Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 "Leafpool! Leafpool, what's the matter with you? That's the third time I've called your name." The young medicine cat jumped. "Sorry, Cinderpelt." The gray she-cat bent her head to sniff at the seeds Leafpool was wrapping in a leaf. "What have you got here?" "Poppy seed." Cinderpelt sighed. "No, it's not. It's nettle seed. Honestly, Leafpool, what's the matter with you today?" Leafpool stared down at the leaf. Cinderpelt had asked her to take some poppy seed to Firestar to soothe the pain in his wrenched shoulder. She had no idea how she had taken the wrong herb from the store inside Cinderpelt's den, but the green, spiny seeds on the leaf in front of her were definitely nettle. They might have helped if Firestar had eaten something poisonous, but they wouldn't do anything to help his shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Cinderpelt." "I should think so. This morning I caught you

第三章 “叶池！叶池，你这是怎么了？ 这已经是我第三次叫你的名字了。” 这名年轻的巫医吓了一跳。 “对不起，炭毛。” 这只灰色母猫低下头，嗅了嗅叶池包在叶子里的种子。 “你这里包的是什么？” “罂粟籽呀。” 炭毛叹了口气。 “不对，这不是。 这是荨麻籽。 说真的，叶池，你今天到底是怎么了？” 叶池低头盯着这片叶子。 炭毛原本让她送些罂粟籽给火星，缓解他扭伤肩膀的疼痛。 她完全不清楚自己怎么会从炭毛巢穴的储药堆里拿错了药，但她眼前这片叶子上这些带刺的绿色种子，明明白白就是荨麻籽。 如果火星误食了毒药，荨麻籽或许能派上用场，但对他的肩膀一点用处都没有。 “真的很抱歉，炭毛。” “可不是嘛。 今天早上我就撞见你

trying to put yarrow on Mousefur's ticks instead of mouse bile." Cinderpelt's tone softened. "Is everything all right, Leafpool? Were you hurt when those ShadowClan warriors chased you?" Leafpool shook her head. "No... no, I'm fine." Her thoughts flew back to the night of the battle, when two ShadowClan warriors had chased her into the undergrowth at the top of the hollow, and plunged over the cliff to their deaths. Leafpool had almost fallen with them, her paws slipping on the rock as she tried to haul herself up. She could still feel the firm grasp on her scruff that had hauled her to safety, still see the intense gaze of her WindClan rescuer as he confessed that he loved her. Crowfeather! Every hair on her pelt tingled. "Leafpool, you're doing it again!" Shaking her head to clear it, Leafpool carried the leaf back into Cinderpelt's den. She returned the nettle seeds to the crack in the rock and took out some poppy seeds instead. "If there is anything wrong, I wish you would talk to me about it," Cinderpelt meowed,

打算把耆草当成鼠胆汁涂在鼠毛的蜱虫上。” 炭毛的语气软了下来。 “一切都还好吗，叶池？ 那些影族武士追你的时候你受伤了吗？” 叶池摇了摇头。 “没…没事，我挺好的。” 她的思绪飘回了战斗那晚，当时两名影族武士把她追到山谷上方的灌木丛里，接着跌落悬崖丢了性命。 叶池差点跟着掉下去，她往上爬的时候爪子在石头上打了滑。 她至今都能感觉到后颈那股有力的抓力把她拉回安全地带，还能清晰记得她的风族救星告白说爱她时，那炽热的目光。 鸦羽！ 她浑身的毛发都泛起了酥麻。 “叶池，你又走神了！” 叶池晃了晃脑子理清思绪，捧着叶子走回炭毛的巢穴。 她把荨麻籽放回岩石的裂缝里，取出了正确的罂粟籽。 “要是有什么心事，我真希望你能跟我说说，”炭毛轻声说道，

watching her from the entrance. "We're busier than we've been since we arrived, dealing with wounds from the battle. I need you, Leafpool. You're more than an apprentice now—you should be able to carry out medicine cat duties on your own." "I know. I'm sorry. But everything's fine, really." Of course it was—it was better than fine, when Crowfeather loved her! Leafpool wrapped the correct seeds in the beech leaf and picked up the package to carry it to Firestar. She nodded to her mentor as she nudged her way through the curtain of brambles that led into the camp. Part of her wanted to confide in Cinderpelt more than anything, but Leafpool knew she could never reveal her feelings for Crowfeather to any cat. Medicine cats were not supposed to fall in love. Cinderpelt had suspected a connection between Leafpool and the WindClan warrior before the Clans split up into their new territories. But that was before Crowfeather told Leafpool that he loved her, before Leafpool had admitted her own feelings to herself. Now it

在巢穴入口望着她。 “我们自从来到这里后，从来没这么忙过，到处都要处理战斗留下的伤口。 我需要你，叶池。 你早就不是学徒了——你应该能独立完成巫医的工作了。” “我知道。 对不起。 但真的，一切都很好。” 当然了——一切都好得不能再好了，毕竟鸦羽爱着她啊！ 叶池把正确的种子包在山毛榉叶子里，叼起来准备给火星送去。 她朝自己的导师点了点头，钻出通向营地的荆棘帘幕。 她心底有一半特别想向炭毛倾诉，但叶池清楚，她永远不能把自己对鸦羽的感情告诉任何猫。 巫医是不可以坠入爱河的。 早在族群分开前往新领地之前，炭毛就怀疑叶池和这名风族武士有牵扯了。 但那是在鸦羽向叶池告白之前，是在叶池对自己承认心意之前。 现在这事

would be even harder to hide what she felt from the wise medicine cat. She scrambled up the rocks that formed a tumbled pathway to the Highledge outside Firestar's den. Looking down into the clearing, she saw Dustpelt slipping into the nursery to visit Ferncloud and Birchkit; the patrol that had taken the bodies to ShadowClan must have returned peacefully. Leafpool set her leaf packet down on the ledge outside the den. "Firestar!" she called. "Come in!" She slid through the narrow cleft for a couple of tail-lengths until it widened out into a cave, dimly lit by the light that shone through the opening. Firestar was stretched on a bed of fern and moss at the far end. Thornclaw sat beside him. Firestar nodded a greeting to Leafpool and turned back to the golden-brown tabby. "So there was no trouble with ShadowClan?" Thornclaw shook his head. "We met Russetfur leading a border patrol, and she fetched Blackstar. He said he knew nothing about his warriors supporting Mudclaw."

想要对这位睿智的老巫医隐瞒心意，就更难了。 她爬上乱石铺成的小径，来到火星巢穴外的高岩台。 她低头看向营地空地，看见尘毛溜进育婴室看望蕨云和小桦； 送遗体去影族的巡逻队肯定已经平安返回了。 叶池把包着种子的叶子放在巢穴外的岩台上。 “火星！” 她喊道。 “进来吧！” 她顺着狭窄的石缝往里走了两尾身长，石缝渐渐拓宽成一个洞穴，洞口透入的光线把洞穴照得朦朦胧胧。 火星正摊开身子躺在洞穴尽头的蕨苔藓卧床上。 棘爪坐在他身边。 火星朝叶池点头打招呼，转回头看向这只金棕色虎斑猫。 “那和影族那边没出什么麻烦吧？” 棘爪摇了摇头。 我们遇到了带队巡逻边境的褐皮，她去叫来了黑星。 他说他根本不知道自己的武士支持泥爪。”

Firestar shrugged, wincing at a twinge of pain from his shoulder. "That could be true." "Then his warriors took the bodies away to be buried," Thornclaw finished, "and we came home." "Well done, Thornclaw. I don't want any trouble with ShadowClan." Firestar paused for a moment before adding, "We'd better be careful what we say at the next Gathering. No sense in trailing our tails for Blackstar to pounce on. Pass the word to the rest of the Clan, would you?" "Sure, Firestar." Thornclaw rose to his paws and left with a farewell flick of his tail. Leafpool padded across the cave and set down the leaf-wrapped poppy seeds. "Cinderpelt sent you these." Firestar leaned over and licked up the seeds with one swipe of his tongue. "Thank you, Leafpool. This'll teach me not to take on two warriors at once!" "You should sleep now," Leafpool meowed. As she finished speaking, she heard the sound of cats gathering in the clearing below the ledge, and Squirrelflight's voice calling, "Firestar!"

火星耸耸肩，肩膀传来的刺痛让他不由瑟缩了一下。 “那也说不定是真的。” “然后他的武士把尸体搬走安葬了，”棘爪说完补充道，“我们就回来了。” “干得好，棘爪。 我不想和影族起任何冲突。” 火星顿了顿，接着说道：“我们下次森林大会说话最好小心点。 没必要露出破绽给黑星抓住机会。 把这话传给族里其他猫，好吗？” “好的，火星。” 棘爪站起身，摆尾道别后离开了。 叶池轻步走到岩洞这边，放下包着罂粟籽的叶子。 “炭毛让我把这个给你。” 火星探过头，舌头一卷就把罂粟籽舔吃了。 “谢谢你，叶池。 这下我可记住了，再也不同时对付两个武士了！” “你现在该睡觉休息了。”叶池轻声说。 她话音刚落，就听见岩台下方空地处传来群猫聚集的声音，还有松鼠飞的呼喊：“火星！”

The Clan leader glanced at Leafpool with a gleam of amusement in his eyes. "There goes my nap. Brambleclaw's patrol must be back from WindClan." He rose to his paws and limped across the den. Leafpool followed him. Excitement rushed through her like a bubbling stream. She wanted to fling herself down the rocks and hurl questions at Squirrelflight. Had the patrol seen Crowfeather? What did he say? Had he been hurt in the battle? Had he mentioned her...? She stopped abruptly at the entrance to her father's den. If she asked just one of these questions, Squirrelflight would want to know why she was so interested in the young WindClan warrior. And even her sister wouldn't understand if she knew that Leafpool had broken the code of a medicine cat and fallen in love. Brambleclaw and the rest of the patrol were waiting in the clearing, while more of the Clan cats gathered around them to hear their news. Leafpool jumped down the tumble of broken rocks and paused, feeling puzzled as she caught a powerful wave of feeling from her sister.

这位族长看向叶池，眼中闪过一丝好笑的光。 “我的午觉泡汤了。 黑莓掌的巡逻队肯定从风族回来了。” 他站起身，一瘸一拐地走出巢穴。 叶池跟在他身后。 兴奋像冒泡的小溪一样流过她的全身。 她恨不得立刻冲下岩石，向松鼠飞问个清楚。 巡逻队见到鸦羽了吗？ 他说了些什么？ 他在战斗中受伤了吗？ 他有没有提到过她……？ 她走到父亲巢穴入口时突然停住了脚步。 如果她哪怕只问一个问题，松鼠飞都会追问她为什么对这个年轻的风族武士这么感兴趣。 就算是亲姐姐，也不会理解她打破了巫医的守则，动了心坠入爱河。 黑莓掌和其他巡逻队员都在空地上等候，更多族猫围拢过来想听他们带来的消息。 叶池跳下错落的碎岩石，顿住脚步，她感应到姐姐传来一阵强烈的情绪，不由得困惑起来。