Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22 The quarter moon had passed. Gray clouds hung heavy over the forest. Jaypaw shivered, his pelt damp from the rain. "I'm going to my nest," he mewed, nodding good night to Hollypaw and Lionpaw as they finished their evening meal beside the halfrock. Hollypaw looked up. "Already?" "I'm tired." "You want to get out of the rain, more like," Lionpaw joked. Jaypaw growled. It wasn't the dampness that made him want to leave; Lionpaw had been going on about the battle against the dogs for days, and Jaypaw didn't want to hear it all again tonight. He already guessed that Lionpaw had taken off his cobweb dressings early so he'd have some scars to show his Clanmates. Jaypaw thrust his way crossly through the bramble entrance to the medicine den. The only scars he'd ever get to show his Clanmates would be from falling down rabbit holes. Why couldn't

第22章 弦月已经过去了 灰云沉沉压在森林上空 松鸦爪打了个寒颤，毛发被雨水打湿了 "我要回窝了，"他轻声说，向刚在半石旁吃完晚饭的冬青爪和狮爪道了晚安 冬青爪抬起头 "这就走？" "我累了" "你其实就是不想淋雨了对吧，"狮爪打趣道 松鸦爪低吼了一声 其实他想走并不是因为潮湿 狮爪都絮叨打狗群的事好几天了，松鸦爪今晚不想再听一遍 他早就猜到，狮爪早早拆了蛛网绷带，就是想给族友们看自己的伤疤 松鸦爪气冲冲地挤进药洞的荆条入口 而他能给族友看的伤疤，只会是掉进兔子洞蹭的 为什么他就不能

he do something real to help his Clan, like Lionpaw? He had patched up his Clanmates after they'd driven the dogs away, but that wasn't the same as fighting on behalf of his Clan. "It sounds like it's still raining," Leafpool commented as he padded into the den. "It's not as heavy now," Jaypaw told her. "Well, at least there may be new herbs to gather by full moon," she mewed hopefully. Jaypaw wasn't so sure. The air had been tinged all day with the raw scents of the mountains; he had a feeling that ice would claw the forest once more before newleaf brought fresh life. "Perhaps we should look for the first leaves tomorrow," he suggested as he curled into his nest. Before frost has a chance to destroy them. "Perhaps," Leafpool murmured, already half- asleep. "But let's not gather them too early, before they've had time to grow." Jaypaw wanted to argue, to point out the change in the wind. But since Firestar had dismissed his warning about the dogs, he had burned with resentment. What's the point in warning them if they only ignore my advice?

像狮爪那样，真真正正帮到族群呢？ 狗狗被赶走后他也给族友包扎过伤口，但这和为族群上阵打仗不一样 "听着雨还没停，"松鸦爪走进药洞时，叶池开口说道 "现在没那么大了，"松鸦爪回答她 "唔，至少到满月的时候，说不定就能采新草药了，"她满怀希望地说 松鸦爪却不这么确定 一整天，空气中都弥漫着来自群山的清冷气息 他有种预感，在新叶季带来新生之前，寒冰会再一次侵袭森林 "要不我们明天去找刚长出来的新叶吧，"他蜷进窝的时候提议道 赶在霜把它们毁掉之前 "也许吧，"叶池轻声应着，已经快睡着了 "不过我们别采太早，得等它们长大些再说" 松鸦爪还想争辩，说出风里的异样 可自从火星不听他对狗群的警告之后，他心里就一直憋着气 要是他们根本不听我的劝告，警告他们又有什么用呢？

Jaypaw did not dream, and when he lifted his nose from his nest at dawn, the sharp tang of ice in the air stung his nose. He knew without doubt that a heavy frost lay thick over the forest. He stretched and realized that Leafpool was already awake, raking through her herb supply. "We should have gathered herbs yesterday," she fretted. "Are we running low?" Jaypaw padded sleepily to her side. He could tell that some scents were missing from the pungent mixture of smells. "This is the worst time of year." Leafpool sighed. "There are precious few fresh herbs, and the Clan is at its weakest after a long leaf-bare." "At least there's been more prey since the last frost," Jaypaw pointed out. "It'll have all bolted back into its burrows now," Leafpool warned. "Some of the warriors will go to their nests hungry tonight." The frozen brambles at the entrance to the den crackled, and Jaypaw scented Longtail pushing his way through. His anxiety turned to irritation. No wonder supplies were running low. He had been doing

松鸦爪一夜无梦，黎明时分他从窝里抬起头，空气中刺骨的冰寒刺痛了他的鼻子 他十分确定，厚厚的霜已经覆盖了整座森林 他伸了个懒腰，发现叶池已经醒了，正在翻找草药储备 "我们昨天就该去采草药的，"她焦急地说道 "草药不够了吗？" 松鸦爪睡眼惺忪地走到她身边 他闻得出，混杂的刺鼻药香里少了好几种气味 "这是一年里最难熬的时候" 叶池叹了口气 "新鲜草药已经没多少了，族群熬过漫长的秃叶季，现在是最虚弱的时候" "至少上次下霜之后，猎物变多了呀，"松鸦爪说道 "现在它们肯定全都躲回洞里去了，"叶池提醒道 "今晚有些武士要饿肚子睡觉了" 药洞门口冻硬的荆条噼啪作响，松鸦爪闻出是长尾挤了进来 原本的焦急变成了恼怒 难怪草药储备越来越少 这些天他一直都在

nothing but padding back and forth to the elders" den with herbs for Mousefur. The elderly warrior claimed she was fine, but Longtail kept worrying over her like a fretful queen fussing over her kit. "Mousefur's wheezing," Longtail announced. Of course she's wheezing, Jaypaw thought irritably. She's older than the Sky Oak, and it's freezing! He turned to the pale tabby elder. "We've tried just about every herb already." "Let's try juniper berries this time," Leafpool suggested. Or a pawful of poppy seeds, Jaypaw muttered to himself. She might sleep long enough to give me a break. "Here." Leafpool rolled a pawful of small berries toward Jaypaw. "Take these to her." Their aromatic flavor filled his nose. He bent and picked them up carefully between his jaws. Then he turned and followed Longtail back to the elders" den. The twining honeysuckle was stripped of its greenleaf foliage, and drafts whipped around the den like swirling water.

不停往长老窝跑，给鼠毛送草药 这位老武士都说自己没事了，可长尾还是一直放心不下，就像焦虑的猫妈妈疼惜幼崽一样 "鼠毛喘气费劲，"长尾说 她当然喘了，松鸦爪不耐烦地想 她比天橡树还老呢，而且天寒地冻的！ 他转向这只浅虎斑长老 "差不多每种草药我们都试过了" "这次试试杜松浆果吧，"叶池提议 不然给一把罂粟籽也行，松鸦爪暗自嘀咕 她好好睡一觉，我也能清静清静 "拿好" 叶池把一捧小浆果拨到松鸦爪面前 "把这些送给她" 浆果的芳香填满了他的鼻子 他低下头，小心翼翼地用嘴把浆果叼起来 接着他转身跟着长尾回长老窝去了 缠绕的忍冬已经落光了绿叶季的叶子，冷风像旋水一样在洞里四处乱钻

"Jaypaw," Mousefur greeted him. "You're not back again!" Her voice seemed to scour her throat like dried thistles. "You should be with cats your own age instead of spending every waking moment in here." Jaypaw's tail twitched with frustration. If only! "He's here so often only because he's worried about you," Longtail meowed. "Because you're worried about me," Mousefur corrected. "You really shouldn't fuss so much. A cat my age is bound to feel the cold more easily." "But your eyes and nose are streaming," Longtail pointed out. "That's just the cold air," Mousefur croaked. "I can get Brambleclaw to organize some warriors to pad your den walls, if you like," Jaypaw suggested. "That would be kind," Mousefur admitted. "The chill does seem to have reached right to my bones this morning." Jaypaw nosed the berries toward her. He could tell she was shivering, and yet heat flooded from her. It seemed strange, but he had been to check on her so many times, he still thought Longtail

“松鸦爪，”鼠毛向他打招呼。 “你怎么又回来了！” 她的声音沙哑得像是干蓟草刮过喉咙。 “你该去和同龄猫待在一起，别醒着就泡在这儿。” 松鸦爪烦躁地甩了甩尾巴。 要是能那样就好了！ “他总来这儿，只是因为担心你呀，”长尾说道。 “明明是你担心我，”鼠毛纠正道。 “你真没必要这么张罗。 我这个年纪的猫本来就更怕冷。” “可你又流眼泪又流鼻涕呀，”长尾指出。 “这只是冷空气冻的，”鼠毛哑着嗓子说。 “要是你愿意，我可以让黑莓掌安排几个武士给你把窝墙垫厚，”松鸦爪提议。 “那就麻烦你了，”鼠毛说。 “今天早上这寒气好像都渗到我骨头里了。” 松鸦爪用鼻子把浆果推到她面前。 他看得出她在发抖，可身上却阵阵发烫。 这有点奇怪，但他已经来看过她好多次了，他还是觉得长尾

was fussing over nothing. "I'll speak to Brambleclaw," he promised. Perhaps if he got their den fixed, the two elders could manage without him for a while. He turned and padded out of the den, lifting his nose to scent for Brambleclaw. As he scanned the camp, he stopped dead. A tiny prick of doubt, which had been smothered by irritation with the two elders, broke through. Mousefur had accepted his help too easily. And her breathing was irregular. He swung his muzzle back toward the den. The pungent juniper berries had masked another smell—the smell of illness. Mousefur really was sick. He pelted toward the medicine den, his paws skimming over the icy ground. Crashing through the patch of brambles, he skidded to a halt. Leafpool's pelt bristled in alarm. "Jaypaw!" "Mousefur has greencough!" "Are you sure?" Jaypaw listed the symptoms. "Irregular breathing, streaming eyes and nose, wheezing, fever..." Fever! That explained the heat he had

是在瞎操心。 “我这就去和黑莓掌说，”他答应道。 说不定把窝修好，这两位长老就能自己照应，不用他总跑来了。 他转身走出巢穴，抬起鼻子嗅找黑莓掌的气味。 他扫视营地的时候，突然停住了脚步。 一丝被对两位长老的烦躁压下去的怀疑，冒了出来。 鼠毛太轻易接受他的帮助了。 而且她的呼吸很不规律。 他猛地转过脑袋，朝向巢穴。 刺鼻的杜松浆果盖住了另一种气味——生病的气味。 鼠毛是真的病了。 他朝巫医穴狂奔，爪子飞快划过冰冷的地面。 他撞开一片荆棘，猛地刹住了脚。 叶池的毛吓得一下子炸了起来。 “松鸦爪！” “鼠毛得了绿咳症！” “你确定吗？” 松鸦爪一一列出了症状。 “呼吸不规律、流眼泪流鼻涕、喘气、发烧……” 发烧！ 这就能解释他刚才