswept Flower mewed.
Shaded Moss dipped his head. “Good luck.”
Gray Wing and Clear Sky led the two she-cats to the line of bushes. When they arrived by the side of the Thunderpath, everything was quiet.
Dappled Pelt worked her claws impatiently in the grass. “What are we waiting for?”
Gray Wing held up his tail for silence and crouched beside the black stone, his ears pricked. A distant rumble swelled in his ears, from both directions.
Monsters were coming.
All four cats flinched back into the bushes as the noise and stench rolled over them.
“They’re huge!” Rainswept Flower exclaimed.
More nervously this time, she and Dappled Pelt approached the edge again. “We have to do this,” Dappled Pelt muttered determinedly.
“I’ll come with you and keep watch from the other side,” Clear Sky announced.
Standing side by side, the three cats waited, their ears alert and their eyes watchful. A monster growled past more slowly, the sun dazzling off its shiny pelt.
“Is it looking for us?” Rainswept Flower asked, crouching down in the long, tickly grass.
The others flattened themselves beside her, and the monster went by without stopping.
“It missed us.” Dappled Pelt puffed out her breath in a massive sigh. “Come on, Rainswept Flower!”
The two she-cats dashed out onto the black stone. Clear Sky bounded after them. Gray Wing yowled a warning as he heard the roars of approaching monsters, but his friends were safely on the other side before two more of the huge creatures flashed past.
“So it canbe done,” he murmured, trembling with relief. “They’re fine!” he called out to the others on the far side of the bushes. “Send the next pair through.”
Cloud Spots and Quick Water appeared and stood by the side of the black stone. Everything was quiet.
“Is your side clear?” Gray Wing called out to Clear Sky.
Clear Sky waved his tail. “Fine! Come on!”
Cloud Spots and Quick Water raced across safely. Everything was still quiet, and Gray Wing began to wonder if the monsters had given up hunting and gone back to their dens.
But as Jackdaw’s Cry and Falling Feather appeared from the bushes, yet another monster roared past, and Gray Wing realized they weren’t out of danger yet. At least with that reek they leave behind, they won’t be able to scent us
As silence fell again he glanced both ways along the Thunderpath, then called out to Clear Sky, who waved his tail again to signal that it was safe to cross. Jackdaw’s Cry and Falling Feather crossed without trouble. Shattered Ice and Hawk Swoop took their places at the edge of the black stone.
When Gray Wing and Clear Sky had checked, they began bounding across; but, as they reached the middle white line, Clear Sky suddenly screeched, “Monster!”
Shattered Ice and Hawk Swoop ducked back toward Gray Wing, but he spotted a monster too, approaching faster than the one on Clear Sky’s side.
Now they’re hunting us in pairs!
“No! Keep going!” he yowled.
Hawk Swoop froze in panic, scrabbling at the black stone as if she was trying to bury herself. Shattered Ice leaped toward her and grabbed her by the scruff of the neck. Gray Wing lost sight of them as the fierce monster roared past.
Then the dust cleared. Gray Wing felt limp with relief as he saw both cats collapse, panting—but uninjured—on the far side.
“The monsters seem to know we’re here.”
Gray Wing started at the sound of Shaded Moss’s voice and turned to see the black-and-white tom standing behind him. “The rest of us will cross together,” he added.
Shaded Moss called the other cats through the bushes and lined them up beside the Thunderpath, hidden in the long grass. Gray Wing made sure to stand next to Jagged Peak, where he could keep an eye on the young cat. “Do notmove until we tell you!” he warned.
Turtle Tail sneezed as a grass stem brushed her nose.
“Quiet! You’ll bring all the monsters running!” Moon Shadow hissed.
But there was still silence from the black stone. “I think it’s okay,” Gray Wing meowed. “Clear Sky?”
Clear Sky waved his tail from the opposite side. “Fine! Do it!”
The remaining cats bounded forward. Gray Wing felt his paws scorched on the hot, smooth surface of the Thunderpath. Then he plunged into the undergrowth on the far side, thankful to be surrounded by the scents of the others.
Working together with Clear Sky had felt good, but when he turned to his brother he saw that Clear Sky’s gaze was cold again, fixed on the trees ahead.
“Is every cat okay?” Shaded Moss asked.
“I’m a bit worried about Hawk Swoop,” Dappled Pelt replied. “She had a nasty shock back there.”
“It was my own fault,” Hawk Swoop replied, giving her chest fur an embarrassed lick. “I’m fine now.”
“It’s great to be under the trees,” Turtle Tail remarked as they set out again. “The monsters can’t see us here.”
“And with all this thick stuff, we don’t have to hear them,” Jackdaw’s Cry agreed.
But Gray Wing felt uneasy as he made his way through the undergrowth. Plants seemed to be grabbing at his paws, as if trying to trip him. And there were noises all around him: birds calling, branches creaking, prey scuffling in the undergrowth. He longed for the silence and clear air of the mountains.
“How much farther?” Shattered Ice complained, proving that Gray Wing wasn’t the only cat having problems. “I’ve got so many thorns in my paws I think I’m turning into a gorse bush!”
“Yes, and how can we hunt birds when we can’t see the sky?” Quick Water added.
“Stop behaving like kits!” Moon Shadow barged his way through the ferns. “Just smell the prey! We could eat just by keeping our mouths open and letting it fall in.”
“I want to go farther before we stop for the night,” Shaded Moss called back. “There’s no time to hunt yet.”
Moon Shadow let out an annoyed hiss.
“I think we should see how far these trees go,” Clear Sky said. “I’ll climb one.” Without waiting for a reply, he bounded to the nearest tree and leaped almost halfway up the trunk before digging his claws into the bark.
“Wow!” Turtle Tail stared after him. “I always knew he could jump, but that’s amazing!”
Only a few moments passed before Clear Sky scrambled back down again. “I couldn’t get high enough to see,” he meowed. “I need a taller tree.”
Padding onward, every cat examined the trees on either side until Shaded Moss halted in front of a huge one with gnarled roots and dense branches. “Try this one,” he suggested to Clear Sky. “I think it must be an oak .  .  . my mother used to tell me about the trees where the Tribe lived before.”
Clear Sky sprang into the tree with another mighty leap, and Tall Shadow followed, though she had to start climbing farther down the trunk.
“I want to go too!” Jagged Peak squealed excitedly. “I can climb!”
“Stay on the ground,” Shaded Moss ordered.
Jagged Peak’s tail-tip twitched irritably, but he didn’t argue.
Gray Wing tipped back his head to watch Clear Sky and Tall Shadow until they vanished among the dense, leafless branches. A moment later, a triumphant yowl sounded from high up in the tree.
“Clear Sky has reached the top,” Jagged Peak mewed, an envious look in his eyes.
Twigs tumbled to the ground as Clear Sky and Tall Shadow reappeared, jumping down and catching their breath.
“The trees end not far from here,” Clear Sky panted.
“Great!” Turtle Tail exclaimed, with a satisfied swish of her tail. “I want to see the sky again.”
“And what did you see beyond the trees?” Shaded Moss asked.
“Oh .  .  .” Clear Sky looked disconcerted. “I’m not sure. It looked a bit misty.”
Gray Wing saw his brother exchange a meaningful glance with Tall Shadow, and wondered what the two cats were keeping back. But he knew very well that there would be no point in pressing Clear Sky with more questions; their old ease and closeness was gone.
With Shaded Moss and Clear Sky in the lead, the cats padded on through the trees toward the brightening light that heralded the edge of the woods. But before they emerged into the open, Shaded Moss halted. Gray Wing pushed forward with the other cats to see what was going on.
A flat path wound through the trees, clear of undergrowth. Gray Wing tasted the air, and sniffed along the grass at the edge, but found no familiar smells.
His friends were looking just as bewildered. The scents didn’t seem to be prey; Gray Wing felt no prickle of instinct telling him to hunt. Instead, his neck fur bristled and his paws tingled as if he wanted to run.
“Which way should we—”
Hawk Swoop’s question was cut off by a loud volley of harsh noises from farther down the path, drowning out the sounds of the woods.
“A dog!” Shattered Ice exclaimed.
“What’s a dog?” Jagged Peak asked, gazing down the path in the direction of the noise.
“An animal you don’t want to meet,” Shaded Moss replied, drawing the group closer together with a wave of his tail. “We used to see them in the valleys sometimes in the warm season, but we always stayed out of their way.”
As he finished speaking, a huge brown animal bounded around a curve in the path and halted, its lips drawn back in a snarl
Shaded Moss yowled, “Scatter!”
The cats fled, diving into clumps of fern or scrambling up trees. Gray Wing pushed Jagged Peak into a bramble thicket and followed him in, clawing desperately at the thorns to make a space where they could hide.
No!he thought a moment later. We should have kept running, but now we’re trapped
He tugged helplessly at the tendrils that curled around him. A tail-length away, the dog snuffled along the edge of the thicket. Gray Wing knew it would find them at any moment.
Then he heard another sound: high-pitched, clear, and crisp, with a note of anger. The dog whined in response. Gray Wing peered out of the brambles and saw a tall, thin creature walking on its hind legs, with a loose, multicolored pelt and a strange, pink, hairless face.
Jagged Peak popped up his head behind Gray Wing. “Oh, wow!” he exclaimed. “Is that a Twoleg? It’s so weird!”
The Twoleg didn’t seem to notice the scent of the cats. It padded up to the dog, seeming to have no problem balancing on its two hind paws, then fastened a soft tendril to the dog’s neck and dragged it away.
The dog whined again. It didn’t want to leave, straining toward the clumps of fern where the other cats were crouching.
No cat moved for a moment after the Twoleg and the dog had vanished down the path. Then gradually they began to emerge from their hiding places.
“I’ve never seen anything so awful in my entire life!” Falling Feather was shaking so much she could hardly stand. “Did you see its teeth?”
“It’s okay.” Jackdaw’s Cry comforted her, giving her ear a gentle lick. “It’s gone now.”
Gray Wing could see that even Shaded Moss was struggling to stay calm. “We were bound to come across Twolegs and dogs sooner or later,” he meowed. “And we survived, so let’s keep going.”
All the cats were happy to plunge back into the deep woods, leaving behind the trail with its dog-stench. But they were tired of the struggle through the thick undergrowth, and the thorns that seemed to lie in wait to attack their paws and muzzles.
“I thought we’d never get here!” Gray Wing exclaimed, finally emerging at the edge of the trees.
But he realized that while they were in the woods a persistent cold drizzle had started to fall, soon soaking their fur as they stood under the outlying trees.
“This is even worse than snow!” Quick Water complained.
Gray Wing stared ahead, his heart beginning to pound as he gazed at what lay ahead. This is what Clear Sky saw from the top of the tree!A collection of square, hard-edged blocks of stone lay in front of them, some taller than trees, with shiny square holes in the sides. A wave of unfamiliar scents washed over him. Some were warm and tantalizing, making his belly growl, while others made him curl his lip in disgust. He recognized the scent of Twolegs that had clung around the earthen path behind them.
“These must be Twoleg dens,” Shaded Moss suggested.
“And this is a Twolegplace!” Shattered Ice added. “Misty Water told me about them, but I thought she was making it up.”
Gray Wing thought they must be right; he could see a few Twolegs, heads ducked against the rain, running between the blocks of stone.
“Now what do we do?” Cloud Spots asked. “I don’t want to go any nearer.”
“Neither do I,” Falling Feather agreed. “There might be more dogs!”
Shaded Moss pointed with his tail, beyond the dens, to where the sharp peaks they were heading for were barely visible through the low clouds and rain. “That’s where we’re heading,” he meowed. “To the place where the sun rises. But it’ll be dark soon. We should find shelter for the night among the dens, where it’s dry.”
Chapter 13
The slope led onto open moorlandcovered in tough, springy grass and clumps of gorse. Gray Wing relaxed, reveling in the open sky and the breeze that carried the scent of rabbits.
I could live my whole life here
Toward nightfall, they came across a shallow hollow lined with gorse bushes and small rocks that offered shelter. A pool of peaty brown water lay at the bottom.
“We’ll stay here for now,” Tall Shadow said. “We can rest and explore, and decide whether thisis the place Stoneteller meant for us to find.”
After a couple of days spent drowsing in the hollow, venturing out only to hunt rabbits, Clear Sky was the first to lead out a group to explore, taking Dappled Pelt, Falling Feather, and Moon Shadow with him.
“We went as far as the river,” Clear Sky reported when they came back. “There’s a massive waterfall, thundering down into a gorge.”
“No cave behind it, though,” Falling Feather mewed regretfully.
On the following day, Gray Wing set out with Cloud Spots, Rainswept Flower, Jagged Peak, and Turtle Tail. The sun shone brightly in a blue sky, clear except for a few wisps of white cloud. A breeze was blowing from the forest in front of them, bringing with it the scent of fresh, growing vegetation.
“This feels so good!” Turtle Tail sighed, pausing to arch her back in a long stretch.
“No rain, no Thunderpaths, and plenty of prey,” Rainswept Flower agreed. “What else could we want?”
“We need to learn more about the place first,” Gray Wing warned her. “There might be dangers we know nothing about.”
Trekking on across the moor, they came to a steep slope leading downward. Ahead of them Gray Wing spotted a clump of fresh green leaves rustling in the wind. At first he wasn’t sure what it was, until he realized that he was looking at the tops of several trees.
“Let’s go look!” Jagged Peak meowed eagerly, springing forward.
Gray Wing hauled him back by hooking his tail around the young cat’s neck. “Yes, we’ll go look,” he replied sternly. “But you willstay with the rest of us and not dash around like a demented snow hare!”
Jagged Peak nodded, but flexed his claws impatiently as he followed Gray Wing.
The moorland grass gave way to lush fern and undergrowth. Pushing through at the head of his group, Gray Wing halted, letting out a gasp of amazement.
In front of him the ground fell away into a vast, circular hollow. The sides were lined with ferns and bushes, and at the bottom, four magnificent oak trees stretched their branches to the sky.
“Wow!” Cloud Spots breathed out at Gray Wing’s shoulder.
Jagged Peak’s voice rose in an excited squeak: “Why don’t we live here?”
Gray Wing gave him a quelling look, but didn’t reply. As he led the way down the slope, ears alert for possible danger, he began to feel once again the familiar sensation of being trapped under the trees. The branches arched overhead, interlacing so that he could only see patches of open sky.
In the middle of the four oaks, a huge jagged rock stretched many tail-lengths into the air. Jagged Peak bunched his muscles and tried to leap onto the top, but it was too high for him. He dropped back, his claws scrabbling at the rock face.
“Clear Sky would be able to leap up there!” he mewed, with an annoyed flick of his tail.
“Yes, but why would he want to?” Gray Wing pointed out. Avoiding an argument with Jagged Peak, he added, “We should stop for a while and hunt. There’s bound to be prey among all this undergrowth.”
Jagged Peak headed off at once.
“Stay in the hollow!” Gray Wing called after him.
The rest of the group split up. As Gray Wing had hoped, the prey was plentiful, and before long they gathered at the base of the rock to eat. As he swallowed bites of mouse, he heard rustling in the bushes on the side of the hollow. Tasting the air, he picked up the scent of cat.
“It’s a rogue,” Turtle Tail whispered.
Watching the movement of the branches, Gray Wing caught glimpses of a ginger pelt; the strange cat was moving toward the top of the hollow. More movement appeared farther up, and a black-and-white face popped out for a moment between the fronds of a clump of fern.
“There are more of them!” Jagged Peak sprang to his paws, his claws extended. “We should fight them off.”
Cloud Spots moved to block the young cat before he could go charging off the slope. “Are you flea-brained?” he hissed. “Why should we fight them? They’re not doing us any harm.”
“But they—” Jagged Peak began to protest.
“Cloud Spots is right,” Gray Wing meowed, remembering the claws of the kittypet he had fought in the Twolegplace. “We’re not fit for fighting yet, and we need to have a much clearer idea of this place before we risk meeting hostile cats.”
“For all we know, they might be friendly,” Rainswept Flower added.
Jagged Peak gave a snort of disbelief, but didn’t say any more. Gray Wing cast a wary eye back toward the cat peering out from the ferns. He did not know if these cats would cause them trouble or not—but he would keep his eyes and ears open, just in case.
Two sunrises later, Gray Wing was hunting alone on the moor. The warm, bright weather had given way to a raw chill, with clouds covering the sky and a smattering of rain on the wind.
Gray Wing scanned the moorland for the least sign of movement. His pads tingled with excitement as he spotted a rabbit racing across the top of the slope. He sprang forward. The rabbit veered aside with a shrill squeal of fear and Gray Wing altered course, stretching out his paws and pushing off from the tough grass to force out every last bit of speed.
He was reaching for the rabbit when something slammed into him from the side. His paws skidded out from under him and he crashed to the ground, rolling over with legs and tail waving.
Half stunned, Gray Wing scrambled up to see a wiry brown she-cat glaring at him with yellow eyes. Just beyond her, a thin gray tom was rising to his paws and shaking scraps of grass from his pelt. The rapidly fading scent told Gray Wing that the rabbit had escaped.
He lashed his tail angrily. “You made me lose my rabbit!”
“Yourrabbit?” The gray tom stepped forward to stand beside the she-cat. “Wind, why do you think this crow-food eater thinks that was his rabbit?”
“I have no idea, Gorse,” the she-cat, Wind, replied, her neck fur bristling. “We’ve seen you, you know,” she hissed at Gray Wing. “Strolling in here, stealing our prey!”
“Yes, where did you come from?” Gorse asked aggressively. “I hope you don’t mean to stay long, because—”
“We’ll stay as long as we like,” Gray Wing retorted. “The prey belongs to the cats who can catch it, and there’s plenty here for all of us.”
Wind slid out her claws. “That’s not for you to say.”
Gray Wing braced himself for an attack, but before Wind or Gorse could spring, a cool voice spoke from somewhere behind him. “Having trouble, Gray Wing?”
Glancing over his shoulder, Gray Wing saw Tall Shadow appearing from behind a lichen-covered boulder. Her paw had healed, and she looked formidable, her green eyes narrowing as she faced the hostile cats. Hawk Swoop was padding at her shoulder, her teeth bared in the beginning of a snarl.
“These cats knocked me over when I was chasing a rabbit,” Gray Wing explained.
“Weknocked youover?” Wind let out a snort of disgust. “You ran straight into us. You’re as blind as a mole in daylight!”
“We’re not going to argue,” Tall Shadow mewed, flexing her claws. “I’d leave, if I were you. Or do you want us to make you?”
Gorse took a step back, and after a heartbeat Wind followed. “Don’t think you’re getting away with this,” she snapped as she retreated. “You’re not welcome here!”
Tall Shadow stood watching until a fold in the moor hid the two rogues, then led the way back to the hollow on the moors. Before they reached it, a thin rain began to fall, soaking the cats’ pelts. Water welled up from the grass when they set down their paws.
Gray Wing felt thoroughly dejected. He was glad that Tall Shadow and Hawk Swoop had turned up before a fight started, but I shouldn’t have been so quick to argue. I could have talked to Gorse and Wind .  .  . do we really want to fight to stay here?
When they arrived at the hollow, Hawk Swoop told the story to the rest of the cats. “Tall Shadow made them go away,” she finished triumphantly. “She was great!”
But not every cat was pleased to hear what had happened. “Will it be like that every time we go hunting?” Turtle Tail asked. “I don’t want to have to fight for the right to catch prey.”
“Neither do I,” Rainswept Flower agreed. “Maybe this isn’t where we’re supposed to live, after all.”
Cloud Spots nodded. “Suppose Tall Shadow and Hawk Swoop hadn’t turned up when they did. Gray Wing could have been seriously hurt.”
Jackdaw’s Cry and Dappled Pelt exchanged glances. “If worse comes to worst, we could always go back to the mountains,” Jackdaw’s Cry pointed out. “Prey was scarce, but at least we didn’t have to fight for it.”
For the next few days the rain continued almost without a break. Exploring didn’t seem exciting anymore, especially with the threat of meeting more hostile cats. Gray Wing and the others huddled under the gorse bushes for shelter, except when hunger drove them out to catch rabbits.
Four sunrises after his encounter with Wind and Gorse, Gray Wing awoke from an uncomfortable doze to see Moon Shadow crashing down the slope among the bushes, dragging something heavy behind him.
“Look what I caught!” the black tom exclaimed proudly, dropping two squirrels beside the rock where Tall Shadow was sheltering.
“Where did you get those?” Tall Shadow mewed.
“In the woodland,” Moon Shadow boasted, gazing around as other cats came up to examine his prey. “It was easy.”
“It was flea-brained,” Tall Shadow snapped. “You shouldn’t have gone there alone. From now on, we hunt in groups.”
“Who died and put you in charge?” Moon Shadow demanded, his tail-tip twitching in annoyance.
“Shaded Moss, actually,” Tall Shadow replied. “And it’s not a position I ever asked for.”
Did Shaded Moss make her his successor?Gray Wing wondered. They talked together a lot. And I don’t think Tall Shadow would lie.
Though tension was rising among the cats, none of the others challenged Tall Shadow. Gray Wing was aware of a moment of grief. We’re all wondering how different things would be if Shaded Moss were still here.
He knew that this place wasn’t as wonderful as they had hoped when they set out from the mountains, or even when they first arrived on the moor after crossing the Thunderpath, but in the torrential rain no cat had the appetite for more journeying.
We’re here .  .  . we have to make the best of it
Chapter 12
Horror almost overwhelmed Gray Wing, buthe threw himself forward to stop any of the other cats from running straight onto the Thunderpath. “Shaded Moss is hurt!” he yowled, blocking Tall Shadow as she appeared. Then he rushed to intercept Jackdaw’s Cry, who was shouldering his way out of the thorns.
Glancing swiftly in both directions, Tall Shadow darted onto the Thunderpath and grabbed Shaded Moss by the scruff, dragging him into long grass. Gray Wing stopped each cat on their way out of the bushes, and shoved them toward where their leader’s body lay. Monsters roared past behind him, blurring his vision and filling his ears until they ached.
Clear Sky was the last cat to emerge, thrusting Jagged Peak in front of him. His eyes widened when he saw Shaded Moss’s body, while Jagged Peak let out a wail. They followed Gray Wing to the broken cat.
Cloud Spots was bending over him, prodding him gently with one paw. After a few heartbeats he looked up. “He’s dead,” he announced.
“No!” Rainswept Flower threw herself down beside her father, pushing her muzzle into his fur.
Gasps of horror and disbelief came from the other cats. Gray Wing stepped forward and rested his muzzle on Shaded Moss’s head. He still felt warm, his fur dusty and ruffled. A thin trickle of blood ran from his nose and mouth, but otherwise he might have been sleeping.
Pure grief stabbed through Gray Wing, sharper than thorns. Shaded Moss brought us so far. How can he leave us now?
Clear Sky padded quietly up to Rainswept Flower and gave her a gentle nudge. “Come on,” he murmured. “We can’t stay here. It’s not safe.”
Rainswept Flower gazed up at him, her blue eyes blazing with anger and grief. “I’m not leaving him to the monsters!” she shrieked.
“There’s nothing you can—” Clear Sky began.
Shattered Ice interrupted him. “Rainswept Flower is right. This is no place to abandon Shaded Moss. We can carry him across the Thunderpath.”
Gray Wing cast a glance at the bushes they had come through. He could still smell the dogs. There was no going back that way.
Shattered Ice, Dappled Pelt, and Moon Shadow stepped up to carry Shaded Moss’s body. Gray Wing helped them, while Clear Sky kept watch for monsters. At last there was a gap in the continual roaring, and they were able to set out across the hard, black stone, all the cats crowding anxiously around their leader’s body. Gray Wing saw Shaded Moss’s tail dragging limply on the ground, and grief surged over him.
My poor Tribemate .  .  .
Together Gray Wing and the others carried Shaded Moss into a stretch of deep grass, under the shelter of a line of bushes.
“There are no stones here.” Rainswept Flower’s voice shook. “We can’t bury him like we would in the mountains.”
Dappled Pelt touched Rainswept Flower’s ear gently with her nose. “We can use sticks from these bushes, and soft grass. It will be a good enough pelt for him now.”
Rainswept Flower hesitated for a heartbeat, then gave a tiny nod. She and Dappled Pelt stayed close beside her father, while the rest of the cats set off to forage.
Gray Wing noticed Clear Sky walking rigidly, alone, his eyes staring at nothing. He’s thinking about Bright Stream, Gray Wing guessed. She had no stones or sticks to cover her body—wherever she ended up. He wished desperately that he could apologize to his brother, but once again the words stuck in his throat like a tough piece of prey.
Gathering some twigs and large leaves torn from a bush, Gray Wing carried them back to Shaded Moss’s body. But as he began to lay them on the dead cat, Rainswept Flower reached out her tail to block him.
“Wait,” she mewed. “Please can I stay with him a while longer?”
As the cats returned, they set down their bundles of sticks and leaves and sat around Shaded Moss’s body.
“Good-bye,” Rainswept Flower whispered. “You were the best father any cat could have. I’ll never forget you.”
“And no cat could have led us better,” Tall Shadow added, ducking her head awkwardly toward Rainswept Flower. “You brought us out of the mountains.”
When she had finished speaking, other cats began to add their memories.
“You taught me how to stalk prey.”
“You kept going when any other cat would have given up.”
“You believed in this journey, and made the rest of us believe, too.”
Gray Wing stretched out his neck until he could touch Shaded Moss’s head with his nose. “Thank you for your courage,” he mewed. “We will carry on our journey in your memory.”
“And in Bright Stream’s,” Clear Sky put in, his blue eyes filled with sorrow.
Turtle Tail nodded. “We miss her, too,” she murmured. “She was strong and confident, but so gentle.”
“She would have been a wonderful mother to your kits,” Dappled Pelt added.
Jagged Peak said nothing, but pressed himself against Clear Sky’s side.
Night fell, but the cats stayed clustered around Shaded Moss. Pale dawn light began chasing away the stars, as Rainswept Flower laid the first twig on her father’s body. The rest of the cats followed, covering him in silence, then padded away toward where the sky was brightening, with Rainswept Flower in the lead.
Though grief had brought the cats together, they were each locked in their own private misery. Even Jagged Peak had stopped complaining. Tall Shadow still limped on her injured paw, though she gave no sign of the pain she must have felt.
The sun trail took them across several grassy spaces and through a cluster of Twoleg dens. The shrill barking of a dog startled them, but their grief was stronger than fear—all they could manage was a halfhearted scamper to the next wooden wall, scrambling over it to a stretch of open ground on the other side.
Looking around, Gray Wing realized that they had come to the end of the Twolegplace. Ahead, Highstones was outlined against the sky; anticipation tingled through his paws as he saw how close the peaks were.
The cats trekked on over tough moorland grass until they reached a copse of pine trees.
“This might be a good place to hunt,” Moon Shadow suggested without much enthusiasm.
Dappled Pelt shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”
The others murmured agreement, and flopped down to rest in the shelter of the trees.
“Is there any point in continuing without Shaded Moss?” Turtle Tail asked Gray Wing as she settled beside him. “Should we just give up and go home?”
Gray Wing was startled by the strength of feeling that rushed through him. “No!” he protested. “We’ve come too far! How would it be fair to Bright Stream and Shaded Moss if this journey was all for nothing?”
Hawk Swoop, crouching nearby, turned her head and mewed sharply, “You didn’t want to come in the first place, remember?”
Gray Wing forced himself to respond calmly. “Maybe not. But I’ve come this far, just like the rest of you. This will be my new home too.”
The setting sun covered the ground in scarlet light and cast long shadows from the pine trees. The cats settled in the copse for the night, curling up among the soft pine needles at the base of the trunks.
Gray Wing dreamed that he was snug in his old sleeping hollow in the cave, but gradually a wail of grief pierced through the thunder of the waterfall.
“Shaded Moss! Shaded Moss!”
Gray Wing jerked awake. A couple of tail-lengths away, Rainswept Flower was thrashing around, calling out for her father in her sleep.
Compassion surged through Gray Wing. Rising to his paws, he padded over to Rainswept Flower and sat beside her, stroking his tail gently over her flank. Her cries sank to a quiet whimper, and then to silence. He stayed at her side, his heart as heavy as a cloud weighed down with rain. Through the branches of the pine trees, he could see the moon, already swelling to full again.
We’ve been traveling for nearly an entire turn of the moon. Will our journey ever end?
During the night the wind picked up, rattling the brittle branches overhead. The noise and chill roused one cat after another. “The moon and stars give us enough light to see,” Tall Shadow mewed, stifling a yawn. “Why don’t we get going?”
With every cat in agreement, they padded through the pine trees and out onto rough, bristly grass, flattened by the strong wind. The ground sloped more steeply upward to where Highstones was a faint dark outline against the night sky.
Gray Wing paused and took in deep breaths of the cold air. Hope crept into his heart. This feels like home. Glancing over his shoulder, he looked across the landscape that unfolded behind them in the first faint light of dawn. A dark, uneven smudge lay against the horizon.
That’s the mountains! Wow, we’ve come so far!
“I can’t believe this!” Beside him, Jackdaw’s Cry echoed his thoughts. “I never imagined the world was this big!”
The ground grew steeper still, with boulders poking through the tough grass, but the cats leaped confidently from rock to rock.
“This is harder than it used to be!” Cloud Spots puffed. “All the good eating has made me heavier.”
The cats spread out as the grass gradually thinned and they found themselves padding along on stone. A sense of achievement tingled through Gray Wing as he scrambled up the last few tail-lengths and stood at the top of the pointed stones.
“We made it!” Turtle Tail announced as she joined him.
The peaks were lower and narrower than their mountain home, but Gray Wing rejoiced in their familiarity. He could see that the others, even Rainswept Flower, were regaining a little of their optimism.
As they stood looking out across the land beyond, the sun broke above the far horizon, flooding the landscape below them with golden light and stretching its warm rays right up to their paws.
We have reached the end of the sun trail!
He looked down into the pool of sunlight and saw empty expanses of grass, broken by patches of dense woodland that would offer shelter. A winding river reflected the sunlight.
“Is that where the other ‘rogues’ live?” he wondered aloud. “Those all look like places where cats could settle.”
“I think this could be our new home,” Dappled Pelt murmured
“Yes!” Falling Feather gave her a nudge. “There’s a river for you to catch fish, and for me to fall into!”
“And trees,” Clear Sky added. “There’ll be plenty of prey.”
Gray Wing hoped his brother didn’t expect to be living under the trees. I’d much rather stay in the open spaces, where I can breathe
But in spite of the cats’ optimism, a mist of sadness still hung above them. I wish Bright Stream and Shaded Moss had made it this far, Gray Wing thought.
Tall Shadow meowed, “Come on, let’s go explore,” hopping down from the topmost crag, still limping on her injured paw.
“When we get there, I’m going to find some herbs that will heal that paw,” Dappled Pelt declared.
Tall Shadow took the lead as they headed down the slope. “Jagged Peak!” she snapped as the kit scurried ahead of her. “Get your tail back here! You don’t know what danger might be waiting for us.”
Jagged Peak waited for the rest to catch up, and padded alongside Gray Wing, his ears flat and a chastened look on his face.
Their path wound between huge boulders that cut off the view of the land below. As they emerged again onto a more open slope, Jackdaw’s Cry let out a startled mrrow. “Look over there!” he exclaimed.
Turning, Gray Wing saw a massive hole in the mountainside, gaping open like a mouth rimmed with jagged teeth.
Jackdaw’s Cry ran lightly up to it and peered inside, meowing loudly and listening to the echo. “Wow, it’s really deep!”
Tall Shadow padded after him to the entrance and took a brief look inside. “We’re not rabbits,” she sniffed. “We don’t live underground. Come on.”
Dappled Pelt caught up to pad beside Tall Shadow as they moved off again. “You really shouldn’t walk much farther on that injured paw,” she murmured.
Tall Shadow nodded. “Okay. But let’s get to that stretch of moorland at the edge of the forest.”
The stony surface gave way to rough grass and then to softer enclosed stretches dotted with sheep. They were so familiar now that the cats ignored them, though they still kept to the bushes that edged the spaces, all their senses alert for dogs or monsters.
“Another Twolegplace,” Cloud Spots pointed out, as a cluster of red stone dens came into sight.
“I can smell dog,” Moon Shadow announced, wrinkling his nose in disgust.
“Then we won’t go near it,” Tall Shadow responded, leading them around in a wide circle.
Gray Wing looked at the moorland sloping up ahead of them. His legs suddenly felt heavy and his paws ached as he thought of taking a long rest. I’m tired of travelingEven if this isn’t our new home, we should be able to stay here for a few sunrises, long enough to heal our wounds and fill our bellies.
The moorland seemed just beyond their whiskers when a familiar roar assailed Gray Wing’s ears.
“Oh, no!” Quick Water exclaimed. “Another Thunderpath!”
Moving cautiously, the cats picked their way through a thin line of bushes and, at a command from Tall Shadow, halted beside the Thunderpath. Gray Wing stared at it in horror. Monsters raced up and down in both directions, growling and letting out long hooting sounds like owls, but louder than any owl he had ever heard. This is the biggest one yet! How are we supposed to get across?
Glancing at his friends, he saw that many of them were trembling, the memory of Shaded Moss’s death fresh in their minds.
“I don’t want to cross,” Falling Feather whimpered, crouching down with her nose on her paws.
“Can’t we stay on this side?” Hawk Swoop asked. “Back on Highstones? There was plenty of space up there.”
“Yes, but no prey,” Clear Sky pointed out. “We need trees, bushes, and long grass to feed us all.”
“Well, you can cross without me,” Falling Feather mewed stubbornly.
Shattered Ice padded up to her and rested his tail on her back. “We’ve come this far together,” he told her gently. “We’re not leaving any cat behind now. I’ll look after you, I promise.”
Falling Feather rose shakily to her paws.
Gray Wing noticed that Turtle Tail was also looking terrified, and he brushed his pelt against hers. “You’ll be okay,” he murmured.
Turtle Tail flattened her ears. “It’s too soon after Shaded Moss.”
Gray Wing nodded. “I know. But the sun trail has led us here. It’s just one more obstacle, that’s all.”
Quivering, the cats gathered at the edge of the Thunderpath. The black stone extended in front of them, the far side looking a long way away. Gray Wing watched his brother, admiring Clear Sky’s courage as he ventured close to the path and scanned it in both directions, leaping back just in time as monsters roared past.
“Okay,” Shattered Ice meowed. “Let’s split up. Clear Sky, you lead the first group, and then keep watch for the rest of us at the other side. Quick Water, Tall Shadow, Cloud Spots, and Jackdaw’s Cry, go with him.” As the cats he had named gathered together, he went on: “Rainswept Flower, Dappled Pelt, Turtle Tail, and Falling Feather, come with me. And Gray Wing, you lead the last group, with Jagged Peak, Hawk Swoop, and Moon Shadow.”
Gray Wing nodded in response, and braced himself for the crossing.
Every cat seemed to feel better now that Shattered Ice had come up with a plan. Clear Sky led his group to the edge of the Thunderpath and waited for a glittering blue monster to pass. The sound of its roaring died away into silence.
“Now!” Clear Sky yowled.
His group sprang forward and raced across the Thunderpath, their paws barely skimming the surface. Clear Sky ran alongside Tall Shadow, making sure that she didn’t lag behind. They reached the other side with heartbeats to spare before the next monster appeared. Gray Wing lost sight of them in the long grass.
“Well, that wasn’t so bad,” Shattered Ice declared, as he flicked his tail to wave his own group up to the edge.
He and his cats had to wait a long time before the next gap in the continuous lines of monsters. Clear Sky reappeared at the other side and signaled to them with his tail.
“Okay! Now!” he yowled.
The cats were leaping forward onto the Thunderpath when Clear Sky let out another shriek. “No! Go back!”
With screeches of alarm the cats retreated. Shattered Ice grabbed Falling Feather by the scruff and hauled her out of danger as a bright red monster appeared out of nowhere, flashing past with a snarl.
“Dungeater!” Turtle Tail yowled after it. She seemed to have forgotten how nervous she had been.
Shattered Ice and his group approached the edge of the Thunderpath again, more cautious than ever after their narrow escape. But this time the path cleared quickly, and no monsters threatened them as they raced across.
Gray Wing gestured with his tail to gather his own group together. Trying to force his paws to stop shaking, he lined up Jagged Peak, Moon Shadow, and Hawk Swoop at the edge of the Thunderpath. Stooping, he pressed his ear to the stone surface, but he couldn’t sense any vibrations.
“Okay .  .  . now!”
With his group hard on his paws, he bounded onto the Thunderpath. But as they reached the halfway point, he heard the roar of an approaching monster, growing rapidly louder until the sound filled the whole world.
“Faster!” Gray Wing screeched.
He had almost reached the edge when Clear Sky leaped out from the grass, barged past him and headed for the middle of the Thunderpath. Horrified, Gray Wing skidded to a halt and turned to see Jagged Peak crouching in the path of the monster, frozen with terror. Clear Sky scooped him up by his scruff and leaped back in two mighty strides, just as the gigantic monster thundered past.
“You stupid, stupidkit!” Clear Sky snarled, dropping Jagged Peak and glaring at him. “Don’t you knowby now not to stop in the middle like that?”
Jagged Peak cowered down into the grass as if trying to hide from his brother’s fury. “I—I’m sorry,” he stammered.
“It’s my fault too,” Gray Wing meowed. “I should have realized he wasn’t with me.”
Before his littermate could respond, Quick Water pushed her way forward. “Clear Sky, calm down,” she snapped. “It was a scary moment for all of us.” Bending over Jagged Peak, she gave his head fur a couple of quick licks. “Come on,” she murmured. “You can walk with me for a bit.”
Jagged Peak struggled to his paws, giving Quick Water a grateful glance.
Every cat was shaky, their fur ruffled and dirty. They stumbled up the grassy slope in front of them, their excitement gone, their courage almost spent.
Chapter 11
For a moment every cat wassilent with shock. Moon Shadow was the first to speak. “Suits me,” he meowed, swiping his tongue around his jaws.
“Yes, it’s warm and dry in here,” Quick Water agreed.
“And there’s no smell of dogs,” Shattered Ice added. His nose twitched. “There’s a different sort of scent, but I don’t recognize it. Still, if it’s not dogs or eagles, it can’t be dangerous.”
Shaded Moss was looking thoughtful. “It could work,” he said at last. “And we’re close enough to the mountains to go back and visit the others now and then.”
Excited murmurs rose from the group of cats, and they glanced at one another with shining eyes.
“We can make nests in this dried grass,” Falling Feather mewed. “It would be a great place for bringing up kits.”
Gray Wing didn’t join in the plans. He couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed. There’s nothingwrong with this place, he thought. But I imagined finding our new home would feel moreright
He looked around, trying to picture himself and his Tribemates living here. His legs felt restless at the thought of being trapped within the wooden walls. They were not as naturalas the walls of a cave. Besides, he would have liked to know what the strange scent was.
But if it’s right for the others, shouldn’t I be happy to stay? he asked himself guiltily.
“What do you think?” he asked Turtle Tail, who was sitting beside him. “Is this the place we’ve been looking for?”
The tortoiseshell she-cat looked surprised. “I’m pretty sure it is,” she replied. “Aren’t you?”
Gray Wing shook his head.
“Everything beyond the mountains is going to feel strange,” Turtle Tail pointed out. “It’s just a case of getting used to a different way of living.”
Gray Wing suppressed a sigh. “I suppose you’re right,” he admitted, curling up next to her to sleep.
Before he closed his eyes, Gray Wing spotted Clear Sky sitting on the hard earth floor, staring into the shadows. His brother was illuminated by a shaft of moonlight that shone through a gap in the wall, turning his light gray pelt to silver. He looked so alone that Gray Wing’s heart ached for him.
If only Bright Stream were still here
The cats burrowed into the warm, dry grass to make nests, and fell into a deep, sound sleep. They felt so safe that no cat suggested setting a watch.
An unfamiliar noise aroused Gray Wing. His eyes blinked open and he saw gray dawn light seeping through the gaps in the shelter wall. Outside he could hear a trampling noise, and knew that was what had awoken him.
Springing to his paws, Gray Wing turned to face the shelter entrance. Outside in the dimness he could see a pale, moving mass converging on the shelter. The trampling grew louder.
“Wake up!” he screeched, hurling himself at one cat after another and swiping his paws across their ears to make them wake. “Run!”
Glancing back at the entrance he realized that the pale mass had drawn closer; now he could see that it was made up of sheep—more sheep than he had ever seen before, and all of them heading for the shelter. Their trampling and bleating seemed to fill the whole world and their scent—the strange scent they had picked up before—flooded over him.
“We can’t get out!” Falling Feather yowled. “They’ll crush us!”
Already the first sheep were trotting into the shelter, pushing one another to get through the entrance. There was no way past them that could avoid their sharp, cruel paws.
“Over here!” Rainswept Flower gasped.
Darting after her across the tumbled heaps of grass, Gray Wing saw a tiny gap at the bottom of the shelter’s wooden wall. One by one the cats squeezed through, as the shelter filled with the noisy, restless sheep.
Waiting for his turn, Gray Wing heard a shriek of pain and saw Hawk Swoop fall to the ground while a sheep trampled over her. He leaped forward but Clear Sky was faster, grabbing her by the scruff and dragging her toward the gap. He shoved her through and followed; Gray Wing was right behind him, with Shaded Moss at his tail.
“Are we all here?” Shaded Moss asked, after they had all struggled out into the open.
Gray Wing checked, and saw to his relief that no cat had been left behind. They all seemed uninjured, too, except for Hawk Swoop, who was standing with one of her forelegs at a very strange angle.
“Can you walk?” Shaded Moss asked her.
“I’ll try,” Hawk Swoop replied, her breath hissing through her teeth. She limped a few paces, clearly in a lot of pain.
“I don’t think you can,” Gray Wing meowed. He spotted a clump of long grass and nettles beside the wooden wall, and let Hawk Swoop lean on his shoulder until she could collapse there out of the chill dawn wind.
Gray Wing beckoned Dappled Pelt with his tail. “You know the most about herbs,” he meowed. “What should we do for her?”
Dappled Pelt looked confused. “Daisy leaves, or elder,” she replied at last. “But I don’t know if they grow around here. Jackdaw’s Cry, Falling Feather, can you go and look for some?”
As the two young cats bounded off, Cloud Spots padded up to Hawk Swoop and examined her carefully; she drew in her breath with a gasp of pain as he prodded her injured leg.
“I’ve seen injuries like this before,” Cloud Spots mewed. “Her leg has come out of joint at the shoulder.”
“Then she’ll be stuck like that?” Quick Water sounded horrified.
“No, not at all,” Cloud Spots responded. “I once watched Quiet Rain treat one of the elders for this after they slipped off a rock. Herbs will only help the pain, not the injury.”
Hawk Swoop gasped in agony as Cloud Spots set his paws on her neck and shoulder. “This will hurt,” Cloud Spots told her, “but it will soon be over.” Flicking his ears at Gray Wing, he added, “Come here and hold her. Put your paws there .  .  . and there .  .  . and keep her absolutely still when I give the order.”
Gray Wing placed his paws where Cloud Spots had indicated. “I’m ready.”
“Good. Now!”
Cloud Spots yanked hard at Hawk Swoop’s leg; Gray Wing was nearly rocked off his paws by the force of it. Hawk Swoop let out a shriek. Then Cloud Spots stepped back and Gray Wing saw that the she-cat’s leg was back in position. She lay trembling, her breath coming in shallow gasps.
“Can you move your leg? Does it still hurt?” Cloud Spots asked.
Hawk Swoop flexed her leg. “It only aches a bit,” she meowed. “Oh, thank you, Cloud Spots!”
“Well done.” Shaded Moss touched Cloud Spots’s shoulder with his tail.
Cloud Spots shrugged. “It’s just lucky I saw what Quiet Rain did.”
At that moment Jackdaw’s Cry and Falling Feather returned, their mouths full of herbs. “Are these the right ones?” Falling Feather asked, dropping her bundle in front of Dappled Pelt.
Dappled Pelt sorted through the leaves. “Do you think these are okay?” she asked Cloud Spots.
Cloud Spots carefully picked out a couple of leaves with his claws. “These look like the ones we have in the mountains,” he mewed, giving them to Hawk Swoop. “Chew them well and swallow them to help the pain,” he told her.
While Hawk Swoop was eating the herbs Shaded Moss padded up to her. “You need to rest. We’ll stay here for the day.”
Gray Wing heard a few murmurs of discontent from his Tribemates.
“I’m freezing!” Quick Water complained. “We’re all getting soaked out here.”
She was right; the chilly breeze carried a sharp, stinging rain. But there wasn’t anything they could do about it, and Shaded Moss gave Quick Water a stern look. “You can go back into the shelter with the sheep if you like,” he mewed.
Quick Water scuffled her forepaws on the ground, looking embarrassed. “I suppose out here isn’t so bad.”
“We could hunt,” Clear Sky suggested, though he didn’t sound enthusiastic.
“Our bellies are still full,” Tall Shadow pointed out. “There’s no sense in catching prey we can’t eat.”
Moon Shadow nodded, letting out a groan. “I don’t think I’ll be able to face another mouse!”
In the end, all the cats settled down among the long grass and nettles and fell into a doze. When Gray Wing awoke, the sky was still covered in clouds, and a thin drizzle was falling, though the wind had dropped. He guessed it was just after sunhigh.
As he rose to his paws and stretched, Gray Wing noticed that Clear Sky was walking away from the den.
“Are you going somewhere?” Gray Wing asked, running to catch up. “Is everything okay?”
Clear Sky gave him a long look. “I just wanted to stretch my legs,” he replied. “I’m fine on my own, thanks.”
Gray Wing watched Clear Sky pad away, feeling as if he had been struck in the belly. I’d rather he raged at me for letting Bright Stream die, he thought. The cold politeness was far worse to bear, because it made him feel like a stranger to his own brother.
His tail drooping, Gray Wing padded back to the long grass.
Turtle Tail was waiting for him. “Let him grieve,” she whispered, brushing her tail along Gray Wing’s flank. “Everything will be all right in the end.”
Gray Wing wished he could believe her.
In the days that followed, Gray Wing began to believe that their encounter with the sheep had been a sign that the next stage of their journey was going to be even more difficult. The rain never stopped, and their only guide was a few glimpses of the sharp stones now and then through the mist.
How can we find our new home if we can’t see the sun trail?Gray Wing wondered.
Prey grew scarcer, the small animals and birds sheltering from the rain. Hawk Swoop quickly recovered, but as the cats crossed a barrier between two stretches of grass, Tall Shadow scratched one of her pads on a sharp, shiny tendril hidden among the stems.
“I’m fine,” she muttered, even though she was limping badly.
Dappled Pelt and Cloud Spots foraged for herbs, but Dappled Pelt looked doubtfully at everything they found. “I don’t want to give any cat something that will make them sick,” she meowed. “I’ve never seen most of these leaves before.”
As the days went by, even Jagged Peak lost his liveliness. Gray Wing could understand: He was the youngest and smallest, with the shortest legs, and yet he had to keep up with the others.
“I’m fed up with this rain,” he complained as he trudged through wet grass that soaked his pelt. “And I’m hungry!”
“We’ll find prey when we get where we’re going.” Falling Feather comforted him.
“We don’t knowwhere we’re going,” Jagged Peak whined.
“Then maybe you should have stayed at home where you belonged,” Clear Sky snapped brusquely.
Jagged Peak flinched at his brother’s rebuke, looking so miserable that Gray Wing had to sympathize. “Every cat is grumpy,” he whispered to Jagged Peak, brushing against his side reassuringly.
A stretch of woodland loomed up in front of the cats, and as they entered it Jagged Peak went on muttering. As he walked with Gray Wing at the back of the group, he began twitching his ears or his tail and stopping to glance around.
“Why are you fidgeting?” Gray Wing asked irritably.
“I think we’re being watched,” Jagged Peak replied.
Gray Wing suppressed a sharp response. “It’s probably a piece of prey that doesn’t want to be caught,” he suggested.
Jagged Peak flicked his tail, but said nothing. A few paw steps later he stopped dead. “What was that?” he asked, his ears quivering.
“A falling twig!” Gray Wing answered, flicking his tail in exasperation. “Now come on! We’re lagging behind the others.”
Jagged Peak stayed as still as if his paws were rooted to the ground. His eyes narrowed and his face screwed up in a mutinous expression. “We’re being followed,” he meowed.
“No, we’re not!” Gray Wing looked around, determined to prove that his brother was wrong. “Oh .  .  .” he added, feeling stupid, as a long-legged brown-and-gray tabby stepped out of the clump of bracken they had just passed.
“See?” Jagged Peak snapped.
Gray Wing and the stranger stared at each other for a moment.
“You’re not from these parts, are you?” the stranger asked eventually.
“No,” Jagged Peak piped up, stepping forward to examine the stranger, round-eyed. “We come from far away! From the mountains!”
The stranger looked surprised. “You mean Highstones?” He nodded in the direction of the sharp peaks the cats were heading for, though they weren’t visible through the trees.
“No,” Gray Wing replied. “We—”
He broke off as the other cats reappeared, with Clear Sky in the lead. “What’s going on?” Clear Sky asked.
“Wow, there are a lot of you,” the stranger mewed, though he didn’t seem daunted by their numbers.
“We’re just travelers, passing through,” Shaded Moss told him.
“Oh,” the stranger responded, “I thought you were the cats who live on the other side of Highstones.”
“That’s those pointed stones up ahead,” Gray Wing explained.
“Are there cats who live there already?” Cloud Spots asked, shouldering his way forward.
“That’s what I’ve heard,” the stranger replied, “though I’ve never been that far myself. I’ve heard tales about how fierce they are.”
“Are they .  .  . ‘rogues’?” Gray Wing asked, remembering what the kittypet in the Twolegplace had said.
The stranger gave a snort of amusement. “‘Rogues’ are what kittypets call us, the soft saps.” His gaze traveled curiously over the group of cats, and he added, “What are you all doing here? That kit there said you’ve come a long way.”
“We needed a new home,” Shaded Moss said shortly, casting a distrustful gaze at the stranger.
The tabby tom dipped his head and didn’t ask more questions. “Well, best of luck to you,” he meowed, and slid away into the bracken.
“So there’s another group of cats living near those pointed stones!” Jackdaw’s Cry mewed excitedly.
“Highstones,” Jagged Peak corrected.
Falling Feather sniffed. “They’re not thathigh.”
“I think it’s a good sign if there are other cats living near here.” Rainswept Flower blinked thoughtfully. “Cats like us, I mean. Not kittypets.”
“Yes, it means there’s space and prey,” Dappled Pelt agreed. “We won’t be disturbed by Twolegs, or monsters or dogs.”
“Maybe.” Clear Sky looked less certain. “But we want to find a place of our own, where there’s all the prey we need.”
Shaded Moss nodded. “Suppose the other cats are hostile?”
“The cat we just met didn’t seem hostile,” Turtle Tail pointed out.
Clear Sky snorted. “He was heavily outnumbered!”
Turtle Tail only shrugged.
In spite of Shaded Moss’s and Clear Sky’s suspicions, the cats’ mood was lighter as they padded on through the woods. Though the rain persisted, the branches held off the worst of it.
Gray Wing spotted movement at the corner of his eye and turned to see a squirrel halfway up the trunk of a nearby tree. Clear Sky was closer to it, and pushed off into a spectacular leap, crashing down again with the squirrel in his claws.
“That was awesome!” Jackdaw’s Cry exclaimed.
Since they had stopped, Shaded Moss suggested that they take some time to rest and hunt. Moon Shadow and Shattered Ice vanished immediately into the trees.
“Don’t go too far!” Shaded Moss called after them. “Stay out of trouble!”
Gray Wing opened his jaws to taste the air, and picked up the scent of mouse. He tried to follow it, finding it hard when there were so many cross trails of competing scents, and finally lost it altogether in a clump of ferns.
How can I catch prey I can’t see?
Meanwhile, Dappled Pelt had padded on a few paw steps, with her head tilted to listen. Then she meowed, “Look what I’ve found!”
Gray Wing trotted up to her and saw water gurgling from between two mossy stones, then falling in a tiny waterfall into a pool. A shallow stream led away from it into the trees.
Dappled Pelt crouched at the water’s edge, swiping her tongue around her jaws. “Fish!”
Falling Feather watched as Dappled Pelt flashed one paw into the stream and flicked a tiny fish onto the bank. A few heartbeats later she did it again, catching a bigger fish this time.
Falling Feather let out an admiring purr. “You said you’d teach me how to do it. Can I try now?”
“Sure,” Dappled Pelt replied. “Come and sit here. Make sure your shadow doesn’t fall on the water, because that frightens the fish. Then, when you see one, you have to be quick.”
“Okay, let me try.” Falling Feather gazed intently into the water, but when she dipped her paw all she brought up was flying droplets. “Haredung!” she muttered. “It looks so easy when you do it!”
Rainswept Flower had also ambled up to watch. “Okay,” she mused after a moment. “So I was wrong about the wooden den, but do you think thismight be a place where we could live?”
Still annoyed about losing the mouse, Gray Wing hoped that she was wrong again. Among the trees, he felt trapped—as if the air was too thick to breathe properly. He longed for the open spaces they had left behind.
“No,” Shaded Moss replied to his daughter. “We must climb to the top of Highstones. Those peaks are the end of the sun trail Stoneteller promised us. We have to go there before we make any decisions about where to stay.”
Rainswept Flower nodded, accepting what her father said, while Gray Wing heaved a huge sigh of relief.
Moon Shadow and Shattered Ice returned with prey. After he had eaten his fill, Gray Wing lay on a rock and watched Dappled Pelt giving Falling Feather another fishing lesson. The two she-cats were obviously having fun. Even when Falling Feather leaned over too far and toppled into the stream with a massive splash, she came up quivering with amusement.
“It’s easier to bea fish than to catch one,” she spluttered as she emerged and gave her pelt a shake, scattering shining droplets into the air.
“Watch it!” Quick Water snapped, leaping out of the way. “Some of us don’t want to be fish, thanks very much!”
As he gazed at the she-cats, Gray Wing began to feel the earth trembling under his paws. At the same moment the air filled with the sound of barking.
“Dogs!” he yowled.
Shaded Moss jumped to his paws. “This way!” he ordered.
Three dogs crashed through the undergrowth. They were different sizes and colors. Frozen, Gray Wing could smell their stinking breath, and feel the heat from their fur.
“Come on!” Turtle Tail barreled into him, jolting him forward. “Move!”
Terrified, the cats floundered through the undergrowth. Bursting out of the trees, they raced across an open stretch of grass. Gray Wing glanced over his shoulder and saw the dogs following, covering the ground with long, loping strides.
They’re catching up!
Ahead of the cats was a sharp, shiny barrier covered in thorns.
“Don’t go that way!” Shaded Moss shrieked, swerving across the dogs’ path and hurtling toward the shelter of a line of bushes.
Faster and faster the cats ran. Wind plastered Gray Wing’s pelt to his body, and grass scraped his belly fur. Falling Feather was dropping behind, and he doubled back to give her a shove, half carrying her toward the bushes. He risked a glance aside, and saw that Clear Sky was helping Jagged Peak.
The bushes loomed ahead, bristly and dark and solid-looking. Gray Wing couldn’t see any way through, but there was no time to hesitate. With Falling Feather beside him, he hurled himself in, battling against the densely packed branches, his fur tearing as thorns caught at it. He closed his eyes to protect them from the spines.
As he forced his way out the other side the roar of a monster assaulted his ears, and he was blasted in the face by spray kicked up from its round, black paws. Blinking, he tried to see where he was. Other cats were lurching out of the bushes close by.
“Wait!” Gray Wing shrieked.
But his warning came too late. Shaded Moss plunged out of the bushes, across the narrow strip of grass that edged the Thunderpath, and straight into the path of a roaring monster. Gray Wing heard a sickening thud as Shaded Moss’s body was flung into the air.
The monster growled on, leaving nothing behind but a terrible, deafening silence.
第九章
第九章
太阳升得更高了。众猫继续沿着河岸前行。一路上，一望无际的草地被茂密的灌木丛和闪闪发光的网状物围了起来。猫儿们路过时，绵羊们好奇地盯着他们，那目光弄得灰翅浑身上下很不自在，他知道大伙儿和他有一样的感受。
荫苔和往常一样带队前行，晴天和高影走在他的身边。不久，他在一棵大树下停住脚步，把众猫集结到了一起。
荫苔开口说：“我们现在的位置已经不在高处了，因此基本上看不到多少前面的路。但是我们会继续朝太阳升起的方向走去。”接着他用尾巴示意道：“我们要走到尖尖的石头那里。”
灰翅朝这位猫首领所指示的方向看去，只见前面的路延绵向下伸往遥远的地平线。远方有几座山峰，那幽暗的轮廓在蓝天的映衬下显得格外分明。灰翅心里有些忐忑地想：这路可真长啊！
“我们怎么可能跑那么远！”锯峰深深吸了口气。他抬头看了灰翅一眼，那双湛蓝的眼睛中充满了忧虑。“这路会把我们的脚掌都给磨没了的。”
荫苔斗志昂扬地说：“一步一个脚印地走，就能到达那里。”
众猫依然沿着河边继续前进，灰翅不知道是否只有他觉得这淙淙的流水有一种抚慰心灵的力量。虽然水声远不及瀑布的声音洪亮，但在这片陌生的土地上，也唯有这河水的流动声能让他有一种似曾相识的感觉了。
河边草药丛生，郁郁葱葱。云斑和斑毛一边走，一边嗅着它们的气味。每看见一处新的草药，斑毛就兴奋得胡须发颤。
有几丛灌木一直长到了河边，众猫不得不从灌木间穿过。他们的皮毛掠过多刺的荆棘和尖尖的细枝，惹得原本躲在里面的小鸟纷纷惊叫着飞了出来。
一看到有鸟，月影和鹰扑一跃而起就要去抓，不料却被荫苔叫住，他俩只得愣在那里。
“我们现在还不饿。”荫苔对他俩说，“没有必要浪费猎物。”
月影和鹰扑面面相觑，满脸不解。月影说道：“就这样让猎物给跑了，好像很不应该吧。”
灰翅深有同感，他想起了那只他们之前没吃完的兔子，第一次觉得这只黑色公猫说出了大家的心里话。
寒鸦啼在灰翅身边走着，他瞪大眼睛东张西望了一番。“这片草地好柔软啊！”他叹道，“动物也多，不但有绵羊，还有好多鸟。”不过，他语气中的兴奋劲很快便没了影儿：“可是在这灌木丛后，谁知道还潜伏着什么东西正对我们虎视眈眈呢？”说完，他不禁全身颤抖了起来。
灰翅理解这只小公猫的顾虑。“别忘了，我们跑得比大多数动物都快。”他低声说，“如果情况不妙，我们就及时逃命。”
尽管如此，众猫走着走着，还是不由得彼此越靠越近，一有什么风吹草动就紧张得不行。灰翅不禁担心大家这样下去还能撑到几时。这拔腿就跑的法子看似比较靠谱，其实并没让大伙儿真正宽下心来。
忽然，灰翅耳朵向前竖了起来。他听到一阵隆隆的响声，每走一步，那响声就愈发震耳。声音来自那道密密匝匝的矮灌木外。他嗅了口空气，发现里面有股浓烈刺鼻的气息。
“那恶心的味道是啥？”锯峰咂着嘴问道。他用舌头扫了一圈下巴，难受得好像是吃了口秃鹫食似的。
“不知道。”荫苔尾巴一挥，把大家聚到一起，“大家相互之间跟紧了。我们去察探察探，看看是什么东西。”
灰翅肩部的毛立了起来。他环视四周，只见大家也毛发奓立，个个都瞪大了眼睛。
“我先过去瞧瞧到底是什么。”晴天挺身而出。
灰翅的心一沉，恐惧让他的腹部不由抽搐了起来。凶险未定，他断不能让哥哥孤身前往。“我和你一起去。”说着，灰翅迈步上前，毅然站在了晴天身边。
晴天看了看他，又把目光移向别处。“那就来吧。”晴天没有多说什么。
灰翅耷拉着脑袋，黯然神伤起来：他还在怪我害了清溪……而且他没有错。
“谢谢你们。”荫苔赞许地点了点头，“一旦发现危险，你们就立刻回来。”
灰翅跟着哥哥费力地钻进那道浓密的灌木屏障。灌木丛里到处是刺，尖细的树枝刮得他肩膀生疼，他有一撮毛被带刺的枝子活活扯下，痛得灰翅气上心头，发出了一声低嘶。
“我真弄不明白。”晴天嘀咕着停了下来，抬起脚掌，把一根扎进脚垫的刺拔了出来，“为什么这些灌木丛都呈直线生长？这说不通啊。”
“我想也许这里的东西就是这样的。”灰翅答道。
灰翅比晴天瘦些，他率先钻过灌木来到另一边。可刚一出来，一阵恐惧就袭上他的心头，他不由僵住了。就在离他一尾远的地方，一只只庞然大物呼啸着冲过，它们全身发着诡异的亮光，刺得灰翅头晕目眩。一阵恶臭扑面而来，熏得灰翅险些岔过气去。
我就要死了！
还没等他来得及向晴天发出警报，晴天已钻出灌木来到他身边。“这讨厌的刺！”晴天低嘶道，“把我身上一半的毛都扯掉了……”
突然，晴天惊得倒抽了一口气，话也没了下句。
灰翅背对着大风站稳身子，大声说：“这一定就是尖石巫师所说的雷鬼路了！”
晴天点了点头：“这听上去是很像阵阵雷声，那些肯定就是怪物了。尖石巫师提醒过我们要避开这些家伙。”
一时间，周围稍稍安静了些，没有怪物从他们身边跑过。灰翅前脚踏上路面。路是黑色的石头铺成的，踩上去感觉非常平滑。远处，路的对面长着厚厚的灌木，灌木丛后是一棵棵大树。如果他们能够穿过这条路，就可以在那些树下躲避怪物了。
“只要怪物们不发动袭击。”灰翅说，“我们就可以从这条路上过去。”
话还没说完，轰鸣声又响了起来。很快，那声音越变越大。“小心！”晴天大喊一声。
说时迟，那时快，晴天一把抓住灰翅的肩膀，把他一下拖了回来。转眼间，又一只怪物呼啸着飞驰而过。
“谢谢！”灰翅喘着粗气说，“它肯定一直是在暗处躲着，刚才伺机扑了上来。”
这时，路面上又静了下来。灰翅听到荫苔在灌木丛那头问道：“你们看到了什么？你们还好吗？”
“稍等！”晴天回答道。他随即叮嘱灰翅：“继续盯着。如果发现有更多怪物等在那里，随时告诉我。”
灰翅紧张地屏住了呼吸，他眼睁睁地看着晴天踏步走到雷鬼路的中间。道路正中有一条白色的直线。
“那是雪吗？”灰翅一边问道，一边在心里纳闷为什么雪偏偏只落在了那个地方。
晴天低下头嗅了嗅那道线，回答道：“不是雪。我也不知道这是什么。”
正在他说话的当口，灰翅听到又有一道隆隆的响声渐渐靠近。那声响很快就变成了咆哮。“怪物来了！”灰翅高呼道。
晴天迅速跳回安全地带，只见一头猩红色的怪物闪着道道亮光，发出阵阵怒吼。它那黑色的圆形脚掌在地面上疾驰而过。
“如果它们一直在那里埋伏着，我们就没法过路了。”灰翅说。
“不过很明显这些家伙的眼神不太好。”晴天若有所思地说，“刚才那个就径直从我们身边跑过去了，而且在它发现我之前，我有足够的时间逃脱。我想，只要我们多加小心，就能通过这条路。”
灰翅可不像他哥哥那样有信心，不安地说道：“或许刚才那怪物是个老家伙，所以跑不快呢？年轻的怪物跑得快，还没等我们跑到那条白线，它们可能就把我们捉住了！”
晴天严肃地看了他一眼：“这趟远行本来就艰险重重。我们现在不能半途而废。”
灰翅嘀咕着表示同意：“我们最好回去汇报一下。”
他俩从灌木丛里钻了回去，向荫苔和其他猫把方才所见描述了一番。
“那我们该怎么办呢？”寒鸦啼瞪大眼睛，愕然问道，“那些怪物会吃了我们的！”
高影的鼻子里发出哧的一声：“如果不能智取怪物，我们还有何用？就算它们确实体形庞大，浑身恶臭，但这些家伙听上去可是相当愚蠢啊。”
“尖石巫师说过它们好像是不能离开雷鬼路的。”雨拂花思索了一番后说，“看样子她说的不错——我们从没在河边的草地上见过那些怪物。只要我们能走过那条黑石头路，我们就安全了。”
“你分析得很好。”荫苔朝女儿赞许地点了点头，“我们结伴过路。晴天、灰翅，你们见过怪物的样子，就负责盯梢吧。”
这时，斑毛立刻自告奋勇地说：“我先过去。早过去早轻松。”
“我和你一起去。”雨拂花说。
荫苔点点头，对她俩说：“祝你们好运。”
灰翅和晴天把两只母猫带到那道灌木丛前。当他们来到雷鬼路的边上时，四下里一片寂静。
斑毛急躁地在草地上挠着爪子，说道：“我们还等什么？”
灰翅竖起尾巴，示意大家保持安静。接着，他支棱起耳朵，在黑石头路边上蹲伏下来。他听见远处的隆隆声正在从两个方向同时传来。
怪物们来了。
轰鸣声越来越近，一股臭味扑面而来。四只猫连忙缩到了身后的灌木丛里。
“它们长得好大啊！”雨拂花惊恐地喊道。
她和斑毛又一次接近路边，心里更加惴惴不安。“我们必须过去。”斑毛轻声说道，她的口气十分坚定。
“我和你们一起过去。我去对面帮你们盯着另一侧的情况。”晴天说。
三只猫肩并肩站成一排，等待着时机的到来。他们耳朵直竖，几双眼睛密切注视着路况。这时，又有一只怪物高吼着从路上跑过，但速度却没有刚才那几只那么快。太阳照在它那闪亮的皮毛上，发出刺眼的光芒。
“它是在搜寻我们吗？”雨拂花问道。她正蹲伏在长长的草丛中，草尖儿弄得她身上痒痒的。
其他猫在她身边的地上趴着。好在怪物跑了过去，没有停下。
“它没发现我们。”斑毛长长地吁了一口气，“快点儿，雨拂花！”
两只母猫猛地冲上黑石头路。晴天跟在她们后面跃了过去。这时，灰翅听到又有怪物呼啸而来，忙发出警报。不过，待那两只庞然大物闪着眩光飞驰而过时，他的朋友们已安全到达了对面。
“看来这法子行得通。”灰翅喃喃自语。虽然他仍在浑身发抖，但那颗紧绷的心已经释然。他朝灌木丛那头的同伴们远远地喊道：“他们没事！下一对过来吧。”
云斑和疾水出现了，他们一起站在黑石头路的边上做好了准备。一切都很安静。
“你那边安全吗？”灰翅向晴天高喊。
晴天挥动着尾巴：“安全！快来！”
云斑和疾水迅速穿过路面，双双安全抵达。一切仍是那么安静，灰翅甚至开始琢磨那些怪物是不是已结束狩猎回巢去了。
然而，当寒鸦啼和落羽从灌木丛中钻出时，又有一只怪物尖啸着冲过，灰翅这才意识到他们还没脱离危险。他心存侥幸地寻思：至少怪物们发出的恶臭恰好能遮住我们的气味，所以它们是不可能追踪我们的。
周围又静了下来。灰翅朝雷鬼路的两边看去，并大声向晴天询问另一侧的状况。晴天挥了挥尾巴，示意一切安全。寒鸦啼和落羽顺利通过。接着，碎冰和鹰扑在黑石头路边站定，做好了过路的准备。
灰翅和晴天确认安全后，他俩便跳上了黑石头路。可是他俩刚抵达路中间的那条白线，晴天就突然尖叫了起来：“怪物来了！”
碎冰和鹰扑忙朝灰翅这边撤去。可是就在此刻，灰翅也看到一只怪物朝他这边跑来，而且它的速度比晴天那边的更快。
灰翅吓得毛骨悚然：现在它们竟开始结对来捕捉我们了！
“别回来！往前走！”灰翅号叫道。
这时，鹰扑吓得已不知所措，她慌乱地扒拉着地上的黑石头，恨不得马上钻到地下去。见此，碎冰飞身一跃，一口叼住鹰扑的颈背。一刹那，凶猛的怪物狂啸着奔过，两只猫随即消失在了灰翅的视野中。
片刻之后，扬起的尘埃落定。只见路的对面，两只猫正瘫在地上气喘连连。不过万幸的是，他们毫发未伤，灰翅刚才那颗悬到嗓子眼的心这才放了下来。
“怪物们好像已经知道了我们在这儿。”
荫苔的声音把灰翅吓了一跳。灰翅转过身，这才发现这只黑白相间的公猫已经站在了自己的身边。“我们剩下的猫一起过去。”荫苔补充道。
接着，荫苔发令示意其他的猫穿过灌木丛。深深的草丛中，众猫依次在雷鬼路边排开。为了能照顾到弟弟，灰翅站在了锯峰身边。“没有我们的命令，自己不许乱动！”他警告锯峰。
这时，一根草茎拂过玳尾的鼻子，她忍不住打了个喷嚏。
“安静！你会把所有怪物都引过来的！”月影低嘶道。
可是，黑石头路上依然静悄悄的。“我想没啥问题。”灰翅说，“晴天，情况还好吗？”
晴天在路的对面挥动尾巴：“很好！行动！”
剩下的猫儿们立即向前蹿去。灰翅踏着平坦的雷鬼路朝对面飞奔起来，炙热的路面像火一样灼烧着他的脚掌。很快，他跳进路边的灌木丛中，大伙儿那熟悉的气息扑鼻而来，灰翅甚是欣慰。
刚才和晴天全力配合的一幕幕使灰翅心怀喜悦。可是，当灰翅转向哥哥，却发现晴天正目不转睛地盯着树看，而哥哥的目光又变得冷峻起来。
“大家都没事吧？”荫苔问。
“我有些担心鹰扑。”斑毛回答，“她刚才受到惊吓了。”
“都是我的错。”鹰扑尴尬地舔了一下胸前的毛发，说，“现在没事了。”
众猫继续前行。“能在树下走着简直再好不过了。”玳尾说，“这样怪物就看不到我们了。”
“而且有这道厚厚的灌木挡着，我们也用不着再听它们发出的噪声了。”寒鸦啼表示赞同。
但是，当灰翅从灌木丛中钻出来的时候，他却感到忐忑不安。脚掌下的植物好像要把他绊倒，他举步维艰。另外，他的周围噪声阵阵，鸟鸣声、树枝的断裂声、树丛里猎物的逃窜声……此刻，他多么怀念大山中清新的空气和那片难得的宁静啊。
“还要走多远？”碎冰抱怨着，“我的脚掌扎了许多尖刺，我都要变成一簇到处是刺的金雀花丛了！”看来有情绪的猫不只是灰翅。
“就是。我们连天空都看不到，还怎么捕鸟？”疾水补充道。
“别像幼崽一样幼稚！”月影从蕨丛中踏了过来，“你们闻闻猎物的气息！这里到处都是猎物，只要我们张开嘴，它们就能掉进肚子里来。”
“在大家停下过夜前，我们还要再往前走些路。”荫苔回头喊道，“现在没有时间狩猎。”
月影愤愤地低嘶了一声。
“我们应该了解一下这片树林究竟延伸到了多远的地方。”晴天说，“我去爬到树上看看。”不等任何猫回应，他就向最近的那棵树上跳去。只见他纵身一跃，直接跳到了有大树一半高的地方，爪子牢牢地扣住了树皮。
“哇！”玳尾的目光紧紧盯着晴天，“我一直知道他擅长跳跃，但这一跳也太酷了吧。”
没过多久，晴天就迅速地下了树。“我站得不够高，看不到什么。”他说，“我要换棵更高的树。”
众猫继续向前走，纷纷左右张望，寻找着更高的大树。这时，荫苔在一棵巨树前面停住脚步。只见这棵大树长得盘根错节，参差的树杈一层叠着一层。“来试试这棵吧。”他向晴天提议道，“我想这定是棵橡树……在部落早前的栖息地那里长着茂盛的树木，我的母亲曾经给我描述过它们。”
晴天又蓄积力量奋身一跳，高影随后跟了上去。不过她跳得没有晴天高，只能从更靠下的树干开始往上攀爬。
“我也要上树！”锯峰兴奋地尖叫道，“我也会爬！”
“待在地上。”荫苔命令道。
锯峰不服气地抽动着尾巴尖，但是没有犟嘴。
灰翅仰头看着树上，只见晴天和高影消失在了光秃秃的层层树杈中。过了一会儿，树顶上传来胜利的叫喊声。
“晴天爬到树顶了。”锯峰满眼羡慕地说。
这两只猫的身影重新在树冠中出现。他们所到之处，被擦落的细枝纷纷落下。晴天和高影跳下橡树，累得气喘吁吁。
“这片树林没多远就到头了。”晴天喘着气说。
“太好了！”玳尾开心地说，她满意地挥了挥尾巴，“我又能看到天空了。”
“树的那边有什么？”荫苔问。
“呃……”晴天看上去有些心神不定，“我也不确定。好像有些雾。”
灰翅看到晴天和高影交换了个意味深长的眼神，便在心里琢磨他俩究竟向大家隐瞒了什么事情。不过他很清楚，这时候就算他继续追问下去也无济于事，他们兄弟俩曾经那亲密无间的关系已经不复存在。
众猫继续沿着树林往前走，荫苔和晴天走在最前面。光越来越亮，树林的边缘也越来越近。但是，在他们就快走出树林的时候，荫苔停了下来。灰翅和其他猫一起挤上前想看个究竟。
一条平坦的道路从树林中蜿蜒了出去，路的两边没有灌木遮挡。灰翅嗅着空气，沿着树林边缘上的草地捕捉着气息，但他没闻到什么熟悉的气味。
他的朋友也一脸茫然。这种味道不像是猎物的气味，灰翅的狩猎直觉也并没有被唤醒。相反，他本能地竖起颈部的毛发，几只脚掌微微作痛，倒是很想要撒腿逃命的样子。
“我们应该从哪条路——”
鹰扑的话还未说完，一阵刺耳的狂吠声便从路的那头传了过来，顿时淹没了树林里的所有声响。
“是狗！”碎冰惊呼道。
“狗是什么？”锯峰问，他朝声音传来的方向好奇地张望。
“就是一种你绝对不会想见到的动物。”荫苔回答，他尾巴一挥，示意众猫聚上前去，“从前天气暖和的时候，我们在山谷里见过狗，但从没接近过它们。”
荫苔说完，一只巨大的褐色动物从路的拐弯处朝他们跳了过来。它落地站稳，龇牙咧嘴地朝猫儿们狂叫不止。
荫苔高声发令：“散开！”
猫儿们四下逃窜，有的钻到蕨丛里，有的往树上爬去。灰翅把锯峰推到一丛荆棘中，自己也跟着挤了进去。他绝望地划拉着荆棘枝，想要腾出空间好同时容下他俩。
不对！灰翅突然反应了过来。我们本来应该逃跑的，可现在反倒被困住了。
他无助地拉扯着身上的藤蔓，可植物的卷须已经将他缠住。一尾远外，那只狗正在沿着树丛嗅着气味。灰翅知道，他们随时都有可能暴露。
正在这时，他听到另外一个声音：那声音调子很高，清脆嘹亮，还夹杂着一丝不快。狗听见那声音，立刻呜呜叫着回应。灰翅透过荆棘丛向外看去，只见一个高大瘦削的动物正在用两条后腿走路，它有着松弛的彩色皮毛，还长着一张无毛的粉色脸庞，样子十分奇怪。
锯峰也从灰翅身后伸出了小脑袋。“噢，哇！”他惊讶地喊，“这是两脚兽吗？它长得好怪异啊！”
这只两脚兽似乎没有闻到猫儿们的气味。它径直向狗走去，步子很稳，好像它用两条腿走路也能很好地保持平衡。随后，两脚兽把一根柔软的藤蔓绕在了狗的脖子上，把它拉走了。
狗又呜咽起来。这家伙可不想离开，它还挣扎着往蕨丛那里使劲，妄图捉住躲在里面的猫儿们。
两脚兽和狗从路上消失了，可猫儿们还是一动不动。又过了一阵子，大家才纷纷从藏身的地方探了出来。
“我这一辈子都没见过这么可怕的东西！”落羽浑身不住地发颤，几乎站不稳脚跟，“你们看见它的牙齿了吧？”
“没事的。”寒鸦啼舔了一下落羽的耳朵，安慰道，“它已经走了。”
灰翅发现就连荫苔也在努力恢复镇定。“我们碰到两脚兽和狗是迟早的事。”他说，“还好大家都平安无事，那我们就继续赶路吧。”
所有的猫都十分乐意回到浓密的树林中来，这样他们就能离那条路远远的，也能把那只狗的臭味抛到脑后了。不过，方才矮树丛间的那番挣扎已经让大家备感疲倦，而前方似乎还有更多荆棘正不怀好意地等着他们，准备随时袭击他们的口鼻和脚掌。
“我都没敢想我们还能走到这里！”灰翅兴奋地喊道，他终于来到了树林的边缘地带。
不过，他意识到，刚才在林子中的时候，空中就已经飘起了冰冷的毛毛细雨。现在大家都来到了林子外的树下，皮毛也很快被雨水打湿了。
“这比下雪还糟！”疾水咕哝着。
灰翅朝前方望去，霎时间，眼前的这幅景象让他的心狂跳不止。晴天在大橡树上看到的东西原来就是这个！只见一排排石头堆成的巢穴出现在他们面前，每一座都方方正正，有棱有角，有的比树还高出一些，巢穴的壁上还有一些四四方方的洞在发着光。这时，各种陌生的气味扑面而来：有些温暖的气息诱惑着他，让他的肚子也咕咕响了起来；有些气息害他连连反胃，他又十分厌恶地撇了撇嘴。他还嗅出了两脚兽的气息，就是之前留在那条土路上的两脚兽气味。
“这些一定就是两脚兽巢穴了。”荫苔说。
“这里是两脚兽的地盘！”碎冰补充道，“雾水和我说起过它们，我那时还以为是她乱编的故事呢。”
灰翅心里也同意他俩的看法。在雨中，他看见一些两脚兽正低头在这几堆石头间匆匆跑着。
“那我们现在该怎么办？”云斑问，“我是不想再靠近那里了。”
“我也不想。”落羽表示赞同，“说不准那边还有更多的狗呢！”
这时，荫苔用尾巴指了指前方。众猫望了过去，他们的目光越过巢穴，看到低低的云层下面，有几座尖尖的山峰在雨中若隐若现。“我们要往那个方向走。”荫苔说，“那里就是太阳升起的地方。可是，天就要黑了，我们得先在巢穴间的干燥处找个角落过夜才行。”
Chapter 14
As the cats shared Moon Shadow’sprey, Gray Wing thought that Clear Sky seemed sad and angry. He hadn’t spoken, except for a brief word of thanks to Moon Shadow, and he only took a couple of mouthfuls.
“You need to talk to your brother about Bright Stream,” Turtle Tail murmured into Gray Wing’s ear. “You can’t avoid him forever.”
“I’ll think about it,” Gray Wing responded, though he shrank from the idea of Clear Sky’s fury turned against him.
Later that day the rain stopped and the sky cleared as wind sent the clouds scudding away. Gray Wing spotted his brother climbing the slope of the hollow alone. Briefly he hesitated. You’ll never have a better chance than this, he told himself, setting out to follow.
Clear Sky raced across the moor in a direction Gray Wing hadn’t yet walked. Where is he going?
After a while, he realized that his brother was heading toward the river. Gray Wing had never seen it up close, and curiosity tingled through his pads as he heard the sound of thundering water.
Clear Sky reached the riverbank at the point where a waterfall crashed down over rocks, throwing up fountains of spray. Beyond the falls, the river ran through sheer walls of stone. The recent rain had left it noisy and foaming. The sound and sight of the tumbling water reminded Gray Wing of his home in the mountains.
Watching the river, Gray Wing briefly lost sight of Clear Sky before realizing his brother was climbing down one of the narrow paths that led to the water’s edge. Gray Wing followed, setting his paws carefully and hugging the rock face, away from the sheer drop into the river.
Clear Sky was in no hurry, and Gray Wing soon began to catch up. “Did you come here because it reminds you of our waterfall?” he asked him.
Startled, Clear Sky spun around. His paws skidded on the slick surface of the path, and he let out a squeal of alarm as he slid over the edge.
Gray Wing bounded forward, caution forgotten, and managed to grab his brother’s scruff before Clear Sky could plunge into the gorge. For a few heartbeats Clear Sky dangled above the turbulent water, his paws flailing helplessly, Gray Wing’s grip the only thing that kept him from falling. His terrified blue eyes gazed up into Gray Wing’s.
An image flashed into Gray Wing’s mind of how he had tried to cling to Bright Stream as the eagle dragged her away. “I won’t let you die too,” he hissed through clenched teeth.
Confusion battled with the fear in Clear Sky’s eyes. “What .  .  . ?”
With a mighty effort, Gray Wing hauled his brother upward until he could set his paws firmly on the path again. Clear Sky shook himself; his blue gaze was furious as he glared at Gray Wing. “You flea-brained idiot!” he snarled, his neck fur bristling. “Did you have to creep up on me like that?”
Gray Wing was still shaking from the thought of what could have happened. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.
Clear Sky glared at him for a moment longer, then let his fur lie flat again. “What did you mean, you won’t let me die too?” he asked.
Gray Wing took a deep breath. Then the words he had wanted to say for almost a moon tumbled out of him. “I can’t bear what happened to Bright Stream! I know it was my fault she died. I’ve wished over and over we could have switched places. I’m more sorry than I can ever tell you.”
Clear Sky’s eyes widened and he stared at Gray Wing in astonishment. “It wasn’t your fault she died!” he choked out. “The whole plan was myidea. I should never have let her go out to fight the eagles, not when she was carrying our kits. Ikilled her!”
Gray Wing stared at Clear Sky in disbelief, then took a pace forward so that he could push his muzzle into his brother’s shoulder fur. “Perhaps it was no cat’s fault,” he murmured, his voice rough with grief. “Just a terrible accident. We can’t both live our lives feeling guilty. Bright Stream wouldn’t want that. She loved you too much to want you to be unhappy.”
Gray Wing wasn’t sure that he was choosing the right words. He had been sunk so deeply in his own guilt for so long. But knowing that Clear Sky blamed himself, too, made him feel as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
We’ll still mourn Bright Stream, we’ll never forget her, but our lives will go on. Letting out a gusty sigh, Gray Wing gave his pelt a shake. “Why don’t we explore a bit farther downriver?” he suggested.
Clear Sky nodded. “Let’s do that.”
This time Gray Wing took the lead, down the narrow path and then alongside the tumbling torrent. Bright Stream’s death still pained them both, but Gray Wing was comforted to feel that they had recovered some of their old closeness.
They headed downriver. At first there was a clear path at the water’s edge, but undergrowth gradually encroached on it until the cats had to battle their way through. Gray Wing muttered curses under his breath as twigs and bramble tendrils snagged in his fur.
Eventually the undergrowth thinned out and they saw a tall outcrop of rocks jutting out from the river, which swept around it in two surging channels. Gray Wing spotted stepping-stones just above the surface of the water.
“Let’s explore!” Clear Sky exclaimed. Without waiting for Gray Wing’s response, he jumped neatly from stone to stone until he reached the outcrop. “Come on, it’s easy!” he called back to Gray Wing.
Gray Wing didn’t see the point of crossing to the outcrop, but he heard the hint of challenge in his brother’s voice. More hesitantly than Clear Sky, he leaped over the stepping-stones. Their surfaces were uneven and slick with water, and Gray Wing had a vision of slipping and being carried away by the swift, choppy current.
“You took your time,” Clear Sky meowed as Gray Wing reached his side. He gave him a friendly butt with his head. “Let’s climb to the top.”
He set off with a powerful leap, and Gray Wing toiled after him. Finally they reached the summit of the outcrop, made up of several flat rocks at different levels, with deep cracks between.
Gray Wing glanced warily in all directions. “There’s a lot of cat scent around here.”
“I’m not surprised,” Clear Sky responded. “These rocks must be great for sunning yourself. And there’ll be plenty of prey in all these cracks.”
“Quite right,” a cold voice hissed from behind them.
Gray Wing and Clear Sky both jumped around, startled, to see a strange she-cat standing on the top of a flat rock a couple of tail-lengths away. She was completely black, except for one white paw and a white spot on one shoulder; her green eyes were narrowed, glaring at them with hostility.
“Hello,” Gray Wing meowed, trying to sound friendly.
The black she-cat wasn’t impressed. “Get off my rocks,” she snarled, sliding out her claws.
Clear Sky’s neck fur began to rise. “Who says they’re yourrocks?”
The she-cat took a threatening pace forward. “I’ve heard about trespassers on the moor. You’re not welcome here!” She spun around and, to Gray Wing’s astonishment, jumped neatly into the river. Her sleek dark head reappeared a heartbeat later as she swam strongly for the opposite bank.
“A swimming cat!” Clear Sky exclaimed.
Relieved that the encounter had been no worse, Gray Wing let out a mrrowof amusement. “She should meet Falling Feather,” he mewed.
Together the two cats leaped over the stepping-stones again and bounded back into the trees. A squirrel darted out in front of them and fled for safety up a tree, but Clear Sky brought it down with another massive leap.
He and Gray Wing settled down side by side to share the prey.
“You know,” Clear Sky murmured, glancing around him, “I could live somewhere like this.”
Gray Wing swallowed the mouthful he was eating. “I prefer open sky,” he responded.
Clear Sky flicked an ear at him. “Well, you have the speed to catch rabbits!”
When they had finished the prey, the two brothers headed back through the trees. Gray Wing could hear rustling, as if other cats were vanishing into the bushes.
“I think we’re being watched,” he hissed.
Clear Sky gave an airy wave of his tail. “So what? They’re not showing themselves, so they must be scared of us. And that’s fine by me. I don’t want to be challenged for every mouthful of prey.”
Gray Wing couldn’t share his brother’s confidence. “If we stay here, we need to live peacefully with these other cats,” he pointed out.
The strangeness of this place washed over him again like water surging over a rock. I feel like I don’t know anything about living here
Clear Sky led the way back to the moor, veering away from the river to pass through the huge hollow where the four oak trees stood.
“This is a fantastic place!” he exclaimed, turning around as if he was trying to see all of it at once. Then he leaped up one of the oaks, clawing his way up the bark until he could stand where a branch forked from the main trunk.
“Come down!” Gray Wing called, not even trying to imitate his brother’s jump. “You’re not a squirrel!”
“There’s no reason cats can’t live in trees,” Clear Sky responded, waving his tail playfully.
Gray Wing rolled his eyes. Before he could reply, he felt once again the sensation of being watched. Scanning the slope, he spotted a plump tortoiseshell cat scrutinizing them from the shelter of a clump of fern, her dappled pelt almost invisible in its shadow.
“We’ve got company,” he told Clear Sky.
His brother looked where he was pointing, then climbed back to the ground, jumping the last few tail-lengths.
Before he landed, the tortoiseshell cat turned and bounded off up the slope. Gray Wing watched her go, frustrated that he hadn’t had the chance to speak to her.
“She seemed really well fed,” he commented to Clear Sky.
“You’re right,” said Clear Sky. “She was no wild cat. Do you think kittypets come into these woods?”
Gray Wing wasn’t sure. He knew that some of the others had spotted Twoleg dens through the trees, and the narrow paths carried the scents of Twolegs and dogs, but the moor and the forest were mostly left to wild creatures.
That’s how it should be. I can’t understand why any cat would want to live with Twolegs, he thought curiously.
Gray Wing and Clear Sky reached the hollow to hear Moon Shadow’s voice raised argumentatively.
“I’ve told you over and over again that I’m sick of eating rabbits and getting wet! Why don’t we go and live among the trees?”
He stood facing his sister, his neck fur fluffed up and his tail lashing.
“It’s not as easy as that,” Tall Shadow responded, her voice cold.
As Gray Wing and Clear Sky picked their way down the slope, Turtle Tail padded up to meet them. “Those two are at it again,” she muttered, rolling her eyes.
“All you ever do is order us around,” Moon Shadow was saying.
“And all youever do is argue,” Hawk Swoop interrupted, stepping between Moon Shadow and Tall Shadow. “The rest of us are tired of listening to it. Look, it’s not raining now, so why don’t we try hunting some birds, like we used to?”
Glancing around, Hawk Swoop pointed with her tail toward a hawk circling over some rough grass below the hollow. “Come on,” she urged. “We know how to catch that kind of prey!”
Jackdaw’s Cry sprang to his paws at once, followed a heartbeat later by Dappled Pelt and Rainswept Flower. Though Gray Wing’s legs were tired, he stepped forward too.
Clear Sky padded across to Tall Shadow. “Are you okay with this?” he asked.
Tall Shadow shrugged. “You can hunt whatever you like—so long as you stay out of the trees where the other cats are.”
Moon Shadow looked as if he was going to start arguing again, then turned and stomped off to his nest.
“Are you coming?” Gray Wing asked Turtle Tail.
“No,” said the young tortoiseshell. “I’ve already eaten once today. I don’t need to hunt again.”
With Hawk Swoop in the lead, the mountain cats climbed out of the hollow and ran down the slope toward the hawk, keeping low so as not to alert it.
“It’s a bit small, isn’t it?” Dappled Pelt murmured. “It looks like a sparrow, compared to the eagles back home.”
“This is our home now,” Hawk Swoop meowed instantly.
A heavy silence greeted her words. Is it really our home?Gray Wing wondered. But racing along with the wind in his fur and the sun warming his back, he began to feel content.
This could be a good place to live
The cats surrounded the hawk, instinctively remembering their mountain hunting patterns as they closed in on it from different directions. Hawk Swoop nodded to Jackdaw’s Cry; he could jump the highest, so he was a good choice to make the first leap.
The hawk was distracted by focusing on its tiny prey in the grass. At the last moment it became aware of the hunting cats, and beat its wings in an attempt to gain height.
But it was too late. Jackdaw’s Cry hurled himself into the air and brought the hawk down with a yowl of triumph. The other cats rushed in to help hold it down, but Jackdaw’s Cry had already killed it with a bite to its neck.
That was almost too easy, Gray Wing thought.
“Great catch,” Rainswept Flower mewed admiringly. “You can keep it for yourself.”
Jackdaw’s Cry ducked his head, proud and embarrassed.
While they were talking, Dappled Pelt had pounced into the grass. When she straightened up, the mouse the hawk had been hunting was dangling from her jaws.
“Two catches in one go!” she mumbled through the mouthful of prey.
“That would never have happened in the mountains,” Rainswept Flower commented.
Every cat looked pleased, though Gray Wing felt that their cheerfulness was slightly forced.
We’re all trying too hard to pretend this is perfect
第十章
第十章
众猫弓起身子冒雨穿过草地，来到了一条宽阔的黑石头路上。石头路一直通往两脚兽巢穴。
“这是条雷鬼路。”高影在路边停下说，“会有更多怪物出现的。”
不过，四下里一片寂静。荫苔领头在雷鬼路上靠边走着，其他的猫则竖起毛发，紧随其后。
突然，一声沙哑的咆哮响起，只见一头怪物朝他们冲了过来，开始它速度很慢，但后来越跑越快。
“它发现我们了！”雨拂花尖叫道。
“往这边跑！”灰翅看到两面高高的红石头墙间有一条狭窄的小路，连忙跑了过去，“跟我来！怪物到不了这里！”
就在怪物朝他们扑来的那一刻，众猫跟在灰翅身后冲上了小路。怪物懊恼地呼啸而去，两只眼睛迸射出黄澄澄的凶光。
“它没抓到我们！”玳尾松了口气，“灰翅，你真棒。”
“我们仍需要找个干燥安全的地方过夜。”灰翅说。这时，两脚兽巢穴里一个个小太阳似的东西发出了道道明亮的光线，在路上投下片片黄色方形亮光，衬托得黑夜的暗影显得愈加浓厚了。
灰翅带头走进窄巷，两面高高的石墙困得他感觉几乎窒息。走过石墙，他们来到一块方形的石头空地上，周围有几处更小的巢穴。灰翅四下里环视了一番，发现有处巢穴正是敞开的，便小心翼翼地走了过去。巢穴里头黑漆漆的一片，怪物的恶臭熏得他差点儿透不过气来。
“这一定就是怪物巢穴了。”锯峰说，他爬到灰翅身边，瞪大了眼睛朝黑暗深处看去。
“不过怪物的气息倒是挺陈旧的。”灰翅说，“这可能是一处废弃巢穴。”
这时，雨拂花跳进来朝四处张望了一番。“我们今晚就在这里过夜。”她轻快地说，“至少这儿能避避雨，我们可以轮流值夜。”
荫苔点点头，他上前站到女儿身边。灰翅见他垂着尾巴，眼里满是疲倦，心想：荫苔一路带领着我们，还要为一切负责，真是太辛苦了。
“你看上去很累。”雨拂花轻声说，她把鼻子贴着父亲肩部的皮毛，“你去睡吧。我来值第一轮夜。”
“我和你一起值夜。”灰翅立刻自告奋勇地说。
“可是我饿了。”疾水走进巢穴，不满地说，“我们睡觉之前不去捕点儿猎物来吃吗？”
“这里太危险了。”晴天指出，“而且离开树林后，我们也没闻到过猎物的气味。”
“我之前提议狩猎的时候，大家要是能行动起来就好了。”月影愤愤地说。
“他说得对。”鹰扑补充道，“来到这两脚兽的地盘真是个愚蠢的决定。”
“不是这样的，这里是我们藏身的最佳之处。”高影指出，她愤怒地抽动着尾巴，“我们能避开狗，还能远离在树丛里对我们暗中观察的家伙们。”
灰翅在心里默默地同意她的看法：和露天的地方相比，这里着实要更安全些，不过两脚兽领地仍是个令猫毛骨悚然的地方。真希望黎明能早点儿到来。
他和雨拂花一起坐在巢穴入口，眼睛密切注视着前方的动静。灰翅听到了远处怪物的咆哮声、两脚兽的尖叫声，还有狗的狂吠声。突然，一声号叫让他的毛发直立了起来。
有猫！
雨拂花凑上前，附在灰翅耳边说：“我还从没想过，要是和其他的猫相遇我们该怎么办！你觉得他们……是宠物猫吗？”
灰翅想了起来，老年猫曾在故事中讲过，有一些猫选择和两脚兽一起生活，他们吃两脚兽给的食物，在两脚兽的巢穴里睡觉。在山洞里的时候，灰翅还觉得这种故事都是老年猫们瞎编出来的。可是在这个逼仄拥挤而又险象重重的地方，他相信那些故事都是千真万确的。
“你觉得宠物猫是什么样的？”他问雨拂花，“他们能听得懂我们的话吗？”
“他们一定会很羡慕我们的。”雨拂花说，“我们比他们要见多识广。”
灰翅的肚子正饿得咕咕作响，他低头看了看自己脏兮兮的皮毛，心里暗忖：我们现在这副模样真的有什么值得羡慕的吗？
猫的号叫声并没有靠近他们。渐渐地，灰翅感到倦意袭来。忽然，一声吼叫把他惊醒，只见一头怪物冲进了前面的空地，那对黄色的大眼睛在墙上扫来扫去。
雨拂花和灰翅忙退回到巢穴里面。
“它发现我们了吗？”灰翅问道。惊慌之余，他想竭力镇定下来：“这巢穴不会就是它的吧？”
“你去把它引开！”雨拂花命令道，她一跃而起，“我去通知大家。”
灰翅吓得瑟瑟发抖，他惶惶地想：让我把它引开？可我要怎么引？
不过，正当他僵在那里的时候，另外一个巢穴洞口打开了。怪物爬进去之后，洞口又哐啷一声滑动着关上了。随之，怪物停止了号叫。
“好险啊！”灰翅惊呼，“它一定是睡觉了。”
雨拂花瞪大眼睛，惊恐地看着灰翅，压低声音说：“这么说，很可能这些其他巢穴中都有怪物睡在里面！”
灰翅点了点头：“为什么两脚兽的巢穴离怪物巢穴这么近？难道它们不害怕怪物吗？”
雨拂花没有说话，她耸了耸肩，坐下来继续放风。灰翅吓得还没缓过劲来，他只知道自己再也不敢把眼合上了。不过，当他再次回过神时，雨拂花正轻轻碰着他的侧腹。
“是换岗的时候了。”她说，“你去好好休息一下吧。”
灰翅跌跌撞撞地往洞里走去。忽然，他不小心绊了鹰扑一下。鹰扑醒来，灰翅对她说：“轮到你去值岗了。”
“好吧。”鹰扑迷迷糊糊地说着，她站起来走到雨拂花身边。雨拂花起身通知寒鸦啼去值夜，然后才睡了下来。
灰翅在鹰扑刚才睡觉的地方卧下，地上满是灰尘，还留着鹰扑的余温。很快，灰翅便合上了眼睛。
突然，灰翅的尾巴被一只脚掌重重地踩了一下，他又醒了过来。透过巢穴里昏暗的光线，他认出了月影。
“对不起。”月影说，“我出去狩猎。”
灰翅点点头，心里考虑着自己要不要也跟着去。但是，他累得腿都抬不起来。“祝你好运。”他对月影说。洞口处，玳尾和碎冰正在站岗，月影和他们轻声作别后便离开了巢穴。
月影走后，灰翅进入了梦乡。他梦见自己正和寂雨一起站在悬崖上凝望着远方。起伏的山峰在阳光的照耀下无比壮观。
可是好景不长，一声可怕的号叫打断了灰翅的美梦。
灰翅跳了起来，只见碎冰和玳尾迅速跑出巢穴。碎冰一边跑，一边大声疾呼：“月影遭到袭击了！”
灰翅和其他猫一起跑出巢穴。在空地那头的墙后面，月影正发出尖厉的吼叫，叫声里还夹杂着另外两只猫的声音，好像这三只猫正在激战。
灰翅、高影和晴天朝着空地飞跑过去。他们把其他同伴远远甩在后头，纵身跃上了墙头。灰翅俯视下方，毛发奓立。只见月影正在一片草地上翻滚，另外两只猫在他的皮毛上猛挠一通。月影顽强反抗，朝那两只猫狂咬乱抓。
灰翅完全怔住了：这就是宠物猫吗？他看着那两只猫肥硕的身影和他俩颈上像植物卷须一样的东西，不由得心里发毛：老年猫口中的宠物猫可从没有这么凶猛好战啊！
灰翅跳下墙头，落到了离他最近的那只宠物猫身上。这是一只黑白相间的公猫，它身形庞大、毛发蓬松。晴天和高影朝另一只姜黄色母猫扑了过去。
黑白相间的宠物猫迅速翻身，将灰翅一把掀倒在地，对准他的耳朵猛抓起来。灰翅耳朵上传来一阵剧痛，他顿时勃然大怒。他后腿立直，对准宠物猫的喉咙咬下，不料只咬到满嘴厚厚的毛发。灰翅呛了几口，他感到一对前掌正对着他的肩部猛击。这只宠物猫可没看上去那么好对付！
灰翅啐出毛发，抬起后腿向宠物猫的腹部蹬去。幸亏他还拥有强健的肌肉和锋利的爪子。
宠物猫扭动身体躲开了，笨拙地向灰翅出了毫无章法的几掌。灰翅挣扎着起身，就在这时，月影丛灰翅身边冲过，他径直奔向宠物猫的身侧，一头把它撞了出去。看到敌方联手行动，黑白相间的宠物猫掉转尾巴，拔腿就跑。灰翅喘着粗气，环视左右，只见晴天和高影正在姜黄色母猫身后穷追不舍。
两只宠物猫匆匆爬上远处草地边上的窄木墙。木墙被他俩压得晃来晃去，但是他俩稳住脚步，转过身来，发出低嘶。
“这里不欢迎泼皮猫！”姜黄色母猫警告道，“如果今晚还不离开，你们就会有大麻烦了。”
两只宠物猫又发出低吼，随即消失在了篱笆那头。
“你们滚得越远越好！”月影朝他们嚷道。
“你想什么呢？”高影说，“就这么自己单独溜出去了？你是跳蚤脑子吗？”
“泼皮猫？”晴天插嘴道，“那些宠物猫说的是什么意思——泼皮猫？这是指不和两脚兽住一起的猫吗？”
灰翅虽然很高兴能听懂宠物猫的话，但同样感到困惑不解。由于刚才激战了一番，现在他的肌肉酸痛，被那只强壮公猫扯裂的一只耳朵也在不停地滴血。他想：在抵达新家之前，我们难道必须与一路上遇到的每只猫厮杀吗？在大山里，猫与猫之间是不会打架的。那里只有我们。想到这里，他心里不禁十分沮丧。
他和朋友们从墙上爬了回来。其他的猫儿们在巢穴入口处挤成一团。
“谁晓得宠物猫还会打架啊？”寒鸦啼说，“在老年猫的故事里，他们明明都胆小如雀！”
“也许你们该和他们谈谈。”雨拂花说，“你们本可以向他们解释一下我们只是路过这里。”
晴天翻了翻眼睛：“哦，是吗？是在他们要抓破我们喉咙时向他们解释吗？他们那时可没谈话的心情。”
听着他们的交谈，荫苔不安地挪动着脚掌。他说道：“我们要尽快离开这个地方。我们经不起其他的打斗了。”
说完，他立即起身出发，其他猫紧跟其后，年幼的猫儿们拖着疲倦的步子蹒跚而行。灰翅和玳尾断后，他俩都打起十二分的警惕，密切注意着左右的动静。
荫苔带队走在两脚兽巢穴间的窄石头路上。接着，他们穿过静静的雷鬼路，快速跑过片片被围了起来的草地。灰翅意识到，荫苔决定沿直线向他们先前所见的那几座山峰挺进。
当他们穿过一处两脚兽巢穴旁的草地时，一阵刺耳的狗吠划破夜空。众猫顿时惊恐不已，连忙四下张望。灰翅看到了一条狗：一层亮晶晶的薄板把巢穴的洞口挡了起来，后面有只白色的小家伙正在朝他们大叫，它正为跑不出来而干着急呢。
“看呀！”月影说，他上前一步，“嘿！跳蚤皮！有本事你过来咬我们啊！”
“你跳蚤脑子啊！”云斑忙把月影推到大家后面，“要是两脚兽把它放出来怎么办？”
灰翅跟在同伴们后面，他一直在注意着宠物猫的动向。虽然一只宠物猫也看不见，可他们的气味却到处都是。
大家走到两脚兽地盘的边缘，眼前又变得开阔了，众猫不由得都松了口气。那几座高低起伏的山峰已清晰地映入眼帘。
“它们还没我们住的山里大呢。”疾水略带失望地说。
“尖石巫师是不会让我们去和原来的家一模一样的地方的，对吗？”斑毛说，“我们的新家应该是一个完全不同的地方。”
“我好怀念大山啊。”落羽咕哝着。
雷鬼路边上，灰翅正在又黑又硬的石头上磨着爪子，他十分理解这只白色年轻母猫的心情。他也挂念着远在山里的那些猫儿们，真不知他们现在怎么样了。真希望他们能知道我们现在平平安安的，如果有办法能实现这个愿望就好了！
“走吧！”锯峰忽然向前迈步走去，“如果我们在这里干站上一整天，那我们哪儿也去不了。”
见这只小猫如此自信满满，灰翅在心里强忍住笑，和其他猫一起跟上前去。空中云层密布，没有太阳为他们引路，不过几座山峰的轮廓却是分外清晰。
在饱受两脚兽地盘里噪声和恶臭的折磨后，大家在这片空旷的大地上走着，甚是惬意。四周绿草茵茵，处处是动物的声响和气息。很快，他们就遇到了另一道灌木丛。这时，月影突然转身，钻进一片乱枝中。稍过片刻，他叼着一只褐色的小鸟钻了出来。
月影把鸟放到地上，先吃了一口，然后把剩下的鸟肉向荫苔推去。
荫苔抬起一只脚掌谢绝了。“谢谢。不过，还是让我们大家自己狩猎吃吧。”他说，“这里的猎物够大家捉的了。”
众猫接令，兴奋地四散开来。灰翅跑到草丛里，四下搜寻着猎物的踪迹。他看到晴天正追着一只鸟跃入半空，锯峰正低着鼻子追踪一条气味踪迹。
灰翅嗅着空气，搜寻着猎物的气息。突然，他吓得步步后退，只见一头黑白相间的巨大动物正朝他逼近。更可怕的是，那动物还率领着一大群同类在灌木丛的豁口处缓慢地穿行。这一幕吓得灰翅心都快跳出来了。
这些家伙比绵羊还大！老年猫们的故事浮上了灰翅的心头。它们会是奶牛吗？这时，一头奶牛发出了低沉的哞哞声。灰翅顿时想了起来，雾水讲故事的时候，她就喜欢学这种声音来吓唬幼崽们。
灰翅蹲伏在长长的草丛里，吓得一动不动，以防被奶牛看到追上前来。还好，这一大群动物从他身边笨拙地走了过去，丝毫没有注意到他。灰翅爬了出来，离得老远绕开了它们。
在那群奶牛的外边，灰翅看到有只受惊的兔子跑了出来，便拔腿追了过去。他十分享受在奔跑时那种风从皮毛间拂过的感觉。不过，他的脚掌总是被长长的草叶缠住，因此速度也受到了影响。
兔子跑到了一丛灌木前，一下子钻到了树根下的洞里。兔子屎！灰翅看着窄窄的洞口，悻悻地想。
“嘿！”
灰翅转过身，只见玳尾的脚掌下踩着一只小鸟。“我抓到了一只！”她兴奋地说，“你想一起吃吗？”
灰翅离开兔子洞，心里仍在琢磨自己能不能钻到地底下去追那只兔子。其他猫已经在灌木丛里聚在了一起。和灰翅一样，有些猫啥也没能捕到。好在其他猫捕了很多的猎物，那些运气不佳的猫儿们也不至于会饿着肚子。
“我抓了两只乌鸦！”晴天向大家炫耀着，他挥着尾巴指向两堆乱蓬蓬的黑色羽毛。
在他们开始进食之前，荫苔朝大山的方向站直身体。他凝望着远方，群山在地平线上已经化为一抹淡影。“谢谢你，尖石巫师。”他说，“感谢你指引我们来到这个地方。”
每只猫都大快朵颐了一番，可是，仍有不少猎物没有吃完。
“我总觉得就这么丢弃猎物很不合适。”雨拂花遗憾地咕哝着。
当众猫继续前进时，灰翅回望了一眼，发现一只体形瘦长的红毛动物从草丛中偷偷地溜了出来。起初，灰翅本能地绷紧了身子，以为那又是只狗。待他定睛一看，这才发现这家伙的口鼻比狗的更尖，而且有股更浓烈的腥臭味。只见它一口叼起猎物的残骸，几口便吞了下去，那双贼溜溜的眼睛还时不时地四下张望。
灰翅轻推了一下走在一旁的碎冰，问道：“你知道那是什么吗？”
“不知道。”碎冰说。
“它看上去一脸坏样。”灰翅说。他加快了脚步，但决定不去惊动其他猫。
天色渐渐暗了下来，众猫已经穿过了数条雷鬼路，绕过了一片红石头堆成的两脚兽巢穴，那里犬影浮动，狗吠声声。在巢穴区的另一侧，地势向下倾斜，伸向一片沼泽洼地，上面杂草丛生，芦苇簇簇。
“我们不能走这条路。”疾水反对道，她朝坡下看去，满脸都是嫌恶的表情，“这会把脚掌弄湿的。”
荫苔向左右看去。灰翅跟随他的目光也环顾左右，这才发现这片泥沼地的两边都望不到尽头。“我们只能从这里过。”荫苔做出决定。疾水刚想开口争辩，荫苔接着说：“弄湿脚掌又不会要了我们的命。”
不过，当猫儿们走到坡底，他们才意识到，如果仅是弄湿脚掌就能平安离开这个地方，那简直是再好不过了。他们刚一从沼泽上走过，脚掌下方的地面就开始松动了起来。深入沼泽腹地后，众猫的身子开始下陷，大家不得已踏着齐腹深的泥淖艰难地前行。沼泽地里臭气冲天，一团团摇蚊像巨浪一样在空中翻滚。
“恶心死了！”鹰扑惊呼，“我再也弄不干净我的皮毛了。”
疾水蹚着泥水，艰难地从一簇草走向另一簇草，她的嘴里还不住地嘀咕着什么。这时候就连落羽看上去也十分不自在。
锯峰是体重最轻的猫，一开始他走得比谁都轻快。可后来，他突然在一丛草边滑倒，之后身体便不住地下陷，两只前掌在泥水里无助地扑腾着。
“救命啊！”他哭号起来。
雨拂花吃力地走到草丛边，她俯下身子，一口咬住锯峰的颈背，把他拽了出来。锯峰在地面上重新站稳，全身的皮毛上都沾满了泥巴。
“谢谢！”他气喘连连地说。
当大家走出沼泽，每只猫都浑身湿透，又冷又脏。他们此时只想找个落脚处好好休息休息。
这时，他们看到不远处有一个木头做的洞穴。灰翅暗忖：这一定是另一种两脚兽巢穴。
众猫拖着沉重的步子朝洞穴走去，荫苔仍在前面领路。走到洞口边后，荫苔谨慎地停住了脚步。灰翅越过荫苔的肩膀向内望去，只见巢穴里面有着大垛大垛压紧的干草。一想到可以在里面做个温暖舒适的窝，灰翅不禁觉得倍加疲倦。接着，他看到地上几块凹形的石头里有些水，不由得舔了舔嘴唇。之前在过沼泽地时，他喝过几口发臭的水，而现在他已经是口干舌燥。更妙的是，洞穴里鼠香四溢。灰翅听到老鼠们正在干草垛里吱吱直叫、来回奔窜呢。
“我们还等什么？”月影问，他用肩推搡着众猫，从荫苔身边走过，“这里猎物多得到处都是！”
荫苔点了点头说：“看上去很安全。里面没有两脚兽。”
众猫见荫苔放行，便一拥而入，迫不及待地四下搜寻起猎物来。灰翅伸爪扣住一只老鼠，心想：我们今天已经吃过一次了啊。不过，再吃点儿肯定也不成问题。我们可不能白白浪费了这里的猎物！
不久，众猫在温暖的干草里蹲伏下来，开始分享猎物。就像在大山中的家里那样，他们各自先咬了一口，再彼此交换着享用。数道美味下肚，灰翅的腹部胀得圆鼓鼓的，连皮毛都撑得紧绷了起来。
趁大家还在吃着美食，雨拂花开口说道：“我在想啊，我们渴望的一切东西在这里都应有尽有，我们还要再去寻找什么呢？我们会不会已经到家了啊？”
Chapter 15
Gray Wing padded through the trees,following Clear Sky’s lead. Jackdaw’s Cry, Falling Feather, and Turtle Tail hunted with them. As always when he left the moor for the forest, Gray Wing felt uncomfortable. He couldn’t hunt down his prey by running when every few paw steps a bramble tendril would trip him, and when the air was laden with so many scents it was hard to follow the one he wanted.
Falling Feather had just caught a mouse, when a loud screech echoed through the trees. It was followed by crashing in the undergrowth, and the furiously yowling voices of more than one cat.
Clear Sky froze, his ears flicking forward. “That’s Moon Shadow!” he exclaimed.
He sprang forward in the direction of the sounds, and the others followed. As Gray Wing wound his way among the ferns he heard Turtle Tail meow behind him. “Wouldn’t you just know that he’dbe the one to get into trouble?”
Gray Wing remembered the Twolegplace and the fight with the kittypets. Moon Shadow shouldn’t go off by himself. But we still have to help him
The brothers burst into a clearing, the other cats hard on their paws. At the far side, Gray Wing spotted Moon Shadow locked in a caterwauling bundle of fur with three other cats. The struggle heaved back and forth at the edge of a bramble thicket; a tail-length or so away was the body of a squirrel.
With an ear-splitting shriek, Clear Sky hurtled across the clearing. He grabbed one cat by the shoulder and hauled him away from Moon Shadow. Gray Wing leaped on top of another and cuffed the cat around the ears until she let go of his friend.
He wasn’t prepared for the cat to turn on him, or for the ferocity of the attack. Before he could think about defending himself claws were raking down his side. He tried to bring up his hind paws to thrust the cat off, but the cat wrapped her forepaws around his neck and clung tightly. Gray Wing jerked his head away to avoid teeth aimed for his throat.
He was dimly aware of more yowling and skirmishing around him. The taste of blood was in his mouth. This cat wants to kill me, he thought, his senses fogged with pain.
Then a heavy weight landed on top of him and his opponent. Gray Wing almost despaired, until he heard a familiar voice raised in an enraged yowl. “Get off him!”
Turtle Tail!
The other cat rolled away and Gray Wing staggered to his paws. He saw that all three strange cats had broken off the fight and stood glaring and hissing at the mountain cats. Gray Wing got a good look at them for the first time. One was the black she-cat with the white paw that he and Clear Sky had met on the rocks a few days before. The others were a small yellow tabby she-cat and a black-and-white tom. Fierce satisfaction surged through him when he saw that they all bore the marks of claws.
Moon Shadow lay panting at the edge of the thicket, a clump of fur torn away from his shoulder. Turtle Tail padded over and helped him to his paws; she had a scratched muzzle, and her fur was ruffled.
“They attacked me!” Moon Shadow exclaimed indignantly.
Turtle Tail was unsympathetic. “What did you think would happen when you wandered off on your own, flea-brain?”
“I told you before,” the black she-cat snapped, glaring at Clear Sky and Gray Wing. “You’re not welcome here. Why don’t you go back where you came from?”
“Yes, and stop stealing our prey,” the black-and-white tom added.
“Yourprey?” Moon Shadow was outraged. “I caught that squirrel! That makes it myprey!”
The yellow tabby slid out her claws, her muscles tensed as if she was about to leap at Moon Shadow. Gray Wing braced himself in case the fight erupted again.
“You fight like half-dead rabbits,” the black-and-white tom snarled. “You only won this time because there are more of you. But just watch your tails if you come back.”
“Yeah,” the yellow tabby added. “We’ll be waiting.”
The black she-cat waved her tail and all three forest cats headed off into the undergrowth. At the last moment the yellow tabby darted over to the squirrel, grabbed it, and dragged it away with her.
“Hey!” Moon Shadow protested, starting after her.
Clear Sky barreled into him, knocking him to the ground. “Have you learned nothing?” he demanded. “This isn’t the time to start another fight.”
Huffing indignantly, Moon Shadow got up and followed Clear Sky as he led the way back to the moor. Gray Wing found it hard going; the scratches on his side grew more painful with every step. Jackdaw’s Cry was limping from a torn claw, Falling Feather had lost a pawful of fur, and blood was trickling from Clear Sky’s shoulder.
This is winning? What happens if welose? Gray Wing wondered.
“You’ve been told time and time again .  .  .” Tall Shadow faced Moon Shadow, her voice taut with fury and her tail lashing, “.  .  . and still you don’t listen!”
The hunting party had returned to the hollow on the moor, where Clear Sky had reported the clash with the forest cats.
“Because it’s a flea-brained order!” Moon Shadow retorted. “This is a smaller space than we had in the mountains. Why do you want us to sit here trembling like hunted rabbits?”
Gray Wing had to admit that Moon Shadow had a point. The hollow wasn’t comfortable enough for a permanent home, and the prey-rich forest was too tantalizing for every cat to ignore.
Tall Shadow’s fury ebbed and she twitched her whiskers thoughtfully. “Okay, maybe we should hunt more regularly in the forest. We can’t let those cats think they’ve frightened us off.” She fixed her brother with a fierce green glare. “But you don’tgo off on your own again, is that clear?”
Moon Shadow shrugged. “I wouldn’t have to if you’d let us hunt there properly.”
Cloud Spots padded up with a mouthful of herbs and set them down. “I managed to find chervil,” he meowed. “Let me put some on your scratches.”
He dabbed juice onto Turtle Tail’s injured muzzle, then turned to Gray Wing, who lay down so that Cloud Spots could treat the scratches on his side.
“You know,” Cloud Spots murmured as he patted the chewed-up leaves into place, “I’m not happy with the idea that we always have to fight these other cats. Maybe we should think about finding a way to live peacefully near them.”
“I’m not sure,” Gray Wing responded. “I wish we could do that, but maybe we’re just too different from them.”
On the following day, the sun had just cleared the horizon when Moon Shadow announced he was going hunting.
Tall Shadow turned to look at him, her tail-tip twitching. Before she could speak, Clear Sky stepped up beside Moon Shadow. “I’ll come with you,” he offered.
Jagged Peak, Quick Water, and Shattered Ice jumped up to join them, and after a moment’s hesitation Tall Shadow gave a mrrowof agreement. “Okay. Good luck.”
“What about you?” Clear Sky asked Gray Wing.
“Not this time,” Gray Wing replied. His scratches from the fight were still sore and he didn’t think he would be much use at tracking prey under the trees. He tried to convince himself that he wasn’t afraid of meeting the other cats again.
Once the hunters had gone, Turtle Tail padded over to Gray Wing. “Why don’t we go for a walk?” she suggested. “No catching prey, no getting into fights.”
“That sounds good,” Gray Wing agreed.
When they left the hollow they could still see Clear Sky and the other hunters heading across the moor toward the forest. “Are you following them?” Gray Wing asked, surprised.
“No, I just want to go to the giant oaks again,” Turtle Tail explained. “I like it there!”
The vast hollow was quiet except for the gentle rustling of the oak trees. Sunlight slanted through their branches, dappling the forest floor. Turtle Tail raced down the slope and over to the huge boulder between the four oaks, clawing her way up it until she stood on top.
“Come on!” she called, waving her tail at Gray Wing. “It’s great up here!”
Gray Wing followed her more slowly, and clambered up the rock, digging his claws into tiny cracks, until he stood beside her. The sun-warmed surface felt good under his pads, and he lay down on one side to let the sunlight play over his fur.
Turtle Tail sat beside him, her tail wrapped neatly over her forepaws, and sighed with contentment. “I’d like to stay here forever.”
Drowsing, Gray Wing lost track of time until a voice from the bottom of the rock roused him.
“Hey, you up there!”
Side by side, Gray Wing and Turtle Tail peered over the edge. To his surprise, Gray Wing saw the plump tortoiseshell who had been watching him and Clear Sky when they came to the hollow, looking up with a cheerful gleam in her yellow eyes.
“I’m Bumble,” she announced confidently. “I’m a housecat—though I guess you’d call me a kittypet. Can I come up?”
“Sure,” Turtle Tail invited with a wave of her tail.
To Gray Wing’s eyes, the plump tortoiseshell didn’t look as if she would be able to climb, but within a couple of heartbeats she had heaved herself to the top of the boulder beside them.
“Hello,” Turtle Tail greeted her. “I’m Turtle Tail, and this is Gray Wing.”
“Wow, aren’t you skinny?” Bumble meowed, examining the two mountain cats with a frank gaze. “Haven’t you managed to catch anything to eat?”
“We’ve come a long way,” Turtle Tail responded; Gray Wing was amused to see she looked slightly ruffled. “There wasn’t always time to hunt.”
Bumble blinked curiously. “A long way? How long? From the other side of the moor?”
“Farther than that,” Gray Wing replied.
“You know those jagged rocks on the horizon? Highstones?” said Turtle Tail.
The kittypet’s eyes stretched wide with astonishment. “You came from there?”
Turtle Tail shook her head. “No, from the other side of Highstones. We traveled for many, many sunrises.”
“Why?” Bumble sounded completely flummoxed.
“There wasn’t enough prey to feed all of us where we came from,” Gray Wing explained. “And in the cold season, we would often get stuck in the really deep snow.”
“And sometimes cats got carried off by birds.” There was a gleam in Turtle Tail’s eye, as if she was enjoying shocking this kittypet. “Hugebirds—far bigger than the ones around here.”
“That sounds so hard!” Bumble exclaimed. “You must have been cold and hungry and scared all the time. No wonder you came to live here.” She looked around her with a happy flick of her tail. “It’s nice.”
“But you don’t live here, do you?” Turtle Tail asked. “You live with Twolegs. That’s .  .  . weird.”
“Weird?” Bumble’s whiskers twitched. “It’s great! My housefolk’s den is so cozy, and there’s always plenty of food, and nothing to be scared of.”
“But what do you do all day?” Turtle Tail asked.
“Sleep, mostly,” the kittypet said. “Or play with my housefolk’s kits. And if I get tired of that, I come here.”
“The wild cats don’t bother you?” Gray Wing asked.
“No. They know I’m no threat to their hunting.”
For a while all three cats lazed in the sun. Gray Wing enjoyed the warmth on his fur, but after a while his growling belly reminded him that he hadn’t eaten since the day before.
Turtle Tail gave him a prod. “We should hunt,” she mewed.
“I’m glad I don’t have to do that!” Bumble gave them a friendly nod and scrambled down the rock. “See you later!”
“What a boring way to live,” Turtle Tail commented, jumping to the forest floor.
Gray Wing hesitated before following her; the rock underneath his paws had been a pleasant reminder of the mountains.
Together the two cats headed back toward the open moor.
“I can’t get used to hunting under trees,” Turtle Tail confided to Gray Wing. “They’re too noisy, and I’m afraid of crashing into them.”
“True,” Gray Wing agreed. “It’s impossible to concentrate on prey.”
Turtle Tail padded on in silence for a while, then murmured, “I wonder if we’ll ever see Bumble again.”
“I doubt it,” Gray Wing responded. “She won’t want to talk to ferocious wild cats like us. We might eat her!”
Turtle Tail let out a mrrowof amusement. A heartbeat later she stiffened. “Rabbit!” she whispered.
By now they had left the trees behind and were climbing up the swell of moorland toward their hollow. The rabbit was hopping about not far from the crest, nibbling the grass.
Both cats sprang forward. But the scratches on Gray Wing’s flank slowed him down, and Turtle Tail surged ahead. The rabbit bolted, vanishing over the crest of the hill, with Turtle Tail racing after it.
When Gray Wing reached the top he looked down to see Turtle Tail standing over the body of the rabbit. “Great catch!” he meowed as he bounded down to join her.
After they had eaten their prey, Gray Wing and Turtle Tail headed back to the hollow. Clear Sky and the rest of the hunting cats caught up as they arrived. Clear Sky was dragging a squirrel, Moon Shadow had a thrush, and the others were carrying mice.
“You should have seen Clear Sky chase that squirrel!” Jagged Peak mumbled around his mouthful of prey. “He went right to the top of the tree!”
Clear Sky’s eyes gleamed with pride. To Gray Wing, his brother looked more like his old self. Maybe the cloud of Bright Stream’s death is starting to lift at last.
Tall Shadow dipped her head to the hunting cats as they carried their prey to the bottom of the hollow and set it down. “Congratulations. You’ve done very well.” As the other cats gathered around, she added, “Thank you, Stoneteller, for sending us to this place where we can find prey.”
While the cats were eating, the sun began to sink behind Highstones, flooding the sky with scarlet. Gray Wing relaxed, glad that, for once, the cats were at peace with one another. Gazing at the landscape, which was starting to feel more familiar, he began to let himself believe that they might have reached the place that Stoneteller promised.
Gray Wing paused at the edge of the moor and looked down at the tops of the four great oak trees. Already they were lusher than when he had first seen them. The sun was shining, the air was full of fresh scents, and he could see new plants springing up all around.
I can’t believe how rich the growth is! It was never like this in the mountains
Stretching his muscles, Gray Wing ran just for the joy of it, circling the edge of the moor, then heading toward the edge of the gorge. He had avoided the river ever since he had startled Clear Sky into falling, but he remembered the excitement of the thundering water and the rocks that brought the mountains so vividly into his mind.
Gray Wing hadn’t gone far when he heard the squeal of a terrified rabbit and, farther away, the yowl of a hunting cat. He halted as he saw the rabbit come tearing over the crest of the moorland, with the two cats he had met before—Gorse and Wind—close behind. Gray Wing’s instincts told him to join the pursuit, but he wanted to avoid hostility, and dug his claws firmly into the soil.
The rabbit flashed past him, followed by Wind with Gorse a couple of tail-lengths behind. Suddenly the rabbit dived between two stones and vanished into a barely visible hole in the ground. Gray Wing let out a gasp of astonishment as Wind, without breaking stride, dived down the hole after it.
Gorse skidded to a halt. “That’s not fair!” he panted. “You shouldn’t keep going underground just because you’re skinny!”
Gray Wing padded over to the gray tabby tom, who turned to him with a wary look in his eyes. “It’s okay,” Gray Wing meowed. “I’m not looking for a fight. What did you mean, going underground?”
“You saw what she did,” Gorse replied, angling his ears toward the rabbit hole. “She’s so scrawny she can fit down there.”
At that moment Wind reappeared, puffing as she heaved herself out of the hole with the rabbit in her jaws.
Gray Wing watched her, fascinated. “Could I go down there?” he asked.
Wind looked at him, surprised. “If you want,” she replied, dropping the rabbit at Gorse’s paws. “It’s not my home, it’s the rabbit’s.”
Gray Wing padded over to the burrow’s entrance, passing his tongue over his jaws at the strong scent of rabbit. But the hole looked very small, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to try squeezing into it.
Behind him, Wind heaved a huge sigh. “I’ll show you how. You’re skinny enough to get anywhere I can.”
Pushing past Gray Wing, she led the way in. Gray Wing had to follow—otherwise, he would look like a coward in front of these strange cats. He plunged into the hole, his pelt brushing the walls on either side. The burrow was dark and stuffy, and Gray Wing found it harder and harder to put one paw in front of another.
He was wrestling with panic when he felt Wind struggle to turn in front of him and give him a strong shove down a side tunnel. “That way!” she hissed, following him in the new direction.
At once, clearer air stirred Gray Wing’s whiskers and he forced himself forward, with the occasional prod from Wind, until he emerged from another hole among the roots of a gorse bush. He staggered into the open and stood with his chest heaving.
“Mouse-brain!” Wind said, though her voice wasn’t entirely unfriendly. “Don’t do that again. If you panic down there you’ll get lost before you know it.”
Gray Wing was growing calmer now that he was in the fresh air again, with the huge sky above him and the breeze in his whiskers. “Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea,” he mewed.
But he was still fascinated by the knowledge that there was a network of tunnels underneath the moor. A claw-scratch of memory took him back to the elders’ tales of tunnels in their old home by the lake.
They set some sort of challenge to young cats, who had to find their way out.Gray Wing shivered. I’m glad we don’t do that anymore. I’m not sure my Tribemates would ever see me again.
Gray Wing dipped his head toward Gorse and Wind. “Thanks for showing me,” he meowed. “Maybe I’ll see you again sometime.”
The two cats bade him a rather wary farewell. Gray Wing was just relieved that this encounter with them hadn’t been hostile.
第十一章
第十一章
一时间，众猫皆默不作声，惊诧不已。月影第一个开口打破了沉默。“这地方挺适合我。”他一边说，一边用舌头舔着下巴。
“就是，这里又暖和，又干燥。”疾水赞同地说。
“而且还没狗的气味。”碎冰补充道。接着，他抽了抽鼻子说：“这里还有另一种气息，但我辨别不出是什么。不过，既然不是狗或鹰的气味，就不会有危险。”
荫苔好像在思考着什么。最后，他说：“应该没问题。而且这里离大山很近，我们能时不时地回去看望山里的猫。”
众猫兴奋地交头接耳起来，他们望着彼此，两眼冒光。
“我们可以在这堆干草里做窝。”落羽说，“以后在这里养幼崽一定很不错。”
灰翅没有跟着大家一起计划。他不免感到些许失望。这地方没什么问题，可总觉得哪里不对劲，它没给我找到新家时的那种激动踏实的感觉。
他环视四周，努力设想着自己和部落猫们生活在这里的画面。一想到要被这四周的木墙圈在里面，他就焦躁不已。这些墙没有山上的洞壁那么自然。另外，他也很想知道这奇怪的气味究竟是什么。
不过，随后他又惭愧地想：既然别的猫都认为没问题，我不也就该开开心心地住下来吗？
“你怎么看？”他向一旁坐着的玳尾问道，“你觉得这是我们一直想要找的地方吗？”
玳瑁色的母猫看上去惊讶不已。“我很确定就是这里。”她回答道，“难道你不这样看吗？”
灰翅摇了摇头。
“大山外面的所有事物都很陌生。”玳尾指出，“只要我们习惯新的生活方式就可以了。”
灰翅很想叹口气，不过还是忍住了。他承认道：“我想，你是对的。”之后便在玳尾身边蜷起身子准备入睡。
没等灰翅合上眼，他便看见晴天坐在硬邦邦的地面上，两眼正凝视着阴影处。这时，一束月光从墙上的缺口处透了进来，照在了晴天身上，为他那浅灰色的皮毛镀上了一层银色的幽光。灰翅见到哥哥是如此的孤单，心中不禁隐隐作痛。
要是清溪还在就好了。
猫儿们一窝蜂地钻到温暖的干草中做好窝，很快便纷纷入睡。他们感到十分安全，甚至没有一只猫提议值夜。
忽然，灰翅被一阵陌生的噪声吵醒。他眨眨眼睛，只见灰白的曙光从墙上的缝隙中透了进来。他听到外面有沉重的脚步声，意识到正是这声音把他吵醒的。
他一跃而起，转身面向入口。外面一片朦胧，他看到有一大片苍白的东西正在朝他们的避身处移动。那沉重的脚步声越来越响。
“快醒醒！”他尖叫起来，一边用力推着其他猫，一边用脚掌拍打他们的耳朵好把大家叫醒。“快跑！”
灰翅向入口处又望了一眼，意识到那片东西已经离他们越来越近。他定睛一看，原来是一群绵羊。他从来没见过这么多的羊。所有绵羊都正朝这个巢穴奔来。它们的践踏声和叫唤声好像吞噬了一切。绵羊的气味——就是之前猫儿们嗅到的那股怪味——此时也涌了过来。
“我们出不去了！”落羽吼道，“它们会把我们踏扁的。”
这时，最前面的绵羊已经跑了进来，它们前拥后簇地进了入口。眼看众猫已无路可逃，很快，尖尖的羊蹄就会纷纷践踏在他们身上。
“快来这边！”雨拂花喘着气说。
灰翅跟着她从乱蓬蓬的草堆上冲了过去，他看到木墙底部有个小缺口。猫儿们依次挤了出去。此时巢穴里已挤满了喧嚷不安的羊群。
灰翅在一旁正等着出去时，突然一道痛苦的尖叫声响了起来，只见鹰扑不慎跌了一跤，一只羊正踩到她的身上。灰翅连忙跳上前，不过晴天跑得更快，他一口叼住鹰扑的颈背，把她向缺口处拖了过去。晴天把鹰扑推到了外面，自己也挤了出去。灰翅跟着挤过缺口，荫苔最后一个钻了出来。
众猫都奋力逃到空地上之后，荫苔问：“大家都到齐了吗？”
灰翅清点猫群，欣慰地发现没有猫被落下。除了鹰扑之外，大家看上去都没受什么伤。鹰扑正站在地上，一条前腿扭出了反常的角度。
“你还能走路吗？”荫苔问。
“我试试。”鹰扑回答，她咬紧牙关，急促地呼吸着。接着，她跛着脚走了几步，表情十分痛苦。
“我想你是走不了路了。”灰翅说。这时，他发现木墙边上有簇夹杂着荨麻的深草，便让鹰扑靠着他的肩膀走向草丛，让她卧在了草上，躲开刺骨的晨风。
灰翅挥动尾巴叫来了斑毛。“你对草药最了解。”他说，“我们现在该怎么帮她？”
斑毛看上去也有些迷茫。最后，她回答道：“用雏菊叶或者接骨木。不过我不知道周围有没有这两种植物。寒鸦啼、落羽，你们能去找找看吗？”
两只年轻猫跳开寻草药去了。云斑上前仔细检查鹰扑的伤势。他戳了戳鹰扑的腿，她顿时疼得吸了口气。
“我以前见过这种伤。”云斑说，“她的腿骨从肩部关节里脱臼了。”
“难道她无法康复了吗？”疾水惊恐地问。
“不，她会好的。”云斑回答，“有一次，几只老年猫从岩石上滑了下来，我见过寂雨是怎么治疗其中一只老年猫的。草药只能缓解疼痛，但对脱臼无效。”
云斑把脚掌放在了鹰扑的颈部和肩部，鹰扑顿时痛得气喘连连。“这会很疼。”云斑对她说，“不过很快就会过去的。”接着，云斑向灰翅抽动耳朵，对他说：“过来把她按住。把脚掌放这儿……还有这儿……我发令时，一定要牢牢按住，别让她动弹。”
灰翅把脚掌按云斑示意的地方放好，说道：“我准备好了。”
“很好。开始！”
云斑将鹰扑的腿猛地一拉，灰翅的脚掌差点儿被震下来。鹰扑发出一声尖叫。云斑向后退了几步，灰翅看到这只母猫的腿已经复位。她躺在那里瑟瑟发抖，呼吸里带着轻微的喘息声。
“你的腿能动了吗？还疼吗？”云斑问。
鹰扑伸了伸那条腿。“只剩一点点痛感了。”她说，“噢，云斑，谢谢你！”
“做得好。”荫苔用尾巴碰了碰云斑的肩部。
云斑耸耸肩说：“我只是运气好罢了。幸亏之前见过寂雨是怎么处理这种伤的。”
就在这时，寒鸦啼和落羽叼着满嘴的草药跑了回来。“是这些草药吗？”落羽问，她把自己嘴里的那份在斑毛面前放下。
斑毛把叶片理好，向云斑问道：“你觉得这些可以吗？”
云斑用脚掌仔细挑选出了几片草叶。“这些很像我们大山里的草药。”说着，他把叶片递给鹰扑，对她说，“把这些嚼碎服下，它们能缓解伤痛。”
在鹰扑吃草药时，荫苔走过来对她说：“你需要休息。我们今天就留在这里。”
灰翅听到部落猫群中发出了几句牢骚声。
“好冷啊！”疾水抱怨道，“要是我们待在这里的话，身上都会湿透的。”
她说得没错。凛冽的微风中夹着刺骨的毛毛雨，可是大家什么办法也没有。荫苔严厉地瞪了疾水一眼，说：“如果你愿意，可以回到巢穴里和羊群待在一起。”
疾水满脸尴尬，她在地上慌乱地磨着前掌：“我想留在这里或许也不会太糟。”
“我们可以去狩猎。”晴天建议道，不过听上去他对狩猎也并不十分热心。
“可我们还不饿。”高影指出，“没必要在吃不下东西的时候狩猎。”
月影点点头，呻吟着说：“我想我是一只老鼠也吃不下了。”
最后，众猫在荨麻草丛中安顿下来，开始打起了盹。当灰翅醒来时，空中仍阴云密布，虽然风势已经减缓，但蒙蒙细雨正下个不停。他估计这时已差不多是午后了。
灰翅站起来舒展腿脚。这时，他看到晴天从巢穴旁走了出去。
“你要去哪儿？”灰翅追上晴天问道，“一切都好吗？”
晴天盯着灰翅看了一会儿，回答道：“我没事，只是想自己待上一会儿。谢谢。”
看着晴天走开，灰翅感觉好像腹部被什么东西踹了一脚。对于清溪的死，如果晴天能冲我大发一顿脾气，我反倒会好受些。灰翅实在受不了这种冷冰冰的礼貌，因为这让他感觉自己在哥哥的眼中已经成了一只陌生的猫。
灰翅拖着尾巴，回到了深草间。
此时，玳尾正在那里等着他。“就让他悲伤去吧。”她一边轻轻说着，一边用尾巴抚着灰翅的侧腹，“最终，一切都会好起来的。”
此刻，灰翅多么希望她说的话是真的啊。
随后的几天里，灰翅开始相信，他们在绵羊巢穴的遭遇正预示着前方的路将更加艰难。雨一直下着。透过雾气，他们只能通过时不时瞥一眼那些尖尖的石头来确定方向。
如果我们连日光小径都看不到，还怎么去寻找新家呢？
更糟的是，越往前走，猎物也越发稀少。鸟儿们和其他小动物都去躲雨了。鹰扑恢复得很快，但当猫儿们跨越两片草丛中的障碍时，高影的脚掌被草茎深处一条又尖又亮的藤蔓划破了。
“我没事。”她咕哝着，然而她的脚却跛得很厉害。
斑毛和云斑去搜寻草药，可是斑毛对发现的每种草药都深表怀疑。“我可不想让大伙儿吃到会让他们得病的草叶。”她说道，“这些叶子我之前几乎都没见过。”
时光一天天地过去，甚至连锯峰都失去了昔日的活力。灰翅非常理解：锯峰年龄最小，个子最矮，腿也最短。即便如此，小家伙还是得紧紧跟上大家的步伐。
“我受够这些雨了。”锯峰抱怨道，他费力地穿过潮湿的草丛，草叶上的雨水打湿了他的皮毛，“而且，我好饿！”
“等到了目的地就能找到猎物了。”落羽安慰他。
“可我连要去哪儿都还不知道。”锯峰抱怨道。
“也许你本该留在家里，那儿才是你该待的地方。”晴天毫不留情地斥责道。
锯峰被哥哥训了一顿，吓得直往后缩。灰翅看着他那副可怜巴巴的样子，不禁心生怜悯。“现在每只猫的心情都不怎么样。”灰翅蹭了蹭锯峰的侧身，悄悄地安慰着他。
走着走着，一片树林出现在众猫面前。大家走进林子，锯峰又开始嘀咕起来。他和灰翅一起走在队伍的后面，可他不是抽抽耳朵，就是甩甩尾巴。最后，他干脆停下来四处张望。
“你毛毛躁躁地折腾什么呢？”灰翅生气地问。
“我觉得我们被监视了。”锯峰回答。
灰翅忍住没有发火。“也许只是不想被抓住的猎物罢了。”他说道。
锯峰抽动尾巴，不过没有作声。没走几步，小家伙又停住了。“那是什么？”锯峰问，他的耳朵微微抖动着。
“是根落下来的树枝！”灰翅一边回答，一边恼怒地抽着尾巴，“快点儿跟上！我们已经落在大家后面了。”
然而，锯峰的脚掌好像生了根似的不肯移动。他眯缝起眼睛，脸上露出桀骜不驯的神情。“我们被跟踪了。”他肯定地说。
“不会的，哪有的事！”灰翅环视四周，正想要证明弟弟的错误。“呃……”他顿时感到自己傻透了，因为就在此时，一只长腿棕灰色虎斑猫从他们刚刚路过的蕨丛中钻了出来。
“看到了吧？”锯峰气恼地说。
灰翅和这只陌生的猫盯着彼此看了好一会儿。
“你们不是附近的猫，对吧？”陌生猫最后开口问道。
“不是。”锯峰尖声说。他瞪圆了眼睛，上前将这个不速之客打量了一番。“我们是从很远的地方来的！从大山里来的！”
陌生猫看上去很吃惊。“你是指高石山吗？”说着，他朝那几道尖尖的山峰的方向努了努嘴，虽然站在树林里的他们并不能直接看到那几座山。
“不，”灰翅说，“我们——”
灰翅还没说完，晴天便带着几只猫走了过来。“出什么事了？”晴天问。
“哇，你们的数量还挺多的嘛。”陌生猫说，不过似乎并没被他们的数量吓倒。
“我们只是途中路过这里。”荫苔对他说。
“噢。”陌生猫回答道，“我还以为你们是从高石山那边过来的呢。”
“他是指前面那些尖尖的石头。”灰翅解释道。
“已经有猫在那里生活了吗？”云斑挤上前问。
“听说是这样。”陌生猫回答，“不过我自己从没见过。我听过一些故事，据说那些猫很凶，不好惹。”
“他们是‘泼皮猫’吗？”灰翅问。他想起了两脚兽地盘上宠物猫的话。
陌生猫被逗乐了，他哼了一声，说道：“‘泼皮猫’是宠物猫对我们的叫法。那些软弱的笨蛋。”说着，他好奇地扫视群猫，又问道：“你们在这里干什么？那只小猫说你们是从很远的地方来的。”
“我们需要一个新家。”荫苔简洁地说道，怀疑地看着陌生猫。
虎斑猫点点头，没有再问什么。“那么，祝你们好运。”说罢，他消失在了蕨丛中。
“这么说的话，原来还有另一群猫住在那些尖尖的石头附近啊！”寒鸦啼兴奋地说。
“是高石山。”锯峰纠正了他的话。
落羽嗤之以鼻：“它们也没多高啊。”
“这附近有其他猫居住，我想这是个好的迹象。”雨拂花眨眨眼，若有所思地说，“我指的是和我们一样的猫，不是宠物猫。”
“是的，这意味着这里有猫儿们生活所需的空间和猎物。”斑毛赞同地说，“这样就不会有两脚兽、怪物或者狗来骚扰我们了。”
“也许是吧。”晴天看上去没那么确定，“不过我们需要的是一块完全属于自己的地方，一片能提供填饱所有猫肚子的猎物的土地。”
荫苔点点头：“你是觉得其他猫可能对我们怀有敌意？”
“我们刚刚遇到的猫看上去并没有敌意。”玳尾指出。
晴天哼了一声：“那是因为我们在数量上占绝对优势！”
玳尾只是耸了耸肩。
尽管荫苔和晴天都有些顾虑，当猫儿们穿过树林时，大家的心情还是轻松了许多。虽然雨还在下，不过头顶上的树枝为他们遮住了大部分的雨点。
忽然，灰翅的余光瞥见了一些动静。他转过身，看见附近的一棵树干上有只松鼠正往上爬。晴天离树更近，他飞身一跃，利爪出鞘，当他落回地面时，已经抓住了松鼠。
“真厉害！”寒鸦啼兴奋地高喊。
荫苔见大家已停止前进，索性让他们去休息狩猎。眨眼间，月影和碎冰一溜烟消失在了树林里。
“别跑得太远！”荫苔在他们身后喊着，“也别惹麻烦！”
灰翅张开嘴分辨着空中的气息，嗅到了老鼠的味道。他试图追踪猎物，但空气中夹杂了太多的气味，最后老鼠的气息在一簇蕨丛前彻底消失了。
我连猎物都看不见，这还怎么抓啊？
与此同时，斑毛向前走了几步。她脑袋微倾，静听着周围的声响。然后，她向大家喊道：“快来看我发现了什么！”
灰翅小跑过去。只见清澈的水在两块长满苔藓的大石头间涓涓流淌，形成了一个小型瀑布，最后落入一泓水潭。潭水又汇成一条小溪向树林深处流去。
斑毛蹲伏在水边，用舌头舔着嘴说：“有鱼！”
落羽见斑毛将脚掌迅速伸入溪水中，挥掌间就把一条小鱼打到岸上。不久，她又用同样的办法抓到了一条更大的鱼。
落羽发出佩服的咕噜声：“你说过要教我抓鱼的。现在我能试试吗？”
“当然可以。”斑毛回答，“过来坐下。你要确定别让自己的影子投在水面上，那样会把鱼吓跑。然后，你一看到鱼，就要迅速出掌。”
“好，我来试试。”落羽专注地盯着水里的动静，但她把脚掌伸进水中后，只打起一片水花。“真倒霉！”她咕哝着，“可你做起来好像很容易的样子！”
雨拂花也悠闲地走过来看她俩捕鱼。“好吧。”她沉思片刻，说道，“我之前对那个木头巢穴的判断是错误的，不过你们觉得我们可不可以在这个地方住下来呢？”
灰翅仍在为没捉到老鼠而生着闷气，他希望雨拂花的判断再次失误。在这密林里，他感觉自己被困住了——好像空气都沉重得让他无法正常呼吸。他还是怀念之前经过的那种宽阔的空地。
“不行。”荫苔对他的女儿说，“我们必须爬到高石山顶上。尖石巫师为我们指出了日光小径，路的尽头正是那些山峰。我们必须先到达那里，然后再决定在何处安身。”
雨拂花点点头，她接受了父亲的意见。灰翅见此，长长地舒了口气。
这时，月影和碎冰带着猎物回来了。灰翅吃完自己的那份后，躺在岩石上开始旁观斑毛给落羽上另一堂捕鱼课。这两只母猫显然开心不已。不过，落羽把身子前倾得太厉害了，以至于扑通一声掉到了水中。从水里钻出来后，虽然她冷得浑身发抖，可脸上还是笑嘻嘻的。
“当一条鱼要比抓一条鱼简单多了。”落羽从水中爬上岸，呛了几口水。她抖动皮毛，把亮晶晶的水珠甩到空中。
“你看着点儿！”疾水连忙跳开，厉声说，“不是每只猫都想当鱼，谢谢！”
灰翅正在一旁看着这些母猫。突然，他感到脚掌下的地面在震动，同时，空中响起了阵阵犬吠声。
“有狗！”他大声喊了起来。
荫苔跳了起来，他发出命令：“从这边跑！”
只见三只狗从灌木丛中跑了过来。它们大小不一，颜色各异。灰翅惊呆了，他闻到几只狗发出的恶臭气息，甚至感受到了他们毛发间发出的热量。
“快！”玳尾迅速奔向灰翅，把他向前推去，“快跑！”
众猫惊惧万分，他们在灌木丛里乱跑一气，好不容易冲出树林，越过一片空旷的草地。灰翅回过头，看见几条狗紧追不舍，它们迈开长腿，踏着地面直奔而来。
它们追上来了！
前方，一道又尖又亮的荆棘屏障挡住了众猫前方的路。
“别走那边！”荫苔尖叫着，他掉转方向，绕过几条狗，朝一道灌木丛跑去。
众猫越跑越快。风吹得灰翅的毛发紧贴在身上，片片草叶从他腹下擦过。落羽渐渐落在了后面，灰翅折回头从后面又推又拱地将她顶向灌木。他冒险抽空朝旁边瞥了一眼，只见晴天也在帮锯峰逃脱。
这道灌木幽幽地立在前方，里面阴暗多刺，密密匝匝。灰翅看不到出去的路，不过没时间犹豫了，他带着落羽一头扎了进去。灰翅扒拉着里面的乱枝直往前钻，他的毛发被刺扯坏了好几处。他闭上双眼，免得眼睛也被刺扎伤。
他刚吃力地钻出灌木，一只怪物就呼啸着飞奔而过，震得他耳朵嗡嗡作响。怪物那圆形的黑脚掌踢起一片泥水，溅了灰翅一脸。灰翅眨巴着眼睛，想要看清自己的位置。其他猫正在近处的灌木丛中往外钻。
“等一下！”灰翅尖叫起来。
然而，他的警告还是迟了一步。荫苔已经从灌木丛中跳了出来，他越过雷鬼路边上狭窄的草丛，恰恰落在一头咆哮的怪物面前。一刹那，灰翅听到一声恐怖的闷响，荫苔的身体被撞到了空中。
怪物尖啸着往前冲去，除了那死一般可怕的寂静，什么也没有留下。
Chapter 16
Changing his mind about visiting theriver, Gray Wing headed back to the hollow. As he approached it, he met Dappled Pelt and Cloud Spots.
“We’re going to look for herbs,” said Dappled Pelt. “Do you want to come with us?”
“I wish you would,” Cloud Spots added. “Tall Shadow says she doesn’t like cats going off the moor in groups smaller than three.”
Dappled Pelt let out an irritable snort. “She’s just making a fuss.”
“Maybe,” Cloud Spots responded, “but it’ll be useful to have an extra mouth to carry whatever we can forage.”
Gray Wing was happy to turn back and join them as they headed down the slope toward the river. “I met those two cats again—Gorse and Wind,” he mewed. “Wind actually hunts rabbits underground!”
Dappled Pelt blinked in surprise. “I’d like to see that!”
Cloud Spots led the way to where the river emerged from the gorge. Sunlight shimmered on its surface. After several dry days, the water was calmer. Gray Wing waited, enjoying the warmth, while Cloud Spots and Dappled Pelt foraged among the lush vegetation at the water’s edge.
“Look!” Cloud Spots exclaimed. “There are huge clumps of comfrey here.”
“And yarrow!” Dappled Pelt’s waving tail was all that was visible of her above the thickly growing plants. A moment later she emerged with a bunch of herbs in her jaws and set them down beside Gray Wing. “It’s good to know that what we need is close by, and so early in the warm season,” she meowed.
“Back in the mountains, we could spend a whole day searching in the bottom of the valley,” Cloud Spots agreed. “And even then, we’d never find as much as this.”
Together he and Dappled Pelt began to make a pile of useful leaves and roots at the edge of the river. Gray Wing kept watch in case any of the forest cats appeared, but everything was quiet.
When they had almost as much as they could carry, Dappled Pelt halted, tasting the air and gazing across the river to the far bank. “I can smell tansy over there,” she announced. “Jackdaw’s Cry wrenched his leg practicing his leaps, and tansy is really good for that.”
“There are stepping-stones farther downstream,” Gray Wing told her.
Dappled Pelt studied the river for a moment. “It doesn’t look too deep,” she mewed. Before Gray Wing realized what she meant to do, she began to wade out into the water. “If Falling Feather can do it, so can I!”
Gray Wing and Cloud Spots exchanged alarmed glances, then watched Dappled Pelt as she splashed forward, gasping as the cold water reached her belly fur. A heartbeat later she vanished without warning, the river swirling over her head.
“Haredung!” Cloud Spots exclaimed, bounding to the water’s edge. “I’d better go in and save her.”
But before he could plunge into the current, Dappled Pelt’s head broke the surface. She was splashing frantically, somehow managing to propel herself toward the far bank.
“Hey, I’m swimming!” she called, surprise and triumph in her tone.
“It’s not natural,” Cloud Spots grunted. “You look like a furry fish.”
Dappled Pelt scrambled out of the water, shook herself, and plunged into the undergrowth. Moments later she reappeared with a bunch of leaves in her jaws. Wading into the river she swam back, her head held awkwardly high to keep the leaves out of the water.
“See!” she gasped as she clambered up the bank. “It was easy—but oh, that water is cold!”
“I think you’re mousebrained,” Cloud Spots muttered, shaking his head. “Let’s get back to the hollow.”
“Why not stay and catch fish?” Dappled Pelt suggested.
Cloud Spots rolled his eyes. “Don’t even think about it. You’re going straight back to the hollow to dry out, before you get sick.”
Dappled Pelt gave in with an exasperated snort, and the three cats headed back toward the moor. Gray Wing, a pace or two behind the others, heard voices from the other side of a clump of ferns. His fur bristled with suspicion.
Have Wind and Gorse doubled back to spy on us?
But when he crept through the ferns he found Turtle Tail and Bumble crouching side by side, sharing a plump vole.
Bumble was the first to spot him. “Hello, Gray Wing,” she greeted him, sounding pleased to see him.
Turtle Tail sprang to her paws. “Oh .  .  . hi,” she meowed. “Bumble saw me catch this vole, and she wanted to know what it tasted like.”
Gray Wing wondered why Turtle Tail sounded so defensive. He was wary of strange cats, but he couldn’t see anything threatening about this kittypet.
“She obviously likes it,” he responded, setting down his bundle of herbs as Bumble tucked in again. “Bumble, why don’t you come live in the forest all the time?”
Bumble looked up, choking on a mouthful of vole. “No way! My housefolk are kind and I never go hungry. The den is nice, too,” she added. “You should come see it!”
“No, thanks,” Gray Wing told her. “We don’t belong with Twolegs.”
“What about you, Turtle Tail?” Bumble asked.
Turtle Tail’s whiskers twitched with curiosity. “It might be interesting to see it .  .  . but not right now.”
Swallowing the last mouthful of prey, Bumble meowed, “Thanks, Turtle Tail. Let’s meet up again soon.”
“Okay,” Turtle Tail agreed. “I’ll keep a lookout for you in the hollow with the oak trees.”
Bumble padded off through the ferns, her tail held high, casting a final glance over her shoulder before she disappeared.
“You know,” Gray Wing mewed thoughtfully, “it’s not a good idea to get too friendly with kittypets.”
Turtle Tail’s neck fur fluffed up. “Why not?”
Gray Wing couldn’t give her a clear answer. “It bothers me, that’s all,” he replied.
It’s like I said. We don’t belong with Twolegs
Gray Wing lay in his nest under a gorse bush at the bottom of the hollow. The half-moon shed enough light for him to see the top of the slope and beyond it a clear sky glittering with stars. He was warm and full-fed.
This is a good place, he thought. We can live here
Suddenly a dark shape came between him and the stars. Gray Wing narrowed his eyes and made out a sharp snout outlined against the sky. A rank scent drifted to his nose, and he remembered the thin, red-furred creature he had seen soon after they left the Twolegplace. He had smelled the scent in the forest, too, though he’d never seen the animal that left it.
The dark shape moved, slipping down into the hollow. It was followed by another, and then a third. A terrible awareness of danger swept over Gray Wing. He sprang to his paws.
“Attack!” he screeched.
The dreadful squeal of a cat in pain drowned out his warning. In the next heartbeat the hollow erupted into yowling and thrashing. Gray Wing stared around in panic, his paws frozen to the ground. He caught a glimpse of one of the creatures with his fangs sunk deep in Shattered Ice’s shoulder, shaking the silver-furred tom as if he was a piece of prey.
Weare prey, Gray Wing realized with a thrill of horror. We’ll all be killed!
第十二章
第十二章
恐惧几乎将灰翅吞噬，但为了阻止其他猫直接跑上雷鬼路，他还是扑上前去。“荫苔受伤了！”他大声喊道。高影刚从灌木丛中钻出来就被灰翅拦下。随后，寒鸦啼从荆棘中钻了出来，也被灰翅成功地拦住了。
高影迅速朝两边看了看，她冲到雷鬼路上，一口叼住荫苔后颈处的皮毛，把他拖回深草之中。灰翅则拦下了所有钻出灌木丛的猫，把他们推向领头猫躺着的地方。一只只怪物在灰翅身后呼啸而过，他的视线已变得模糊不清，耳朵也被震得生疼。
这时，晴天推着锯峰钻出了灌木，他是最后出来的猫。见到荫苔躺在那里的身体，他不禁瞪大了双眼，而锯峰则号啕大哭起来。他俩跟着灰翅来到这只被撞的领头猫面前。
云斑俯下身，用一只脚掌轻轻碰了碰荫苔。稍后，他抬起头，宣布道：“他死了。”
“不！”雨拂花一头扑到荫苔身上，把口鼻埋进父亲的皮毛里。
众猫惊恐万分，他们简直不敢相信这个事实。灰翅上前把口鼻靠在荫苔的头上。荫苔的身子尚有余温，毛发有些蓬乱，上面沾满了灰尘。要不是细细的血流从他的鼻子和嘴巴里渗了出来，他看上去就像是睡着了一样。
悲伤深深刺痛了灰翅的心，那种感觉比被荆棘扎了还疼。灰翅悲痛地想：荫苔已经带领我们走了这么远，现在他怎能就这样离我们而去呢？
这时，晴天静静地走到雨拂花面前，轻轻推了她一下。“走吧。”他低声说，“我们不能在这里久留。这里不安全。”
雨拂花抬头盯着晴天，那双蓝色的眼睛里悲愤交加。她尖声说：“我是不会把他丢给怪物们的！”
“可你什么也做不了——”晴天说。
碎冰打断了晴天的话：“雨拂花说得对。我们不能把荫苔丢在这里不顾。我们可以把他抬到雷鬼路对面去。”
灰翅向他们刚才过来的灌木丛那儿望了一眼。他仍能嗅到狗的气味。此时他们已无路可退。
碎冰、斑毛和月影上前抬起荫苔的尸体。灰翅在一边帮忙，晴天则注意着怪物的动静。后来，那隆隆的轰鸣声终于暂时消停了下来，他们连忙踏上硬邦邦的黑石头路。所有的猫都拥在领头猫的遗体周围。灰翅看见荫苔的尾巴无力地拖在地上，心中不禁再次被悲伤淹没。
他默默在心里叹息：可怜的部落同胞……
大伙儿齐心协力，终于合力把荫苔抬到了对面灌木带下的草丛里。
“这里没有石头。”雨拂花的声音颤抖了起来，“我们不能像在山里那样安葬他了。”
斑毛用鼻子温柔地触了触雨拂花的耳朵：“我们可以用灌木中的树枝和柔软的草叶代替石头。这样，你爸爸就能有个像样的安息之处了。”
迟疑片刻后，雨拂花微微点了点头。她和斑毛守在她父亲的身边，其他的猫则四散开来去寻找树枝和草叶了。
这时，灰翅注意到晴天正孤独地走着，只见他步伐僵硬，两眼茫然。灰翅在心里猜测：他一定是在思念清溪。可惜无论清溪死在哪里，大家都没法用石头或树枝将她安葬。灰翅是多么渴望自己能向哥哥道歉啊，然而他却如鲠在喉，无语凝噎。
灰翅在一丛灌木里找了些细枝和大的叶片带了回去。当他刚要把它们放到荫苔身上时，雨拂花伸出尾巴拦住了他。
“等等。”她说道，“请让我再陪他一会儿，好吗？”
猫儿们也都陆续回来了，他们把找到的枝条和叶子放下，一起围坐在荫苔的遗体旁。
“再见。”雨拂花轻声说道，“你是最优秀的父亲。女儿永远不会忘记你。”
“你是最称职的领头猫。”高影补充道，说着，她僵硬地向雨拂花低下了头，“是你带领我们走出了大山。”
她说完后，其他猫纷纷表示哀悼。
“是你教会了我如何追踪猎物。”
“是你在别的猫想要放弃时鼓励我们继续前行。”
“你相信这次远行会成功，也让我们大家都深信不疑。”
轮到灰翅时，他伸长了脖子，用鼻子碰了碰荫苔的头部。“谢谢你的勇气。”他说道，“为了纪念你，我们会继续往前走的。”
“也为了纪念清溪。”晴天插话道，他那双蓝眼睛里满含悲哀。
玳尾点点头。“我们也都很怀念她。”她喃喃地说，“她既坚强自信，又温柔可亲。”
“她本会成为一位非常优秀的妈妈的。”斑毛补充道。
锯峰虽没说什么，可他把身子紧紧地靠在了晴天身上。
夜幕降临，但众猫仍聚在荫苔周围。当苍白的曙光开始驱散颗颗星辰，雨拂花把第一根树枝放在了她父亲身上。其他的猫也依次静静地用树枝和叶子将荫苔掩住。之后，大伙儿跟着雨拂花，向天空泛白的方向走去。
虽然悲伤使众猫凝聚在了一起，但他们却各自陷入了哀思，就连锯峰也停止了抱怨。高影仍拖着受伤的脚掌一瘸一拐地走着，但她强忍着痛苦，一声未吭。
他们沿着日光小径走过几块草地，来到一块两脚兽地盘。这时，四周响起刺耳的狗吠声，大家吃了一惊，不过，沉浸在悲伤中的猫儿们已全然顾不上害怕，他们心神恍惚地跑到一堵木墙下，翻过墙头，来到另一边的大片空地上。
灰翅环顾四周，意识到他们已经来到了两脚兽地盘的尽头。前方，高石山的轮廓在天空的映衬下显得格外清晰。尖尖的山峰近在眼前，灰翅激动得脚掌微微发麻。
众猫踏着又短又硬的野草前行，来到了一小片松树林前。
“这地方应该可以捕到猎物。”月影淡淡地说。
斑毛摇摇头说：“我不饿。”
其他猫也这么说，大家便纷纷瘫在树下休息了起来。
“你说荫苔都不在了，我们继续走下去还有意义吗？”玳尾在灰翅身边坐下问道，“要不我们别往前走了，一起回大山去算了？”
灰翅也不知自己身上哪儿来的一股力量，立即对玳尾的话表示反对：“不行！我们都已经走了这么远！如果这次远行无果而终，这对清溪和荫苔都是不公平的。”
此时，鹰扑也蜷伏在附近。听到这话，她转过头，话里带刺地对灰翅说：“可一开始你还不想来呢，你还记得吧？”
灰翅强迫自己镇定下来，他回答道：“也许是这样吧。但我既然都已经走了这么远，那么和你们一样，那个地方也会是我的新家。”
落日将猩红色的余晖洒向大地，在松树的枝杈间投下狭长的阴影。地上，柔软的松针落了一片，猫儿们蜷在上面安顿下来，准备就在松树下过夜。
灰翅梦见自己正卧在山洞里温暖的窝中睡觉，然而一声声悲哀的哭号穿透了瀑布的阵阵轰鸣。
“荫苔！荫苔！”
灰翅猝然惊醒。几尾远之外，雨拂花的身子正剧烈颤抖着。睡梦中的她仍在不住地呼唤着父亲。
灰翅心生同情。他站了起来，走过去在雨拂花身边坐下，开始用尾巴轻轻抚摩她的侧腹。渐渐地，她的哭声变成了轻轻的呜咽声。不一会儿，呜咽声也归于沉寂。灰翅坐在一旁，此刻，他的心就像厚厚的积云一样沉重。透过斑驳的松枝，他看到月亮又要变圆了。
我们已经走了将近一个月了。这趟远行什么时候才是个头啊？
夜里，风渐渐地越刮越猛，猫儿们头上的树枝被吹得瑟瑟作响。凛冽的寒风中，大伙儿纷纷醒来。“月亮和星星已经给我们照亮了路。”高影打了个哈欠说，“那我们何不继续往前走呢？”
众猫均表示赞同。他们从几棵松树间穿过，走上了一片草地。大风把棵棵野草吹倒在地，那些草非常扎脚。夜空下，高石山的轮廓变得阴暗模糊，而通往那里的路也越发陡峭了。
灰翅停下脚步，深深地吸了几口寒冷的空气。这时，他的内心又悄然升起了希望。这个地方很有家的感觉。灰翅回头望去，只见黎明的第一缕曙光中，远处的风景在他眼前层层铺开。遥远的地平线上，一片参差不齐的山影若隐若现。
那就是我们出发的大山！天啊，我们竟已经走了这么远！
“真难以置信！”他身边的寒鸦啼替他把心里话说了出来，“我从没想过世界竟有这么大！”
地势越来越陡，块块砾石挺立在株株劲草间，但猫儿们信心满怀地从一块石头跳到另一块石头上。
“我觉得自己现在跳得不像以前那么轻松了。”云斑气喘吁吁地说，“这些日子吃了太多好东西，我都长胖了。”
渐渐地，地上的草越来越稀，众猫分散开来，发现他们正踩着石头往前走。最后，灰翅爬上几尾远高的山峰，来到了尖石头的顶端。那一刻，满满的成就感传遍了他的全身。
“我们成功了！”玳尾兴奋地说，她跟着灰翅爬了上来。
和他们在大山上的家比起来，这些山峰又矮又窄，但灰翅仍为这种熟悉的感觉而欣喜不已。这时，他看到大伙儿恢复了一些往日的乐观心情，就连雨拂花也变得稍稍开朗了一点儿。
他们站在山顶眺望远方。就在这时，太阳划破天边的地平线，将金色的光辉洒遍大地，把温暖的阳光送到了他们的脚掌边。
灰翅的内心激动不已：我们已经来到了日光小径的尽头！
他朝那片沐浴在阳光中的大地望去，看到了几片茂密的树林将空旷的草地分成了几块。这些树林能为他们提供理想的庇身之所。此外，还有条波光粼粼的河正蜿蜒流向远方。
“那儿是不是其他泼皮猫居住的地方？”他把心中的想法说了出来，“看上去那里到处都相当宜居。”
“我想这就是我们的新家。”斑毛喃喃地说。
“对！”落羽轻推了她一下，“那里还有条河呢，你可以在河里捕捕鱼，我可以在河里扑腾扑腾。”
“还有树林。”晴天补充道，“那里一定有很多猎物。”
灰翅希望哥哥可别盼着住在树林里。我宁愿住在空旷的地方，在那里我才能自由地呼吸。
虽然大伙儿开始乐观了起来，但忧伤的薄雾仍在他们头上未能散去。灰翅满心遗憾地想：要是清溪和荫苔也都能走到这里就好了。
这时，高影开口说：“来吧，我们一起去探探。”说罢，她从最高的岩石上跳了下来，拖着受伤的脚掌向下走去。
“我们到那里后，我就去找些草药来治疗那只脚掌上的伤。”斑毛说。
高影带领众猫往山下走。这时，小锯峰急匆匆地冲到了她的前面。见状，高影厉声喝道：“锯峰！快回来！你不知道前方可能会有什么样的危险在等着我们。”
锯峰等大家赶上来后，乖乖地和灰翅走在了一起。小家伙的耳朵平贴在脑袋上，一副老老实实的样子。
众猫在巨大的砾石间走着，两边的大石头把山下的风景挡了个严严实实。当他们走到一处更为空旷的山坡上时，寒鸦啼大吃一惊。“快看那边！”他高喊道。
灰翅转过身，只见山坡上有个巨大的洞。那洞好像张着大嘴，牙齿错落不齐。
寒鸦啼轻快地跳上前，探头探脑地朝洞里张望起来。他大喊了一声，随即去听洞里的回音：“哇，这洞好深啊！”
高影跟上来走到洞口，她朝洞里瞥了一眼，轻蔑地说：“我们又不是兔子，我们不住地底下。快走吧。”
大家又继续赶路。这时，斑毛追上高影，轻声对她说：“你脚掌受伤了，真的不该再往前走了。”
高影点点头：“行。不过我们至少还是走到森林边的那片荒原上吧。”
众猫走过石头地，踏过一片野草，来到一片被圈起的绿地上。绿地上有一些绵羊，这里的草也柔软了许多。猫儿们对绵羊已经很熟悉了，就没去关注它们，不过大家仍贴着草地边上的灌木丛前进，时刻警惕着狗或怪物的袭击。
“又是一处两脚兽地盘。”一片红石头巢穴进入众猫的视野，云斑评论道。
“我能嗅到狗的气息。”月影一脸厌恶地皱着鼻子说。
“那我们就离它远点儿。”高影说。随后，她带领众猫兜了一大圈绕开了那里。
灰翅望着眼前从斜坡上延伸开去的荒原，忽然感到腿脚发沉，脚掌也酸痛起来。他很想停下来，好好休息一下：我已经厌倦长途跋涉了。就算这里不是我们的新家，我们也该在此多逗留几天，等大家养好伤、吃饱肚子后再走。
当那片荒原近在眼前时，一阵熟悉的呼啸声把灰翅的耳朵震得生疼。
“哦，不！”疾水惊呼，“又有一条雷鬼路！”
众猫小心翼翼地向前移动，他们沿着一道狭窄的灌木丛走着。高影发出命令，大家在雷鬼路边停了下来。灰翅惊恐地盯着路面，只见来自两个方向的怪物们正快速地在路上跑着，它们发出猫头鹰般的怪叫，可那叫声比任何猫头鹰发出的都响。这是目前为止最宽的一条雷鬼路！我们该怎么过去？
他朝朋友们看了看，发现许多猫都吓得发抖。大家对荫苔的死仍心有余悸。
“我不想过去。”落羽低声抱怨道。她蹲伏下来，把鼻子搭在了脚掌上。
“难道我们不可以就留在这边吗？”鹰扑问道，“要不我们回高石山那儿吧？那地方宽敞着呢。”
“是的，但那儿没有猎物。”晴天指出，“我们生活的地方需要有树、有草、有灌木，这样才能有东西吃。”
“好吧，那你们过去吧，不用管我。”落羽固执地说。
碎冰走到落羽跟前，把尾巴搭在了她的背上。“大家一起走了这么远。”他温和地对她说，“我们是不会丢下任何一只猫离开的。我会照顾你，我保证。”
听到这话，落羽颤抖着站了起来。
这时，灰翅发现玳尾看上去也很害怕，他用身体轻抚着她的皮毛，喃喃地说：“你不会有事的。”
玳尾向后贴平了耳朵：“荫苔才刚刚出事，这也来得太快了。”
灰翅点点头：“我知道。可是，日光小径已经把我们指引到了这里，这只不过是另一处障碍而已。”
众猫聚集到雷鬼路边，身子不住地发抖。黑石头路从他们面前向两边延伸开去，几乎望不到尽头。灰翅看了看晴天，只见他勇敢地走近路边向两头张望。当怪物们呼啸而过时，他又及时跳了回来。灰翅不禁很佩服哥哥的胆量。
“好了。”碎冰说，“我们分开行动。晴天，你带领第一小队，到对面后帮我们盯着怪物。疾水、高影、云斑、寒鸦啼，你们和晴天一起过去。”等点到名字的猫聚到一起站好后，他继续说道：“雨拂花、斑毛、玳尾、落羽，你们和我一起走。灰翅，你带领最后一队过去。锯峰、鹰扑、月影，你们几个跟着灰翅。”
灰翅点点头，做好了带队过雷鬼路的准备。
听到碎冰的计划后，大伙儿似乎都感觉好了一些。晴天带领他的小队来到雷鬼路旁，等待一只闪着蓝光的怪物疾驰而去，直到它的咆哮声渐渐消失。
“行动！”晴天大喊了一声。
他带着几只猫迅速穿过雷鬼路，只见他们快步如飞，几乎脚不沾地。晴天在高影旁边跑着，确保她不会落下。他们刚跑到对面，另一只怪物就出现了。接着，他们走进深草中，消失在了灰翅的视线里。
“嗯，还不错。”碎冰说道。他挥动尾巴，示意几只猫走到路边。
不过，这次路上的怪物们来来去去跑个不停。过了好一会儿，碎冰他们才等到下一个合适的时机。这时，晴天从对面出现，用尾巴示意他们过去。
“好！行动！”
这队猫才刚刚跳上雷鬼路，晴天就突然又尖声喊道：“不行！退回去！”
几只猫在晴天的发令声中撤退。就在这时，一只鲜红色的怪物不知从哪里冒了出来，它低吼着匆匆而过。碎冰叼住落羽的颈背，迅速把她拖到了安全地带。
“吃屎去吧！”玳尾在怪物身后冲它咒骂道，好像已经忘了自己之前有多么紧张了。
碎冰他们再次在雷鬼路边上站好。这些猫刚刚险里逃生，此时他们更加小心谨慎。不过，这次路面很快就安静了下来，他们飞奔过去时也没有受到怪物的威胁。
接着，灰翅竖起尾巴，示意剩下的猫集合。为了让自己的脚掌不再紧张得发抖，他先让锯峰、月影和鹰扑在雷鬼路边上排开站好。随后，他弯下身子把耳朵贴到地面上，但没察觉到有任何震动。
“好……行动！”
他率先跃到雷鬼路上，几只猫紧随其后。可他们刚跑到路中间，灰翅就听到一只怪物呼啸着跑了过来，它的咆哮声越来越响，仿佛吞没了整个世界。
“快点儿！”灰翅尖声喊道。
眼看灰翅就要跑到路边，突然，晴天从草丛中跳了出来。他冲过灰翅，径直朝雷鬼路中央跑去。灰翅惊恐万分，他刹住脚步回头一看，原来锯峰正蹲在怪物即将经过的路上，小家伙已经被吓得动弹不得。在这千钧一发之际，晴天一口叼住锯峰的颈背，三步并作两步跃了回来。霎时，他们身后的巨大怪物在雷鸣般的隆隆声中跑了过去。
“你这傻小子！简直是蠢透了！”晴天放下锯峰，瞪着眼睛向他咆哮道，“你不知道不能像那样停在路中间吗？”
锯峰缩到草丛中，仿佛这样就能避开哥哥的怒火。“我……我很抱歉。”他吞吞吐吐地说。
“这也怪我。”灰翅说道，“我本该发现他没跟在身后的。”
不等晴天再次说话，疾水就挤了过来。“晴天，冷静点儿。”她厉声说道，“我们刚才都被吓到了。”接着，她俯下身子，快速舔了舔锯峰的脑袋。“来。”她轻声说，“你可以和我一起走一会儿。”
锯峰挣扎着站起身，心怀感激地望了疾水一眼。
一时间，每只猫的身子都在颤抖，他们的毛发又脏又乱。大家蹒跚着走上面前杂草丛生的斜坡，他们心中的兴奋已荡然无存，满腔的勇气也已几乎消失殆尽。
Chapter 17
Gray Wing’s first instinct was tothrow himself into the battle. But he knew how that would end; he would be torn to pieces. I can’t just leave the others! There must be some way I can help
Turtle Tail appeared at his side. “Foxes!” she gasped.
“What?”
“Foxes—that’s what these things are. Bumble warned me about them. What are we going to do?”
At that moment Clear Sky tore past, claws out and teeth bared. Swiftly Gray Wing moved to block him.
“Let me get at them!” Clear Sky snarled.
“Wait!” Gray Wing meowed urgently. “We need a plan!”
As the sounds of wailing and growling rose up around him, louder with every heartbeat, Gray Wing knew that he had to think fast. A picture rose in his mind of how they had hunted eagles in the mountains, when one cat would pull the bird down and the others pile in to make the kill.
“The three of us together.” He glanced from Clear Sky to Turtle Tail and back again, willing them to cooperate. “We attack one fox, and kill it if we can. Then go for the next.”
Turtle Tail nodded eagerly. “That makes sense.”
“But what about the others?” Clear Sky asked. “They could be dying while we attack one fox.”
“If we split up, we can’t do anything,” Turtle Tail responded.
“We’ll just have to be quick,” Gray Wing continued. “Clear Sky, when we find a fox, you attack it from one side. Turtle Tail, from the other. Confuse it.”
“What about you?” Clear Sky asked.
“I’ll be there, don’t worry,” Gray Wing replied grimly.
He took the lead as the three cats prowled around the edge of the hollow, trying to make sense of the chaos below. At last Gray Wing spotted a fox at the edge of the fighting, standing over Hawk Swoop, who was twitching feebly.
“Now!” Gray Wing screeched.
Clear Sky leaped and began clawing at the fox’s flank. As it turned on him with a snarl, Turtle Tail attacked from the other side. The fox turned its head this way and that, snapping its jaws but unable to reach Clear Sky or Turtle Tail, as they darted in to claw it and leaped back out of range.
It’s working!Gray Wing launched himself into the air and landed on the fox’s back. Digging his hind claws into its shoulders, he leaned over its face and tore at its eyes and muzzle. The fox let out a shriek. It reared up, trying to shake Gray Wing off, but he clung tight.
Still harried from both sides by Clear Sky and Turtle Tail, the fox headed for the edge of the hollow. Once it was out on the moorland, Gray Wing leaped clear of it, and watched it flee yelping into the darkness.
“Another!” Clear Sky yowled triumphantly. “And this time I get to leap onto it.”
Spinning around, he led the way back to the bottom of the hollow. Tall Shadow and Jackdaw’s Cry were battling a second fox, but Jackdaw’s Cry was staggering with exhaustion, and blood dripped into Tall Shadow’s eyes from a scratch on her forehead.
Turtle Tail and Gray Wing hurled themselves into the battle, attacking the fox from both sides. With a fearsome screech, Clear Sky leaped onto its back, slashing at its ears as it weaved from side to side in an attempt to escape.
Within heartbeats it too gave up and fled. The third fox turned from worrying at Cloud Spots, who was feebly swiping at it with his hind paws, and realized that it was alone. With a yelp of fear it scrambled up the slope after the others and was gone.
Clear Sky bounded after it and halted at the rim of the hollow. “Good riddance!” he yowled. “Don’t come back!”
Gray Wing glanced around. Jackdaw’s Cry had sunk to the ground, panting, but he didn’t seem to be badly injured. Moon Shadow was limping, and Rainswept Flower had had clumps of fur torn from her pelt. Jagged Peak was bleeding from scratches on his side. The others bore their own signs of the foxes’ savagery, but at least they were all moving. Gray Wing had been afraid that Hawk Swoop had been killed, but even she had managed to stagger to her paws.
Cloud Spots turned to examine Tall Shadow’s scratch. Dappled Pelt twitched her whiskers approvingly, then padded over. Working together, they began to move from one cat to another, examining their wounds.
Turtle Tail and Clear Sky trotted up to Gray Wing.
“We won!” Turtle Tail exclaimed. “Gray Wing, you were awesome!”
Clear Sky gave his brother an approving nod. “Fighting together worked well,” he meowed. “Maybe we should practice, in case there’s more trouble.”
Gray Wing gave him a somber glance. “You’re right,” he agreed. “Because there willbe more trouble.” And it won’t be long in coming.
A cold dawn light showed Gray Wing the devastation in the hollow. All the nests had been scattered and trampled in the fight, the turf scored by claws, and branches broken from the gorse bushes. The injured cats huddled in whatever shelter they could find.
We’re lucky to be alive, Gray Wing thought. But what’s going to happen to us now?
He sat licking the wound on his shoulder as the dawn light gradually strengthened. After a while he saw Clear Sky get up and speak briefly to Moon Shadow; then both cats padded across the hollow until they reached Tall Shadow. Curious, Gray Wing rose to his paws and followed.
“There’s something we want to say,” Clear Sky began.
Tall Shadow looked up; she and Rainswept Flower were helping each other pick thorns out of their pads. “Go on, then,” she meowed.
It was Moon Shadow who continued. “We think we should go and live among the trees. The hunting is easier there, and we’d be better hidden.”
“We’re too exposed here,” Clear Sky added, waving his tail to indicate the wreckage around them. “There’s no defense against foxes, or anything else that feels like attacking us.”
Tall Shadow glanced sharply from Clear Sky to Moon Shadow and then back again. “But we’ve always lived in high places,” she objected.
“And my father wouldn’t have wanted us to split up,” Rainswept Flower added.
“Your father isn’t here anymore.” Rainswept Flower winced at Clear Sky’s blunt words.
By now more of the cats had realized something important was going on, and gathered around, listening with wide, troubled eyes. Gray Wing’s belly churned with tension at the thought of leaving the open spaces he loved.
“I can’t imagine wanting to live among trees,” Jackdaw’s Cry put in. “And what about the other cats who are already there?”
“We’ll deal with them,” Moon Shadow replied with a confident flick of his ears. “We don’t want to fight for every mouthful of prey, but there’s enough for all of us.”
“It’s not that easy,” Hawk Swoop protested. “I think it could be good to live in the forest, but I don’t think we should split up.”
Tall Shadow thought for a moment. “Okay,” she mewed eventually. “We’ll do what we did in the cave—cast stones to decide whether we move to the forest or not.”
A murmur of agreement rose from the listening cats. Jackdaw’s Cry and Falling Feather got up immediately and went to forage for pebbles among the torn-up grass. All the others gathered around as they carried the stones back and piled them up beside Tall Shadow.
“All right,” the black she-cat meowed. “If you want to stay here on the moor, put your stone on that bare patch of grass over there.” She pointed with her tail. “If you want to leave, put your stone beside that gorse bush.”
She was the first to vote, putting her stone on the bare patch. Rainswept Flower did the same. Tension settled over the cats as they all moved forward in turn to pick up a stone. Gray Wing placed his on the bare patch, and as the voting continued he was relieved to see that most of the others also wanted to stay. Only Moon Shadow, Clear Sky, Quick Water, and Falling Feather chose to move to the trees.
Jagged Peak was the last to pick up his pebble. Shooting an apologetic glance at Gray Wing, he placed it under the gorse bush.
Tall Shadow looked at both piles of stones. There was no need to count them; the result was clear. “It’s settled, then,” she announced. “We’re staying here.”
“Wait!” Clear Sky sprang to his paws. “That’s not fair. Those of us who want to live in the trees should be allowed to.”
“Yeah,” Moon Shadow added. “When we voted in the cave, the cats who wanted to stay, stayed. And the ones who wanted to leave, left. Why should it be different now?”
There was a gasp from all the cats. Gray Wing felt as though he had been struck by a falling rock. Can we really separate, after coming so far together?
Tall Shadow took a deep breath. “Then leave.” There was no anger in her tone, only sadness. “And go with our blessing. Come back whenever you want.”
The cats who had voted to leave rose and gathered together. Shock tingled through Gray Wing. Is this truly what’s right for us?
The cats were all glancing atone another, confusion and sadness in their eyes.
“We won’t be far away,” Quick Water meowed; Gray Wing could tell she was trying to sound cheerful. “Our paths will cross all the time!”
Jackdaw’s Cry gave Falling Feather a friendly nudge. “You’ll be back when you miss the taste of rabbit, or the feeling of wind in your fur!”
“Wait till it rains!” There was real amusement now in Quick Water’s voice. “Then you’ll be sheltering under the trees with us.”
As the cats who were leaving began to climb the slope out of the hollow, Clear Sky hung back and faced Gray Wing. “Good luck,” he murmured. “I’ll see you soon.”
Gray Wing dipped his head, thankful that he and Clear Sky were close once again.
“Are you sure you won’t come with us?” Clear Sky asked.
Gray Wing shook his head. “My heart lies in the open, in the high places,” he explained. “But I’ll walk with you a little way.”
Together he and Clear Sky bounded up the slope to catch up with the others. Tall Shadow and Rainswept Flower came too, padding in a tight group across the moor until they reached the edge of the trees.
“Good-bye,” Tall Shadow meowed, dipping her head to Clear Sky and the others. “May you find good prey and shelter. There will always be a place for you with us.”
“Thank you,” Clear Sky responded. “And you will always be welcome to visit us.”
Even though he knew he would see his brothers again, it was wrenching for Gray Wing to turn away and leave them. His pace was slow as he headed back to the hollow, and he felt a deeper ache in his wounds. After a few paw steps he glanced back over his shoulder, but Clear Sky and the others had already vanished into the trees.
The hollow felt empty and quiet when Gray Wing and the others returned. Dappled Pelt was still busy treating wounds, while Turtle Tail was gathering grass, trying to repair the damaged nests.
Cloud Spots padded over to Gray Wing and touched him on the shoulder with his tail. “How about hunting?” he suggested. “We’d all feel better for some prey.”
Gray Wing felt his spirits reviving. “Let’s do that,” he agreed.
Together they headed out onto the moor. A stiff breeze was blowing away the clouds, and patches of blue appeared here and there. Gray Wing caught a powerful whiff of rabbit, and spotted the creature nibbling the grass at the bottom of a rocky bank. Angling his ears toward it, he drew Cloud Spots’s attention.
Cloud Spots circled the rabbit to come at it from the other direction. Remembering how they used to hunt hares in the mountains, Gray Wing braced himself, crouching in a clump of longer grass. A couple of heartbeats later the rabbit flicked up its ears, saw Cloud Spots and fled, heading straight for Gray Wing. Leaping out of the grass, Gray Wing knocked it over with a blow from his paw. Its squeal of terror was cut off as he killed it with a bite to the neck.
“Great job,” Cloud Spots commented as he padded up. “It’s a good plump one, too. It’ll fill a few hungry bellies. You know,” he added as Gray Wing began dragging the rabbit back to the hollow, “the others’ leaving won’t make much difference. It’s just as if our home has gotten bigger.”
Gray Wing muttered agreement through his mouthful of fur, but inwardly he wasn’t so sure. I hope Cloud Spots is right. But I just feel things are changing beyond any cat’s control
Gray Wing paused near the edge of the trees, jaws parted to taste the air, half hoping that Clear Sky or one of the others would appear. A few sunrises had passed since the cats had left the moor, and Gray Wing still felt as though half of him had been torn away.
He was turning back, disappointed, when he spotted movement under the outlying trees. A cat emerged from a clump of ferns, glancing furtively from side to side before heading up the slope toward him. But it wasn’t Clear Sky or any of his group; it was Turtle Tail.
Was she visiting Clear Sky? Gray Wing wondered. But then, why would she look as if she doesn’t want any cat to see her?
He drew back into the shelter of a rock until Turtle Tail walked past him. “Hello,” he meowed, stepping out in front of her.
Turtle Tail jumped. “You frightened me out of my fur!”
“Where have you been?” Gray Wing asked her. There was a weird scent on her pelt, one that he couldn’t place, and his suspicions deepened. “And don’t tell me you’ve been visiting Clear Sky, because I know you haven’t.”
Turtle Tail took a step back, her neck fur fluffing at his challenging tone. “Okay, I won’t,” she retorted. “I was visiting Bumble in the Twolegplace.”
“What?” Even though Gray Wing had been suspicious, he had never imagined that. “Are you completely flea-brained?”
“I don’t know what you’re so angry about. It was fine! I went right into a Twoleg den.” Turtle Tail’s annoyance faded and she began to bubble over with pride in her achievement. “I was really scared, but Bumble was so nice, and she showed me everything. The Twolegs have soft rocks with colored pelts in there. They’re so comfortable!”
Gray Wing struggled to find words to express how shocked he was. “You have to stay away from the Twolegplace,” he told her. “It’s dangerous!”
Turtle Tail flicked her tail dismissively. “Stop fussing. Bumble looked after me. You should come and visit too!”
Gray Wing felt as if his whole life was coming apart. His brothers and his friends had left the group to live in the trees, and now Turtle Tail seemed to have forgotten that she was a wild cat. “You’re being ridiculous!” he snapped.
“And you know so much about it, I suppose?” Turtle Tail’s neck fur bristled up again as she glared at him.
“Whatever.” Gray Wing was suddenly tired of arguing. “Do what you want.”
Leaving Turtle Tail to find her own way home, he stalked off into the woods. Instantly he felt swallowed up in the dense green world, the air heavy with lush growth. He found a familiar trail and headed along it, steering clear of strange cat scents.
Without warning two cat shapes dropped from the trees on either side of him and landed in the undergrowth. Gray Wing braced himself for an attack, then in the next heartbeat recognized Jagged Peak and Clear Sky.
“Surprise!” Jagged Peak yowled triumphantly.
Gray Wing let out a welcoming mrrowand touched noses with each of them. “You scared my tail off!” he mewed.
“We’ve been hunting in the trees,” Jagged Peak boasted. “It’s awesome!”
“Why don’t you join us?” Clear Sky suggested.
Gray Wing glanced up at the nearest tree. It looks awfully tall!“Okay,” he agreed, not wanting his brothers to know that he was scared, and looking forward to spending some time with them again.
He scrambled up the trunk after Clear Sky and Jagged Peak, and balanced on the lowest branch. Digging his claws in nervously, he glanced around, trying to enjoy the different scents and the rustling of leaves around him.
Clear Sky took off in pursuit of a squirrel leaping from branch to branch. Jagged Peak followed, and Gray Wing clambered after them, envying their confidence and speed.
The squirrel leaped from the end of one springy branch into a nearby tree. Gray Wing paused, assuming they’d lost it, but Clear Sky didn’t stop. He jumped after it, almost flying as he hurtled into the next tree, right on the squirrel’s tail. Gray Wing was even more surprised when Jagged Peak followed him.
“I have to do this,” he muttered, struggling to keep his balance as he edged his way along the branch. Bunching his muscles, he pushed off, reaching out his forepaws to grab the nearest branch of the other tree.
Gray Wing’s claws scraped along the bark and he let out a screech as he felt himself falling. At the last moment he managed to get a grip, but he was left swinging helplessly, with nowhere to rest his hind paws. Fighting off dizziness, he managed to shift bit by bit along the branch until it grew wider near the trunk. He pulled himself up and sat shaking, wondering how he was going to get down again.
His pounding heart had quieted by the time that Clear Sky and Jagged Peak came back. Clear Sky was carrying the squirrel in his jaws.
“That was a great chase!” Jagged Peak exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with enthusiasm. “Are you okay, Gray Wing?”
“Er .  .  . I think I’m stuck here,” Gray Wing confessed.
“That’s okay. I’ll help you down,” Jagged Peak mewed confidently. “You go tailfirst. Put your paws there .  .  . and there.”
Gray Wing heaved a sigh of relief when he once again stood with all four paws firmly on the ground. “You’re really good at this,” he told Jagged Peak admiringly.
Jagged Peak ducked his head in embarrassment. “Clear Sky has been giving me a few tips.”
Clear Sky leaped down the last few tail-lengths. “It helps to practice new techniques for hunting among the trees,” he explained with a modest look.
“Good luck with that!” Gray Wing meowed fervently. “Give me rabbits on the ground any day!”
Gray Wing followed his brothers along forest trails until they reached a sheltered hollow with a shallow pool at the center and deep banks of fern and bramble all around.
“Welcome to our new home!” Clear Sky announced.
Quick Water and Falling Feather poked their heads out from the fern. “Hello, Gray Wing,” Falling Feather mewed as they emerged into the open. “It’s great to see you.”
“I’m glad you came to visit,” Quick Water told him. “We’re settling in well, we’ve made nests of twigs and lined them with moss, and we’ve already scared off a couple of nosy cats. No way am I letting them use my nest!”
“They looked okay,” Falling Feather put in. “If they’re really interested in us, we might invite them to move in.” Looking faintly embarrassed, she added, “They might become our friends.”
Hmm .  .  . what has made Falling Feather so keen to have more cats join them?Gray Wing wondered, though he said nothing out loud. “I’m glad it all turned out so well for you,” he told Clear Sky.
“Yes,” Clear Sky mewed with a satisfied look around him. “I really feel this is the place where I was meant to be. Are you happy on the moor?” he added.
“Yes.” Gray Wing dipped his head. “I am.”
Gray Wing headed back through the trees, pleased to have seen his brothers and their new home. His thoughts full of them, he wasn’t paying as much attention as usual to his surroundings. When a cat leaped out of the bushes ahead of him, he halted, so startled that he almost fell over his own paws, brushing against a jagged tree stump.
Gray Wing found himself confronted by a silver tabby she-cat, her green eyes narrowed in a glare.
“I’ve seen you before,” the cat hissed. “You’re one of those newcomers making trouble. We were here first, so stop stealing our prey!”
Gray Wing didn’t feel like fighting. “There’s enough prey for every cat,” he replied mildly instead. “My name’s Gray Wing. What’s yours?”
The she-cat didn’t answer his question. “Just so you know,” she meowed grudgingly, “there’s a wasps’ nest in that stump you nearly fell over.”
Looking more closely, Gray Wing spotted a swollen gray lump in the tree beside him, and two or three tiny black-and-yellow creatures hovering over it. He could hear a muted buzzing.
“What are they?” he asked.
The she-cat rolled her eyes. “Wasps! Don’t you know anything? They sting if you disturb them. Stick your paw in there if you don’t believe me.”
Gray Wing backed off a pace or two from the stump. “Thanks,” he mewed. “That’s really useful to know.”
“I’m not doing it to help you,” the she-cat growled. “I just don’t want your screeching to scare off all the prey.” Whirling around, she spat out, “Leave us in peace!” before scampering off into the undergrowth.
As Gray Wing emerged from the trees and raced across the moor, he found the silver-furred she-cat stuck obstinately in his mind.
As he climbed the final slope toward the hollow, Gray Wing felt a twinge of guilt about his earlier quarrel with Turtle Tail. Maybe she won’t want to go to the Twolegplace if I show her how great it is here
Padding into the scoop, he spotted Turtle Tail under a bush, washing her ears. “Hi,” he greeted her. “Do you want to hunt?”
Turtle Tail sprang to her paws, her eyes shining. “Sure!”
“I was out with Cloud Spots the other day,” Gray Wing explained as he and Turtle Tail headed onto the moor. “We caught a rabbit like we used to hunt hares in the mountains, one cat driving the prey into the other cat’s claws. Let’s try that today.”
Though dark clouds were massing on the horizon, the sky above the moor was clear blue, and the sun shone strongly. Tiny brown butterflies fluttered among the wild thyme.
“Okay, let’s find a rabbit,” Turtle Tail agreed.
Before long they spotted one, hopping peacefully here and there, stopping every few moments to nibble at the grass.
“Wait here,” Gray Wing murmured. “I’ll send it over to you.”
Turtle Tail nodded, crouching. Gray Wing crept around in a wide circle until he could see the rabbit between him and Turtle Tail, whose ears just poked up above the grass clump where she was hiding.
Letting out a yowl, he hurtled toward the rabbit. With a squeal of terror the rabbit raced off, heading straight for Turtle Tail. But Turtle Tail leaped out of hiding just a heartbeat too soon, and the rabbit veered off. Though Turtle Tail dashed after it, and Gray Wing forced an extra burst of speed, the rabbit dived down a nearby hole before either of them could catch it.
“Haredung!” Gray Wing spat as he halted, panting. “You weren’t concentrating.”
Turtle Tail’s eyes widened with shock and hurt. “Have you never missed a catch?” she challenged him.
“Not an easy one like that.”
“Well, good for you!” Turtle Tail snapped. “I’m going off to find some cat who doesn’t expect me to fly like a bird and run like a rabbit.”
I suppose she means Bumble, Gray Wing thought, watching as she stalked off across the moor.
Clouds gradually covered the sky, and by nightfall heavy rain had set in. Turtle Tail still hadn’t returned. Gray Wing settled into his nest under a gorse bush, but sleep was hard to come by. Was I too hard on her?he asked himself.
At last he fell into a troubled sleep, and awoke as the sky was growing pale with dawn. Rising, Gray Wing padded across the hollow and checked Turtle Tail’s nest. It was cold and empty, and her scent was stale.
Anxiety gripped Gray Wing like a fox’s fangs. Where is she? Why hasn’t she come home?
第十三章
第十三章
斜坡上方通向一片荒原，那里野草丛生，簇簇金雀花正茂盛地生长。蓝天下，灰翅踏上这片空旷的大地，微风夹杂着兔子的气息扑面而来，他放松身体，完全陶醉其中。
我愿意一辈子住在这里。
天快黑时，他们来到了一处凹地，周围的金雀花丛和小岩石块都为猫儿们提供了绝佳的避身处。凹地底部还有一个小水塘，里面积了些褐色的泥水。
“我们暂时就待在这里吧。”高影说，“大家可以休息一下，探探周围的情况。之后，我们再考虑这里是否就是尖石巫师希望我们找到的地方。”
众猫在这片凹地里住了下来。这段时间里，大家也就是打打盹、捉捉兔子。过了几天，晴天第一个带领队伍去探察周围的环境，他还带上了斑毛、落羽和月影。
他们回来后，晴天向大家汇报道：“我们走到了河边。那里有道大瀑布轰隆隆地流向峡谷。”
“不过瀑布后面没有山洞。”落羽遗憾地说。
次日，灰翅带着云斑、雨拂花、锯峰和玳尾一起出发。明媚的阳光照耀着大地，湛蓝的天空中飘着缕缕白云。一阵微风从前方的森林里吹来，捎来了万物生长、欣欣向荣的气息。
“这儿感觉真好！”玳尾感叹道，她停下脚步，弓起身子，伸了个长长的懒腰。
“这里既不下雨，又没有雷鬼路，还猎物丰富。”雨拂花赞同地说，“我们已经很满足了。”
“我们还需要更好地了解这个地方。”灰翅提醒她，“这里可能还有未知的危险。”
几只猫继续向前走着，这时，他们来到一个向下延伸的陡坡前。灰翅看到前面有一簇绿叶正在风中瑟瑟作响。开始他不确定是什么动静，后来才知道那只是树顶的叶子在动罢了。
“我们去看看吧！”锯峰迫不及待地向前一跃。
灰翅用尾巴卷住小家伙的脖子，把弟弟拖了回来。“行，我们去看看。”他严肃地说，“不过，你得乖乖和我们待在一起，别像只发了疯的雪兔似的到处乱窜。”
锯峰点了点头，跟在灰翅身后继续前行。不过小家伙仍急不可耐地伸缩着爪子。
他们走过草地，发现周围长满了茂盛的蕨丛和灌木。灰翅挤到大家前面，他停下脚步，惊叹了一声。
在他的前方，地面向下形成了一片开阔的圆形山谷。山谷四周镶着浓密的蕨丛和灌木，谷底有四棵参天橡树。
“哇哦！”云斑在灰翅身边长长地吐了口气。
锯峰兴奋不已，他尖着嗓子喊道：“我们干吗不搬到这儿来呢！”
灰翅没有应答，只是瞅了弟弟一眼。接着，他带领猫儿们走下斜坡。途中，他支棱着耳朵，时时警惕着危险。头顶上的树枝交错盘旋，透过浓密的枝叶，他只能看到一点点蓝天。他不禁又一次有了那种被树困住的感觉。
在四棵橡树中间，一块有几尾高的巨石矗立在地上。锯峰全身发力，往石头上一跃。无奈石头太高，他只得落回地面，懊恼地用爪子挠着石头。
“晴天一定能跳上去！”他不服气地说。
“是的，不过他干吗要跳上去呢？”灰翅说。为了避免和锯峰起争执，他接着说道：“我们停下来狩猎去吧。这些灌木丛里一定有很多猎物。”
锯峰立刻冲了出去。
“别跑出山谷！”灰翅在他身后喊道。
剩下的猫也散了开来。正如灰翅所料，这里猎物充足。没过多久，他们便聚在石头下面大快朵颐了起来。吞下几口鼠肉后，灰翅听到山谷一边的灌木丛中簌簌作响。他嗅了嗅空气，闻到了猫的气味。
“是泼皮猫。”玳尾轻声说。
在灰翅的注视下，一团姜黄色的皮毛在灌木丛中忽隐忽现。一只陌生的猫正朝谷顶跑去。这时，更远处又有了动静，只见一张黑白相间的脸从蕨丛中探了出来。
“还有更多的猫！”锯峰一跃而起，伸出爪子，“我们去把他们打跑。”
小家伙刚要冲上斜坡，就被云斑拦下。他低嘶道：“你是跳蚤脑子吗？我们干吗要和他们打架？他们又没伤害我们。”
“可是他们——”锯峰开口反驳道。
“云斑说得对。”灰翅打断了他的话。他想起在两脚兽地盘上和宠物猫们交战时的情景。“现在还不是打架的时候。我们要先去好好了解这个地方，再去对付那些怀有敌意的猫。”
“况且我们都知道，说不定他们会很友好呢。”雨拂花补充道。
锯峰怀疑地哼了一声，不过也没再说什么。灰翅警惕地回头望了一眼，那只猫仍在蕨丛中窥视着他们的行动。他摸不准这些猫会不会给他们带来麻烦，不过为防不测，他还是会密切留意这些猫的动向。
两天后，灰翅独自在荒原上狩猎。温暖明媚的天气开始变得阴冷，层层阴云遮住了天空，寒风夹着雨点吹向大地。
灰翅在荒原上搜寻着猎物的蛛丝马迹。他看见一只兔子从斜坡顶上跑过，顿时兴奋得脚掌直痒痒。他向前跃去，兔子惊恐地尖叫一声，猛地掉转方向。灰翅连忙改变路线，他踏着地上的野草，迈开步子全速追击。
他就要追上兔子了，突然，有什么东西撞向他的身侧。他脚掌一滑，跌倒在地，连翻了几个滚。
灰翅惊呆了，他爬了起来，只见一只纤长结实的棕色母猫正用一双黄眼睛瞪着他。在离她不远的地方，一只瘦削的灰色公猫站了起来，抖落皮毛上的杂草。兔子的气味迅速消失，灰翅知道，他的猎物已经逃之夭夭了。
灰翅愤愤地甩着尾巴：“你们害我丢了我的兔子！”
“你的兔子？”灰色公猫上前一步，站到了母猫身边，“风，你说说看，凭什么这只吃鸦食的家伙觉得那是他的兔子？”
“我可不知道，金雀花。”这只叫风的母猫说。只见她颈部的毛发根根倒立，她朝灰翅低嘶道：“你应该知道，我们已经看到你们在这里到处转悠，也发现你们在偷盗我们的猎物了！”
“就是，你们是从哪里来的？”金雀花挑衅地问道，“我希望你们不要打算在这里久留，因为——”
“我们想在这儿待多久就待多久。”灰翅毫不示弱地反驳道，“谁能抓到猎物，猎物就属于谁。更何况这里猎物多得是，足够我们大家一起吃的。”
风弹出利爪：“这话还轮不到你来讲。”
灰翅摆好架势准备迎战，不过还没等风和金雀花发起攻击，一个镇定的声音就在他身后响了起来：“灰翅，你是遇到麻烦了吗？”
灰翅回头一看，只见高影从身后一块长满青苔的大砾石后走了出来。她的脚掌已经痊愈。面对这些心怀敌意的猫，她眯缝起绿莹莹的眼睛，不怒自威，看上去十分霸气。这时，鹰扑也走到高影身旁站好，她龇牙咧嘴，发出低声嘶吼。
“刚才我追兔子时，他俩把我撞倒了。”灰翅解释道。
“是我们把你撞倒的？”风嫌恶地哼了一声，“是你冲我们跑过来的。你跟鼹鼠一样，大白天里都是个睁眼瞎！”
“我们不想争吵。”高影一边说，一边伸缩着爪子，“如果我是你们，我现在就会离开。或者你们是不是在等我们把你们赶走？”
金雀花后退了一步。风迟疑片刻，也向后退去。“我们不会善罢甘休的。”她一边撤退一边厉声说道，“这里不欢迎你们！”
高影站在那里看着他俩退去，两只泼皮猫消失在了远处地势较低的地方。随后，高影带领几只猫向荒原上的凹地走去。天空下起了小雨，打湿了他们的皮毛。每当猫儿们落下脚步时，水都会从地上的野草之间冒出来。
灰翅懊丧不已。刚才冲突一触即发，幸好有高影和鹰扑及时出面相助。但是，他仍暗暗自责道：我不该那么快就和他们吵起来的。我本可以好好与金雀花和风谈谈……难道我们非得靠战斗才能在这里立足吗？
回到凹地后，鹰扑向其他猫讲述了之前发生的事。“高影把他们吓跑了。”最后，带着胜利的喜悦，她兴奋地说，“她好棒！”
然而，并非每只猫听到这消息都那么激动。“我们每次出去狩猎都会碰到这种事吗？”玳尾担心地说，“我可不想为争取狩猎的权利和其他猫厮打。”
“我也不想。”雨拂花赞同地说，“也许归根到底，我们还是不应该住在这儿。”
云斑也点头同意：“假如高影和鹰扑没有及时出现，灰翅就很可能会受重伤了。”
寒鸦啼和斑毛对望了一眼。“如果到了万不得已的时候，我们可以随时回大山去。”寒鸦啼指出，“那里猎物虽少，但至少我们不用为狩猎打来打去。”
在随后的几天里，雨几乎没停过。众猫对探索荒原已经没了兴趣，何况还有不怀好意的猫正对他们虎视眈眈。灰翅和大伙儿一起挤在金雀花丛下避雨。直到肚子饿时，他们才会出去捕些兔子来吃。
距离他们与风和金雀花的冲突已过去了四日。这天，灰翅没有睡好。他醒了过来，看到月影正迈着重重的步子从灌木丛中的斜坡走下来，后面还拖着什么沉重的东西。
“快来看看我抓到了什么！”这只黑色公猫自豪地喊道。他来到高影栖身的石头旁，把两只松鼠放了下来。
“这是在哪里抓到的？”高影问。
“在树林里。”月影说，“小事一桩，易如反掌。”这时，猫儿们纷纷聚过来一探究竟。月影看着大家，露出了沾沾自喜的神色。
不料，高影厉声喝道：“你跳蚤脑子啊。你不该独自去那里狩猎的。从现在开始，我们结队去狩猎。”
“是谁给你权力发号施令的啊？”月影质问道，他愤愤地抽动着尾巴尖。
“说实话，是荫苔。”高影回答道，“我以前也没想过要当领头猫。”
听到这话，灰翅心里纳闷道：荫苔让高影接替他了吗？他俩经常在一起讨论事情。我想高影不会说谎。
虽然猫群中的气氛顿时紧张了起来，但是没有谁敢去质疑高影的话。一时间，灰翅察觉到猫儿们心中的惆怅：如果荫苔还在的话，情况会不会就完全不同了？
他非常清楚，这地方并没有当初他们从山中出发时想象的那么好。就算是后来，大家穿过雷鬼路来到了荒原时，他们所设想的情况也比如今的现实美好得多。然而，在这样的暴雨天里，众猫已丝毫没有继续远行的兴致了。
既然我们已经在这里安了家……那我们就得充分利用这里的一切。
Chapter 18
The cats were all glancing atone another, confusion and sadness in their eyes.
“We won’t be far away,” Quick Water meowed; Gray Wing could tell she was trying to sound cheerful. “Our paths will cross all the time!”
Jackdaw’s Cry gave Falling Feather a friendly nudge. “You’ll be back when you miss the taste of rabbit, or the feeling of wind in your fur!”
“Wait till it rains!” There was real amusement now in Quick Water’s voice. “Then you’ll be sheltering under the trees with us.”
As the cats who were leaving began to climb the slope out of the hollow, Clear Sky hung back and faced Gray Wing. “Good luck,” he murmured. “I’ll see you soon.”
Gray Wing dipped his head, thankful that he and Clear Sky were close once again.
“Are you sure you won’t come with us?” Clear Sky asked.
Gray Wing shook his head. “My heart lies in the open, in the high places,” he explained. “But I’ll walk with you a little way.”
Together he and Clear Sky bounded up the slope to catch up with the others. Tall Shadow and Rainswept Flower came too, padding in a tight group across the moor until they reached the edge of the trees.
“Good-bye,” Tall Shadow meowed, dipping her head to Clear Sky and the others. “May you find good prey and shelter. There will always be a place for you with us.”
“Thank you,” Clear Sky responded. “And you will always be welcome to visit us.”
Even though he knew he would see his brothers again, it was wrenching for Gray Wing to turn away and leave them. His pace was slow as he headed back to the hollow, and he felt a deeper ache in his wounds. After a few paw steps he glanced back over his shoulder, but Clear Sky and the others had already vanished into the trees.
The hollow felt empty and quiet when Gray Wing and the others returned. Dappled Pelt was still busy treating wounds, while Turtle Tail was gathering grass, trying to repair the damaged nests.
Cloud Spots padded over to Gray Wing and touched him on the shoulder with his tail. “How about hunting?” he suggested. “We’d all feel better for some prey.”
Gray Wing felt his spirits reviving. “Let’s do that,” he agreed.
Together they headed out onto the moor. A stiff breeze was blowing away the clouds, and patches of blue appeared here and there. Gray Wing caught a powerful whiff of rabbit, and spotted the creature nibbling the grass at the bottom of a rocky bank. Angling his ears toward it, he drew Cloud Spots’s attention.
Cloud Spots circled the rabbit to come at it from the other direction. Remembering how they used to hunt hares in the mountains, Gray Wing braced himself, crouching in a clump of longer grass. A couple of heartbeats later the rabbit flicked up its ears, saw Cloud Spots and fled, heading straight for Gray Wing. Leaping out of the grass, Gray Wing knocked it over with a blow from his paw. Its squeal of terror was cut off as he killed it with a bite to the neck.
“Great job,” Cloud Spots commented as he padded up. “It’s a good plump one, too. It’ll fill a few hungry bellies. You know,” he added as Gray Wing began dragging the rabbit back to the hollow, “the others’ leaving won’t make much difference. It’s just as if our home has gotten bigger.”
Gray Wing muttered agreement through his mouthful of fur, but inwardly he wasn’t so sure. I hope Cloud Spots is right. But I just feel things are changing beyond any cat’s control
Gray Wing paused near the edge of the trees, jaws parted to taste the air, half hoping that Clear Sky or one of the others would appear. A few sunrises had passed since the cats had left the moor, and Gray Wing still felt as though half of him had been torn away.
He was turning back, disappointed, when he spotted movement under the outlying trees. A cat emerged from a clump of ferns, glancing furtively from side to side before heading up the slope toward him. But it wasn’t Clear Sky or any of his group; it was Turtle Tail.
Was she visiting Clear Sky? Gray Wing wondered. But then, why would she look as if she doesn’t want any cat to see her?
He drew back into the shelter of a rock until Turtle Tail walked past him. “Hello,” he meowed, stepping out in front of her.
Turtle Tail jumped. “You frightened me out of my fur!”
“Where have you been?” Gray Wing asked her. There was a weird scent on her pelt, one that he couldn’t place, and his suspicions deepened. “And don’t tell me you’ve been visiting Clear Sky, because I know you haven’t.”
Turtle Tail took a step back, her neck fur fluffing at his challenging tone. “Okay, I won’t,” she retorted. “I was visiting Bumble in the Twolegplace.”
“What?” Even though Gray Wing had been suspicious, he had never imagined that. “Are you completely flea-brained?”
“I don’t know what you’re so angry about. It was fine! I went right into a Twoleg den.” Turtle Tail’s annoyance faded and she began to bubble over with pride in her achievement. “I was really scared, but Bumble was so nice, and she showed me everything. The Twolegs have soft rocks with colored pelts in there. They’re so comfortable!”
Gray Wing struggled to find words to express how shocked he was. “You have to stay away from the Twolegplace,” he told her. “It’s dangerous!”
Turtle Tail flicked her tail dismissively. “Stop fussing. Bumble looked after me. You should come and visit too!”
Gray Wing felt as if his whole life was coming apart. His brothers and his friends had left the group to live in the trees, and now Turtle Tail seemed to have forgotten that she was a wild cat. “You’re being ridiculous!” he snapped.
“And you know so much about it, I suppose?” Turtle Tail’s neck fur bristled up again as she glared at him.
“Whatever.” Gray Wing was suddenly tired of arguing. “Do what you want.”
Leaving Turtle Tail to find her own way home, he stalked off into the woods. Instantly he felt swallowed up in the dense green world, the air heavy with lush growth. He found a familiar trail and headed along it, steering clear of strange cat scents.
Without warning two cat shapes dropped from the trees on either side of him and landed in the undergrowth. Gray Wing braced himself for an attack, then in the next heartbeat recognized Jagged Peak and Clear Sky.
“Surprise!” Jagged Peak yowled triumphantly.
Gray Wing let out a welcoming mrrowand touched noses with each of them. “You scared my tail off!” he mewed.
“We’ve been hunting in the trees,” Jagged Peak boasted. “It’s awesome!”
“Why don’t you join us?” Clear Sky suggested.
Gray Wing glanced up at the nearest tree. It looks awfully tall!“Okay,” he agreed, not wanting his brothers to know that he was scared, and looking forward to spending some time with them again.
He scrambled up the trunk after Clear Sky and Jagged Peak, and balanced on the lowest branch. Digging his claws in nervously, he glanced around, trying to enjoy the different scents and the rustling of leaves around him.
Clear Sky took off in pursuit of a squirrel leaping from branch to branch. Jagged Peak followed, and Gray Wing clambered after them, envying their confidence and speed.
The squirrel leaped from the end of one springy branch into a nearby tree. Gray Wing paused, assuming they’d lost it, but Clear Sky didn’t stop. He jumped after it, almost flying as he hurtled into the next tree, right on the squirrel’s tail. Gray Wing was even more surprised when Jagged Peak followed him.
“I have to do this,” he muttered, struggling to keep his balance as he edged his way along the branch. Bunching his muscles, he pushed off, reaching out his forepaws to grab the nearest branch of the other tree.
Gray Wing’s claws scraped along the bark and he let out a screech as he felt himself falling. At the last moment he managed to get a grip, but he was left swinging helplessly, with nowhere to rest his hind paws. Fighting off dizziness, he managed to shift bit by bit along the branch until it grew wider near the trunk. He pulled himself up and sat shaking, wondering how he was going to get down again.
His pounding heart had quieted by the time that Clear Sky and Jagged Peak came back. Clear Sky was carrying the squirrel in his jaws.
“That was a great chase!” Jagged Peak exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with enthusiasm. “Are you okay, Gray Wing?”
“Er .  .  . I think I’m stuck here,” Gray Wing confessed.
“That’s okay. I’ll help you down,” Jagged Peak mewed confidently. “You go tailfirst. Put your paws there .  .  . and there.”
Gray Wing heaved a sigh of relief when he once again stood with all four paws firmly on the ground. “You’re really good at this,” he told Jagged Peak admiringly.
Jagged Peak ducked his head in embarrassment. “Clear Sky has been giving me a few tips.”
Clear Sky leaped down the last few tail-lengths. “It helps to practice new techniques for hunting among the trees,” he explained with a modest look.
“Good luck with that!” Gray Wing meowed fervently. “Give me rabbits on the ground any day!”
Gray Wing followed his brothers along forest trails until they reached a sheltered hollow with a shallow pool at the center and deep banks of fern and bramble all around.
“Welcome to our new home!” Clear Sky announced.
Quick Water and Falling Feather poked their heads out from the fern. “Hello, Gray Wing,” Falling Feather mewed as they emerged into the open. “It’s great to see you.”
“I’m glad you came to visit,” Quick Water told him. “We’re settling in well, we’ve made nests of twigs and lined them with moss, and we’ve already scared off a couple of nosy cats. No way am I letting them use my nest!”
“They looked okay,” Falling Feather put in. “If they’re really interested in us, we might invite them to move in.” Looking faintly embarrassed, she added, “They might become our friends.”
Hmm .  .  . what has made Falling Feather so keen to have more cats join them?Gray Wing wondered, though he said nothing out loud. “I’m glad it all turned out so well for you,” he told Clear Sky.
“Yes,” Clear Sky mewed with a satisfied look around him. “I really feel this is the place where I was meant to be. Are you happy on the moor?” he added.
“Yes.” Gray Wing dipped his head. “I am.”
Gray Wing headed back through the trees, pleased to have seen his brothers and their new home. His thoughts full of them, he wasn’t paying as much attention as usual to his surroundings. When a cat leaped out of the bushes ahead of him, he halted, so startled that he almost fell over his own paws, brushing against a jagged tree stump.
Gray Wing found himself confronted by a silver tabby she-cat, her green eyes narrowed in a glare.
“I’ve seen you before,” the cat hissed. “You’re one of those newcomers making trouble. We were here first, so stop stealing our prey!”
Gray Wing didn’t feel like fighting. “There’s enough prey for every cat,” he replied mildly instead. “My name’s Gray Wing. What’s yours?”
The she-cat didn’t answer his question. “Just so you know,” she meowed grudgingly, “there’s a wasps’ nest in that stump you nearly fell over.”
Looking more closely, Gray Wing spotted a swollen gray lump in the tree beside him, and two or three tiny black-and-yellow creatures hovering over it. He could hear a muted buzzing.
“What are they?” he asked.
The she-cat rolled her eyes. “Wasps! Don’t you know anything? They sting if you disturb them. Stick your paw in there if you don’t believe me.”
Gray Wing backed off a pace or two from the stump. “Thanks,” he mewed. “That’s really useful to know.”
“I’m not doing it to help you,” the she-cat growled. “I just don’t want your screeching to scare off all the prey.” Whirling around, she spat out, “Leave us in peace!” before scampering off into the undergrowth.
As Gray Wing emerged from the trees and raced across the moor, he found the silver-furred she-cat stuck obstinately in his mind.
As he climbed the final slope toward the hollow, Gray Wing felt a twinge of guilt about his earlier quarrel with Turtle Tail. Maybe she won’t want to go to the Twolegplace if I show her how great it is here
Padding into the scoop, he spotted Turtle Tail under a bush, washing her ears. “Hi,” he greeted her. “Do you want to hunt?”
Turtle Tail sprang to her paws, her eyes shining. “Sure!”
“I was out with Cloud Spots the other day,” Gray Wing explained as he and Turtle Tail headed onto the moor. “We caught a rabbit like we used to hunt hares in the mountains, one cat driving the prey into the other cat’s claws. Let’s try that today.”
Though dark clouds were massing on the horizon, the sky above the moor was clear blue, and the sun shone strongly. Tiny brown butterflies fluttered among the wild thyme.
“Okay, let’s find a rabbit,” Turtle Tail agreed.
Before long they spotted one, hopping peacefully here and there, stopping every few moments to nibble at the grass.
“Wait here,” Gray Wing murmured. “I’ll send it over to you.”
Turtle Tail nodded, crouching. Gray Wing crept around in a wide circle until he could see the rabbit between him and Turtle Tail, whose ears just poked up above the grass clump where she was hiding.
Letting out a yowl, he hurtled toward the rabbit. With a squeal of terror the rabbit raced off, heading straight for Turtle Tail. But Turtle Tail leaped out of hiding just a heartbeat too soon, and the rabbit veered off. Though Turtle Tail dashed after it, and Gray Wing forced an extra burst of speed, the rabbit dived down a nearby hole before either of them could catch it.
“Haredung!” Gray Wing spat as he halted, panting. “You weren’t concentrating.”
Turtle Tail’s eyes widened with shock and hurt. “Have you never missed a catch?” she challenged him.
“Not an easy one like that.”
“Well, good for you!” Turtle Tail snapped. “I’m going off to find some cat who doesn’t expect me to fly like a bird and run like a rabbit.”
I suppose she means Bumble, Gray Wing thought, watching as she stalked off across the moor.
Clouds gradually covered the sky, and by nightfall heavy rain had set in. Turtle Tail still hadn’t returned. Gray Wing settled into his nest under a gorse bush, but sleep was hard to come by. Was I too hard on her?he asked himself.
At last he fell into a troubled sleep, and awoke as the sky was growing pale with dawn. Rising, Gray Wing padded across the hollow and checked Turtle Tail’s nest. It was cold and empty, and her scent was stale.
Anxiety gripped Gray Wing like a fox’s fangs. Where is she? Why hasn’t she come home?
第十四章
第十四章
众猫分享着月影带回的猎物，灰翅觉得晴天好像有些郁郁寡欢：他和月影简单道了声谢后就没再说话，而且他只吃了几口。
“你需要和你哥哥谈谈清溪的事。”玳尾伏在灰翅耳边说，“你不能这样一直躲下去。”
“我会考虑的。”灰翅说道。不过，一想到晴天的满腔怒火都会撒在他身上，他就不由得畏首畏尾起来。
后来，雨停了。天空放晴，风儿吹走了朵朵白云。灰翅看到晴天独自爬上了凹地的斜坡。迟疑片刻之后，他暗暗鼓励自己：机不可失，时不再来。随后，他便跟了上去。
晴天飞快地跑过荒原，朝一个灰翅从没去过的方向奔去。灰翅心里纳闷道：他这是要去哪儿？
过了一会儿，他才明白过来，原来晴天在往河边跑。灰翅不曾从岸上近距离看过这条河。此时听见河水那隆隆的奔腾声，他好奇得脚掌直痒痒。
晴天来到河边，只见一道瀑布从岩石上落下，扬起片片水花。瀑布的两边是陡峭的石壁，河水拍打着两岸的峭壁奔涌向前。由于最近雨水充沛，河面泛起了泡沫，发出嘈杂的哗哗声。看着眼前的瀑布，听着雷鸣般的水声，灰翅不由得想起了他们那大山中的家。
眼前的景色使灰翅分了心，他一时间丢了晴天的行踪。过了一会儿，他发现哥哥正沿着一条通向河边的狭窄小路往下爬。灰翅跟在后面，每走一步都谨慎地提着步子。他紧贴着岩壁前行，与河边的陡坡保持了一段距离，以免掉下水去。
晴天不紧不慢地走着，灰翅加快脚步赶上了他。“你来这儿，是不是因为这里让你想起了山中的瀑布？”他开口问道。
晴天一惊，忙转过身来。然而此处地面湿滑，惊诧之下，他的脚掌没有站稳。他号叫一声，向河中滑去。
说时迟，那时快，灰翅不顾安危，向前一跃，在晴天落入悬崖的那一瞬间叼住了他后颈处的皮毛。晴天就悬在那湍急的河水上面，他的脚掌徒劳地挣扎着。此时，灰翅是他得救的唯一希望。他仰起头，那双蓝眼睛里充满了恐惧。他直直地盯住灰翅的眼睛。
灰翅的脑海中闪过一幅画面：那天老鹰抓住清溪往上飞时，他当时是多么渴望自己能救下清溪啊。“我不会让你也死去的。”他从牙齿缝中发出嘶吼。
晴天惊恐的眼神里闪过一丝困惑：“你说什么……”
灰翅铆足了劲猛地一拽，把哥哥向上拉起。终于，晴天回到地面上站稳了脚掌。他抖抖身子，蓝色的眼睛怒视着灰翅。“你这个笨蛋！你跳蚤脑子啊！”他大吼道，颈部的毛发也奓立了起来，“你有必要非得这么鬼鬼祟祟地跟着我吗？！”
灰翅被刚才的一幕吓得还没缓过神来，他喃喃地说：“对不起。”
晴天又瞪眼看了他一会儿，颈部的毛发这才恢复原状：“你刚才说你不会让我也死的？这话是什么意思？”
灰翅深吸了一口气。这些话他在心里已经憋了一个多月，此时他一股脑儿地全说了出来：“我没办法接受清溪就那么死了！我知道这都怪我。我好希望自己能替她去死，但什么话都表达不了我内心的愧疚。”
晴天睁大双眼，惊愕地看着灰翅。“她的死不怪你。”他哽咽道，“整个计划是我出的主意。我不应该让她出去与鹰搏斗的，她还怀着我们的孩子。是我害了她。”
灰翅盯着晴天，他不敢相信晴天竟会这样说。他走上前，把口鼻埋在哥哥肩部的毛发里。“也许这不是任何猫的错。”他轻声说道，“这只是一场可怕的意外。我们不能一辈子在愧疚里活着。清溪不会想要看到我们这个样子的。她是那么地爱你，她绝对不想让你活在痛苦中。”
灰翅不确定自己说得对不对。一直以来，他都陷在深深的自责中。不过，当他得知晴天也同样自责时，感觉仿佛心里的重担被卸了下来。
我们仍怀念清溪，我们也不会忘记她，但我们的生活还是会继续下去。他抖了抖皮毛，重重地叹了口气，然后提议道：“我们为什么不沿着河往下走走呢？”
晴天点了点头：“好。”
这次，灰翅带头走下狭窄的小路，顺着奔腾的河流前行。他俩仍在为清溪的死难过，不过，见他和晴天之间恢复了一些往日的亲密，灰翅甚感欣慰。
他俩朝河流下游走去。一开始，河边有一条明显的小路，但后来小路渐渐地被灌木覆盖，兄弟俩只好挣扎着钻过灌木往前走。灰翅嘀咕着骂了几句，因为小树枝和黑莓藤总是挂住他的毛发。
灌木丛终于渐渐消失，他们看到有片高高的岩层把湍急的河水分开。灰翅注意到有几块踏脚石露在水面上。
“我们去探险吧！”晴天兴奋地高呼。还没等灰翅回应，他就跳过一块块石头，纵身跃到了岩层上。“来呀，过来很容易！”他回过头对灰翅喊着。
灰翅并不觉得跳到那几块大石头上有什么意义，但他听出了哥哥话中带着几分挑战的意味。他犹犹豫豫地跳上踏脚石。石头凹凸不平，上面还滑溜溜的。灰翅生怕会掉下去被汹涌的河水卷走。
“你还真是从容不迫啊。”晴天待灰翅来到身边后开口说道，友好地用头触了触灰翅，“我们爬到岩石顶上去吧。”
说罢，他纵身一跃，灰翅也跟着他艰难地爬了上去。终于，他俩爬到了石堆的顶部。这堆岩石由好几块参差错落的扁石头组成，上面有一道道深深的裂缝。
灰翅警惕地环视四周：“这里猫的气息很浓。”
“这并不奇怪。”晴天说，“这些岩石是晒太阳的好地方。岩缝里也有很多猎物。”
“你说得很对。”一个冷冷的声音在他们身后响起。
灰翅和晴天大吃一惊，他俩忙转过身来，只见一只陌生的母猫正站在几尾外的平石头上。她毛发黝黑，只有一只脚掌和肩部的一块斑点是白色的。母猫眯缝起绿莹莹的眼睛，充满敌意地瞪着他俩。
“你好。”灰翅打着招呼，他试着让自己的声音听上去尽量友好一些。
黑色母猫置若罔闻。“从我的石头上走开。”她弹出利爪大吼道。
晴天竖起颈部的毛发：“谁说这是你的石头了？”
母猫挑衅地向前走了一步：“我听说荒原上有别的地方的猫闯了进来。这里不欢迎你们！”说完，她扭过身去，敏捷地跳到水里。灰翅见状大吃了一惊。转眼间，她光亮的黑色脑袋从水中又露了出来，随即，她用力朝对岸游了过去。
“她是只游水猫！”晴天惊讶地喊道。
见这次相遇并没引发冲突，灰翅松了口气。他打趣地发出咕噜声：“她应该结识一下落羽。”
兄弟俩从踏脚石上跳回岸边，一起朝树林里跑去。这时，前方有只松鼠窜了出来，它匆匆跳上树逃命。可晴天一跃而起，把松鼠抓了下来。
他俩肩并肩蹲坐下来，开始享用美食。
“你知道，”晴天看着灰翅低声说，“我可以在这种地方住下来。”
灰翅吞下口中的松鼠肉，说：“我更喜欢空旷的地方。”
晴天的一只耳朵朝他动了动：“嗯，你跑得很快，能捕到兔子。”
吃完猎物，兄弟俩从树林中往回走。灰翅听见周围有沙沙的动静，听上去似乎是猫钻到灌木丛里的声音。
“我想我们被监视了。”他低嘶道。
晴天高傲地甩了甩尾巴：“那又怎样？既然他们不敢现身，那么肯定就害怕我们。我觉得这样也不错。我可不想每次狩猎都有其他猫来惹麻烦。”
不过，灰翅却没有哥哥那么自信。他指出：“如果我们留在这里，就需要和其他的猫和平相处。”
这个地方的陌生感如汹涌的河水般再次向灰翅袭来。看来，我对这里的生活是一无所知。
晴天带头向荒原走去，他绕开河边，从长着四棵橡树的山谷中穿过。
“这地方真棒！”他兴奋地喊道。他转过身，好像想一次就把这里看个遍。之后，他跳到一棵橡树上，用爪子钩住树皮往上爬。随后，他在一根粗壮的树枝上站稳了脚跟。
“快下来！”灰翅喊道，他可不想像哥哥那样跳上树去，“你又不是松鼠！”
“没有谁规定猫不能住在树上啊。”晴天一边回答，一边顽皮地挥着尾巴。
灰翅翻了翻眼。他还没应答，便又一次有了被监视的感觉。他扫视斜坡，看到一只肥胖的玳瑁色猫正在一处蕨丛的掩护下暗中观察着他俩。树影下，她那斑斑点点的皮毛几乎隐形。
“我们有伴儿了。”灰翅对晴天说。
晴天向灰翅指的地方看去，他从树上爬下，从几尾高的地方向地面跳去。
还没等他脚掌落地，那只玳瑁色的猫便转身跑上了斜坡。看着她离去的背影，灰翅想到自己竟连和她说话的机会都没有，不禁心生沮丧。
“她看上去吃得很好。”灰翅对晴天说。
“你说得对。”晴天说，“她不是野猫。你觉得宠物猫也会来这片树林吗？”
灰翅不太确定。他知道，之前有猫透过树林看到过两脚兽的巢穴，狭窄的路上也有两脚兽和狗的气息，但荒原和森林基本上都是野生动物的地盘。
本来就该这样。但我真想不通，为什么会有猫想和两脚兽住在一起。灰翅暗暗好奇起来。
灰翅和晴天回到凹地，听到月影正在大声嚷嚷。
“我都和你说过多少遍了，我讨厌吃兔子，也讨厌被雨淋。我们为什么不离开这里住到树林里去呢？”
月影站在他的同窝猫面前，他颈部的毛发根根竖立，尾巴还不停地甩动着。
“没你想得那么简单。”高影冷冷地说。
灰翅和晴天走下斜坡，玳尾上前迎接。“他俩又吵起来了。”她翻了翻眼咕哝道。
“你除了使唤我们，什么也没干。”月影愤愤地说。
“那你除了没完没了地顶嘴还干过什么？”鹰扑插话道，她站到月影和高影中间，“我们都开始厌烦了。瞧，现在不下雨了，我们为什么不像往常那样去捕些鸟回来呢？”
鹰扑环视四周，看见一只老鹰正在凹地的野草上方盘旋。她用尾巴指指老鹰，敦促道：“走吧，我们知道怎么才能抓到它！”
寒鸦啼立刻跳了起来，随即斑毛和雨拂花也上前要求加入捕鹰行动。虽然灰翅四肢酸痛，但他也上前一步想要同去。
晴天向高影走去，问道：“你同意吗？”
高影耸了耸肩：“你们想捉什么就去捉什么，只要别去其他猫住的那片树林就行。”
月影看上去还想顶嘴，不过他最终转过身，气呼呼地向窝里走去。
“你也一起来吗？”灰翅问玳尾。
“我就不去了。”这只玳瑁色的年轻母猫说，“我今天已经吃过了，不用去狩猎了。”
鹰扑领着这群山里来的猫儿们爬出凹地，跑下斜坡向老鹰逼近。为了不惊动它，大家放低了身子。
“它长得很小，不是吗？”斑毛嘀咕着，“和家那边的鹰比起来，这只长得像麻雀一样。”
“现在这里就是我们的家。”鹰扑立刻说道。
鹰扑的话带来一片沉寂。灰翅暗忖：这里真的是我们的家吗？此刻，太阳正暖洋洋地照在他身上，他享受着奔跑时风拂着皮毛的感觉，开始心生满足。
这里会成为理想的家园的。
猫儿们将老鹰围住，他们本能地想起了山中的捕鹰模式——从四周向中间步步进逼。鹰扑向寒鸦啼点了点头。寒鸦啼是他们几个当中跳得最高的猫，所以让他第一个跳向老鹰是再合适不过的了。
此时，老鹰的注意力正集中在草丛里的猎物身上。它最后才注意到四周的猫，于是扑打着翅膀想要飞向空中。
不过现在它想逃也来不及了。只见寒鸦啼飞身跃到空中，他大叫一声，伸爪就把老鹰给拽了下来。其他猫立刻冲上去想帮忙按住老鹰，但这时寒鸦啼已咬住老鹰的脖子，一口结果了它的性命。
灰翅暗暗诧异：这也太简单了吧。
“干得漂亮。”雨拂花佩服地说，“你可以自己留着吃。”
寒鸦啼低下头，他感到很自豪，但也有些不好意思。
就在他们说话的时候，斑毛跳进草丛。当她挺起身子时，嘴里已经叼住了一只老鼠，那老鼠正是被老鹰盯上的猎物。
“我们一下子竟捕到了两只猎物！”她边吃鼠肉边说。
“这种好事在大山里是绝不会有的。”雨拂花说。
大伙儿看上去皆大欢喜，不过灰翅却感觉到他们的快乐似乎有些牵强。
他心里明白：我们都在拼命假装这是个完美的地方。
Chapter 19
The roar of monsters deafened GrayWing. He could taste their reek as he crept along the hard stone paths of the Twolegplace. Rain was beating down, plastering his pelt to his sides. He felt as if Twoleg filth was soaking into him.
I’ve got to find Turtle Tail!
But Gray Wing had no idea where to find Bumble’s Twoleg nest among all the others that looked and smelled exactly alike. He had picked up Turtle Tail’s scent as he had approached the Twolegplace, but had quickly lost it among all the competing scents of dogs and Twolegs and monsters.
He was padding alongside a Thunderpath when a monster came roaring around a corner and flashed past him. A wave of filthy water surged from its paws, soaking Gray Wing before he could jump out of range.
Haredung!
Even wetter than before, Gray Wing shook his pelt and looked around. The Thunderpath stretched ahead of him, lined by dens of red stone on either side. He had no idea where to start looking for Turtle Tail; he wasn’t even sure how to get back to the forest.
I’m lost!
“You again!” The voice spoke from behind Gray Wing. “What are you doing here?”
Gray Wing spun around. Facing him was the silver tabby she-cat he had met in the forest. Hot embarrassment scorched through him. She was the last cat he would have wanted to see him bedraggled and reeking and lost.
“Hello, um .  .  . you never told me your name,” he mewed, knowing that he sounded completely flea-brained.
The she-cat rolled her eyes. “Like you need to know it.”
“I told you mine,” Gray Wing retorted, injured.
“So you did .  .  . Gray Whatsit.” The silver tabby heaved an exaggerated sigh. “Okay, it’s Storm. Happy now? And you still haven’t told me what you’re doing here. Are you lost?”
“Well .  .  . sort of,” Gray Wing confessed.
Storm let out a snort. “Honestly, you’re worse than a kit! You couldn’t find your own tail if you used all four paws. Where do you want to go?”
“I think my friend is here,” Gray Wing explained. “She’s probably with a cat called Bumble. Bumble’s a tortoiseshell .  .  . quite plump, with a white chest and white paws.”
“Oh, I know her,” Storm replied. “I’ll show you her housefolk’s den if you like.”
“That would be great.” Gray Wing was relieved that he didn’t have to wander around on his own in this dreadful place anymore, but he wished it hadn’t been Storm who had helped him. She’ll think I’m a complete mouse-brain
Storm waved her tail for him to follow her, rounding the next corner and slipping down a narrow path between two Twoleg dens.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Gray Wing meowed, trying to sound friendly. “You don’t look like a kittypet.”
Storm halted and glared at him. “I am nota kittypet!” she snarled.
Gray Wing kept quiet after that. If I open my mouth again I’ll only say the wrong thing!
At last Storm halted beside a section of Twoleg fence. “Through there,” she told Gray Wing, gesturing with her tail. Then she tapped him on the nose with one paw, fortunately with her claws sheathed. “Sure you’ll be okay now?”
“I’ll be fine, thanks,” Gray Wing replied.
As the silver tabby turned away, she glanced back, her green eyes glittering with humor. “I’ll see you the next time you need rescuing.”
Gray Wing watched her until she was out of sight, then squeezed through a hole in the Twoleg fence. A narrow path led up to the den, with grass on either side, surrounded by bushy plants with brightly colored flowers. When he tasted the air, he could pick up Turtle Tail’s scent, and another that he recognized as Bumble’s.
“Turtle Tail!” he yowled.
No cat appeared. Gray Wing waited so long that he was afraid the two cats had left the den. Maybe Turtle Tail is on her way home, and I’ve come all this way for nothing!
Then at last a small flap in the side of the den opened, and Turtle Tail and Bumble came bundling out. “Gray Wing!” Turtle Tail bounded up to him, excitement in her eyes. “You’ve come to visit at last. I’m so glad!”
“No, I’m here to take you home,” Gray Wing replied.
Turtle Tail’s excitement faded, to be replaced by fury. “I don’t need rescuing!” she snapped. “I only stayed overnight because it was raining! Bumble’s housefolk were really kind,” she added. “They even gave me food.”
“They’re Twolegs, not ‘housefolk,’” Gray Wing hissed, shocked. “Have you forgotten you’re a wild cat?”
“No,” Turtle Tail retorted. “Have you forgotten your manners?”
Gray Wing remembered that Bumble was standing a couple of tail-lengths away, looking embarrassed.
“Bumble, I’m sorry about Gray Wing,” Turtle Tail meowed. “He’s not usually such a pain in the tail.”
Gray Wing let out a hiss of anger. She doesn’t need to apologize for me!
Bumble ducked her head. “It’s okay.”
“I’ll come back with you,” Turtle Tail told Gray Wing, her tail-tip twitching irritably. “But only to stop you from making a scene. Good-bye, Bumble. I’ll see you by the big oaks tomorrow.”
She stalked off, squeezing through the Twoleg fence. Gray Wing gave Bumble an awkward nod and followed her.
“I’m sorry I annoyed you,” Gray Wing meowed after they had been walking for a while. “I was worried.”
Turtle Tail glanced at him, her face softening. “Well, I’m sorry for staying out so long. But I didn’t want to walk all the way back when the rain was so heavy. And it was great staying in Bumble’s den! Her food looks a bit like rabbit droppings, but it tastes good. And I slept on one of the soft rocks I told you about.”
Her voice trailed off and there was a shadow of disappointment in her eyes. Gray Wing felt a bit guilty that he couldn’t be more interested in Bumble’s den. But we don’t belong with Twolegs, and that’s all there is to it
Gray Wing padded through the trees, alert for prey, wondering whether to pay a visit to Clear Sky and Jagged Peak. Two sunrises had passed since the heavy rain, and the sun was shining, though the ground was still wet underpaw.
Sounds from deeper in the forest made Gray Wing’s ears prick, but he realized at once that they weren’t made by prey. Instead he heard a vicious snarling, and a voice that exclaimed, “Filthy prey-stealer!”
Terrified that one of his Tribemates was being attacked, Gray Wing raced through the trees toward the sound. Bursting out of an elder thicket, he spotted two of the forest cats: a white tom and the small yellow she-cat he had seen before. They had trapped a third cat among the gnarled roots of an oak tree. Gray Wing’s heart beat faster as he realized the third cat was Storm.
“Strangers aren’t welcome here,” the white tom growled. “So clear off!”
“But I’m not a stranger!” Storm protested. “I’ve lived here all my life.”
Instead of arguing further, the small she-cat slashed her claws at Storm, who pressed herself back against the roots.
“Leave her alone!” Gray Wing yowled, leaping forward and throwing himself on top of the white tom.
The tom turned on him with a snarl, his claws flashing. Gray Wing battered him with his hind paws, and they rolled over and over among the debris on the forest floor. He was dimly aware that Storm and the yellow she-cat were grappling together with furious hisses.
Gray Wing winced as the white tom caught him with a stinging blow on the shoulder. He lunged forward, trying to fasten his teeth in the cat’s white furry throat, but the tom jerked his head away. Gray Wing’s teeth met in his ear instead.
The white tom let out a screech and tore himself away. Blood trickled from his ear as he scrambled to his paws and fled. The yellow she-cat followed him, pausing to look back and snarl, “This isn’t over!”
Panting, Gray Wing and Storm stood side by side, watching as the two rogues vanished into the undergrowth.
“You didn’t have to interfere,” Storm snapped with a single lash of her tail. “It was nothing I couldn’t handle.”
“I guess it was my turn to rescue you,” Gray Wing retorted. Inwardly he admired the silver tabby’s courage and her refusal to admit that she needed any cat. But it would be nice to be thanked.
“Now that you’re here,” Storm began, “why don’t you show me where you and your friends have been living? I’ve heard all about you, you know.”
Warm pleasure flooded over Gray Wing. “Follow me,” he purred.
He led the way through the trees and climbed up until they were close to the hollow where the cats were living.
“It’s not very sheltered,” Storm mewed doubtfully.
“Oh, it’s dry and warm under the gorse bushes,” Gray Wing assured her. “And we like the open spaces. They remind us of where we used to live.”
“Where was that?” Storm asked.
“You see those peaks over there?” Gray Wing pointed toward Highstones with his tail. “Well, the place we came from is a bit like that, though the mountains are even higher. And they’re so far away that you can’t even see them from here.”
Storm’s green eyes widened; Gray Wing was pleased that for once he’d been able to impress her. “Wow!” she exclaimed. “I’m surprised you have any paws left, walking all that way!”
As Gray Wing was about to reply, he spotted Turtle Tail emerging from the gorse bushes that surrounded the hollow. She headed in their direction.
“Turtle Tail!” Gray Wing called. “Come and meet Storm.”
Turtle Tail padded up and dipped her head to the silver tabby she-cat. “I’m Turtle Tail,” she meowed politely. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Where are you off to?” Gray Wing asked her.
Immediately Turtle Tail’s neck fur began to fluff up. “Not the Twolegplace, if that’s what you think!” she snapped.
Storm’s ears flicked up and she flashed a surprised glance at Gray Wing.
Gray Wing sighed. “It’s too complicated to explain,” he told her.
Leaving Turtle Tail to go her own way, Gray Wing and Storm headed back toward the trees.
“Can we meet again tomorrow?” Gray Wing asked her when they reached the edge of the forest. “You could show me around the woods.”
Storm’s green eyes glittered. “From what I’ve heard, you and your friends have already been over every mouse-length!” Before Gray Wing had time to feel disappointed, her gaze softened. “Okay. I’ll meet you by the four big oaks at sunhigh.”
Brushing her tail against Gray Wing’s cheek, she turned and trotted away. Gray Wing watched until she disappeared into a clump of fern.
As Gray Wing turned and began climbing the moorland slope again, he spotted Rainswept Flower sitting on a rock just above him.
“I saw you there,” she mewed, a spark of mischief in her blue eyes. “Who would have thought it—Gray Wing falling for a rogue!”
“It’s nothing like that,” Gray Wing mumbled, tearing at the rough turf with his claws. But he couldn’t stop a thought from creeping into his mind: I wonder if Storm would ever consider moving to the moor?
第十五章
第十五章
灰翅在树林里走着，晴天在前面带队。寒鸦啼、落羽和玳尾也出来一同狩猎。和往常一样，一离开荒原，踏入森林，灰翅就感到不适。他每跑几步就会被黑莓藤绊一下，因此实在很难捕到猎物。此外，森林里的空气混杂着各种气味，他深受干扰，无法追踪猎物的气息。
落羽刚捕到一只老鼠，树林里就响起一声尖叫。随后，灌木丛里碰撞声与怒号声响成一片，听上去像是几只猫在混战。
晴天愣住了，他向前抽了抽耳朵，大喊道：“那是月影的声音！”
说罢，他朝声音传来的方向跃去，其他猫也跟了上来。灰翅穿过蕨丛向前冲去，这时，玳尾在他身后说：“你有没有觉得他总是麻烦不断？”
灰翅想起之前他们在两脚兽地盘上和宠物猫交战的情景，心想：月影确实不该独自出去，不过我们还是得去帮帮他。
灰翅和晴天跳到空地上，其他猫随即跟上。混战声中，月影正和别的猫在黑莓丛前扭打成一团。在距他们约莫一尾远的地方横着一只死松鼠。
见状，晴天发出刺耳的吼叫，向空地的另一边猛冲过去。他抓住一只猫的肩膀，将他从月影身上甩开。灰翅跳到另一只猫的身上，朝她耳朵旁连连出掌，直到母猫放开月影，方才作罢。
可是，灰翅万万没想到，这只母猫竟会转而向他扑来，这次混战的激烈程度也远远超过了他的想象。他还没来得及做好防护，母猫的利爪就在他的侧身狂抓一通。他想用后腿把母猫蹬开，但母猫用前掌死死地环扣住他的脖子，张嘴就朝他的喉咙咬来，灰翅慌忙扭头避开。
恍惚中，灰翅听到了更多的怒号声和打斗声。他嘴里有了血的味道。剧痛使他的意识模糊了起来，他心想：这只猫是想置我于死地。
随后，另一只猫重重地落在了灰翅和这只母猫身上。就在灰翅几乎绝望之时，他听到一声怒喝：“放开他！”
是玳尾！
母猫翻滚到一边，灰翅蹒跚着站了起来。此时，三只陌生的森林猫都停止了打斗，他们站在那里怒视着从大山里来的猫，嘴里发出嘶吼。灰翅这才得以仔细将他们打量一番。那只白脚掌黑猫就是几天前他和晴天在石堆那里见到的猫。另外还有一只小个头的黄色虎斑猫和一只黑白相间的公猫。见到他们此时也伤痕累累，灰翅心中涌起一股强烈的满足感。
月影正躺在灌木丛边上喘着粗气，他肩部被撕掉了一撮毛。玳尾走过去帮他站了起来。玳尾的口鼻被抓伤，皮毛也乱成一片。
“他们袭击了我！”月影愤愤不平地喊道。
玳尾丝毫不同情他的遭遇：“你这跳蚤脑子，谁叫你独自跑出来的？”
“我之前就警告过你们。”黑色母猫怒视着晴天和灰翅，呵斥道，“这里不欢迎你们。你们为什么不滚回你们原来的地方？”
“就是。还有，不许再偷我们的猎物了。”黑白相间的公猫补充道。
“你们的猎物？”月影勃然大怒，“那只松鼠是我抓到的！所以它应该是我的猎物才对！”
听到这话，黄色虎斑猫弹出爪子，绷起肌肉，看这架势似乎她马上就要朝月影扑去。以防万一，灰翅立即做好了迎战的准备。
“你们打起来个个都像半死不活的兔子。”黑白相间的公猫说，“这次你们只不过是在数量上占了优势，所以才打赢了。不过，如果你们以后胆敢再回来，就要小心你们的尾巴了。”
“不错。”黄色虎斑猫补充道，“我们将奉陪到底。”
黑色母猫尾巴一甩，三只森林猫向灌木丛中走去。离开前，黄色虎斑猫冲到那只死松鼠前面，张口把它叼住，连拖带拽地离开了。
“嘿！”月影抗议道，向她冲了过去。
晴天迅速上前把月影撞翻在地。“你还没吸取教训吗？”他严厉地说，“现在不是再次开战的时候。”
晴天带领众猫向荒原走去，月影气鼓鼓地跟在后面。灰翅觉得行走起来十分困难，他每走一步，侧身的伤口都疼痛难忍。寒鸦啼一瘸一拐地走着，他的一只脚掌被扯裂了。落羽被抓掉了一撮毛。晴天的肩部正在流血。
灰翅心情沉重地想：我们这样能算是打赢了吗？要是这次我们打输了，又会有怎样的下场呢？
“我一次一次地警告过你……”高影猛烈地抽打着尾巴，看着月影怒斥道，“……可你还是不长记性。”
狩猎队回到了荒原上的凹地，晴天汇报了他们与森林猫的冲突。
“因为这条命令简直就是跳蚤脑子！”月影反驳道，“这地方比我们在山中的地盘还小。为什么你非要我们像被抓的兔子一样窝在这里发抖呢？”
灰翅不得不承认月影的话确实有几分道理。这片凹地如果长住下去并非十分舒适，而猎物丰富的森林却对每只猫都有着强大的吸引力。
高影的盛怒渐渐消退，她若有所思地抽动胡须：“好吧。也许我们应该增加在森林里的狩猎次数。不能让那些猫觉得我们被吓住了。”接着，她用那绿莹莹的眼睛盯着月影生气地说：“但是，你不得再独自去那里。明白了吗？”
月影耸了耸肩：“要是你能早点儿让我们在那里适当狩猎的话，我才不会自个儿跑过去呢。”
这时，云斑叼着满口草药走了过来。他放下草药，说道：“我想办法找了点儿山萝卜，我来给你们把伤口敷上吧。”
他把草药的汁液涂在玳尾的口鼻上。随后，他转向灰翅。灰翅躺了下来，让云斑为他治疗侧身的抓伤。
云斑把叶片嚼碎敷在了灰翅的伤口上。他低声说：“你知道，我不喜欢大家总是和其他猫打来打去的。也许我们应该想个办法与他们和平相处。”
“可我没多大把握。”灰翅说，“其实我也希望与他们和平相处，但这恐怕很难实现，因为我们和他们太不一样了。”
次日，太阳刚从地平线上升起，月影就宣布要去狩猎。
高影转过身看着弟弟，她抽动着尾巴尖。还没等她开口，晴天就站到月影身边，说：“我和你一起去。”
接着，锯峰、疾水和碎冰跳出来加入了他们。高影迟疑片刻，发出咕噜声表示了同意：“好的。祝你们好运。”
“你去吗？”晴天问灰翅。
“这次算了。”灰翅回答道。他的伤口还在疼，而且他觉得自己不擅长在树下追踪猎物。总之，灰翅试图让自己相信，他之所以不去狩猎，并不是因为害怕再遇上那些森林中的猫。
狩猎的同伴们刚出发，玳尾就向灰翅走去。“我们去散散步吧？”她建议道，“不去狩猎，也不去打架。”
“听上去不错。”灰翅同意了。
他俩离开凹地时，仍能看到晴天一行正穿过荒原往森林走去。“你是在跟踪他们吗？”灰翅惊讶地问。
“不是，我只是还想去大橡树那里看看。”玳尾解释道，“我喜欢那儿！”
山谷宽阔而静谧，只有橡树枝叶在摩挲作响。阳光透过树枝斜照下来，在森林的地面上投下斑驳的树影。玳尾迅速跑下斜坡，来到了四棵橡树中间的巨型砾石下。她用爪子攀着砾石向上，爬到了石头顶部。
“来呀！”她挥着尾巴向灰翅喊道，“上面可棒了！”
灰翅跟着慢慢往上爬，他用爪子扣住石头上的裂缝爬了上去。他来到玳尾身边站好。石头顶部被太阳晒得暖暖的，灰翅的脚掌踩上去感觉非常舒服。他侧身躺下，让阳光抚着他的皮毛。
玳尾坐在他身旁，用尾巴优雅地盖住前掌。她惬意地舒了口气：“我愿意永远待在这里。”
灰翅打起盹来，他忘却了时间。突然，石头底部有声音传来，把他惊醒了。
“喂，上面的两个！”
灰翅和玳尾并肩从砾石边上向下望去。令灰翅吃惊的是，眼前这胖乎乎的玳瑁色猫正是那天在山谷中监视他和晴天的那只猫。此时，这只猫的黄眼睛里闪着兴奋的光芒，正仰头朝灰翅他们看呢。
“我叫班布尔。”她大方地介绍着自己，“我是只家猫——虽然我想你们会喊我宠物猫。我能上来吗？”
“当然。”玳尾摆了摆尾巴发出邀请。
在灰翅眼里，这只肥胖的玳瑁色猫看上去并不像是能爬上来的样子。可是，不一会儿，她就气喘吁吁地爬上砾石，在他俩身边坐了下来。
“你好。”玳尾打着招呼说，“我叫玳尾，他叫灰翅。”
“哇哦，你们怎么这么瘦啊？”班布尔直截了当地问，她不住地打量着这两只从山里来的猫，“你们难道没抓到东西吃吗？”
“我们是从很远的地方来的。”玳尾说，“有时候没空狩猎。”灰翅见玳尾有些不悦，不禁乐了起来。
班布尔好奇地眨了眨眼睛：“很远的地方？有多远呢？是从荒原那头来的吗？”
“比那里更远。”灰翅回答。
“你知道地平线上的那些参差不齐的岩石吗？知道高石山吗？”玳尾问。
宠物猫惊愕地睁圆了眼睛：“你们从那里来的？”
玳尾摇摇头：“不是。我们是从高石山的另一边来的，我们走了很多很多天。”
“为什么呢？”班布尔困惑不已地问。
“在我们原来住的地方，猎物不够养活所有的猫了。”灰翅解释道，“而且，天冷的时候，我们常常会陷到深深的积雪中。”
“有的时候猫还会被鸟叼走。”玳尾眼睛冒光，她似乎很喜欢吓唬这只宠物猫，“巨大的鸟——比这里的鸟大多了。”
“听上去太不容易了。”班布尔惊讶地喊道，“你们那时肯定又冷又饿，还一直生活在恐惧中。难怪你们会来到这里。”接着，她环视四周，开心地挥了挥尾巴：“这是个好地方。”
“但是你不住这里，对吗？”玳尾问，“你和两脚兽住一起。这……好奇怪。”
“奇怪？”班布尔抽了抽胡须，“这感觉再好不过了！我主人的巢穴非常舒适，我永远不缺食物，而且我也没什么好害怕的。”
“那你每天干什么呢？”玳尾问。
“大多数时间都在睡觉。”宠物猫说，“或者和主人的幼崽玩耍。如果我不想玩了，就来这里走走。”
“那些野猫不会找你麻烦吗？”灰翅问。
“不会。他们知道，我不会对他们的狩猎构成任何威胁。”
一时间，三只猫在太阳底下慵懒地消磨着时间。灰翅喜欢照在毛发上那温暖的阳光，但是过了一会儿，他的肚子咕咕叫了起来，他这才想起自己从前天起就没吃过东西了。
玳尾碰碰灰翅，说：“我们要去狩猎了。”
“很高兴我不用去狩猎！”班布尔友好地冲他们点点头后爬下岩石，“回头见！”
“那种生活好无聊啊。”玳尾一边说，一边往地上跳去。
灰翅在向下跳之前踌躇了片刻，脚下的石头让他想起了大山的美好。
两只猫儿一起向空旷的荒原走了回去。
“我不习惯在树下狩猎。”玳尾悄悄地对灰翅说，“那里太吵了，而且我总担心自己会不小心撞到树上。”
“我也深有同感。”灰翅赞同地说，“而且几乎无法把注意力集中在猎物身上。”
玳尾默不作声地走了一会儿。然后，她嘀咕道：“不知道我们还会不会再见到班布尔。”
“对此我表示怀疑。”灰翅开起了玩笑，“她是不会喜欢和我们这些凶残的野猫说话的。我们有可能会把她吃了！”
玳尾笑着打了个咕噜。但刚过了一个心跳，她的动作就凝固了。“有兔子！”她小声说。
此时，这两只猫已走出了树林，正在一个小山坡上爬着。只见离坡顶不远的地方，有只兔子正蹦蹦跳跳地啃着青草。
两只猫顿时冲了上去。但灰翅侧腹的伤口拖慢了他的脚步，玳尾跑到了他的前面。兔子见状拔腿就跑，它很快便消失在了坡顶，玳尾在后面穷追不舍。
灰翅到了山顶后，见玳尾正站在死兔子旁。“干得漂亮！”灰翅跳下山坡，走到她的身边。
他俩吃了猎物，便往凹地走去。刚回到凹地，晴天和其他狩猎猫就追了上来。晴天拖着一只松鼠，月影叼着一只画眉鸟，其他猫都叼着老鼠。
“你们要是看到晴天是怎样抓到松鼠的就好了！”锯峰叼着猎物，口里含糊不清地说，“他竟然爬到树顶上去了！”
晴天的眼睛闪着自豪的光芒。在灰翅看来，他的哥哥似乎已恢复了些许往日的样子。也许清溪的死留下的阴云终于开始消散了。
狩猎猫们把猎物带到凹地里放了下来，高影朝他们点了点头：“祝贺你们。你们做得很好。”当其他猫围上来时，她继续说道：“尖石巫师，谢谢你让我们来到这个猎物丰富的地方。”
在大伙儿进食的时候，太阳渐渐地沉到了高石山后面，天空被染成了一片深红色。灰翅的心情放松了下来。他很高兴这次猫儿们终于彼此和睦相处。他凝视着眼前日渐熟悉的景色，开始相信大家已经来到了尖石巫师的预言所示之地。
灰翅在荒原边上停住了脚步，他俯视四棵橡树的顶部。这些树现在长得更葱郁了。太阳照耀着大地，空气中飘着猎物的香味，周围的植物也在生机勃勃地生长。
真不敢相信，这里的植物长得这么茂盛！大山里从未有过这样的景色。
为了消遣时光，灰翅舒展肌肉，他先绕着荒原畅快地跑了一圈，随后向河边的峭壁跑去。上次在河边，他把晴天吓得差点儿失足落河。打那以后，他一直没去过那里。但是他仍记得自己当初见到那奔腾的河水时是多么地兴奋，另外，两岸的峭壁也让他想起了大山。
灰翅没走多远便听到兔子惊恐的尖叫声，他还听见有猫在高吼着追捕猎物。他停住脚步，只见一只兔子飞奔过荒原的山丘，之前他见过的那两只猫——金雀花和风——在它身后紧追不舍。灰翅本能地想加入追击，可他又不想招惹麻烦，便索性把爪子深深插进地里。
兔子从他身边闪过，风和金雀花离兔子只有几尾远的距离。突然，兔子遁入两块石头之间，钻进一个几乎看不见的洞里，顷刻之间便没了影踪。不料，风一刻不停地跟着兔子冲进洞中。见状，灰翅惊得大喘了一口气。
金雀花刹住脚步停住，他气喘连连地说：“这不公平！你不能仗着身子瘦就总是钻到地底下去！”
说完，这只灰色虎斑公猫转过头警惕地看着灰翅。灰翅向他走了过去。“别担心。”灰翅解释道，“我不是来打架的。不过你刚才说的‘钻到地底下’是什么意思？”
“你也看到她刚才做的了。”金雀花说，他用耳朵指指兔子洞，“她特别瘦，所以能钻到里面去。”
就在这时，风又出现了。只见她叼着兔子，得意扬扬地从洞里钻了出来。
灰翅入神地看着她的一举一动。“我能进去看看吗？”他问。
风吃惊地看了看他。“如果你想进去就进呗。”她把兔子放到金雀花的脚掌边，“这可不是我家，这是兔子的家。”
灰翅走到洞口，浓郁的兔子气息扑面而来，他不禁舔了舔嘴唇。但是，这洞看上去非常狭小，他拿不准自己是否真的想挤到里面去。
风在他身边长叹了口气：“还是我来带你去吧。你也很瘦，我能去的地方你应该都能去。”
说着，她从灰翅身旁挤了过去，率先钻进洞中。灰翅只好硬着头皮跟上，不然，这些陌生的猫就会觉得他胆小如鼠了。他跳进洞里，皮毛从两边的洞壁上擦过。兔子洞里又暗又闷，他感到举步维艰。
正当他努力克服恐惧时，他感到风在他前面吃力地转过身，把他推下一条侧道。“走那边！”她一边低嘶，一边跟着灰翅往前走去。
突然，灰翅感到清新的空气轻抚着他的胡须。他奋力往前挤，风还时不时地在后面推上一把。终于，他从另一个洞里钻了出来，那洞口就在一簇金雀花的根部。他跌跌撞撞地走到空地上站定，胸口剧烈地上下起伏着。
“鼠脑子！以后别再那样了。如果你在下面慌了阵脚，就会不知不觉迷路的。”风斥责着灰翅，不过她的声音听上去却没什么敌意。
广阔的天空下，灰翅呼吸着新鲜的空气。微风吹拂着他的胡须，他平静了许多，说道：“也许钻到兔子洞里不是个好主意。”
尽管如此，一想到自己竟发现了荒原下面的地道网，灰翅仍激动不已。突然，灰翅感觉自己仿佛被爪子挠了一下，他猛然想起，以前老年猫在故事里说过，当他们还住在湖边的时候，那地方就有许多地道的。
那时，他们给年轻猫们设下的考验就是让他们想办法从地道中走出来。想到这里，灰翅不寒而栗，幸亏我们现在已经不那样做了，不然，说不定部落猫们早就见不到我了。
灰翅回过神来，朝金雀花和风点头致意。“谢谢你们带我参观了兔子洞。”他说，“也许我们以后还会再见面的。”
两只猫谨慎地作别了灰翅。想到这次与原住猫的相遇并没有发生什么不愉快的事，灰翅心里不禁松了口气。
Chapter 20
Back in the hollow, Gray Wingnoticed that Jackdaw’s Cry and Hawk Swoop had their heads together, laughter in their eyes as they mewed something in low voices. He realized that Jackdaw’s Cry was a full-grown cat now, taller than Hawk Swoop, and the way they were standing so close together made him think they were more than just friends.
“It will be good for all of us to have some kits around.”
Gray Wing jumped. He hadn’t realized that Dappled Pelt had padded up behind him, and was also watching the two younger cats.
“More mouths to feed,” Shattered Ice grunted, though there was a gleam of approval in his eyes.
Gray Wing felt his pelt prickle. I wonder what Storm is doing now.  .  .  .
Thinking about the silver she-cat made Gray Wing feel that every muscle and sinew in his body was bursting with energy. Scrambling out of the hollow again, he raced across the moor, pumping his legs to go faster and faster for the sheer joy of speed. The cool touch of the wind blowing through his pelt made him feel that he could run forever.
But as he reached the top of a rise, Gray Wing was almost carried off his paws by a hare that crashed into him with a squeal of alarm. Instinctively he lashed out, tearing its throat with his claws; it dropped twitching at his paws and was still.
For a heartbeat Gray Wing was pleased at the easy catch. Then he looked up to see Gorse and Wind heading toward him at a run.
“Uh-oh,” he muttered, instantly taking a pace back. “Sorry,” he added as the two rogues came up to him. “It landed right on top of me. I didn’t mean to steal your prey.”
To his surprise, Wind gave him a friendly blink. “We saw what happened,” she mewed. “And it’s a big hare, anyway. You’re welcome to share.”
“Sure,” Gorse agreed. “We all have to eat, and there’s plenty for every cat.”
Gray Wing dipped his head. “Thanks. It was good the other day, learning about how you hunt rabbits,” he added. “Maybe we could give you some tips about hunting too.”
Gorse and Wind glanced at each other; Gray Wing hoped he hadn’t offended them.
Eventually Wind purred. “That could be a good idea.”
“Sure, but can we just eat?” Gorse asked, swiping his tongue over his jaws as he gazed at their prey.
Wind sighed. “Yes, greedy-belly. And while we’re eating,” she suggested to Gray Wing, “you can tell us more about yourself, and your friends. I’ve heard you come from far away.”
Gray Wing looked at them, pleased that they weren’t hostile any longer. “All the way from the mountains,” he replied. Impulsively he added, “Why don’t you come and meet my friends?”
Gorse and Wind glanced at each other. “Okay,” Gorse mewed. “And we can all share the hare.”
Gray Wing began to have misgivings as he led the way, Gorse and Wind behind him, dragging the hare between them. No cats have visited the hollow before. Even Storm didn’t go all the way in
As he padded down into the scoop, he saw the others emerge from their nests under the gorse bushes and stare curiously upward at the newcomers. Tall Shadow padded into the middle of the hollow and waited for Gray Wing to approach her.
“What’s all this?” she meowed.
“Er .  .  . this is Gorse, and this is Wind,” Gray Wing replied. “They live on the moor.”
Tall Shadow narrowed her eyes. “These are the cats we had trouble with,” she reminded Gray Wing. “They accused you of stealing prey.”
Gray Wing saw Jackdaw’s Cry slide out his claws.
“We’re sorry. We know we got that wrong,” Gorse mewed, dipping his head politely.
“We’ve brought this prey to share with you,” Wind added, flicking her ears at the body of the hare.
Tall Shadow hesitated, then gave a curt nod. “Welcome,” she mewed, though her voice was still cool.
Taking that as permission, Gray Wing’s friends gathered around the hare with Gorse and Wind. Between eating and answering the questions that Gorse and Wind kept asking about their journey and the mountains where they used to live, the cats soon grew more friendly. Even Tall Shadow relaxed enough to take a few mouthfuls.
Later, when Gorse and Wind had left, Rainswept Flower padded over to Gray Wing. “Maybe not all the other cats around here are our enemies,” she commented. “Wind and Gorse seem pretty decent.”
Gray Wing nodded, though he heard a sniff from Tall Shadow. He realized it would take a lot to make her accept any other cats.
A couple of heartbeats later, Turtle Tail appeared at the top of the hollow with a bunch of leaves in her jaws. Gray Wing narrowed his eyes in suspicion, tasting the air to check if she was carrying the scent of the Twolegplace. “Where have you been?” he asked.
Before Turtle Tail could reply, Cloud Spots appeared behind her, also carrying a mouthful of herbs.“Thanks,” he mewed. “There’s so much stuff growing by the river, it was a real help to have you there.”
Guilt prickled Gray Wing like a claw in his skin. I shouldn’t be so suspicious
He followed Turtle Tail as she set down the herbs she was carrying beside Cloud Spots’s nest. “I’m sorry, Turtle Tail,” he told her. “It’s not up to me to say where you can go.”
Turtle Tail blinked at him, seeming happy that he’d apologized. “It’s okay,” she purred.
The following morning Gray Wing felt as though ants were crawling through his pelt. He had meant to get more bedding for his nest, but the task seemed utterly boring and pointless. He thought about visiting Clear Sky, but his paws didn’t want to carry him in that direction. The sun had never crept so slowly up the sky.
“Hey!” Turtle Tail bounced up to him and butted his shoulder with her head. “Do you want to come hunting with me?”
Gray Wing stared at her, for a moment hardly registering what she had said. “Oh .  .  . no, thanks,” he meowed at last. “I’m meeting a cat.”
She gave him a curious look. “Who?”
“Storm. The one you met yesterday.”
Turtle Tail drew back her head suddenly, as if some cat had swiped at her. To Gray Wing’s surprise there was a hurt look in her eyes. “Okay. You do that,” she muttered, and stalked off.
Gray Wing forgot about her odd behavior almost at once. I have to go meet Storm!He raced across the moor; sunhigh was still some way off by the time he stood at the top of the hollow where the four oaks grew.
Cool fronds of fern brushed his pelt as he made his way down the slope toward the trees. He pounced on a flickering spot of golden sunlight, then twitched his whiskers in embarrassment at the thought that he had been behaving like a kit.
I’d like to climb one of the oak trees, he thought. Then I could leap down on Storm and surprise her!
Gray Wing bounded lightly across the hollow and hurled himself up the trunk of the nearest tree, trying to remember how Clear Sky and Jagged Peak did it. They make it look so easy!He clambered up several tail-lengths by digging his claws into the bark, but as he reached the lowest branches he got his head stuck in a clump of twigs and leaves, and couldn’t see where he was going anymore. A piece of bark peeled away from the tree and he found himself dangling by one forepaw.
“Having fun?”
His belly freezing at the sound of the amused voice below, Gray Wing grabbed for support on the tree again and managed to look down. Storm was standing on one of the tree roots, looking up at him, her eyes gleaming with laughter.
Haredung!
As quickly as he could, Gray Wing scrambled down again, jumping the last couple of tail-lengths. “Hello,” he mewed, trying to sound nonchalant. “I just wanted to find out how much you can see from up there.”
“And hedgehogs fly,” Storm responded, flicking her tail-tip over his ear. “Well, are we going, or not?”
Without waiting for a reply she led the way out of the hollow and plunged into the forest. Before long they came to a stream that chattered over stones, its surface glittering in the sunlight. Storm padded alongside it until she reached a dead branch that spanned it side to side; she ran lightly across and waited for Gray Wing to follow.
“Is this the stream that joins the river near those big rocks?” he asked as he jumped off the end of the branch to join her.
“That’s right,” Storm replied. “You’ve been there, then.”
Gray Wing nodded. “I explored them with my brother. Do you live around there?” he added as they bounded on through the trees.
“Oh, here and there,” she replied airily with a wave of her tail. “There are good places all over the forest. But don’t go in that direction,” she continued, angling her ears toward a tumble of rocks half hidden in the trees. “There are snakes, and their bite could make you sick or even kill you.”
Gray Wing suppressed a shudder. “Thanks for telling me.”
They followed another trickle of water down through a ravine hedged with gorse, and across a sandy hollow, where Storm paused to lap from the stream.
“Prey’s good around here,” she told Gray Wing. “There are plenty of mice and voles.”
“And squirrels,” Gray Wing added, remembering his hunt with Clear Sky and Jagged Peak. “There are lots of them in the beech trees farther on.”
Storm looked up, glittering drops of water spinning from her whiskers. “You do know your way around,” she meowed in a surprised voice.
“Actually, my littermate lives down here,” Gray Wing explained. “Why don’t you come meet him?”
This time Gray Wing took the lead as he followed the path that led to Clear Sky’s new home. Four days had passed since he had hunted the squirrel with Clear Sky and Jagged Peak, and he was looking forward to seeing his brothers again.
Gray Wing soon picked up Clear Sky’s scent, and Jagged Peak’s too, mingled with another, stronger scent of a cat he didn’t recognize. Rounding a bramble thicket, he found himself facing a large brown tom with yellow eyes.
“Who are you?” Gray Wing asked, halting abruptly and bracing himself for an attack.
“Who are you?” the tom growled. “This is Clear Sky’s place.”
Gray Wing gaped with astonishment. He had assumed this was a rogue who lived in the forest. Hearing the tom mention Clear Sky had left him completely confused.
“Clear Sky is my brother,” he responded. “We’re on our way to visit him. Is that a problem?”
“Only if you make it one.” The rogue’s sharp yellow eyes narrowed. “Clear Sky doesn’t like strange cats wandering around here, close to his camp.”
Hiswhat? Gray Wing thought. Is that what rogues call the place where they live?
“I’m not a strangecat!” he snapped, growing exasperated. “I’m his brother!”
The brown tom narrowed his eyes. “Okay. But just in case you’re not telling the truth, I’ll take you to Clear Sky myself. Don’t even thinkabout trying anything.”
Beckoning with his tail, he led the way down a narrow track between ferns. Gray Wing exchanged a glance with Storm.
“What’s all that about?” she asked.
“I have no idea,” Gray Wing replied.
He followed the brown tom, Storm hard on his paws, until they emerged from the ferns into the sheltered hollow where his littermate had made his home. Clear Sky was stretched out in the shade of some brambles, grooming himself, while Falling Feather sat beside the pool with Quick Water and the small yellow tabby she-cat Gray Wing had seen before. Remembering how aggressive the tabby had been, it was a shock to see her sitting peacefully beside his friends.
The brown tom stalked across the clearing and stood in front of Clear Sky. “I found these two on their way here,” he announced, flicking his tail at Gray Wing and Storm. “The tom sayshe’s your brother.”
Clear Sky leaped to his paws. “He is. Hello, Gray Wing.”
The brown tom looked disconcerted as Gray Wing and Storm padded over to Clear Sky.
“This is Fox,” Clear Sky announced as Gray Wing touched noses with him. “He decided to join us.”
“And this is Fox’s sister, Petal,” Falling Feather called from where she sat by the pool. “She’s come to stay with us as well.” Her eyes shone as she gazed at Fox. “Isn’t it great?”
Shock struck Gray Wing like a flash of lightning. “Really?” he demanded, facing Clear Sky in bewilderment. “Rogues living among you?”
Clear Sky let out a mrrowof amusement. “We’re rogues too, don’t forget,” he meowed. “So why have you come to see me?”
“I brought Storm to meet you,” Gray Wing responded, gesturing the silver she-cat forward with his tail. “She lives around here.”
“Welcome .  .  .” Clear Sky’s voice began by being cheerful, then trailed off as he fixed his gaze on Storm.
Storm seemed lost for words. Gray Wing hoped she hadn’t been intimidated by Fox’s hostility.
“So .  .  . where do you live?” Clear Sky asked, obviously forcing the words out.
“Nowhere special .  .  .” Storm blinked rapidly. “I .  .  . er .  .  .”
“She goes to the Twolegplace sometimes,” Gray Wing put in, since Storm seemed to be having trouble explaining herself. “But she’s not a kittypet.”
Neither Storm nor Clear Sky seemed to hear him. Clear Sky’s blue gaze met Storm’s green; Gray Wing had never seen such intensity.
“It’s .  .  . very nice here,” Storm went on, waving her tail around the hollow. “Comfortable.”
“Yes .  .  . we like it.”
Are they both completely flea-brained?Gray Wing wondered.
For a moment longer Clear Sky and Storm gazed at each other. Both cats’ neck fur was slightly fluffed up, and their tail-tips twitched from side to side. Gray Wing wouldn’t have been surprised if they had sprung at each other.
“Hey, why don’t we—” he began.
“I have to go,” Storm interrupted brusquely.
Clear Sky looked dismayed. “Why?”
Storm shook her head in confusion. “I need to hunt,” she mewed at last.
“Well, come back soon,” Clear Sky invited her, though he was clearly disappointed.
“I will.” Storm turned and headed out of the clearing. Gray Wing glanced at Clear Sky, then turned and followed her.
What just happened?he wondered, bounding forward to catch up to Storm. “Are you okay?”
“What?” Storm turned to look at him, her green gaze distracted. “Oh, yes, I’m fine.”
She headed toward the river and padded alongside it, in the direction of the four great oaks. Gray Wing realized their playful friendliness had faded like morning mist.
“Should we meet again tomorrow?” he asked as they paused on the edge of the trees.
Storm sighed. “I don’t know .  .  . I’ll see you around, okay?” Without waiting for a reply, she turned and plunged into the depths of the forest, leaving Gray Wing to stare after her.
第十六章
第十六章
灰翅打消了去河边的念头，他转身往凹地走去。就快到凹地时，斑毛和云斑迎面走来。
“我们去寻找草药。”斑毛说道，“你愿意和我们一起去吗？”
“希望你能和我们一起去。”云斑补充道，“高影说，如果要去荒原以外的地方，必须至少有三只猫结伴同行。”
斑毛不耐烦地哼了一声：“就她大惊小怪的。”
“也许吧。”云斑说，“不过多一只猫就能多叼一些草药回来。”
灰翅很乐意帮忙，于是他们一起走下通往河边的斜坡。“我又碰到那两只猫了，就是金雀花和风。”他说，“风竟然能钻到地底下去捉兔子！”
斑毛惊讶地眨了眨眼睛：“真想亲眼看看！”
云斑带头走向那道河边的峡谷。这几天一直晴朗无雨，河水正静静地从峡谷中流淌出来。在阳光的照耀下，河面上泛着点点微光。河边郁郁葱葱的草丛中，云斑和斑毛正忙着寻找草药。灰翅在一旁等候，和煦的阳光照在身上暖洋洋的，他感到十分惬意。
“快看！”云斑惊叫道，“这里有大片大片的紫草。”
“还有蓍草！”斑毛喊道。她的身体被茂盛的草木掩住，只露出晃动的尾巴。没过多久，她就衔着一束草药钻了出来。她把草药放到灰翅面前，说：“太好了，我们需要的草药就长在离家这么近的地方。而且，天刚转暖，草药就长出来了。”
“在山里的时候，我们有时要在谷底找上一天呢。”云斑赞同地说，“而且那时，我们从没一下子找到过这么多的草药。”
他和斑毛开始在河边将草药的根和叶片堆好。为了防止有森林猫出现，灰翅一直在旁边望风。不过四下里一片安静。
采好的草药刚好够他们仨带回去。这时，斑毛停住脚步，嗅了嗅空气，向河对岸望了过去。“我闻到那里有艾菊。”她说，“寒鸦啼练习跳跃时扭伤了腿，艾菊治腿伤的效果很不错。”
“河的下游那里有些踏脚石。”灰翅对斑毛说。
斑毛将这条河仔细观察了一番。“看上去并不深。”她说。还没等灰翅反应过来她的意思，斑毛就已蹚进河中：“如果落羽能游泳，那么我也能！”
灰翅和云斑都慌了神，他俩对望了一眼。斑毛已经踏着水花向前走去，当刺骨的河水漫过她的腹部时，她不禁倒抽了一口冷气。然而，令他俩毫无防备的是，一眨眼的工夫，斑毛就消失在了水中，河水在她头上打起旋来。
“糟了！”云斑惊叫一声，朝河边跑去，“我去下水救她。”
不过，还没等他跳入水中，斑毛的脑袋就从水里冒了出来。她疯狂地扑打着水面，然后竟设法用力朝对岸游了过去。
“嘿！我会游泳啦！”斑毛又惊又喜地喊道。
“正常猫才不会这么做呢。”云斑咕哝道，“你就像一条毛茸茸的鱼。”
斑毛从水中爬上了岸。她抖了抖身子，一头扎进了灌木丛。过了一会儿，她叼着一些叶片钻了出来。接着，她又蹚入河中，扑腾着水花游了回来。她一边游，一边把头抬得高高的，以免嘴里的草药沾到河水。
“看到了吧！”她爬上岸，气喘吁吁地说，“这很容易。只是，水太冷了。”
“我看你就是个鼠脑子。”云斑摇摇头嘀咕道，“我们回凹地去吧。”
“为什么不留下来捉些鱼回去呢？”斑毛建议道。
云斑翻了翻眼：“你想都别想。别折腾了，赶快回凹地把毛发弄干，不然你会生病的。”
斑毛气呼呼地哼了一声，只得作罢。三只猫一起向凹地走去。灰翅跟在斑毛和云斑身后走着。忽然，他听到一簇蕨丛后有猫在说话，顿时毛发竖了起来。
灰翅起了疑心：难道是风和金雀花又回来跟踪监视我们了吗？
然而，当他悄悄穿过蕨丛时，却发现玳尾和班布尔正并肩坐在一起，两只猫正在分享一只硕大的田鼠。
班布尔最先发现了灰翅。“你好啊，灰翅。”她招呼道，看上去很高兴见到他。
玳尾跳了起来。“噢……嘿！”她说道，“班布尔看到我抓到了这只田鼠，她想尝尝田鼠的味道。”
玳尾的声音听上去似乎有所戒备，不过灰翅也想不出个所以然。他对森林猫小心提防，但从没觉得这只宠物猫会有什么威胁。
班布尔继续大吃起来。灰翅放下嘴里叼着的草药，说：“很明显，她很喜欢田鼠的味道。”接着，他问道：“班布尔，你为什么不在森林里住下来呢？”
班布尔惊愕地抬起头，她差点儿被嘴里的鼠肉噎住。“不可能！我的主人对我很好，我从来都不愁吃喝，而且巢穴也很舒适。”她接着说，“你们真该过来看看！”
“不了，谢谢。”灰翅对她说，“我们不属于两脚兽。”
“玳尾，你呢？”班布尔问道。
玳尾好奇地抽动着胡须：“也许去看看也挺有意思的……不过现在不行。”
班布尔吞下最后一口猎物，说：“谢谢你啦，玳尾。我们下次再见。”
“好的。”玳尾同意了，“下次我去橡树谷中时会留神注意你在不在。”
班布尔高高地竖起尾巴，从蕨丛中穿了过去。在消失之前，她还回头望了一眼。
“你知道，”灰翅沉思片刻说，“和宠物猫太亲近不是很好。”
玳尾蓬起颈部的毛发：“为什么？”
灰翅有口难言，他只好说：“我只是不放心，就是这样。”
因为就像我刚说的那样，我们不属于两脚兽。
灰翅的窝就在凹地底部的金雀花丛中。此时，他正待在窝里。晴朗的夜空中缀着点点繁星，半轮月亮将清辉洒向大地，斜坡顶部的景色清晰地映入他的眼帘。他吃得饱饱的，在温暖的窝里蜷起了身子。
他心满意足地想：这真是个好地方。我们可以就在这里安居。
突然，夜空下出现了一个黑影。灰翅眯缝起眼睛，在月光下辨认出了一副又尖又长的口鼻。紧接着，一股恶臭飘了过来。他这才想起来，之前在他们离开两脚兽巢穴时，他曾见过一只瘦长的红毛动物。在森林里，他也闻到过同样的气味，只不过从没亲眼见过那气味究竟是哪种动物留下来的。
那道黑影鬼鬼祟祟地溜进了凹地。接着，又有两道黑影一前一后跟了上来。灰翅一跃而起。
“我们遇袭了！”他高声呼号起来。
可是，他发出的警报随即被一只猫的惨叫声淹没。霎时间，哀号声与打斗声在凹地里响成一片。灰翅惊恐地环视四周，他的脚掌僵在了地上。就在这时，他瞥见一个家伙把利齿深深地咬进碎冰的肩部，这只灰白相间的公猫被它叼在嘴里晃来晃去，仿佛是一只猎物。
一阵恐惧袭上灰翅的心头：我们变成它们口中的猎物了。我们都会被咬死的！
Chapter 21
Gray Wing couldn’t understand how oneday could make such a difference. The four great oaks stood the same as they always had, but their leaves were limp and still; there was not a breath of wind. The forest was gloomy, with no sun breaking through the clouds. Worst of all, there was no sign of Storm.
Hope sprang up in Gray Wing as he heard a rustle and saw fronds of fern shaking as a cat approached the bottom of the hollow. But his tail drooped in disappointment as Turtle Tail emerged into the open.
“Hi,” she meowed, bounding toward him. “I’m hunting. Do you want to join me?”
Gray Wing shook his head. “Sorry. I’m waiting for Storm.”
“Again?”
“Yes, again,” Gray Wing replied, slightly annoyed at the hint of disapproval in Turtle Tail’s voice. Then as all his hopes and doubts surged through him, he knew that he had to confide in some cat. “I .  .  . I really like her,” he confessed. “I want her to come and live in the hollow with us.”
Turtle Tail’s eyes widened; Gray Wing was surprised to see sadness in their green depths.
“Oh .  .  . I see,” she mewed. “I’ll be off, then.” She spun around, racing away swiftly in the direction of the Twolegplace.
But she said she was hunting, Gray Wing thought, then began to search for Storm. At one point he picked up her scent, then realized it was stale, probably from when she had met him the day before.
“Gray Wing.”
That wasn’t the voice he longed to hear. He turned and spotted Tall Shadow beckoning to him from halfway up the slope.
“Walk with me,” she invited as he came up to her. “I need to talk to you.”
Tall Shadow led the way through the forest and along the edge of the moor. “Tell me more about the new cats who are living with Clear Sky and Moon Shadow.”
Gray Wing shrugged, peering through the trees in case Storm appeared. “I told you all I know,” he replied. “They seem to have settled in well, as far as I could see.”
Tall Shadow nodded thoughtfully. “Do you think we should invite Gorse and Wind to move into the hollow with us?”
Gray Wing was startled. He thought that Tall Shadow was the last cat who would want to do that; she hadn’t been particularly welcoming when he had brought the two rogues for a visit.
“It’s not natural for us,” he began hesitantly. “In the mountains, there were no other cats. So it’s hard for us to invite strangers in.”
“I know,” Tall Shadow agreed. “But maybe we should consider it. It would be helpful to hunt together, and we would be stronger if dogs or foxes attacked.” Sighing, she added, “I wish Shaded Moss was still with us. He would know what to do.”
“Don’t be too sure,” Gray Wing told her. “This would be just as strange to him.” He thought for a few heartbeats and then continued, “Perhaps we should do what Stoneteller said, and trust our instincts above all else.”
“Well,” Tall Shadow meowed, her voice suddenly sharper, “my instinct says we shouldn’t be too hasty about letting other cats live with us. Not yet, anyway.”
“That’s fine by me,” Gray Wing responded, though he couldn’t help asking himself, Then what about Storm?
For the next few days, Gray Wing forced himself not to spend all his time looking for Storm. Instead, he kept busy with hunting and helping to improve the nests in the hollow.
He had gone as far as the river searching for moss when he heard a friendly voice hailing him. “Gray Wing!”
It was Gorse, with Wind just behind him. They bounded to join Gray Wing at the water’s edge, both of them touching noses with him.
“Good to see you,” Gray Wing meowed. “How’s the prey running?”
“Fine, thanks,” Wind replied. “Though that hare was the best catch we’ve made in moons.”
“It was fun visiting your camp,” Wind told him with a friendly flick of her tail. “Can we come and see you again? We could show you some of the best places for prey.”
“Maybe another time,” Gray Wing responded awkwardly. “We’re kind of busy just now.”
Gorse gave a nod. “No problem.”
Gray Wing was relieved that the two rogues hadn’t taken offense. He liked Gorse and Wind, and would have invited them but for his recent conversation with Tall Shadow. He understood her wariness of getting too close to strangers.
Then what about Storm?he wondered once again. But Storm didn’t feel like a stranger to him.
Anxiety struck him as the silver-furred she-cat came back into his mind. Maybe I should be worried about not seeing Storm .  .  . she might be in trouble!
Saying good-bye to Gorse and Wind, Gray Wing abandoned the moss he had been collecting and headed across the moor toward the forest. Quickening his pace, he resolved to go right into the heart of the Twolegplace if he had to. But before he reached the edge of the trees he halted in surprise as he saw the silver tabby emerge from the undergrowth.
“Storm!” he called out.
Storm jumped, startled, and for a heartbeat Gray Wing wondered if she even wanted to see him. But as he bounded up to her he saw that her green eyes were warm with welcome. “Hello,” she mewed. “How are things with you?”
“I’m fine,” Gray Wing replied. He wanted to ask Storm where she had been, but he was worried about offending her. She’s here now, and that’s what matters
Side by side the two cats wandered down to the river and crouched on the edge, gazing down into the water. Tiny fish were slipping in and out of the stones, their skin glinting in the sunlight.
“One of my friends can catch fish,” Gray Wing remarked.
Storm’s eyes widened. “Really? Amazing!”
Silence fell again. Gray Wing felt slightly awkward; there were so many things he wanted to say to Storm, but somehow he couldn’t find the words.
“I wish I could invite you to the hollow again,” he meowed at last. “But Tall Shadow is being a bit edgy about strangers just now. We can meet somewhere else, can’t we?”
“Sure,” Storm responded, though she didn’t make any suggestions.
Gray Wing leaned over to brush muzzles with her, but she turned her head away and rose to her paws. “Well, I’ll see you soon,” she mewed cheerfully, and bounded off toward the trees.
Looking after her, Gray Wing felt hot with embarrassment. Somehow I said the wrong thing .  .  . I don’t understand her at all.
Gray Wing collected his moss and headed back to the hollow. When he reached it and dropped his bundle beside the new nests, where Hawk Swoop and Cloud Spots were working busily, he spotted Turtle Tail, coming back empty-pawed from the direction of the Twolegplace. The scent of Twolegs was all over her.
“You’ve been visiting Bumble again,” he asserted. Still off balance from the odd encounter with Storm, he couldn’t summon up much patience for Turtle Tail. “Do you really want to be with her more than with us?”
Turtle Tail’s ears flicked up and she lashed her tail. “Well, youdon’t seem to have time for me anymore,” she snapped. “Perhaps if I had silver fur you’d feel differently.”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” But inside, Gray Wing knew that his friend was speaking the truth. He did want to be with Storm, more than any other cat. “Don’t let your fur get tangled,” he added more gently. “Storm’s such a terrific cat, and I hope that soon she’ll come here to live with us.”
Turtle Tail gave him a blank stare. “Great,” she mewed in a flat voice. “I’m totally happy for you both.” She turned and stalked off, her tail in the air.
Gray Wing gazed after her, totally bewildered. Shattered Ice, who was standing close by, let out an exaggerated sigh. “Gray Wing, you have the sense of a rabbit sometimes,” he muttered.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Gray Wing told him.
Shattered Ice just rolled his eyes.
Gray Wing shook his head in confusion, and went to help Cloud Spots and Hawk Swoop with the new nests. They were finished by nightfall, and Gray Wing had his best sleep for a long time, waking vigorous and refreshed. As he stood beside the nest shaking scraps of moss from his pelt, Turtle Tail padded up to him.
“Gray Wing, will you come with me?” she asked. “Just the two of us?”
“Sure.” Gray Wing decided not to say anything about her odd behavior the day before. “Do you want to hunt?”
Turtle Tail shook her head. “I want to talk, but not here.”
She led the way over the moor to where the waterfall thundered down into the gorge. Crouching beside it, she didn’t speak, just looked down at the rushing river as it surged between the rocks.
Gray Wing sat beside her, beginning to feel impatient. “Well?” he asked.
“We had such a long, hard journey to get here,” Turtle Tail began softly, “and we wondered if we’d ever reach the end. Now we have .  .  . but our destinations seem to be very different.”
“True,” Gray Wing meowed. “Clear Sky and the others—”
“I’m not talking about Clear Sky,” Turtle Tail interrupted. She swallowed and took a deep breath. “I’m going to live with Bumble.”
Gray Wing sprang to his paws, dismay filling him from ears to tail-tip. “No!” he exclaimed. “You can’t be a kittypet! You’re wild.”
Turtle Tail flicked her tail. “Then I’ll be a wild kittypet. I don’t think there’s a place for me here anymore, Gray Wing. I’ll be fine.” She rose and touched her nose to his ear. “You make sure to go for what you want. Promise?”
Feeling utterly baffled, Gray Wing nodded. “I promise.”
Still not understanding Turtle Tail’s decision, Gray Wing padded by her side until they reached the edge of the Twolegplace. When they could see the huge red dens looming up through the trees, Turtle Tail halted and turned to him.
“Will you let the others know where I’ve gone?” she asked. “I’m too embarrassed to make a big scene.”
“Of course I will,” Gray Wing replied.
“And I’ll visit!” Turtle Tail sounded as though she had to force herself to sound cheerful. “Don’t worry!”
She brushed her tail down Gray Wing’s side, then spun around and raced toward the Twoleg dens. Gray Wing watched her out of sight. He felt empty, as if something precious had gone out of his life.
Things are changing all the time, he thought as he trudged away from the Twolegplace. Every cat needs to choose their own destiny—and mine is with Storm, the way Turtle Tail’s is in the Twolegplace. Determination swelled inside him. I’ll ask Storm to come and live in the hollow. Tall Shadow will understand if Storm’s my mate
For a while he padded alongside the river, but when he came to the huge rocks he turned to follow the stream that flowed into the main current. Excitement tingled through his paws as he imagined what it would be like to have Storm beside him, hunting, exploring, resting together in the shelter of their nest. When the time was right, they would even have kits together.
A flash of silver in the undergrowth alerted him and he halted as Storm came into view, a beautiful sheen of sunlight on her silver tabby pelt.
“Gray Wing!” she called, quickening her pace. “I was looking for you.”
Delight like warm sunshine spread through Gray Wing. “I was looking for you, too,” he told her. “I have something I want to say.”
Storm’s green eyes were troubled. “There’s something I have to tell you too,” she announced. She hesitated, then went on, “I’m going to live with Clear Sky.”
Shock ripped through Gray Wing, as cruel as a fox’s claws. “Why would you do that?”
Storm’s whiskers twitched. “I’ve seen a lot of him since that first time,” she explained. “We sort of .  .  .”
Gray Wing suddenly understood. “Oh, right,” he meowed. “Well, that’s great.”
Storm drew closer, her sweet scent washing over him. “I’m so sorry, Gray Wing,” she murmured. “I wish things were different, but .  .  .” Taking a pace back, she added, “We’ll still see each other. The forest isn’t that big!”
She turned and padded away, her tail waving gracefully. Gray Wing dug his claws into the ground and clamped his jaws shut so as not to utter a word. Storm had made her choice, and it wasn’t him. Gray Wing had never felt so alone in his life.
Maybe I owe my brother this, he thought as he tried to make sense of what was happening.It was because of me that Bright Stream died, and now I have a second chance to make Clear Sky happy
第十七章
第十七章
灰翅本能地想要立即投身于战斗，但他知道，那样做的后果就是被撕成碎片。他焦急万分：我不能弃大家而去！我一定能为大家做些什么。
这时，玳尾出现在他的身旁，上气不接下气地说：“是狐狸！”
“什么？”
“这些家伙就是狐狸。班布尔提醒过我要提防他们。现在我们该怎么办？”
就在他俩说话的当口，晴天飞奔而过，只见他龇着牙齿，亮出利爪。灰翅迅速上前把他拦下。
“我去和他们拼了！”晴天吼道。
“等等！”灰翅急匆匆地说，“我们要想个计划！”
此时，四下里哭号声和咆哮声混在一起，越来越响。在这危急关头，灰翅知道他必须立刻做出决定。突然，他脑子里浮现出众猫在山中猎鹰的情景：一只猫先跳起来把老鹰拽下，其他的猫再蜂拥而上，将它置于死地。
他来回扫视着晴天和玳尾，希望他们能配合行动：“我们三个一起冲上去。先合力进攻一只狐狸，一有机会就把它杀了，剩下的我们再逐个击破。”
玳尾迫不及待地点点头：“这行得通。”
“那其他的猫怎么办？”晴天问，“我们在袭击狐狸时，他们可能会被它的同伙咬死。”
“我们要是散开的话，就更没办法救他们了。”玳尾回答。
“我们没时间耽误了。”灰翅说，“晴天，我们找到狐狸后，你从一边进攻，玳尾从另一边进攻，把它的思维扰乱。”
“那你呢？”晴天问。
“别担心，我会见机行事。”灰翅严肃地回答道。
灰翅带着他俩潜行到凹地边上，在暗中俯视下面的战况。最后，灰翅看到战场边缘有只狐狸正对鹰扑虎视眈眈。鹰扑孤立无援，站在那里瑟瑟发抖。
“我们上！”灰翅号叫着发令。
晴天提身纵跃，展开利爪对准狐狸的侧腹一阵猛抓。那家伙刚嘶吼着转向晴天，玳尾便从另一侧发动进攻。狐狸扭过头，它张开大嘴乱咬一气，可晴天和玳尾一袭击成功便立即跳开了，狐狸每次都咬了个空。
计划起作用了！灰翅飞身跃到半空，落在了狐狸背上。他把后爪狠狠刺进狐狸肩部，然后趴在它脑袋上，对准它的眼睛和口鼻一阵狂抓。狐狸发出一声惨叫。它后腿蹬地，直起身子，妄图把灰翅甩下来，然而灰翅却死死地钉在它的身上。
与此同时，晴天和玳尾仍在两侧猛攻狐狸侧腹。狐狸苦不堪言，只得朝凹地边上窜去。它刚离开凹地跑上荒原，灰翅就从它身上跳下。那家伙一边哀号，一边夹着尾巴遁入了茫茫的黑夜。
“下一只！”晴天兴冲冲地喊，“这次我来负责跳到狐狸身上。”
他迅速转身，带领灰翅和玳尾冲回凹地底部。此刻，高影和寒鸦啼正在和另一只狐狸奋战，但寒鸦啼体力不支，步子已经开始蹒跚。高影的额头被抓破，鲜血流进了她的眼中。
玳尾和灰翅立刻挺身而出，他俩分别从两边夹击狐狸。接着，晴天咆哮一声，纵身跃到狐狸背上，挥爪向它的耳朵猛攻起来。狐狸连忙甩着脑袋左右躲闪。
很快，这只狐狸便放弃进攻，仓皇逃命。与此同时，第三只狐狸正撕咬着云斑，那只可怜的猫正无力地蹬着后腿防卫。突然，那只狐狸转过身，发觉自己已经落单。它惊叫一声，随即丢下云斑，奔上斜坡，尾随两个同伙逃之夭夭。
云斑跳上前去，一直追到凹地边上才停住脚步。“有多远滚多远！”他喊道，“别再回来！”
灰翅环顾四周，只见寒鸦啼正趴在地上气喘连连，不过他好像没受重伤。月影一瘸一拐地走着。雨拂花被扯掉了几撮毛。锯峰侧腹被抓破，正流血不止。其他猫的身上也都有狐狸留下的可怕伤口，不过至少大家都还能走得动。灰翅方才一直在担心鹰扑的安危，所幸鹰扑没有生命危险，此时她已挣扎着站起身来。
狐狸刚走，云斑就转过身去为高影检查伤口。斑毛赞许地抽动胡须，也走上前来。他俩互相配合，为猫儿们依次疗伤。
这时，玳尾和晴天向灰翅小跑过来。
“我们胜利了！”玳尾兴奋地喊，“灰翅，你真了不起！”
晴天赞许地向弟弟点了点头。“合作进攻真不错，这招很灵。”他说，“也许我们该多练习练习，以防今后有更多不测。”
灰翅忧心忡忡地看了哥哥一眼：“你说得对。肯定还会有麻烦的。”他心里沉甸甸的：而且，麻烦很快就要来了。
曙光微露，寒气笼罩着大地。灰翅看着劫后的凹地，心里沉甸甸的。经过这次混战，所有的猫窝都被踏得七零八落，草皮上全是爪痕，金雀花丛也被扯得七零八落。负伤的猫儿们躲在角落里，瑟瑟地挤作一团。
灰翅心中阵阵发苦：虽然这次我们幸存了下来，可是接下来还会发生什么呢？
天色亮了起来。灰翅蹲坐下来舔舐肩部的伤口。过了一会儿，他看到晴天起身和月影简短地说了几句。随后，两只猫穿过凹地走到高影面前。灰翅有点儿纳闷，便站起来跟了上去。
“我们想和你说件事。”晴天开口说道。
高影和雨拂花正互相帮忙拔着脚掌中的刺。听到这话，她抬起了头：“说吧。”
月影接过话头：“我们认为大家应该搬到树林里去住。那里容易狩猎，而且有更好的地方藏身。”
“我们在这里太暴露了。”晴天补充道，他挥舞着尾巴，朝周围的一片狼藉指指点点了一番，“这里没有能防御狐狸的地方，也不能挡住任何其他入侵者的袭击。”
高影用凌厉的目光来回扫视着晴天和月影。“但我们一直都居住在地势高的地方。”她驳斥道。
“而且如果我父亲还在世，他也不会希望我们分裂。”雨拂花补充道。
“你父亲已经不在世了。”晴天直截了当地说。听到这话，雨拂花痛苦得脸都扭曲了起来。
这时，其他的猫已陆续意识到重要的事情正在发生。大伙儿纷纷聚了上来。听到这番交谈，他们惊得瞪圆了眼睛。一想到要离开这片空旷的土地，灰翅的心就上下翻腾起来。
“真不敢想象你们要住到树林里去。”寒鸦啼插话道，“而且已经住在树林里的那些猫怎么办？”
“这个我们能应付。”月影自信满满地抽了抽耳朵，“我们不想为每一口猎物打架，但那里猎物足够所有猫吃的。”
“这没你想象的那么简单。”鹰扑反驳道，“我赞同去树林里住，但我不支持内部分裂。”
高影沉思了一会儿。最终，她开口说：“这样吧。我们就还按在山洞时用过的那个办法，通过投石子来决定是否搬到森林里去。”
众猫咕哝着表示同意。寒鸦啼和落羽立刻起身去乱糟糟的草丛里搜罗石子。过了一会儿，他俩把石子带回，堆在了高影身边。这时，众猫聚集到了一起。
“好吧。”这只黑色母猫说，“如果你们想留在荒原，就把石子放在草丛里这块裸露的地上。”她用尾巴指了指那个位置，继续说道：“如果你们想离开，就把石子放在金雀花丛边。”
她第一个把石子放在了那块光秃秃的地上。雨拂花也投了留下的石子。猫儿们依次上前衔起石子，紧张的气氛笼罩在他们头上。灰翅同样投石子支持留下。随着越来越多的石子被投出，结果已见分晓：绝大多数的猫想留在荒原，目前只有月影、晴天、疾水和落羽希望搬到树林里去。
最后投石子的是锯峰。他抱歉地望了灰翅一眼，把石子放在了金雀花丛下。
高影看了看两处的石子。此时已经没有清点的必要了，大家表决的结果显而易见。“那就这么定了。”高影宣布，“我们就留在这里。”
“等等！”晴天跳了起来，“这不公平。既然我们想去树林里住，那么就应该有离开的权利。”
“就是。”月影补充道，“我们当初在山洞里投票时，想留下的猫留下了，想离开的猫离开了。为什么现在就不一样啦？”
众猫倒抽了一口气。灰翅仿佛被落下的大石头砸中，他不禁黯然神伤：我们一起走了这么远，难道现在真的说分就分吗？
高影深深地吸了口气。“那你们走吧。”她的话中没有愤怒，只有悲哀，“带着我们的祝福离开吧。如果你们想回来，我们随时欢迎。”
那些投石子选择离开的猫儿们站起来聚在了一起。灰翅震惊不已：这么做，真的是对的吗？
Chapter 22
Gray Wing loped across the moortoward the trees. Cold claws of wind penetrated his fur and the grass under his paws was stiff with frost. The cold season was coming again.
Ahead of him the green mass of the forest was blotched with brown and yellow and russet. As Gray Wing drew closer the wind whirled dead leaves into his face. Under the outlying branches he spotted Rainswept Flower, leaping and bounding to and fro, her paws outstretched as she tried to catch the leaves before they reached the ground.
Gray Wing halted to watch her. “Having fun?” he asked after a few moments.
Rainswept Flower spun around and stood blinking in embarrassment, her forepaws scuffling the ground. “Well .  .  . er .  .  . it’s good exercise,” she mewed.
Gray Wing let out a sympathetic purr. “The forest is changing so much. All these colors .  .  . and the leaves falling. It was never like this in the mountains.”
“We didn’t have trees like these,” Rainswept Flower agreed
She leaped into a drift of leaves in a hollow among the roots of a tree. Scrambling up with bits of leaf sticking to her pelt, she let out a yowl of delight. “I love the crunching sound they make!”
Gray Wing’s paws itched to try, though he knew he needed to keep hunting. Just then, Jackdaw’s Cry appeared through the trees, his tail twitching and his eyes sparking with anger.
“What’s wrong?” Gray Wing asked, padding up to him.
“I just tried to visit Falling Feather,” the black tom growled. “But some cat I’ve never set eyes on before turned me away. He said Clear Sky didn’t want any cat in that part of the forest.”
“That’s flea-brained!” Rainswept Flower exclaimed. “Didn’t you tell him Falling Feather is your sister?”
“Of course I did,” Jackdaw’s Cry replied. “It didn’t do any good. He just showed me his claws .  .  . and he was a lot bigger than me.”
“I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding,” Gray Wing meowed, remembering how Fox had halted him on the way to his brother’s new home. “Clear Sky would never stop any of us from visiting.”
Jackdaw’s Cry let out a grunt of annoyance. “Then he should make sure his cats know that.”
Gray Wing thought for a moment. “I’ll go and see what’s happening down there,” he decided. “I haven’t been to Clear Sky’s part of the forest for a long time.” And I haven’t seen Storm in over two moons.
He plunged into the trees until he met the stream, then followed it down toward the hollow where his brother lived. As he veered along the track that led to Clear Sky’s home, he picked up a number of mingled cat scents, some of which were new to him.
Clear Sky must be gathering more rogues to live with him
He was drawing close to the clearing when two cats stepped out of the undergrowth and blocked his way. One was Fox, the other a vaguely familiar white tom; Gray Wing realized he was one of the rogues who had attacked Storm. The yellow she-cat, Petal, was sitting on an old stump a couple of tail-lengths away.
“What are you doing here?” the white tom demanded roughly.
Gray Wing bit back an angry reply. “I’ve come to visit Clear Sky.”
“He’s Clear Sky’s brother,” Fox put in. “But that doesn’t give him the right to hang around here anytime he feels like it.”
“Well, that’s a good excuse,” the white tom sneered. “I think you’ve come to steal our prey,” he added to Gray Wing.
“How is it ‘your’ prey?” Gray Wing’s neck fur began to bristle up as anger started to build inside him like a gathering storm cloud. “It’s not yours just because it’s near where you live. Prey is for every cat.”
“Well, Clear Sky doesn’t see it that way,” Fox snarled, sliding out his claws. “I think you’d better shove off, before we make you.”
Gray Wing hesitated, wondering what to do. I can’t fight both of them!
“Now,” the white tom growled, taking a pace forward so that he stood nose to nose with Gray Wing.
“What’s going on?” The clear meow came from behind Gray Wing; he felt it like the touch of cool water on a hot day. He turned to see Storm. “Hello,” she continued, with a friendly nod. “It’s good to see you again.”
Gray Wing dipped his head, hardly knowing what to say to her.
Before he could find words, the white tom turned to Storm. “This rogue was stealing our prey,” he explained.
“Really?” Storm mewed cuttingly. “I don’t see him carryingany prey, do you? I don’t smell any prey-scent on him. Could it be that you’re just a pair of crow-food-eating flea-brains?”
“We’re only doing our job,” Fox protested.
Storm rolled her eyes. “This is Clear Sky’s brother, Gray Wing. You’ve met him before, Fox, and you, Petal,” she added to the she-cat, who was trying to look as if she wasn’t involved with any of this. “He can visit Clear Sky any time he likes. Come on, Gray Wing.”
With a contemptuous flick of her tail, Storm pushed past the two toms and led the way down the track toward Clear Sky’s clearing.
“Why are those cats so hostile?” Gray Wing asked, his confusion pushing aside the awkwardness he felt meeting Storm again.
Storm glanced at him over her shoulder. “Clear Sky thinks it’s important to build a strong community, and he believes part of that is keeping other cats away from the prey that we hunt.”
“I see,” Gray Wing murmured, though he wasn’t sure that was true. Isn’t there enough prey for every cat?“How do you like it here in the forest?” he asked.
“It’s a safe place where cats can look out for each other,” said Storm, with another flashing glance back at him. “Clear Sky and I will be happy to have our kits grow up here.”
Gray Wing felt that the words would choke him, but he forced them out. “Congratulations. I’m really happy for you.”
As Gray Wing and Storm pushed their way through the barrier of ferns that surrounded Clear Sky’s clearing, Clear Sky rushed over to them. Ignoring Gray Wing, he laid his tail across Storm’s shoulders.
“Why did you leave the camp?” he demanded. “You should be resting! What about our kits?”
I guess losing Bright Stream has made Clear Sky extra protective, Gray Wing thought.
Storm didn’t seem to appreciate Clear Sky’s concern. “I’m not going to break apart because I go for a walk,” she retorted.
“It’s still a risk you don’t need to take,” Clear Sky asserted. “Now go to your nest and take a nap.”
Storm’s eyes blazed with fury, but she didn’t protest, just stalked off and disappeared under an elder bush.
Gray Wing felt awkward that he’d witnessed their argument, but his embarrassment faded a moment later as Jagged Peak came bouncing up to him. “Gray Wing! It’s so good to see you! I’ve got so much to tell you.”
“It’s good to see you, too,” Gray Wing responded. Jagged Peak was almost fully grown now, his eyes bright and his pelt shining with health. “Are you—”
“I’m quite busy just now,” Clear Sky interrupted. “What do you want, Gray Wing? And by the way, Jagged Peak, you’re supposed to be hunting. Off you go.”
Gray Wing blinked in surprise to hear Clear Sky giving orders, but Jagged Peak didn’t seem to mind. Ducking his head to Gray Wing, he scampered off happily.
“Do you mind if I have a drink?” Gray Wing asked, flicking his tail toward the pool at the center of the camp. No cats were there, and he wanted to be sure he could tackle Clear Sky without any of the others butting in.
Clear Sky twitched his ears impatiently, then nodded. “Sure, help yourself.”
Gray Wing padded to the water’s edge and lapped a couple of mouthfuls he didn’t really want. He took a moment to collect himself, then he turned back to his brother.
“Jackdaw’s Cry told me that he wasn’t allowed to come and see Falling Feather,” he meowed, shaking water droplets from his whiskers. “I wanted to know what that’s all about.”
Clear Sky shrugged. “I know Fox and Frost can be a bit too keen on guarding the boundaries,” he admitted, “but it’s the only way to keep cats safe.”
“What?” Gray Wing looked at his brother in confusion. “Boundaries?”
“I’m trying to protect our new home,” Clear Sky explained, sounding a bit defensive.
“I can see that.” Gray Wing chose his words carefully. “But it worries me that you’re creating divisions between us—I mean between the cats who came from the mountains.”
“That’s not true!” Clear Sky insisted. “You’re all welcome to visit at any time.”
“Then maybe you should tell Fox and Frost that—” Gray Wing began.
A terrified screech interrupted him, and he spun around to see Falling Feather and Moon Shadow racing across the clearing.
“What happened?” Clear Sky demanded.
“It’s Jagged Peak!” Falling Feather panted. “We were hunting a squirrel, and he fell from the tree.”
“He can’t get up,” Moon Shadow added.
“Show me,” Clear Sky snapped.
Gray Wing’s belly lurched with anxiety as he followed his brother and the other cats out of the clearing. Not Jagged Peak, he thought, anguished, remembering the young cat’s energy and courage. He can’t be dead!
A few tail-lengths into the forest the cats halted at the foot of a tall beech tree. Jagged Peak lay in a clump of crushed fern; relief rushed through Gray Wing as he heard his little brother groan. He’s alive!
But one of Jagged Peak’s hind legs lay at an odd angle. Blood was trickling from a gash and clotting in his fur.
“What can we do?” Falling Feather asked worriedly.
“I’ll get Dappled Pelt or Cloud Spots,” Gray Wing meowed at once. “They’ll know how to help him.” He set off at once, only halting for a heartbeat to yowl back at Clear Sky, “Tell Fox and Frost to let us through!”
Gray Wing raced along the edge of the trees and back across the moor, forcing out every last scrap of speed. Wind blew through his fur and he felt the rough moorland grass scrape his belly.
When he reached the hollow, Cloud Spots was out hunting, but Dappled Pelt was there, stretched out in a patch of weak sunshine and talking quietly with Shattered Ice. She leaped to her paws at once when Gray Wing told her what had happened.
“Of course I’ll come,” she mewed. They set off.
Clear Sky and his cats hadn’t dared to move Jagged Peak from where he lay among the ferns. Falling Feather was crouching beside him, licking him gently and murmuring encouragement. She rose and stepped back when she saw Dappled Pelt. “Can you do anything?” she asked.
“I’m sure I can,” Dappled Pelt replied soothingly. “Jagged Peak, I’m going to take a look at your leg, and then decide what’s best.”
“Okay,” the little cat rasped, his voice taut with pain. “I’m glad you’re here, Dappled Pelt.”
The slender tortoiseshell bent over Jagged Peak’s leg, sniffing all down its length. “Do you have any marigold?” she asked Clear Sky.
“We can get some,” Clear Sky replied. He flicked his ears toward Moon Shadow. “You know where it grows?”
Moon Shadow nodded and dashed off.
“Gray Wing, can you find me two long, straight sticks?” Dappled Pelt asked. “And a few lengths of bindweed.”
“Right,” Gray Wing responded.
He padded deeper into the wood, spotting bindweed twining around a fallen tree, and a tangled heap that he suspected was an old rook’s nest. He chose two straight sticks, and tore off some bindweed, then made his way back to Jagged Peak.
“Thanks, Gray Wing,” Dappled Pelt meowed. “Jagged Peak’s leg is broken,” she continued, “but if we bind it up with these sticks, the bones will join again. I’ve never done this before, but I watched Stoneteller once when Sharp Hail fell off a rock. He was fine. You will be too, Jagged Peak.”
“I hope so,” the little cat murmured.
“Now this is going to hurt a bit,” Dappled Pelt warned him. “Some cat find him another stick to bite on.”
After Clear Sky had shoved another stick between Jagged Peak’s jaws, Dappled Pelt straightened his injured leg and fastened the two sticks on either side of it with the lengths of bindweed. Jagged Peak let out a shrill wail and bit down on the stick so hard that it splintered.
“Okay,” Dappled Pelt mewed. “The worst is over. You were very brave, Jagged Peak.”
Moon Shadow reappeared with a mouthful of marigold, which Dappled Pelt chewed up. She trickled the juice into the gash on Jagged Peak’s leg.
“He needs more of that every day,” she instructed Clear Sky. “And he could do with thyme for the shock, and poppy seed to help him sleep. Do you have any of that?”
“We can find some,” Clear Sky replied. “But, will you stay and look after him? He needs you.”
Dappled Pelt looked startled, exchanging a glance with Gray Wing. “I suppose so,” she agreed after a moment’s hesitation. “Gray Wing, help me carry Jagged Peak to his nest. Be careful not to jog that injured leg.”
Jagged Peak was obviously in pain as they moved him back to his nest in the camp, and he was barely conscious by the time they settled him among the moss and fern.
“Clear Sky is right; I do need to stay,” Dappled Pelt meowed, though she didn’t look happy about it. “Gray Wing, will you let Tall Shadow know where I am?”
“Of course,” said Gray Wing. Bidding good-bye to her and to Clear Sky, he left the camp, trying to glimpse Storm as he padded past the elder bush. But all he could see was a pale blur that might have been her silver fur, lost in the shadows of her den. She didn’t call out to him.
第十八章
第十八章
众猫面面相觑，大家眼里满含悲伤与迷茫。
“我们不会走远的。”疾水说，“而且我们会经常互相走动的！”不过，灰翅听得出来她只是强颜欢笑罢了。
寒鸦啼轻轻地推了推落羽，友好地说：“哪天你怀念兔子的味道了，或者哪天你怀念风吹皮毛的感觉了，那时你就会回来了！”
“你们就等着下雨吧！”疾水扑哧一乐，“那时你们就会来树下和我们一起避雨了。”
决定离开的猫儿们陆陆续续爬上了斜坡，但晴天仍踌躇不前。他看着灰翅，喃喃地说：“祝你好运！我们很快就会再见面的。”
灰翅点了点头。见到晴天和他之间已经恢复了往日的亲密，他满心感激。
“你确定不和我们一起走吗？”晴天问。
灰翅摇了摇头。“我的心属于这块空旷的平野，属于这片辽阔的荒原。”他说，“不过我会送你一程。”
他和晴天一起跳上斜坡，去追其他的猫。高影和雨拂花也一起为他们送行。猫儿们聚在一起赶路，他们穿过荒原，来到了森林的边上。
“再见。”高影说，她向晴天他们点了点头，“希望你们猎物丰足，顺利找到安身之地。我们随时欢迎你们回来。”
“谢谢。”晴天说，“我们也随时欢迎你们过来走走。”
虽然灰翅知道他还会见到哥哥，但在晴天转身离去的那一刹那，他仍然痛在心头。他慢慢地向凹地走去，感觉伤口更疼了。他走了几步，回首凝望，可晴天和其他猫已经消失在了茂密的树林中。
灰翅他们回到凹地，周围冷冷清清的。斑毛仍在为负伤的猫治疗。为了把窝修好，玳尾正忙着搜集草叶。
云斑走到灰翅面前，用尾巴碰了碰他的肩部。“我们去狩猎怎么样？”云斑建议道，“吃些东西，我们就会感觉好些了。”
灰翅感觉来了精神。他同意了：“好，就这么办。”
他俩一起走上荒原。一阵强风把云吹散，片片湛蓝的天空又露了出来。灰翅深吸一口气，嗅到了一股浓烈的兔子气息。只见一只兔子正在一道石坡下啃食青草。灰翅用耳朵指指兔子，向云斑示意。
云斑从另一头上前包抄，想截住兔子的逃路。灰翅想起他们在山中的捕兔技巧，便做好准备，在一丛深草间蹲伏下来。很快，兔子竖起耳朵，它看到云斑，拔腿就向灰翅藏身的方向跑去。灰翅从草间纵身跃出，挥掌向兔子打去。兔子尖声惊叫起来，灰翅利齿锁喉，咔吧一声结果了它的小命。
“干得漂亮。”云斑走上前说，“这兔子真肥，够好几只猫吃了。”灰翅拖着兔子往凹地走去。云斑接着说：“你知道的，其他猫的离去不会带来什么变化，最多是我们的家好像变大了罢了。”
灰翅叼着兔子低声附和着。不过，他心里却没那么肯定。我希望云斑说的是对的，可是我仍旧觉得事情正在发生变化，而且这变化超出了任何一只猫的控制范围。
灰翅在树林边上停下脚步，他张开嘴巴感受着空气中的气息，心里暗暗希望晴天或其他的猫会突然出现。虽然那些猫离开已经有好几天了，可是灰翅仍感觉自己被扯成两半，仿佛彻底遗失了什么。
他失望地转过身。这时，他发现树下有动静。只见一只猫从蕨丛中钻了出来，她先鬼鬼祟祟地左右张望一番，然后才向灰翅所在的斜坡上跑来。可是，这猫不是晴天，也不是其他离开的猫，而是玳尾。
灰翅在心里嘀咕：她是去探望晴天吗？不过，若是如此，她又何必偷偷摸摸地不想被其他猫发现呢？
想到这里，他退到岩石后面，等玳尾走过，他突然走了出来招呼她：“你好啊！”
玳尾跳了起来：“你差点儿把我的毛都吓没了！”
“你上哪里去了？”灰翅问，他嗅出玳尾身上有股陌生的奇怪味道，于是疑心越来越重，“你可别跟我说你去探望晴天了，因为我知道你根本没去！”
见灰翅出言不逊，玳尾向后退了一步，竖起颈部的毛发：“行，告诉你，我去两脚兽地盘探望班布尔了。”
“什么？”虽然灰翅之前已有所怀疑，但他从没料到玳尾当真会那样做，“你是彻头彻尾的跳蚤脑子吗？”
“我不知道你为什么气成这样。其实还好啦！我直接走进两脚兽巢穴里了。”玳尾的怒气渐渐消散，她开始滔滔不绝地讲起自己的冒险之旅来，“当时我真的很害怕，不过班布尔特别好，她带我参观了一切。两脚兽有一种软软的石头，上面有彩色的皮毛。它们可舒服了！”
灰翅绞尽脑汁想要表达自己的震惊。“你必须离两脚兽地盘远一些。”他说，“那里太危险了！”
玳尾不屑一顾地摆了摆尾巴：“别大惊小怪的。班布尔一直在旁边照看着我呢。你也应该去看看！”
灰翅觉得他的生活开始四分五裂。之前他的兄弟和朋友们离开凹地去了树林，现在玳尾好像又忘了自己的野猫身份。“你简直荒唐透顶！”他斥责道。
“我在你眼中就是这样的吗？”玳尾怒目相向，她颈部的毛发又竖了起来。
“无所谓了。”灰翅突然不想再吵下去了，“你爱干吗就干吗去吧。”
灰翅丢下玳尾，让她自己找路回去。他独自大步走进了树林。一进树林，他就感到自己被铺天盖地的绿色吞没。周围苍翠欲滴的植物笼罩着他，压得他几乎透不过气来。随后，他发现有条熟悉的小路，便避开了陌生猫的气味，循着这条小路走了过去。
突然，两道猫影从树上跳下，分别落在了灰翅两侧的灌木丛间。灰翅绷起神经，准备进攻。接着，他定睛一看，发现原来是锯峰和晴天。
“给你个惊喜！”锯峰得意扬扬地叫道。
灰翅发出开心的咕噜声，上前和他俩触了触鼻子：“你俩差点儿把我尾巴都吓掉了！”
“我们正在树上狩猎呢。”锯峰骄傲地说，“那感觉太棒了！”
“我们一起去狩猎吧？”晴天建议道。
灰翅仰头看了看离他最近的那棵树，心里不禁打了个哆嗦：这树也太高了吧！可是，他不想让兄弟们把他看扁，同时也想多一些和他们共处的时间。于是，他爽快地应道：“好。”
他跟着晴天和锯峰爬上树干，在最低的那根树枝上稳住身子，紧张地把爪子插进树皮。随后，他环顾四周，静听树叶沙沙作响，仔细捕捉着不同的气息。
这时，一只松鼠在枝杈间跳跃，晴天穷追不舍。锯峰跟在后面追击。灰翅吃力地向树上爬去，好生羡慕兄弟们爬树时的自信与速度。
松鼠跳到一根树枝的尽头，紧接着，它飞身跃到相邻的另一棵树上。灰翅停下脚步，心想这下他俩不可能再把松鼠抓住了。然而晴天并没有要停下的意思，只见他跟着松鼠，纵身向那棵树跃去，几乎飞了起来。随后，他脚掌落下，刚好死死踩住那只松鼠的尾巴。接着，锯峰也跟着跳到那棵树上，这一幕幕惊得灰翅目瞪口呆。
“我也得跳过去。”灰翅咕哝着，他在树枝上踮着步子，努力保持平衡。接着，他绷紧身子，伸出前爪，抓住了那棵树的枝子。
可没想到，灰翅的爪子刮着树皮滑了下来。他尖叫一声，感觉自己正往下落去。在最后一刻，他设法攀住树枝，但因后掌落空，他只得无助地挂在枝子上晃荡着。一阵眩晕袭来，但灰翅还是不顾一切地抓紧树枝一点儿一点儿向树干的方向挪去，终于把身子移到了树枝较粗的那端。他费尽力气翻上树干，坐在上面瑟瑟发抖，甚至都不敢想象自己怎样才能回到地面了。
直到晴天和锯峰回来，他那颗怦怦乱跳的心才渐渐平复下来。晴天嘴里叼着那只松鼠。
“刚才的追踪太棒了！”锯峰激动地喊道，两只眼睛兴奋得直冒光，“灰翅，你还好吗？”
“呃……我想我被困在这里了。”灰翅尴尬地说。
“没关系，我来帮你下去。”锯峰充满信心地说，“你倒着退下树去。把脚掌先落在那里……然后再落在那里。”
灰翅好不容易才爬下树来，他四脚着地，长长地舒了口气。“你们真的很擅长爬树。”他钦佩地对锯峰说。
锯峰不好意思地低下头：“晴天教了我一些爬树的妙招。”
晴天从树上几尾高的地方跳了下来。“这能有助于巩固在树上狩猎的新技巧。”他谦虚地解释道。
“祝你们好运！”灰翅热切地说，“我还是留在地上捉兔子吧！”
灰翅跟着兄弟们走在林间小路上，他们来到一处树下的凹地上，凹地中间是个浅浅的水潭，周围长着密密匝匝的凤尾蕨和黑莓丛。
“欢迎来到我们的新家！”晴天说。
疾水和落羽从凤尾蕨丛中探出脑袋，她们走到空地上。“你好啊，灰翅。”落羽说，“见到你真高兴。”
“很高兴你来看我们。”疾水对他说，“我们已经安顿下来了。我们用小树枝做窝，用苔藓把窝铺好。之前有其他好管闲事的猫来找麻烦，我们把他们吓跑了。我才不会把自己的窝让给他们呢！”
“他们看上去并不坏。”落羽插话道，“如果他们真对我们感兴趣，我们说不定可以邀请他们过来一起住。”接着，她有些不好意思地说：“他们说不定会成为我们的朋友。”
咦……落羽怎么这么渴望拉拢更多的猫加入他们啊？灰翅心里犯起了嘀咕，不过他什么也没说。“见到你们进展得这么顺利，我很开心。”他对晴天说。
“是的。”晴天满意地看了看周围的一切，“我真的感觉这才是我应该住的地方。你在荒原上过得快乐吗？”
“嗯。”灰翅点了点头，“快乐。”
灰翅离开了树林，他很高兴见到了哥哥弟弟，也很高兴去了他们的新家。一路上，他满脑子里想的都是他的兄弟，以至于没能像往常那样注意周围的情况。这时，一只猫从灌木丛里跳到灰翅面前，他惊得连忙刹住脚步。慌乱之中，他的皮毛擦到了一截树桩。树桩的边缘如犬牙般交错不齐。他差点儿一个跟头栽倒在地上。
灰翅抬起头。只见眼前站着一只银色的虎斑母猫，她眯缝起绿莹莹的眼睛，正生气地瞪着他。
“我见过你。”这只猫发出低嘶，“你和那些前来滋事的新来者是一伙的。是我们先到这里的，所以，不准再偷我们的猎物了！”
灰翅不想打架。“这里猎物多得足够每只猫吃饱的。”他温和地说，“我叫灰翅，你呢？”
母猫没有作答。“告诉你吧，”她不太情愿地说，“那儿有个蜂窝，就在你刚才差点儿栽倒的那个树桩里。”
灰翅走近一看，发现身旁的树桩里果然有一大块灰色的隆起物，还有两三只黑黄相间的小家伙盘旋在那里。同时，他还听到了低沉的嗡嗡声。
“它们是什么？”他问。
母猫翻了翻眼睛：“是黄蜂！你什么都不懂吗？如果你侵扰到它们，它们就会飞过来蜇你。如果你不信，就把脚掌伸进去试试。”
灰翅不由得后退了几步。“谢谢。”他感激地说，“幸亏你告诉了我。”
“我刚才可不是为了帮你。”母猫吼道，“我只是不想让你尖叫起来吓跑猎物。”她猛地转过身去，斥道：“别来烦我们！”接着，她钻进了灌木丛。
灰翅走出树林，飞奔着穿过荒原。此时此刻，他发现那只银色毛发的母猫已经深深地印在了他的脑子里。
灰翅爬上通往凹地的最后一道斜坡。这时，他想起之前和玳尾的争执，心中泛起一阵悔意：如果我能带她看看这里的美好，说不定她就不会想去两脚兽那里了。
他走进凹地，玳尾正在一丛灌木下清洁耳朵。“嘿！”灰翅打着招呼说，“你想狩猎吗？”
玳尾跳了起来，两眼发光：“好啊！”
他和玳尾向荒原上走去。“前几天我和云斑出去狩猎，”灰翅解释道，“我们用以前在山上的办法抓到了一只兔子，就是一只猫把猎物赶到另一只猫的爪子下。我们今天也来试试吧。”
这时，虽然乌云在天边聚集了起来，但荒原上阳光明媚，天空仍是一片湛蓝。褐色的小蝴蝶正在百里香丛中翩翩起舞。
“好，我们去找兔子。”玳尾赞同地说。
很快，他们就发现一只兔子正悠闲地在草地上蹦来蹦去，还时不时地停下来吃点儿青草。
“你在这儿等着。”灰翅轻声说，“我去把它赶到你这边来。”
玳尾点了点头。她蹲伏下来，做好了准备。灰翅悄悄绕了一个大圈，爬到了兔子身后。前方，玳尾在她藏匿的草丛中竖起了耳朵。
灰翅大吼一声，朝兔子奔去。兔子尖叫起来，急忙逃窜，直奔玳尾而去。可时机还没到，玳尾就冲了出来。见状，兔子及时掉转方向，撒腿飞奔了起来。尽管玳尾紧追不舍，灰翅也连连加速，可兔子还是迅速溜进了附近的一个洞里。他俩都扑了个空。
“兔子屎！”灰翅停住脚步，气喘吁吁地抱怨道，“你那会儿走神了。”
玳尾怔住了，她委屈地瞪大了眼睛。“难道你狩猎时就从没失败过吗？”她毫不示弱地问。
“至少我从没在这么好抓的猎物身上失手过。”
“好，你厉害！”玳尾喝道，“我这就去找其他猫去。别的猫可不会指望我身轻如燕、动若脱兔。”
说罢，玳尾扬长而去。望着荒原上她离去的背影，灰翅暗忖：我看她这“别的猫”指的是班布尔吧。
乌云渐渐遮住了天空。黄昏时分，天开始落雨。可是，玳尾仍未回来。灰翅爬到金雀花丛里的窝中，可是，他一点儿睡意也没有。他在心里问自己：我是不是对她太苛刻了？
最后，他勉强入睡。苍白的曙光中，他醒了过来。他站起身，走过凹地，来到玳尾的窝前。窝里冷冷清清，空荡荡的，她的气息也很陈旧。
焦虑像狐狸的獠牙一样撕扯着灰翅的心。他心急如焚：她在哪儿？为什么她还没回家？
Chapter 23
After Gray Wing left Clear Sky’sterritory, he couldn’t stop worrying about Jagged Peak. There was no cat to tell him how his little brother was doing. Gray Wing wished he still had Turtle Tail to talk to.
I’ve been missing her ever since she left to live with Bumble, Gray Wing realized. She hadn’t come to visit as she had promised, and though Gray Wing sometimes picked up her scent on the giant rock beneath the four oaks, he never saw her there
Sometimes I feel as if I’d lost one of my own paws
Dappled Pelt stayed with Clear Sky for the next half-moon. The sun was setting when she finally made it back to the hollow, shaking her pelt in annoyance as she padded down to join the others.
“Honestly!” she exclaimed. “Any cat would think Clear Sky wanted to keep me a prisoner. I’ve been stuck in his .  .  . his camp, he calls it, with hardly enough room to stretch my paws.”
“How is Jagged Peak?” Gray Wing asked.
“He can use the leg again,” Dappled Pelt replied. “He’s still limping badly, but that should improve with time.” She flopped down beside Shattered Ice. “Oh, it’s good to be back!”
“I’m really glad to see you,” Hawk Swoop mewed. “I’m expecting kits with Jackdaw’s Cry, and I was worried you wouldn’t be back in time to help me. Cloud Spots is great, but he’s not the most sympathetic cat on the moor.”
“That’s great news!” Gray Wing purred, while Shattered Ice murmured congratulations.
“With the cold season coming, it’s not the best time,” Dappled Pelt meowed. “But don’t worry, Hawk Swoop. Cloud Spots and I will make sure you’re fine. We’d better start gathering herbs to store,” she added. “Then we’ll have everything you need if there’s an emergency.”
The day after Dappled Pelt’s return, Gray Wing went out on the moor to hunt with Jackdaw’s Cry, Rainswept Flower, and Shattered Ice.
The sun had just cleared the horizon. A cold breeze blew across the moor and the grass was furred white with frost. The moorland pools and streams were rimmed with ice. Every cat’s breath puffed out in white clouds, and they fluffed up their fur against the chill.
“I wonder if it snows here,” Rainswept Flower meowed. “It’s getting cold enough.”
Jackdaw’s Cry nodded. “If it does, my kits will need better shelter. I wonder if we ought to move into the trees, just until the cold season is over.”
“That might be asking for trouble from Clear Sky,” Shattered Ice grunted.
Jackdaw’s Cry’s ears flicked up in protest. “Clear Sky doesn’t own the forest!”
“Come on,” Gray Wing interrupted, uncomfortable with the hostility against his brother. “We’re supposed to be hunting. Who can catch the first rabbit?”
To his relief, the two toms dropped the argument and all four cats spread out to cover a wide stretch of moorland, though they stayed within sight of each other. It was Rainswept Flower who spotted the first prey, breaking into a run to pursue a rabbit that pelted away from her toward a gorse-covered bank.
Gray Wing took off after her, hoping to intercept the rabbit before it could escape into its burrow. But while he was still several tail-lengths behind, Rainswept Flower reached the top of a ridge and vanished down the other side. A heartbeat later Gray Wing heard her voice raised in a screech of alarm.
“Rainswept Flower!” Gray Wing yowled.
His heart pounding, he raced toward the spot where he had last seen her. He found himself on the edge of a hollow in the moor, almost surrounded by gorse bushes. More gorse and rocks lined the slope down to hummocky ground at the bottom; the grass that grew there was sparse. At one side was a large boulder, and in the center a stretch of loose, bare soil.
“Rainswept Flower!” Gray Wing yowled again. “Where are you?”
Shattered Ice and Jackdaw’s Cry panted up beside him. “What happened?” Jackdaw’s Cry demanded.
“Rainswept Flower .  .  . just disappeared,” Gray Wing replied, still stunned at the speed with which she had vanished. Is there something down there that eats cats?
“What’s that?” Shattered Ice asked, pointing with his tail
The loose soil in the middle of the dip was heaving. Suddenly Rainswept Flower’s head popped up. She scrabbled at the earth with her forepaws, but the sandy soil at the hole’s edge kept crumbling away. “Help me!” she yowled.
Jackdaw’s Cry began to bound forward, but Gray Wing blocked him with his tail. “We have to be careful,” he warned, “or we might all end up down there.”
Gray Wing led the way more cautiously into the hollow. “Are you okay?” he asked Rainswept Flower as he drew closer.
“Fine,” she replied. “I’ve swallowed some soil, but I’m not hurt. There are rabbit burrows under here, stretching in every direction.”
“Really?” Shattered Ice’s voice was sharp with interest. “Are there any rabbits?”
Rainswept Flower shook her head. “All the scents are stale.”
The ground gave way a little under Gray Wing’s paws as he reached Rainswept Flower’s side, but it bore his weight. “Push with your paws when I say ‘Now!’” he instructed her. Cautiously he leaned over and fastened his teeth in her scruff. “Now!”
Rainswept Flower pushed upward as Gray Wing heaved. For a few heartbeats he thought they would both end up down the hole, but then Shattered Ice reached to grab Rainswept Flower’s shoulder on one side. Jackdaw’s Cry grabbed the other, and soon all four cats tumbled backward, safe on solid ground again.
“Thanks!” Rainswept Flower gasped, spitting out soil and shaking loose earth from her pelt.
“We should get away from here,” Jackdaw’s Cry meowed.
“Wait a moment.” Shattered Ice was peering down the hole where Rainswept Flower had fallen, scraping experimentally at the edge with his forepaws. “If we dig out this loose soil,” he explained, “we could get into the tunnels.”
“Why?” Jackdaw’s Cry asked.
Without replying, Shattered Ice plopped into the hole. There was silence for a moment, and then his voice came from a little farther away. “Rainswept Flower was right! There are lots of tunnels here. And the soil is soft. We could easily widen them so that we could fit down them.”
“Gorse and Wind often hunt rabbits into their burrows,” Gray Wing meowed, beginning to see the possibilities.
A gleam woke in Jackdaw’s Cry’s eyes. “You mean we could chase the rabbits all the way to their nests?”
“Not only that.” Shattered Ice reappeared, and after a moment scraping at the loose soil on the edge of the hole managed to scramble out unaided. “The tunnels stretch a long way. If there’s a battle, we could travel in secret to other parts of the moor.”
A shiver of horror traveled through Gray Wing as he fixed his gaze on Shattered Ice. “What are you meowing about—a battle? We’re friendswith the other cats around here. Who would we be fighting?”
Shattered Ice gave him a doubtful look, but Gray Wing turned away. “The tunnels will be useful, sure,” he mewed. “For shelter, and for hiding from foxes and Twolegs.”
Rainswept Flower nodded. “We need to tell Tall Shadow about this. I’ll go and get her.”
While they waited, Gray Wing and Jackdaw’s Cry went down the hole with Shattered Ice and began digging out some more of the tunnel system.
“You’re right,” Gray Wing murmured, gazing down one of the black passages. “They seem to stretch a long, long way.”
He watched anxiously as Jackdaw’s Cry plunged into the darkness, then reappeared backward, his paws scuffling the earth excitedly.
“It could be done,” the black tom meowed. “We’ll need to dig air holes that will let light in too. And we could bring moss down for nests. Hawk Swoop and our kits would be safe and warm here.”
As he was speaking the light suddenly faded. Gray Wing turned and managed to make out Tall Shadow’s head blocking the hole. A moment later she jumped down to join them.
“This is great!” she exclaimed. “It’s just what we need. Have you scented any dogs or foxes down here?”
Shattered Ice shook his head. “Only stale rabbit scent. I think the rabbits must have left when the tunnels started falling in.”
“Hmm .  .  . we’ll have to be careful that they don’t fall in on us,” Tall Shadow mused. “All the same, I think we should move our whole camp down here. In the cold season we can make dens underground, and when the weather’s warm we can sleep under the gorse bushes.”
Jackdaw’s Cry gave a little bounce of enthusiasm. “Great!”
Over the next few days the cats moved across the moor to the new camp, digging out spaces for dens and transporting the bedding for new nests. Cloud Spots and Dappled Pelt carefully carried their store of herbs and found a safe place to keep them in one of the tunnels.
Jackdaw’s Cry was the most skillful at exploring the burrows, finding several that stretched for long distances beneath the moor, and others with exits nearby among the gorse bushes and rocks on the slope of the hollow.
Gray Wing still had mixed feelings about living underground, even for part of the time. He had to force himself into the enclosed, stifling spaces, but he could see the opportunities that the tunnels offered.
The hollow was too exposed. Down here, we have shelter and we’ll be safe from foxes. A heartbeat later he added reluctantly to himself, And .  .  . just maybe, from other cats
第十九章
第十九章
怪物们的咆哮声震耳欲聋。灰翅沿着两脚兽地盘上的硬石头路缓慢前行，他能闻到怪物们的恶臭。大雨哗哗地下个不停。他的皮毛湿答答地贴着身子，好像两脚兽的肮脏气息已经渗入了他的体内。
但我必须找到玳尾！
然而，灰翅实在不知道该去哪里找班布尔的两脚兽巢穴。那些巢穴看上去一模一样，它们的气味嗅上去也没什么差别。他在接近两脚兽地盘时曾嗅到过玳尾的气息，但周围狗的气味、两脚兽的气味还有怪物的气味时时都在干扰着他，害得他没过多久就跟丢了玳尾的气味踪迹。
他正沿着雷鬼路走着，忽然看见有只怪物从拐角处呼啸着一闪而过。它飞驰的脚掌溅起一片泥水。灰翅还没来得及躲闪，就被脏水从头泼到脚。
兔子屎！
灰翅全身湿透，他抖了抖皮毛，朝四周看了看。只见雷鬼路在他面前延伸开去，两边各有一排红石头巢穴。他不知该从哪儿找起，甚至连回森林的路都不认识了。
我迷路了！
“又是你！”灰翅身后传来一个声音，“你在这儿干吗？”
灰翅连忙转身，之前在森林里邂逅的那只银色虎斑母猫映入了他的眼帘。他尴尬得全身发烫。此时他浑身湿透、又脏又臭，最不想见到的猫就是她了。
“你好。呃……你还没告诉过我你叫什么呢。”他吞吞吐吐地说。他知道这话听上去傻透了。
母猫眼珠一转，说道：“我干吗要告诉你？”
“可我已经告诉过你我的名字了。”灰翅委屈地说。
“嗯，你是说过你叫灰什么的。”银色虎斑母猫故作叹息道，“好吧。我叫暴雨。这下你满意了吧？不过你还是没告诉我你在这儿干什么。你是迷路了吗？”
“呃……算是吧。”灰翅承认道。
暴雨的鼻子里发出哧的一声：“说实话，你连只幼崽都不如！让你用上四只脚掌，你都找不着自己的尾巴。话说回来，你想到哪里去？”
“我来找我的朋友。”灰翅解释道，“她可能和一只叫班布尔的猫在一起。班布尔是一只玳瑁色的猫……她长得胖乎乎的，胸前的毛是白色的，脚掌也是白色的。”
“噢，我认识她。”暴雨说，“如果你愿意，我带你去她主人的巢穴那里。”
“那太好了。”灰翅松了一口气，他终于不用在这可怕的地方瞎转悠了。尽管如此，他还是希望前来帮他的猫不是暴雨。在她眼里，我一定是个十足的鼠脑子吧。
暴雨向他摆了摆尾巴，示意他跟上。他俩绕过下一个拐角，顺着两座两脚兽巢穴间的一条狭窄的小路走了进去。
“真没想到在这里见到你。”灰翅说道，尽量使自己的语气听起来很友好，“你看上去不像宠物猫。”
暴雨停住脚步，杏眼圆睁。“我不是宠物猫！”她吼道。
灰翅顿时吓得一句话也不敢说了。他郁闷地想：我怎么老是说错话啊！
最后，暴雨在一段两脚兽栅栏边停了下来。“从这里过去就是。”她用尾巴示意。接着，她用脚掌拍了拍灰翅的鼻子：“你确定不会再走岔了吧？”万幸的是，她在拍灰翅鼻子的时候，爪子是收起来的。
“不会，谢谢你。”灰翅回答。
银色母猫转身离开。突然，她回眸一笑，那双绿莹莹的眼睛亮闪闪的：“等你下次需要救援时我们再见面吧。”
目送她离去之后，灰翅从栅栏间的一个洞钻了进去。那儿有一条窄窄的小路通向巢穴，路的两旁绿草茵茵，周围茂密的矮树丛间鲜花正朵朵盛开。他张嘴捕捉空气里的气息，分别辨认出了玳尾和班布尔的气味。
“玳尾！”他大声喊道。
可是，灰翅等了好久也不见有猫出来。他不禁怀疑这两只猫是否还在里面。他暗忖：说不定玳尾都回家了，看来我这是白跑了！
终于，巢穴边上的一个片状物被顶了开来，玳尾和班布尔匆匆走了出来。“灰翅！”玳尾蹦跳着跑到灰翅身边，两眼兴奋得发光，“你终于来班布尔这里玩啦。我好开心。”
“我不是来玩的，我是来带你回去的。”灰翅说。
玳尾的兴奋劲顿时就没了踪影。“我才不需要你出来救我呢！”她怒气冲冲地斥道。“雨太大，我不过是在这里借宿一晚罢了！何况班布尔的主人真的很好，”她接着说道，“他们甚至给我东西吃。”
“它们是两脚兽，不是主人。”灰翅震惊地嘶吼道，“你还记得自己是只野猫吗？”
“我没有。”玳尾反驳道，“你还记得要注意自己的礼节吗？”
灰翅这才想起来班布尔此时正站在离他几尾远的地方，看上去十分尴尬。
“班布尔，我为灰翅的行为感到抱歉。”玳尾说道，“他平时没这么讨厌的。”
灰翅愤愤地发出低嘶。他气呼呼地想：她干吗要为我道歉？！
班布尔点了点头：“没关系。”
“我跟你回去。”玳尾对灰翅说，她生气地抽动着尾巴尖，“省得你在这里大吵大闹的。再见，班布尔。我明天在大橡树那里见你。”
说完这话，她从两脚兽栅栏间挤了出来，大步向前走去。灰翅不好意思地向班布尔点了点头，跟着玳尾离开了那里。
他俩走了一段路后，灰翅开口说道：“对不起，我惹你生气了。我只是很担心你。”
玳尾看了他一眼，脸上不悦的神色缓和了下来：“好吧，我也有错，我不该在外面待这么长时间。但那时雨下得太大了，我不想冒雨跑回去。班布尔的巢穴可好玩了！她的食物虽然看上去有点儿像兔子粪，但是味道很好。我就睡在和你说过的那种软石头上。”
说着说着，玳尾的眼中流露出一丝失望的神情，她兴奋的声音也渐渐低沉了下去。虽然玳尾刚才滔滔不绝地讲了那么多，但灰翅对班布尔的巢穴实在提不起兴趣。他甚至为自己的无动于衷感到有些愧疚。可是，我们毕竟不属于两脚兽，只这一个理由就足够了。
灰翅穿过树林，他一边留意着猎物的动静，一边琢磨着是否要去看看晴天和锯峰。大雨已经过去了两天，他脚掌下的地面仍是潮湿的，不过，这天的阳光十分灿烂。
灰翅动了动耳朵，他听到了森林深处传来的声音。可是，那不是猎物的叫声，而是一声恶狠狠的咆哮，还有个声音大喊道：“卑鄙的小偷！”
灰翅一惊，他还以为有部落同胞遭到了袭击，便连忙朝那声音的方向飞奔了过去。他冲出一丛接骨木，看见两只森林猫站在那里：一只白色公猫，另一只是他之前见过的体形娇小的黄色母猫。他俩把另一只猫逼到了盘根错节的橡树下。灰翅定睛一看，那只猫正是暴雨，他顿时心跳加速。
“这里不欢迎外来者。”白色公猫吼道，“滚开！”
“可我不是外来者。”暴雨反驳道，“我一生下来就住在这里了。”
那只黄色小母猫二话不说，挥掌就向暴雨打去。暴雨连忙后退，身子被迫贴在了树根上。
“不许碰她！”灰翅大吼一声，向前一跃，纵身跳到了那只白色公猫身上。
公猫咆哮起来，挥起利爪向灰翅发动攻击。灰翅用后脚连蹬了公猫几下，两只猫在地上的残枝败叶中滚来滚去。他模糊地意识到，暴雨和黄色母猫也发出阵阵愤怒的嘶吼，她俩此时也打在了一起。
这时，白色公猫利爪一挥，打中了灰翅的肩部，灰翅痛得面部扭曲了起来。他猛冲上前，想咬住公猫毛茸茸的喉咙，但公猫及时扭头避开，不过还是被灰翅咬到了耳朵。
白色公猫尖叫一声，连忙抽开了身子。鲜血从他的耳朵处流了下来。他匆匆爬了起来，头也不回地跑了。见状，黄色母猫也匆忙跟着跑了上去。没跑几步，她突然转身吼道：“我们不会就此罢休的！”
灰翅和暴雨并肩站在一起，他俩喘着粗气，看着这两只泼皮猫消失在了灌木丛中。
“你刚才不用管我的。”暴雨尾巴一甩说道，“这点儿事我能应付得来。”
“我想这次该轮到我救你了。”灰翅反驳道。虽然他暗暗佩服暴雨的勇气，她那不服输的样子也让他十分欣赏，但灰翅的心里多多少少还是有些失落。要是她能谢谢我就好了。
“不过，既然你来了，”暴雨说，“不如带我去看看你和你朋友们住的地方吧？你知道的，你们的事总能传到我的耳朵里。”
灰翅顿时觉得心头暖暖的。他开心地咕噜了一声：“跟我来。”
他带着暴雨穿过树林，爬上斜坡，来到了猫儿们栖息的凹地附近。
“你们这里的隐蔽性不太好。”暴雨迟疑地说。
“噢，那些金雀花丛下又干燥又暖和。”灰翅说，“而且我们喜欢开阔的空地。这能让我们想起以前的家园。”
“你们以前住在哪儿？”暴雨问。
“你看到那些尖尖的山峰了吗？”灰翅用尾巴指了指高石山，“我们原来住的大山和那里有点儿像，不过大山要比那里高多了。而且我们以前住的大山非常非常的远，你从这儿是看不到的。”
暴雨瞪大了那双绿莹莹的眼睛。灰翅见自己这次终于给她留下了深刻的印象，心里不由得美滋滋的。“哇哦！”暴雨惊叫起来，“你们从那么大老远过来，是不是连脚掌都磨穿了啊！”
灰翅刚要接话，这时，他看到玳尾从凹地边上的金雀花丛中钻了出来，朝他俩走了过来。
“玳尾！”灰翅招呼道，“快来见见暴雨。”
玳尾走了过来，向银色虎斑母猫点了点头。“我是玳尾。”她礼貌地问候道，“见到你很高兴。”
“你要上哪儿去？”灰翅问。
玳尾顿时蓬起颈部的毛发，喝道：“反正不是去两脚兽地盘！别瞎猜了！”
暴雨支起耳朵，朝灰翅投去惊讶的目光。
灰翅叹了口气，对她说：“这太复杂了，一下子说不清楚。”
灰翅没再去管玳尾的去向，他和暴雨一起转身向树林走去。
他俩走到森林边上。灰翅问：“我们明天能再见面吗？你可以带我去森林里看看。”
暴雨绿莹莹的眼睛盯着。“我听说，这里已经没有你和你的朋友还没去过的地方了！”不过，灰翅还没来得及心生沮丧，暴雨的目光便柔和了下来，“好吧。明天中午我们在四棵树见面。”
暴雨用尾巴抚了抚灰翅的面颊，随后，转过身小跑着离开了。灰翅呆呆地望着她，直到她的背影消失在蕨丛中。
灰翅转身刚爬上荒原的斜坡，就看见雨拂花正坐在他上方的一块石头上。
“我刚才看到你们了。”她忽闪着蓝眼睛顽皮地说，“谁又能料到呢——灰翅竟爱上泼皮猫啦！”
“不是那样的。”灰翅含糊其词地说，用爪子不停地扒拉着地上的野草。尽管如此，一个念头还是悄悄从他的心里冒了出来：不知道暴雨会不会愿意搬到荒原上来住呢？
第二十章
第二十章
回到凹地，灰翅看到寒鸦啼和鹰扑头挨着头，眼中含笑，正在一起喁喁细语。他这才意识到寒鸦啼已经成年，个头也长得比鹰扑高大。此时，他俩正亲密地站在那儿，看来他们之间的关系已经超越了友情。
“我们要是在这里能迎来些幼崽就好啦。”
灰翅被这突如其来的声音吓得跳了起来。他这才反应过来，原来斑毛早就走到了他的后面，刚才她也一直在打量着这对年轻猫呢。
“那我们就要养活更多的猫了。”碎冰嘀咕道。不过他说话的时候神采奕奕，看来他还是同意斑毛的看法的。
灰翅感到全身一阵酥麻。他想：不知道这会儿暴雨在做什么。
一想到那只银色母猫，灰翅感到全身的肌肉立刻充满了能量。他又爬出凹地，迈开四肢在荒原上飞奔了起来。他腿部发力，不断地加快速度，尽情享受着奔跑带来的愉悦。凉爽的风吹拂着他的皮毛，他多么希望自己能就这么一直跑下去啊！
可他刚跑到一个山包的顶上，一只兔子就迎面撞向灰翅。兔子惊叫一声，灰翅猝不及防，差点儿被顶翻在地。出于本能，他张开利爪，挥掌划穿了兔子的喉咙。兔子瘫软下来，倒在他的脚掌旁，痛苦地抽搐着，很快便断了气。
灰翅见不费吹灰之力就捕到了猎物，不禁心花怒放。不过，当他抬起头时，却看到金雀花和风一起向他跑了过来。
“呃。”他立刻后退一步咕哝道。很快，这两只泼皮猫就来到了他的面前。灰翅连忙解释道：“对不起。它直冲我撞了过来。我不是要偷你们的猎物。”
没想到，风朝他友好地眨了眨眼睛。“我们看到整个经过了。”她说道，“反正是只大兔子。你可以和我们一起吃。”
“好啊。”金雀花表示赞同，“我们都需要吃东西。这里的猎物多得足够每只猫吃饱的。”
灰翅点了点头。“谢谢。那天我看到了你们是怎样捕兔子的，真是开了眼界。”他继续说，“也许我们也可以教你们一些狩猎技巧。”
金雀花和风对视了一眼。灰翅希望自己的话没有太唐突。
最后，风打了个咕噜：“这主意不错。”
“当然。不过我们能不能开始吃兔子了？”金雀花问道。他盯着猎物，用舌头舔了舔嘴巴。
风叹了口气：“行，你这馋猫。”接着，她转而对灰翅说道：“我们一起吃的时候，你可以和我们说说你自己和你朋友们的事。听说你们是从很远的地方过来的。”
灰翅向他俩看了一眼。见他俩不再怀有敌意，便高兴起来。“我们从大山一路跋涉来到了这里。”这时，他突然来了兴致，邀请道，“你俩为什么不来见见我的朋友们呢？”
金雀花和风彼此对望了一眼。“好吧。”金雀花说，“我们大家可以一起把这兔子吃了。”
金雀花和风一起拖着兔子，跟着灰翅向凹地走去。可是，凹地上从来没有陌生的猫来访过。就连暴雨上次也没走到凹地里去。想到这儿，灰翅的心开始七上八下起来。
他走下凹地，大伙儿纷纷从金雀花丛下的窝里探出头，好奇地打量着两只陌生的猫。高影走到凹地中间，在那里等着灰翅过去。
“这是怎么回事？”她问道。
“呃……这是金雀花，这是风。”灰翅回答，“他俩住在荒原上。”
高影眯缝起眼睛。“这两只猫以前找过我们的麻烦。”她提醒灰翅说，“他们曾说你偷了他们的猎物。”
灰翅看到寒鸦啼在一旁亮出了爪子。
“很抱歉。我们知道我们那时错了。”金雀花礼貌地低下头说。
“我们把这只猎物带来与你们分享。”风补充道，她动了动耳朵，向那只死兔子指去。
高影迟疑片刻，然后点了点头。“欢迎你们。”她说。不过，她的声音仍冷冷的。
大伙儿见高影同意，便纷纷上前，和金雀花、风一起围住猎物。大家一边畅快地吃着兔子，一边回答金雀花和风一连串的问题。他俩对猫儿们的山中老家和这段远行十分好奇。谈笑间，大伙儿对他俩友善了起来，就连高影也放下了戒备，还吃了几口兔子肉。
等金雀花和风离开后，雨拂花走上前对灰翅说：“也许这里并不是每只猫都要和我们作对。风和金雀花就很不错。”
灰翅点了点头，不过他听见高影用鼻子哼了一声。他意识到，她现在还没有接受其他猫的打算。
没过多久，玳尾嘴里叼着一束草叶出现在凹地顶上。灰翅起了疑心，他眯缝起眼睛。为了判断玳尾身上是否有两脚兽的气味，他开始捕捉空气中的气息。“你去哪儿了？”他问道。
没等玳尾回答，云斑就出现在了她的身后，他嘴里也叼着一束草药。“谢谢。”他说，“河边长了那么多的草药，谢谢你来帮忙。”
灰翅顿时羞愧难当。我不该如此多疑。
玳尾把草药放到云斑的窝旁，灰翅一直跟在她身后。“对不起，玳尾。”他说，“你去哪里是你的自由，我不该干涉。”
玳尾朝他眨了眨眼睛，灰翅的道歉似乎又让她开心了起来。“没关系。”她打了个咕噜。
次日上午，灰翅觉得身上痒痒的，好像皮毛里有蚂蚁在爬。他本想给自己的窝再找些垫草铺上，但他觉得这事实在无聊，而且也未必有用。他在想是不是去看看晴天，但他的身体却没有去哥哥那边的兴致。太阳慢悠悠地升上天空，时间从没像现在过得这样慢。
“嘿！”玳尾跳到灰翅身边，用头顶了顶他的肩部，“你想和我去狩猎吗？”
灰翅看着她，一时间没反应过来她刚刚说了什么。“哦……不了，谢谢。”他最后说，“我要去见一只猫。”
她好奇地看了他一眼：“谁？”
“暴雨。你昨天见过她。”
玳尾突然把头缩了回去，好像有猫要挥掌打她似的。出乎灰翅预料的是，她的眼睛里有一种受伤的神情。“好吧。那你去见她吧。”说完，她咕哝着走开了。
灰翅几乎立刻就把玳尾的古怪行为抛到了脑后。我必须去见暴雨！他飞奔过荒原。可等他来到四棵橡树那边的山谷顶上的时候，还没到中午呢。
他走下斜坡，向树林中走去，凉爽的蕨叶轻轻擦过他的肩部。突然，他朝地上一个金色的阳光斑点扑了过去。随即，他尴尬地抽了抽胡须：自己的一举一动竟和幼崽一样幼稚，真是不可思议。
他在心里暗暗计划着：我这就爬到橡树上去。等暴雨出现，我就跳到她身上，吓她一跳！
灰翅轻快地跑过山谷，朝离他最近的橡树上纵身跳去。他努力回想着晴天和锯峰爬树时的情景。他们爬起树来多轻松啊！想到这里，灰翅把爪子嵌进树皮，往上爬了几尾高的距离，但等他爬到最低的那些树枝上时，他的脑袋卡在了橡树的枝叶中。由于枝叶的遮挡，他现在看不到自己的位置了。更糟的是，一块树皮突然掉了下来，他只剩一只前掌还攀在树上，而身子已经悬在了半空中。
“好玩吗？”
树下这揶揄的声音让灰翅感觉掉进了冰窟。他忙在树上稳住身子，然后向下看去，只见暴雨正站在橡树根上笑盈盈地仰头望着他。
兔子屎！
他用最快的速度蹿下树，从离地面几尾高的地方跳了下来。“你好。”他装出一副若无其事的样子说，“我只是想上去了解一下从那儿究竟能看到多远。”
“要是那样的话，刺猬都会飞了。”暴雨嬉笑道。接着，她用尾巴尖掸了掸灰翅的耳朵：“我们到底还去不去森林？”
不等灰翅回答，她便带头出了山谷，一头扎进了森林。没过多久，他俩来到一条小溪前。溪水淙淙地从山石间流过，在太阳底下粼粼发光。暴雨沿着小溪往前走，在一根倒在溪水上的树枝前停了下来。她轻快地从树枝上跑了过去，等着灰翅跟上来。
“这条小溪是不是会流到那些大岩石那儿的河里？”说着，他从树枝末端跳到地面。
“对。”暴雨回答，“看来你已经去过那里了。”
灰翅点了点头说：“我和我哥哥一起去探险的。”他俩一起跳进树林。灰翅又问道：“你就住在这附近吗？”
“噢，我爱住哪里就住哪里。”她尾巴一挥，开心地说，“森林里的好地方多得是。不过你可别去那边。”她用耳朵指向半掩在树中的一堆岩石，继续说道：“那里有蛇。如果你被它们咬了，就会生病，甚至会没命的。”
虽然心中暗自吃惊，但灰翅仍强作镇定：“谢谢你告诉我这些。”
他俩沿着另一条小溪走下一道深谷，谷里金雀花开得正艳。他俩又穿过一大片沙坑，暴雨在那里停下，低头舔着溪水喝了起来。
“这里猎物丰富。”她对灰翅说，“有许多老鼠和田鼠。”
“还有松鼠。”灰翅补充道，他想起了自己和晴天、锯峰一起狩猎的情景，“前方有片山毛榉树，里面松鼠特多。”
暴雨抬头看了看，几滴亮亮的水珠从胡须上落了下来。“看来你很了解这里嘛。”她惊讶地说。
“其实，我的兄弟就住在这一带。”灰翅解释道，“我们不如一起去见见他们吧？”
这次，灰翅带头朝晴天的新家走去。自从上次和晴天、锯峰狩猎以来，已经过去了四天。他也很想再见到他的兄弟们。
灰翅很快就嗅到了晴天和锯峰的气息，他俩的气息和另外一股气味混在一起。那股气味要更浓烈些。不过，他不认识那只猫。他绕过黑莓丛，看见一只硕大的棕色公猫正瞪着黄眼睛看着他。
“你是谁？”灰翅问道，他猛地停下脚步，做好应战准备。
“我还要问你是谁呢！”公猫咆哮道，“这里是晴天的地盘。”
灰翅惊得目瞪口呆。他原本估计这是只森林里的泼皮猫。可听到这只猫竟然提起了晴天的名字，灰翅顿时困惑不已。
“晴天是我哥哥。”他说，“我们来探望他。这有什么问题吗？”
“你别自找麻烦。”这只泼皮猫眯缝起黄色的眼睛，发出一道凶光，“晴天不喜欢有陌生的猫在他营地附近逗留。”
灰翅怔住了：他的什么？泼皮猫是这么称呼他们住的地方的吗？
“我不是陌生的猫！”灰翅喝道，怒火在他心中燃烧了起来，“我是他弟弟！”
棕色公猫又眯起眼睛：“好吧。不过，为了防止你是个骗子，我亲自带你去见晴天。你可别打什么主意。”
说罢，他用尾巴示意，带头走上蕨丛中的一条狭窄的小路。灰翅和暴雨对视了一眼。
“这是怎么回事？”暴雨问。
“我也不知道。”灰翅说。
他跟在这只棕色公猫身后走着，暴雨紧随其后。他们钻出蕨丛，来到掩映在树林间的凹地上。这里隐蔽性较好，他的兄弟们正是在这里安家的。此时，晴天正舒展四肢，在黑莓丛下清理毛发，落羽正蹲坐在水潭边上，疾水在她身旁。令灰翅震惊的是，之前见过的那只小个头的黄色虎斑母猫也和她们在一起。在灰翅印象中，这只个头不大的虎斑猫十分凶悍，而此刻她居然安静地坐在他的朋友身边，这一幕实在是匪夷所思。
棕色公猫迈步穿过凹地，来到晴天面前。“这两只猫要到这里来，被我发现了。”说着，他用尾巴指了指灰翅和暴雨，“这只公猫说他是你弟弟。”
晴天一跃而起：“他是我弟弟。你好，灰翅。”
灰翅和暴雨向晴天走去。棕色公猫愣愣地杵在一边。
灰翅上前和晴天触了触鼻子。“这是狐狸。”晴天对灰翅说，“他决定加入我们了。”
“这位是狐狸的姐姐花瓣。”落羽在水潭那头喊道，“她也过来和我们一起住了。”她凝视着狐狸，眼睛里闪着兴奋的光，“这样很棒吧？”
灰翅惊呆了，好像被闪电击中了一般。“是吗？”他困惑地问晴天，“你让泼皮猫和你们住一起？”
晴天打趣道：“别忘了，我们也是泼皮猫。对了，你有什么事吗？”
“我带暴雨来见你。”灰翅用尾巴指了指银色母猫，“她就住在这附近。”
“欢迎……”晴天的声音一开始还很高兴，可当他的目光和暴雨相遇，他就不出声了，只是目不转睛地看着暴雨。
暴雨似乎不知该说什么。灰翅希望她没被狐狸方才那恶劣的态度吓住。
“那么……你住在哪儿？”晴天问，很明显这些话是从他嘴里挤出来的。
“不是什么特别的地方。”暴雨快速地眨着眼睛，“我……呃……”
“她有时会去两脚兽地盘。”灰翅见暴雨有些不知所措，便插话道，“不过她不是宠物猫。”
可是，暴雨和晴天好像都没听见他在说什么。晴天蓝色的眼睛盯着暴雨绿色的眼睛，灰翅没见过这么紧张的氛围。
“这里……很不错。”暴雨用尾巴向凹地扫了一圈，继续说道，“很舒适。”
“是的……我们很喜欢这里。”
灰翅在一旁完全蒙了：他俩都变成跳蚤脑子了吗？
晴天和暴雨又彼此凝视了良久。他俩颈部的毛发都微微蓬了起来，尾巴尖也在不停地摆动。看这架势，就算这时他俩突然向对方跳上去，灰翅也不会感到奇怪。
“嘿，我们为什么不——”灰翅想要缓和气氛。
“我得走了。”暴雨唐突地打断了他的话。
晴天惊讶地问道：“为什么？”
暴雨茫然地摇了摇头，最后开口说：“我得去狩猎。”
“那么，希望你很快能再来。”晴天邀请道。失落的心情明显地挂在了他的脸上。
“我会的。”暴雨说完，转过身走出了空地。灰翅瞥了晴天一眼，转身跟着暴雨离开。
灰翅不解地想：刚才这算怎么回事？他追上暴雨问道：“你还好吗？”
“什么？”暴雨转身看了看灰翅，不过她好像有些心不在焉，“哦，是的，我没事。”
她来到河边，沿着河边朝四棵橡树走去。灰翅意识到，他俩之间那种无忧无虑的友情已经如晨雾般消散了。
他俩在树林边上停住脚步，灰翅问：“我们明天还能再见面吗？”
暴雨叹了一口气：“我不知道……我们改天再在这附近见吧，好吗？”不等灰翅回答，她就转身跳进了森林深处，只留下灰翅怔怔看着她离去的背影。
第二十一章
第二十一章
灰翅想不明白，为什么只隔了短短一天，世界就发生了如此之大的变化。四棵大橡树还是一如既往地挺立在那里，可此刻它们的叶子却默默地挂在枝上，不再富有生机。一丝风都没有，森林里阴森森的。空中浓云密布，把太阳挡了个严严实实。最糟的是，暴雨已不知所踪。
突然，灰翅听到簌簌的声响，他的心里腾起了希望。蕨丛摇曳了几下，有猫在向谷底靠近。可令他失望的是，出来的是玳尾。不见暴雨，他的尾巴又耷拉了下来。
“嘿！”玳尾蹦蹦跳跳地向他跑来，“我要去狩猎，你想一起来吗？”
灰翅摇了摇头：“对不起。我在等暴雨。”
“又在等她？”
“是的，还是在等她。”灰翅回答。他能听出玳尾的话中透出一丝不悦，这让他感到有些不快。可是，他既渴望见到暴雨，又困惑为何她没有出现。这些念头在他脑海中久久萦绕、挥之不去，他必须找只猫一吐为快。“我……我真的很喜欢她。”他承认道，“我想请她来凹地和我们一起住。”
玳尾睁大了眼睛。灰翅看到她深邃的绿眼睛中满含悲伤，心里十分不解。
“哦……我明白了。”她说，“那我这就走。”说完，她猛地转身，朝两脚兽地盘飞奔了过去。
灰翅纳闷起来：可她刚刚还说要去狩猎呢。随即，他又开始四处寻找起暴雨来。他在一处嗅到了她的气息，但后来意识到气息是陈旧的，也许是他俩前天见面时留下来的。
“灰翅。”
身后有猫喊他，可是这依然不是他想要听到的声音。他转过身，发现高影正在半山坡上示意他过去。
“我们一起走走吧。”她邀请灰翅来到她身边，“我得和你聊聊。”
高影带头穿过森林，他俩在荒原边上走着。“你之前说，有新来的猫和晴天、月影他们住在一起了，你再给我说说他们那边的情况吧。”
灰翅耸了耸肩。不过，他的两眼仍盯着树林，时刻关注着暴雨的踪影。“我已经把知道的都和你说了。”他回答道，“据我所见，他们看上去相处得不错。”
高影若有所思地点了点头：“那你觉得，我们是不是也该邀请金雀花和风搬过来一起住呢？”
灰翅吃了一惊。他万万没想到高影竟会有这样的念头。那次他带两只泼皮猫去凹地里，高影并没表现出十分欢迎的样子。
“这不太合乎常理。”他犹犹豫豫地说，“在大山里是没有其他猫的。所以，我们不大容易接受邀请陌生猫同住的想法。”
“这我知道。”高影表示赞同，“不过或许我们该考虑一下这个问题。这样，我们狩猎时可以互相帮助。而且万一有狗或狐狸来犯，我们也能多些力量防御。”接着，她叹了口气，补充道：“要是荫苔现在还和我们在一起那该多好，那样他就会知道该怎么做了。”
“那也不一定。”灰翅说，“这个问题他以前也没遇到过。”他沉思片刻，继续说道：“也许我们该按照尖石巫师说的去做，她叫我们把自己的直觉放在第一位。”
“那好。”高影的声音突然提高了，“我的直觉就是，不要急着让别的猫过来一起住。不管怎么说，现在还不是时候。”
“我没意见。”灰翅说。然而，他却不禁在心里嘀咕起来：那暴雨该怎么办呢？
接下来的几天中，灰翅强迫自己不要整天寻找暴雨。他让自己尽量地忙碌起来，有时去狩狩猎，有时帮忙改进凹地里的窝。
为了搜寻铺窝用的苔藓，他一直来到了河边。这时，他听见有猫友好地招呼道：“灰翅！”
原来是金雀花在喊他，风就站在金雀花身后。他俩蹦蹦跳跳地向河边跑来，分别和灰翅触了触鼻子。
“见到你们真好。”灰翅说，“猎物捕得怎么样？还不错吧？”
“还行，谢谢。”风回答道，“不过这几个月来，我们最棒的猎物就数上次那只兔子啦。”
“你们营地真的很有趣。”风友好地摆了摆尾巴，“我们能再去那里拜访你吗？我们可以领你们去看看一些狩猎的最佳地带。”
“要不下次吧。”灰翅尴尬地说，“我们现在有点儿忙。”
金雀花点了点头：“没问题。”
灰翅见两只泼皮猫并不介意，便松了口气。他喜欢与金雀花和风相处，要不是刚和高影谈过，他就会邀请他俩去凹地了。他能理解高影的心情：她很谨慎，还不想和陌生的猫走得太近。
那暴雨怎么办啊？他心里不禁又着急起来。但是，在他的眼里，暴雨并不是陌生的猫。
一想到这只银色母猫，他又开始焦虑不已：到处都找不到暴雨，我恐怕不该掉以轻心……她可能遇到麻烦了！
灰翅作别金雀花和风。他丢下刚刚找到的苔藓，直接穿过荒原，往森林走去。他加快脚步，心里暗自下了决心：如果有必要，就先直入两脚兽地盘一探究竟。不过，还没等他走到树林边上，这只银色虎斑母猫就从灌木丛里钻了出来。灰翅惊讶地刹住了脚步。
暴雨见灰翅突然出现在眼前，一下子惊得跳了起来。在那一瞬间，灰翅甚至怀疑暴雨是否希望见到他。不过，当他向暴雨跑过去时，她的目光又温柔了起来，看样子她还是欢迎他的到来的。“你好。”她说，“最近怎么样？”
“还不错。”灰翅说。他本来想问暴雨这些日子去哪儿了，但又担心惹她不快。她此时就平安无事地站在我眼前，这才是最重要的。
两只猫并肩走到河边，在河岸上蹲伏了下来，眼睛凝视着淙淙的河水。河底，小鱼正在石头缝里游来游去，鱼鳞在阳光下闪闪发光。
“我有个朋友会抓鱼。”灰翅说。
暴雨的眼睛瞪得大大的：“真的吗？好厉害！”
他俩又沉默了下来。这气氛让灰翅颇觉尴尬。他心中有千言万语要和暴雨倾诉，可是他却难以开口。
“我希望能再邀请你到凹地里去。”灰翅最后说，“但是高影目前对陌生的猫有些防范。不过我们可以在其他地方见面，不是吗？”
“当然。”暴雨说，不过，她却没提任何建议。
灰翅靠近她，想和她触触口鼻，但她却扭过头，站了起来。“好啦，下次再见。”她开心地说，然后向树林中跑去。
灰翅痴痴地望着她离去的背影，尴尬得全身发烫：我是不是又说错话了……我一点儿也不了解她。
灰翅搜集好苔藓后，向凹地跑了回去。他来到凹地，把苔藓放到新窝旁，鹰扑和云斑正在那里忙活。这时，他看到玳尾从两脚兽地盘的方向走了回来。她的身上没有带任何猎物，只有一股浓烈的两脚兽气味。
“你又去找班布尔了。”他厉声说。由于之前和暴雨的邂逅有些别扭，他的心里现在还没完全恢复平静。于是，他不耐烦地对玳尾说：“你是不是真的更愿意和她在一起？你不想和我们在一起了吗？”
玳尾竖起耳朵，抽打着尾巴。“是吗？可你现在好像已经忙得没时间和我在一起了。”她斥责道，“或许如果我要是长着一身银色的皮毛，你的感觉就会不一样了。”
“别胡说了！”虽然嘴硬，但灰翅心里明白，他朋友说的还确实是那么回事。他的确更想和暴雨在一起。“你先别奓毛。”他放缓了语气，“暴雨是一只很棒的猫。我希望她很快就能来和我们一起住。”
玳尾漠然地看了他一眼。“很好。”她平淡地说，“我真的为你俩高兴。”说完，她竖起尾巴，头也不回地走了。
灰翅看着她的背影，完全蒙住了。站在一旁的碎冰故作夸张地叹了口气。“灰翅啊灰翅，有时候你真的跟兔子一样迟钝。”他嘀咕道。
“我不懂你的意思。”灰翅说。
碎冰眼睛一翻，什么也没说。
灰翅茫然地摇了摇头，便去帮云斑和鹰扑布置新窝去了。黄昏时分，新窝终于布置完毕。灰翅在窝里酣然大睡。很长一段时间里，他都没像这样美美地睡上一觉了。醒后，他感到神清气爽、精力充沛。他抖了抖身子，皮毛上沾着的苔藓碎屑纷纷落了下来。这时，玳尾向他走了过来。
“灰翅，我们出去一下好吗？”她问，“就我们俩。”
“当然。”灰翅决定对前一天她那奇怪的行为闭口不提，“你想狩猎吗？”
玳尾摇了摇头：“我想和你谈谈，但我想换个地方。”
她带头走过荒原，来到了瀑布轰鸣而下的峡谷。她在一边蹲伏下来，不过她没有说话，只是默默地看着汹涌的河水从岩石间流过。
灰翅在她身边坐下，开始有些不耐烦起来。“什么事？”他问道。
“我们一路上千辛万苦走到这里。”玳尾缓缓地说，“我们不知道这里是否就是终点。可是，现在……我们的目标好像已经完全不同了。”
“是啊。”灰翅说，“晴天和其他猫——”
“我不是在说晴天。”玳尾打断了灰翅的话。她咽了一口唾沫，深深地吸了一口气：“我要去和班布尔一起住了。”
灰翅惊讶得一下子跳了起来，他从耳朵到尾巴尖都无法接受玳尾的话。“不行！”他高声喊道，“你不能当宠物猫！你是只野猫！”
玳尾摆了摆尾巴。“那我就去做一只野生宠物猫。灰翅，我想，这里已经没有我待的地方了。我不会有事的。”她站起身，用鼻子碰了碰灰翅的耳朵，“你要去追求你想要的，答应我好吗？”
灰翅心里完全不懂玳尾为何要这么说，不过他还是点了点头：“我答应你。”
虽然他仍不能理解玳尾的选择，但他还是一路把玳尾送到了两脚兽地盘的边缘。当他俩从树林里看到若隐若现的巨大红色巢穴时，玳尾停下脚步，面向灰翅。
“你能告诉大伙儿我的去向吗？”她说，“我可不想引起众猫围观。”
“没问题。”灰翅说。
“我会去看你们的！”玳尾听上去故作开心地说，“别担心！”
她用尾巴抚了抚灰翅的侧腹，转身朝两脚兽巢穴跑去。灰翅看着玳尾消失在视线中。他感到心里空荡荡的，好像生命中失去了什么宝贵的东西。
他拖着沉重的步子离开了两脚兽巢穴。事情无时无刻地在发生变化。每只猫都要去选择自己的命运——正如玳尾选择和两脚兽住在一起，我选择了和暴雨在一起。想到这里，他心里充满了决心：我要请暴雨来凹地住。如果她成为我的伴侣，高影会理解我们的。
灰翅沿着河边走了一会儿。他来到大岩石附近后，转身沿着那条汇入河中的小溪走了过去。一想到要和暴雨在一起生活，他就激动得脚掌发酥。今后，他俩会一起狩猎，一起探险，一起在窝里休息。到时候，他们还会生一堆幼崽呢。
突然，一团银色的皮毛在灌木丛中一闪而过，他警觉起来。当暴雨出现在他面前时，他顿时停下了脚步。阳光在她银色的虎斑皮毛上镀上了一层美丽的光辉。
“灰翅！”她加快脚步跑了过来，对他喊道，“我正在找你呢。”
听到这话，灰翅喜出望外，仿佛全身沐浴着幸福的阳光。“我也在找你呢。”他说，“我有话想和你说。”
暴雨绿幽幽的目光里流露出困惑的神色：“我也有话要和你说。”她迟疑片刻，接着说道：“我要去和晴天住一起了。”
灰翅大惊失色，心痛得仿佛被狐狸残忍的爪子刺穿：“你为什么要那么做？”
暴雨抽了抽胡须。“自从第一次见到他后，我和他经常见面。”她解释道，“我们就要——”
灰翅一下子明白了。“噢，这样。”他说，“那，很好。”
暴雨走近灰翅，她那甜美的气味扑面而来。“很抱歉，灰翅。”她喃喃地说，“我没想到会这样，可是……”她后退一步，接着说道：“我们还会见面的。这森林也没那么大！”
说完，她转过身，优雅地摆了摆尾巴离开了。灰翅把爪子深深插入地面，他咬紧牙关，这样他才能忍住不发出任何声响。暴雨做出了她的选择，然而，她的选择不是他。灰翅从没觉得自己有这么孤独过。
他努力想理清自己的思绪：也许这是我欠我哥哥的。之前，清溪因我而死，现在，我又有机会让晴天幸福了。
第二十二章

第二十二章
灰翅轻快地跑过荒原，奔向树林。寒风犹如利爪刺穿了他的皮毛，脚掌下的野草已凝上了霜，踩上去有些扎。寒冷的季节即将来临。
前方，绿色的森林被染上了棕色、黄色和赤褐色。各种色彩交相辉映，绚丽斑斓。灰翅走近森林，萧瑟的寒风卷起枯叶吹向他的脸庞。前方，雨拂花正在树枝下蹦来蹦去，只见她不住地用脚掌耍弄着枯叶，想要在叶片落地之前把它们抓住。
灰翅停下脚步看着她。过了一会儿，他开口问道：“好玩吗？”
雨拂花迅速转过身，不好意思地眨了眨眼睛，用前掌划拉着地面。“呃……这是一种很好的运动。”她说。
灰翅发出一声咕噜，感慨地说：“森林里变化好大啊！叶子有这么多颜色……还有这么多落叶，和大山里一点儿也不一样。”
“那边的树和这边的不同。”雨拂花赞同地说。
树根旁有个浅坑，里面积满了落叶。雨拂花跳进坑里，又爬了起来，腹部的皮毛上还沾着一些枯叶的碎屑。她开心地喊道：“我就喜欢树叶这种清脆的声响，嘎吱嘎吱的，可好听了！”
灰翅看得脚掌直痒痒，他跃跃欲试，但是，他知道自己得继续狩猎去。就在此时，寒鸦啼从树林里走了出来，他抽动着尾巴，眼里闪着怒火。
“出什么事了？”灰翅走上前问道。
“刚才我想去看看落羽。”这只黑色公猫气呼呼地说，“但是，有只我从没见过的猫把我撵走了。他说晴天不想让任何猫在那片森林转悠。”
“那可真是跳蚤脑子！”雨拂花诧异地叫了起来，“你没告诉他落羽是你妹妹吗？”
“我当然说了。”寒鸦啼回答道，“但那也没用。那只猫直接亮出了爪子……他个头比我大多了。”
“我敢肯定这是场误会。”灰翅说道。他想起了自己之前去他哥哥新家时被狐狸拦住的情景，“晴天不会禁止我们前去探望的。”
寒鸦啼愤愤地咕哝道：“那么他就应该让他的猫也知道这点。”
灰翅沉思片刻。“我这就去看看他们那里是怎么了。”他说，“我很长时间都没去晴天住的地方了。”而且我也有两个多月没看到暴雨了。
他纵身跳进树林，来到小溪前，然后沿着小溪一直向他哥哥住的地方走去。他转身走上通往晴天家的小路。这时，他发现有几只猫的气息混在了一起。其中一些猫的气味十分陌生。
晴天一定又招募了更多的泼皮猫和他同住了。
他向空地走去。突然，灌木丛里钻出来两只猫，挡住了他的去路。一只是狐狸，还有一只是似曾相识的白色公猫。灰翅想起，这只公猫就是曾经袭击暴雨的几只泼皮猫之一。除了眼前这两只猫，还有那只叫花瓣的黄色母猫也在场。此时，她正蹲坐在几尾远外的一截老树桩上。
“你在这里干什么？”白色公猫粗声粗气地问道。
灰翅忍住心中的怒火：“我来看晴天。”
“他是晴天的弟弟。”狐狸插话说，“就算这样，他也没权利说来就来。”
“嗯，这借口不错。”白色公猫冷笑一声，对灰翅喝道，“我看你是来偷我们的猎物的吧。”
“怎么就是你们的猎物了？”灰翅竖起颈部的毛发，内心的怒火像暴风云般渐渐积聚起来，“不能因为你们住在这里，这附近的猎物就都成你们的了。每只猫都有权享有猎物。”
“晴天可不是这样看的。”狐狸亮出利爪，吼了起来，“你最好赶快离开，否则休怪我们不客气。”
灰翅犹豫起来。我一只猫打不过他们两个！
“马上离开！”白色公猫咆哮起来。他上前一步，恶狠狠地直逼灰翅。
“怎么了？”这时，灰翅身后响起一个清澈的声音，好像大热天里的一泓清泉滋润着灰翅的心田。他转身一看，暴雨正站在他面前。“你好。”她友好地冲灰翅点了点头，接着说，“很高兴我们又见面了。”
灰翅低下头，不知该对暴雨说些什么。
还没等他找到合适的话，白色公猫就转向暴雨辩解起来：“刚才这只泼皮猫在偷我们的猎物。”
“是吗？”暴雨奚落道，“可是我没看到他带着猎物呀！你们看到了吗？我也没在他身上嗅到猎物的气味。你俩是不是一对吃鸦食的跳蚤脑子啊？”
“我们只是在履行职责罢了。”狐狸抗议道。
暴雨杏眼一翻。“这位是晴天的弟弟灰翅。狐狸，你之前见过他的。”接着，她转向那只似乎想置身事外的母猫。“你也见过的，花瓣。”暴雨神态威严地继续说，“他想什么时候来看晴天都可以。来吧，灰翅。”
暴雨不屑地将尾巴一挥，从两只公猫身边走了过去，带着灰翅迈上通往晴天营地的小路。
“这些猫怎么这么凶啊？”灰翅问道。此时，他满心的困惑已然驱散了刚才见到暴雨时的尴尬。
暴雨回头看了他一眼：“晴天想建立一个强大的团体。他认为至关重要的一点就是不让别的猫来捕我们的猎物。”
“我明白了。”灰翅喃喃地说，虽然他还是有点儿不太相信这是真的。这里的猎物不是多得足够每只猫吃的吗？想到这里，他又问暴雨：“你喜欢住在这里吗？”
“这里很安全，猫儿们能互相照应。”暴雨回头望了他一眼说，“我和晴天很开心，因为我们的孩子会在这里长大。”
灰翅听了心里一阵发凉。不过，失落之余，他还是硬逼着自己挤出了一句祝福：“祝贺你们！我为你们高兴。”
一层浓密的蕨丛屏障环绕着晴天的空地。灰翅和暴雨刚挤了过去，晴天就冲了上来。他就像没看到灰翅一样，直接把尾巴搭在了暴雨的肩上。
“你怎么跑出营地了？”他质问道，“你要休息！不然我们的孩子怎么办？”
灰翅心想：看来失去清溪的痛苦经历让晴天的保护欲变得更强了。
不过，暴雨似乎对晴天的关切并不领情。“我只是去散散步罢了，不会伤到身子的。”她反驳道。
“别去散步了，不安全。”晴天坚持道，“现在回你的窝去，好好睡一会儿。”
暴雨的眼中充满了怒火，但她没有反抗，只是迈着步子消失在了一丛接骨木中。
灰翅见他俩起了争执，一时间尴尬不已。不过，没过多久，他的心情又开朗了起来，因为锯峰蹦蹦跳跳地来到他的面前：“灰翅！见到你太开心了！我有好多话要对你说呢。”
“见到你我也好开心啊。”灰翅说。现在，锯峰已差不多成年。他的眸子亮晶晶的，全身的皮毛都泛着健康的光泽。“你是不是——”
“我现在很忙。”晴天打断灰翅的话，“你过来有什么事吗，灰翅？对了！锯峰，你现在应该去狩猎了，快去。”
灰翅眨巴着眼睛，晴天那发号施令的样子让他惊讶不已。不过，锯峰好像并不介意，他向晴天低了低头，开开心心地跑开了。
“我可不可以喝口水呢？”灰翅问，他用尾巴指了指营地中间的水潭。那里没有猫，他只想和晴天单独谈谈，不希望别的猫打扰。
晴天不耐烦地抽动耳朵，然后点了点头：“当然可以，喝吧。”
灰翅走到潭边，虽然他并不渴，但还是做做样子舔了几口水。随后，他镇定下来，转身面向他的哥哥。
“寒鸦啼告诉我，你的猫禁止他探望落羽。”灰翅抖落胡须上的水珠，说，“我想知道这是怎么回事。”
晴天耸了耸肩。“狐狸和寒霜在守卫边界时可能太较真了些。”他承认道，“不过，只有这样，我们才能保证所有猫的安全。”
“什么？”灰翅疑惑地望着哥哥，“边界？”
“我想保护好我们的新家。”晴天解释道，他的声音听上去似乎有些戒备。
“我明白了。”灰翅慎重地斟酌着自己的措辞，“但是，我担心，这样你会在我们之间……我是指在我们这些从山里来的猫之间制造出隔阂。”
“不是那么回事！”晴天坚持道，“我们随时欢迎你们来访。”
“那么也许你要告诉狐狸和寒霜——”灰翅说。
话还没说完，远处就传来一声猫的惨叫。他急忙转身，只见落羽和月影正飞奔着从空地那头跑来。
“出什么事了？”晴天问道。
“是锯峰！”落羽上气不接下气地说，“我们刚才在捉松鼠，他不小心坠下了树。”
“他站不起来了。”月影补充道。
“带我过去。”晴天喝道。
灰翅心急火燎地跟着晴天他们走出空地。想到年纪轻轻的弟弟一直那么勇敢，还总是充满了活力，痛苦顿时吞噬了他的心：锯峰不会的！他不能死！
几只猫在森林里走了几尾远后，在一棵高大的山毛榉下停住脚步。锯峰躺在一丛被压趴了的蕨丛上。灰翅听到小弟弟的呻吟，紧绷的心顿时放松了下来：他还活着！
但是，锯峰的一条后腿扭曲成了奇怪的角度。鲜血从伤口中慢慢流了出来，在他的皮毛上凝结成块。
“我们该怎么办？”落羽焦急地问。
“我去把斑毛或者云斑喊来。”灰翅立刻说道，“他们知道该怎么治疗。”说罢，他立即动身，走之前还不忘回头对晴天喊道：“告诉狐狸和寒霜，让他们放我们过来！”
灰翅沿着树林飞奔进荒原，风嗖嗖地从他的皮毛间穿过，粗糙的野草划过他柔软的腹部。他用尽全身的力气，向凹地冲去。
他跑进凹地，云斑已外出狩猎，但斑毛在。此时，她在一抹淡淡的阳光下舒展着身体，正和碎冰喁喁私语。灰翅走上前告诉她刚刚发生的一切，斑毛马上跳了起来。
“没问题，我这就过去。”说罢，她和灰翅就出发了。
晴天他们不敢轻举妄动，只得把锯峰留在原地。落羽蹲伏在锯峰身边，轻轻地为他舔梳，并时不时地出言鼓励。看见斑毛，她连忙站了起来，退到后面。“你能帮他吗？”她问。
“当然可以。”斑毛安慰着她。随即，斑毛对锯峰说：“锯峰，我要检查一下你的腿，这样我才能知道该怎么帮你。”
“好的。”锯峰喘着粗气说，由于剧痛，他的声音显得很紧张，“斑毛，你能来我很高兴。”
这只身材修长的玳瑁色猫俯下身子，十分仔细地嗅了嗅锯峰的腿。“你们这儿有金盏花吗？”她问晴天。
“我们可以去采些过来。”说着，晴天向月影动了动耳朵，“你知道哪里有金盏花吧？”
月影点了点头，迅速跑开寻草药去了。
“灰翅，你能给我找两根又直又长的树枝吗？”斑毛问，“我还需要几根旋花草的藤蔓。”
“没问题。”灰翅回答。
他向树林深处跑去，恰巧看到一棵倒下的大树上长着旋花草，还有一窝树枝交错地堆在一起，看上去似乎是个废弃的白嘴鸦巢。他选了两根直直的树枝，扯下几截旋花草藤，为锯峰带了回去。
“谢谢你，灰翅。锯峰的腿摔断了。”她接着说道，“不过，如果我们用这两根树枝把他的腿绑住，他的骨头就能重新长好。我以前没治过这个，但有次烈雹从岩石上跌落，尖石巫师就是这样把他治好的。烈雹后来就没事了。锯峰，你也会很快康复的。”
“希望是这样。”锯峰喃喃地说。
“不过接下来，你会感到有些疼痛。”斑毛提醒他。接着，她又说道：“你们谁去再找根树枝来给他咬住。”
晴天找来一根树枝塞到锯峰嘴里，斑毛把锯峰的伤腿拉直，用两根树枝把他的腿夹住，然后用旋花草藤把它们绑紧。锯峰发出一声凄厉的哭号，他一用力，口中的树枝被生生咬断。
“好啦。”斑毛说，“最疼的一刻已经过去了。锯峰，你非常勇敢！”
这时，月影叼着一束金盏花跑了过来。斑毛嚼碎金盏花，把汁液涂到了锯峰腿上的伤口上。
“他的腿每天都要敷上更多的金盏花。”斑毛向晴天交代道，“你们可以用百里香给他缓解受惊的情绪，用罂粟籽给他助眠。你们有这些草药吗？”
“我们可以去找。”晴天说，“但是，你能留下来照顾他吗？他需要你。”
斑毛吃了一惊，和灰翅交换了个眼神。“我想可以吧。”她迟疑片刻后同意了，“灰翅，帮我把锯峰抬到他的窝里去。注意不要碰到他的伤腿。”
他俩抬起锯峰向营地里的窝走去，锯峰显然十分痛苦。当他俩把锯峰在蕨丛下的苔藓窝上放好时，锯峰几乎已经神志不清了。
“晴天是对的。我确实需要留下来。”斑毛说。不过，她看上去似乎有些勉强：“灰翅，你能告诉高影我在这里吗？”
“没问题。”灰翅说。他向斑毛和晴天道了别。离开营地时，灰翅从接骨木丛边走过，他往里头瞥了一眼，希望能再见到暴雨。可是，他只看到一团模糊的灰色在她巢穴的阴影中淡去。灰翅看到的很可能就是暴雨那身银色的皮毛，可是，她却没有出来送别。
第二十三章
第二十三章
灰翅离开了晴天的领地，但他无时无刻不在担心着锯峰的状况。没有猫给他传递关于他弟弟的消息。灰翅真心希望他要是还能和玳尾聊天就好了。
自从玳尾和班布尔住到一起后，我一直在想念她。然而，她并没像当初所说的那样回来探望灰翅他们。虽然有时灰翅能在四棵橡树那里的巨石上嗅到她的气息，但他从未遇到过她。
灰翅黯然心伤：有时候，她的离去让我觉得自己好像少了一只脚掌。
在接下来的半个月里，斑毛一直待在晴天那里。这天，日落时分，斑毛终于回到凹地。她走到大伙儿中间，气呼呼地抖了抖皮毛。
“说实在的，”她愤愤地说，“是只猫都会觉得晴天拿我当囚犯对待了。我被困在他所谓的‘营地’里了。在那里，我连伸展腿脚的地方都没有。”
“锯峰怎么样了？”灰翅着急地问。
“他又能用那条腿了。”斑毛回答道，“但仍然跛得厉害。不过这需要时间来恢复。”说完，她一下子坐在碎冰身旁：“哇，回来真好！”
“见到你回来，我真是太高兴了。”鹰扑说道，“我和寒鸦啼的孩子要出生了。我之前还在担心你不会回来帮我呢。虽然云斑很优秀，但我还是更喜欢你来帮我。”
“恭喜！”灰翅开心地说道，碎冰也在一旁连连道贺。
“寒冷的季节就要来了，现在不是生幼崽的最佳时间。”斑毛说道，“不过，鹰扑，你不用着急。我和云斑会保证你平安无事。我们最好先采些草药备着。”她补充道：“万一以后有紧急情况，我们就可以随时取用了。”
次日，灰翅去荒原上狩猎，同行的猫还有寒鸦啼、雨拂花和碎冰。
这时，太阳刚刚跃出地平线。寒风瑟瑟，野草披上了一层白霜。荒原上的水潭边和小溪边都结上了冰。猫儿们呼出的热气在空中化作一团团白雾。为了抵御严寒，大伙儿纷纷蓬起了身上的毛发。
“不知道这里会不会下雪。”雨拂花说，“现在已经够冷的了。”
寒鸦啼点了点头：“如果下雪，我们的孩子们需要有更好的安身之地。我在想，我们是不是能住到树林里去，等天暖和了，再搬回来住。”
“那样的话，晴天就会来找我们的麻烦了。”碎冰口出怨言。
寒鸦啼一听，顿时抽动耳朵抗议道：“这森林又不是晴天的！”
“快走吧。”灰翅截住话头，这两只猫对他哥哥的敌意让他心里很不是滋味，“我们还要去狩猎呢。我们来比赛，看谁能最先抓到兔子，怎么样？”
令他欣慰的是，他俩没再继续谈下去。几只猫在荒原上散开，不过尚能远远地望到彼此。雨拂花最先发现了猎物。那兔子拔腿就向长满金雀花丛的斜坡窜去，她跟在后面穷追不舍。
为了赶在兔子钻进洞前将其截住，灰翅也撒腿冲了过去。当他离雨拂花还有几尾远时，雨拂花已经跑到了一个山丘顶部。突然，她倏地没了踪影。随即，灰翅听到了她的尖叫。
“雨拂花！”灰翅惊声高喊起来。
灰翅的心咚咚直跳，他一阵疾跑，赶到先前看见她的地方。他发现自己来到了一块凹地边上，这里被茂密的金雀花丛团团围住。通往底部的斜坡上有一些岩石，岩石间的金雀花长得更为茂盛。凹地里有几个土丘，那里野草稀疏。凹地底部中央是片疏松裸露的土地，旁边矗立着一块大砾石。
“雨拂花！”灰翅再次大喊道，“你在哪儿？”
碎冰和寒鸦啼喘着粗气跑到他身边。“怎么了？”寒鸦啼急切地问道。
“是雨拂花……她一下子就不见了。”灰翅回答道。她竟那么快就消失得无影无踪，这让灰翅实在是摸不着头脑。他惊恐地想：那儿难道躲着个会吃猫的家伙？
“那是什么？”碎冰问道，他用尾巴指了指前方。
只见凹地中间的土壤突然松动了起来，随后，雨拂花的脑袋冒了出来。她用前掌划拉着土壤，可是那个洞周围的沙土在不断地塌陷。“快来救救我！”她号叫道。
寒鸦啼刚要冲上去，灰翅用尾巴拦住了他。“我们必须小心行事。”他警告道，“不然我们可能都会掉下去。”
灰翅带头朝凹地里走去，每迈一步都小心翼翼。“你没事吧？”他走近雨拂花问道。
“没事。”她说，“我吞了些土，但没受伤。这下面有一片兔子洞，里面的地道通向四面八方。”
“真的吗？”碎冰饶有兴趣地尖声问道，“里面有兔子吗？”
雨拂花摇摇头：“所有的气味都是陈旧的。”
灰翅走到雨拂花身边，他脚下的土地虽稍稍下陷了些，但还是承受住了他的体重。“我喊‘开始’的时候，你就用力蹬脚掌。”说着，灰翅十二分小心地斜着身子，叼住了她的颈背，“开始！”
雨拂花四腿发力上蹬，灰翅把她向上拉起。有那么一瞬间，灰翅真担心他俩会双双掉进洞里。幸好碎冰及时赶到，帮忙从一边叼住了雨拂花的肩部。寒鸦啼也从另一边叼住雨拂花的肩部。大家合力连拖带拽，终于，四只猫一起向后翻倒在地，他们的脚掌又踏上了坚实的地面。
“谢谢！”雨拂花气喘连连地说。她呛出几口土，把沾在皮毛上的泥土纷纷抖落。
“我们赶紧离开这里吧。”寒鸦啼心有余悸地说。
“等等。”碎冰从雨拂花掉落的洞口看了下去，他用前掌探了探洞边的土。“如果我们能把这些松土挖掉，”他解释道，“我们就能进入地道了。”
“我们干吗要进去呢？”寒鸦啼不解地问。
碎冰二话不说，纵身跳入洞中。一时间，没有任何声响。突然，他的声音从下方较远处传了过来。“雨拂花说得没错！这里真的有好多地道。土很松软。我们不用花多少力气就能把地道扩大，这样，我们就能在下面容身了。”
“金雀花和风经常在兔子洞里抓兔子。”灰翅说，他开始考虑碎冰提议的可行性了。
寒鸦啼眼中闪过一丝兴奋的光芒：“你是说，我们能沿着地道把兔子撵到它们的窝里抓住？”
“岂止是这样，”碎冰回到洞口，他扒拉着洞口松软的泥土，自己爬了出来，“这些地道纵横交错。如果发生战斗，我们还能从这些秘密地道转移到荒原的其他地方。”
灰翅凝视着碎冰，这番话让他心头一紧，全身泛起阵阵寒意：“你刚才说什么？战斗？我们和住在这里的其他猫是朋友。我们会和谁打仗啊？”
碎冰不安地看了他一眼，不过灰翅却别过脸去。“当然，这些地道确实能派上用场。”他说道，“我们可以在这里栖身，还能躲避狐狸和两脚兽。”
雨拂花点了点头：“我们要向高影汇报这事。我这就去把她喊来。”
灰翅、寒鸦啼和碎冰留在原地等着高影的到来。他们都跳进洞里，开始刨土，将地道拓宽。
“你说得对。”灰翅喃喃地说，他朝一条黑咕隆咚的地道望去，“这些地道好像通向很远很远的地方。”
寒鸦啼纵身跃入黑暗的地道中，灰翅焦急地朝里面望去。不久，寒鸦啼重新出现，他的脚掌兴奋地划拉着地面上的土。
“应该能行。”这只黑色公猫说，“我们需要挖几个通气孔，这样光线就能透下来了。我们还能把苔藓带来做窝。我和鹰扑的孩子们在这下面一定会很安全，而且还会很暖和。”
在他们说话的当口，洞里的光线突然暗了下来。灰翅转过身，依稀看到是高影的头把洞口挡住了。没过多久，她也跳进洞里，来到他们的身边。
“这里真不错！”她高兴地喊道，“这正是我们需要的地方。你们在这里嗅到狗或狐狸的气味了吗？”
碎冰摇了摇头：“这里只有陈旧的兔子气味。我想那些兔子一定是在地道开始坍塌时离开了。”
“嗯……我们要小心一些，确保地道不会在我们的头上坍塌。”高影沉思片刻，“不过，我仍然认为我们应该把营地迁到这里。天气变冷时，我们可以在地下做窝。天气转暖时，我们可以睡在金雀花丛下。”
寒鸦啼激动得跳了起来：“太好了！”
随后的几天里，猫儿们搬到了新的营地。他们把地道拓宽，运来了铺窝的垫草。云斑和斑毛小心翼翼地把草药储备运来，在地道里找了个妥当的地方放好。
寒鸦啼是最擅长探索地道的猫了。他发现了横贯荒原的几条长地道。他还发现，几条地道的出口就在凹地斜坡上的金雀花丛和岩石之间。
对于住到地下，即便是只有一段时间，灰翅的心里仍然有些矛盾。他不得不闷在封闭狭小的空间里，可与此同时，他也看到了这片地道网能给他们带来的机遇。
他默默地想：原来的凹地太暴露了。在这下面，我们不仅有地方安身，而且还能避开狐狸们的攻击。随即，他又无可奈何地想：而且……只是有这样的可能吧，我们也能避开其他的猫。