Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9 The moon floated above the trees that surrounded the stone hollow, but the nest where Berrykit lay was in deep shadow. Leafpool crouched beside the kit and touched her nose to his. Berrykit's nose felt hot and dry with fever, and he whimpered without opening his eyes. He hadn't regained consciousness since Brambleclaw and the others had brought him back to camp, early the previous morning. Since then, Leafpool had stayed awake to keep watch over him. After doing her best with cobwebs and a poultice of marigold, she had been forced to admit defeat in her efforts to save the whole of his mangled tail. That afternoon, she had bitten through the last couple of tendons that held the end in place. Berrykit's limbs jerked and he let out a squeal of pain, but he didn't wake up. Patting more cobwebs on the new wound, Leafpool had given the end of his tail to Brightheart to bury outside the camp. Now she fetched borage leaves from her store, chewed them up, and parted Berrykit's jaws to

第九章 月光浮在环绕石凹的树林上空，贝里崽躺着的巢穴却陷在深深的阴影里。 叶池蹲在幼崽身边，用鼻子碰了碰他。 贝里崽的鼻子因为发烧又热又干，他呜咽着，始终没有睁开眼睛。 从前一天清晨黑莓掌和同伴们把他带回营地后，他就再也没有恢复意识。 从那之后，叶池就一直醒着守在他身边。 她用蜘蛛网和金盏草药膏尽力处理后，也不得不承认，自己没法保住贝里崽整条撕裂的尾巴。 那天下午，她咬断了连着尾巴末端的最后几根肌腱。 贝里崽四肢抽动，痛得尖叫一声，却依旧没有醒过来。 叶池在新伤口上又敷了些蜘蛛网，接着把截下的尾端交给亮心，让她埋到营地外。 现在她从草药储藏处取出琉璃苣叶，嚼碎后掰开贝里崽的嘴，准备

trickle a little of the juice into his mouth. StarClan willing, that should bring down his fever. She kept watch for a little longer as the moon shadow crept across the clearing, but she was so exhausted that at last her eyes closed, and she slipped into an uneasy sleep. She found herself standing on the lakeshore with the stars of Silverpelt blazing above her head. A dark shape caught her eye, farther around the lake: a cat, swiftly making his way toward her. As he drew closer she recognized Mudfur, the previous RiverClan medicine cat, who had died in their old home before the Clans made their journey. Now his body was strong and lithe, and his fur was frosted with starlight. Dipping her head, Leafpool meowed, "Greetings, Mudfur. Do you have a message for me?" "Yes," the former medicine cat replied. "I need you to take word to Mothwing." Leafpool tensed. Mothwing, the present RiverClan medicine cat, didn't believe in StarClan, and the spirits of her warrior ancestors couldn't reach her in dreams. Once before,

往他嘴里滴进一点点汁液。 星族保佑，这应该能帮他退退烧。 她又守了好一会儿，看着月影慢慢挪过营地空地，可她实在太疲惫，最后终于合上眼，沉进了不安的睡梦中。 她发现自己站在湖岸上，银带的群星在头顶灼灼闪耀。 湖湾远处有个黑影吸引了她的注意：那是一只猫，正飞快地朝她走来。 他走近后，叶池认出了他——泥毛，过世的前任河族巫医，在族群大迁徙前就死在了旧家园。 此刻他的身体强健矫健，皮毛上蒙着一层闪闪星光。 叶池低下头，开口道：“你好，泥毛。 你是给我带消息来了吗？” “没错，”这位前任巫医回答。 “我需要你给蛾翅带句话。” 叶池一下子绷紧了身体。 现任河族巫医蛾翅不相信星族，武士祖先的灵魂没办法在梦里联络到她。 从前有一次，

Leafpool had taken a message from Feathertail to Mothwing, warning her of Twoleg poison in RiverClan territory. But she had never felt comfortable about being responsible for this vital part of Mothwing's duties. She was even more reluctant now, after the new commitment she had made to her own Clan. "A RiverClan elder is suffering from greencough," Mudfur went on. "Mothwing needs catmint to cure him, but she can't find any." His eyes filled with anxiety. "Did I make a mistake when I chose Mothwing to be our medicine cat? The sign of the moth's wing outside my den seemed so clear...." He hesitated, as if he was not sure how to go on. "Leafpool, I beg you to make sure that my Clan doesn't suffer for my poor judgment." "Do you want me to take her some catmint?" Leafpool asked, remembering the thick clumps that grew near the abandoned Twoleg nest. "No. There's plenty of catmint just outside her own territory if Mothwing knew where to look," Mudfur meowed. "She must go to the small Thunderpath at the edge of her territory,

叶池曾给蛾翅带过羽尾的口信，提醒她河族领地里有两脚兽的毒药。 但要她负责给蛾翅传递这种重要信息，她一直都不太自在。 现在她更不情愿了，她刚刚才对自己的族群许下新的承诺。 “有一位河族长老得了绿咳症，”泥毛继续说。 “蛾翅需要猫薄荷才能治好他，可她找不到。” 他的眼睛里盛满了焦虑。 “当初我选蛾翅当我们的巫医，是不是选错了？ 我巢穴外那飞蛾翅膀的预兆，当时明明清晰得不得了……” 他顿了顿，好像不确定该怎么往下说。 “叶池，我求求你，别让我的族群因为我错误的判断遭殃。” “你是想让我给她送些猫薄荷过去吗？” 叶池问道，她想起废弃两脚兽巢穴附近长着一大丛茂密的猫薄荷。 “不用，只要蛾翅找对地方，她自己领地外就有不少猫薄荷，”泥毛说。 “她得去她领地边缘的那小段雷鬼路那里，

and follow it away from the lake until she comes to a row of Twoleg nests with gardens. Catmint grows there. Leafpool, will you tell her this?" He opened his mouth and a thin mewling came out. Leafpool watched in alarm as the old medicine cat faded away, but she could still hear the mewling. Her eyes blinked open and she saw Berrykit thrashing in his nest. "It hurts! My tail hurts!" he wailed. Leafpool rested a paw on his chest to calm him, and trickled more of the borage juice into his mouth. As she stroked his fur and purred soothingly into his ear, she remembered the anxiety in Mudfur's eyes as he told her about the dreaded greencough. The moon had vanished, and the first traces of dawn light were appearing in the sky; Leafpool could just make out the dark outlines of trees overhead. "How can I go to RiverClan?" she murmured. Firestar had given her permission to help RiverClan in the past, but this time she had a sick kit to consider. Berrykit might die if he wasn't cared for properly. Besides, not many days ago

沿着雷鬼路往远离湖泊的方向走，一直走到一排带花园的两脚兽巢穴。 猫薄荷就长在那里。 叶池，你能帮我把这话带给她吗？” 他张开嘴，传出一声细细的呜咽。 叶池惊慌地看着这位老巫医渐渐消失，可那呜咽声还清晰地传进她耳朵里。 她眨眨眼睁开眼，看见贝里崽正窝里痛苦地扭动。 “好痛啊！ 我的尾巴好痛啊！” 他哭嚎道。 叶池把爪子搭在贝里崽胸口安抚他，又往他嘴里滴了更多琉璃苣汁。 她轻轻顺着他的毛抚摸，对着他发出呼噜声安抚时，想起泥毛说起可怕的绿咳症时，眼里满是焦虑。 月亮已经落下去了，天空透出了第一道黎明的曙光； 叶池刚好能看清头顶树木模糊的轮廓。 “我怎么能去河族呢？” 她轻声呢喃。 火星从前允许过她帮助河族，可这次她还有生病的幼崽要照顾。 如果照顾不周，贝里崽很可能会死。 况且，就在几天前，

Leafpool had abandoned ThunderClan to go with Crowfeather—what would her Clanmates think if she disappeared again? Even if she told them she was going to help Mothwing, they wouldn't sympathize with a show of loyalty toward a different Clan. Mothwing will find the catmint on her own if she looks hard enough. At least tonight is the quarter moon, and I'll be meeting her at the Moonpool. I can pass on Mudfur's message then, without having to leave my Clan. But as she went on watching over Berrykit, she couldn't push her dream of the old medicine cat out of her mind. Was it part of her duty to carry out his request? She sighed. Why did it suddenly seem so complicated to be a medicine cat? Was her duty to ThunderClan alone, or to StarClan, and therefore all the cats that they watched over? "I'm not sure I should go," Leafpool meowed anxiously. The sun was setting, sending bloodred shafts of light into the clearing. Leafpool stood outside

叶池已经抛下雷族追随鸦羽——要是她再消失，族猫们会怎么想？ 就算她告诉大家她是去帮忙蛾翅，他们也不会同情她对其他族群展现的忠诚。 蛾翅只要仔细找，自己就能找到猫薄荷。 至少今晚是弦月，我会在月池和她碰面。 到时候我就能转交泥毛的口信，不用离开我的族群。 可她守着莓崽的时候，那只老巫医的托梦始终在她脑海挥之不去。 完成他的托付难道不是她的职责吗？ 她叹了口气。 为什么当巫医突然变得这么复杂？ 她的职责只属于雷族，还是也属于星族，要对星族看护的所有猫负责？ “我不确定我该不该去。”叶池焦急地说道。 太阳正在下沉，血红色的光束斜照进营地空地。 叶池站在外面

her den, gazing down at Berrykit. He was sleeping more peacefully now, curled up in his nest. His fever was waning, but she still wasn't convinced that his injuries were healing properly. After her vigil Leafpool felt almost too exhausted for the long journey to the Moonpool. Besides, she shrank from the thought of seeing the other medicine cats and telling them that Cinderpelt was dead. "You have to go," Brightheart told her, flicking her on the shoulder with her tail. "Berrykit will be fine with me. I know what to give him if he wakes up." Leafpool knew that was true. Brightheart was an efficient helper, and she had all the herbs she would need. And there was Mudfur's message to deliver to Mothwing. "Okay," she meowed. "I'll go. But I'll be back as soon as I can." "Don't worry about a thing," Brightheart assured her. After checking Berrykit one last time, Leafpool padded out into the clearing and headed for the thorn tunnel, saying good night to

她的巢穴，低头望着莓崽。 他现在睡得安稳多了，蜷在自己的窝里。 他的烧在退，可叶池还是不确定他的伤愈合得好不好。 守了莓崽大半天，叶池累得几乎走不动去月池的远路。 更何况，她一想到要见其他巫医，告诉他们炭毛已经死了，就退缩不前。 “你必须去。”亮心对她说，尾巴轻拍了拍她的肩膀。 有我看着，莓崽不会有事的。 他要是醒了，我知道该给他用什么药。” 叶池知道亮心说的是实话。 亮心是个能干的帮手，所有需要的药草她都备好了。 而且，她还得给蛾翅送去泥毛的口信。 “好吧。”她喵道。 “我这就出发。 我会尽快赶回来的。” “什么都不用担心。”亮心向她保证。 最后检查一遍莓崽后，叶池缓步走到空地上，朝荆藤隧道走去，向