Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 Hollykit was dreaming that the nursery was filled with hedgehogs. They filed in through the entrance, rudely brushing Ferncloud and her kits aside and settling into the mossy nest around her. Their sharp prickles spiked her back. She fidgeted to move away from her uncomfortable new denmates. "What are you doing here?" she muttered. "Go away!" But the prickles still dug into her. Opening her eyes, she twisted around and saw Lionkit curled up asleep beside her. He looked like he'd fallen out of a tree, his golden pelt ruffled and studded with black thorns. She jabbed him with her forepaw. "Hey!" she whispered. "Where did you pick up these thorns? They're ripping me to shreds." Lionkit opened his amber eyes. "What?" he murmured, his mouth stretching into a yawn. "You're covered in thorns!" Hollykit guessed he'd been out of the den. "What have you been up to?" she demanded.

第六章 冬青幼崽正梦见，育儿室里挤满了刺猬 它们排着队从入口走进来，粗鲁地把蕨云和她的幼崽挤到一边，挤进她周围的苔藓窝躺了下来 它们尖尖的刺扎到了她的后背 她扭来扭去，想要躲开这些不舒服的新室友 “你们来这里做什么？” 她咕哝道 “走开！” 可那些刺还是扎着她 她睁开眼睛，扭过身子，看见狮幼崽蜷在自己身边睡得正香 他看着就像从树上摔下来过，金色皮毛蓬乱不堪，还扎满了黑刺 她用前爪戳了戳他 “喂！” 她小声说 “你在哪儿沾了这么多刺？ 它们都快把我扎烂了。” 狮幼崽睁开了他琥珀色的眼睛 “什么？”他咕哝着，嘴巴张大打了个哈欠 “你身上全是刺！” 冬青幼崽猜他肯定偷偷跑出育儿室了 “你刚刚偷偷去做什么了？” 她追问道

"I couldn't sleep," Lionkit confessed. "I went for a walk in the clearing." Hollykit stared at him in dismay. "Aren't we in enough trouble? Do you want to stop us from being made apprentices?" "It's okay," Lionkit soothed. "No one saw me." He sat up and wiped a paw over his face. "Except Mousepaw, and he won't tell. It was Mousepaw who pushed me into the thorns so Dustpelt wouldn't spot me." Hollykit hissed softly. Why doesn't he think before he acts? "We'd better get those thorns out of you before anyone else sees them." "They really sting," Lionkit complained, twisting around to tug one from his flank with his teeth. "I'd better go to the medicine den and get something to treat them with," Hollykit told him. "We don't want your scratches getting infected." "What will you tell Leafpool?" "Don't worry. I'll tell her there was a thorn in your bedding and you rolled on it." She climbed out of her nest and headed toward the entrance. "You start pulling out all the thorns you can

“我睡不着，”狮幼崽坦白说 “我去空地散步了。” 冬青幼崽惊愕地盯着他 “我们惹的麻烦还不够多吗？ 你想害得我们没法当学徒吗？” “没事的，”狮幼崽安抚道 “没人看见我。” 他坐起身，用爪子抹了抹脸 “除了梅花爪，他不会说出去的。 是他把我推到刺丛里的，就是为了不让尘毛发现我。” 冬青幼崽轻轻嘶了一声 他怎么就不能做事前先动动脑子呢？ “我们最好趁别人没看见，把你身上的刺都弄掉。” “这些刺扎得真疼，”狮幼崽抱怨着，扭过身子用牙从腰侧拽下来一根刺 “我得去药窝找点治伤的东西，”冬青幼崽对他说 “我们可不想让你的伤口发炎。” “你要怎么跟叶池说？” “别担心。 我就说你的窝垫里有刺，你滚上去扎到了。” 她爬出自己的窝，朝洞口走去 “你先把你能

reach," she instructed. "I'll get the rest when I come back." Before she began to nose her way out of the den, another thought struck her. "And don't leave them lying around. If Icekit or Foxkit spike themselves on one, Ferncloud will pluck your whiskers till you're bald as a bird!" She ran across the clearing, relieved to find it empty. The sun was rising behind the trees that topped the cliffs, but the camp, still in shadow, was cold. Hollykit guessed that the dawn patrol must have left already and the other cats were making the most of their snug dens until the sun had reached into the hollow and warmed the camp. She reached the medicine den unnoticed and pushed through the brambles that concealed its entrance. Leafpool was nowhere to be seen, and her scent was stale. She hurried to Jaykit's nest. "Are you feeling better?" Jaykit was curled up tight in the moss, a bundle of striped gray fur. His head shot up at the sound of Hollykit's voice, and he gazed at her with his sightless blue stare. "What are you doing here? Aren't you

够到的都拔出来，”她吩咐道 “我回来再处理剩下的。” 就在她准备钻出育儿室的时候，她突然想起另一件事 “还有，别把刺扔得到处都是。 要是冰爪或者狐爪扎到自己，蕨云会把你的胡子拔光，让你变成秃鸟的！” 她跑过空地，松了口气，营地里果然空无一人 太阳在悬崖顶端的树林后升了起来，可营地还留在阴影里，凉飕飕的 冬青幼崽猜黎明巡逻队已经出发了，其他猫都待在暖和的窝里，等着太阳照进山谷把营地晒暖 她悄悄走到药窝门口，拨开挡住入口的荆棘 叶潘不在这儿，她的气味已经淡了 她急忙走到松鸦幼崽的窝边 “你感觉好点了吗？” 松鸦幼崽紧紧蜷在苔藓里，是一团灰纹毛团子 听到冬青幼崽的声音，他猛地抬起头，用失明的蓝眼睛望向她 “你来这儿做什么？ 你不是应该

confined to the nursery?" "Lionkit's got a thorn stuck in him," Hollykit explained. "I wanted something to keep the scratch from getting infected." Jaykit nodded sleepily to the back of the den. "Leafpool used dock on my scratches," he mewed. "You'll have to find it yourself. Leafpool's out collecting stinging nettles." "Okay," Hollykit mewed, hurrying over to the supply store. "Can you remember what it smelled like?" "It's got a sort of tangy scent." Jaykit lifted his nose and breathed in. "It's one of the piles near the front," he told her. Hollykit stared at the array of leaves and seeds. At the front there were two piles, one darker green than the other. She sniffed the darkest first. "This smells kind of icky," she mewed back to Jaykit. "Dock doesn't have a bad smell," Jaykit told her. "Just sharp." Hollykit sniffed the other pile and screwed up her eyes. It was definitely tangy. She grabbed a mouthful and carried it over to Jaykit.

待在育儿室里吗？” “狮幼崽身上扎了刺，”冬青幼崽解释道 “我想找点东西，防止伤口发炎。” 松鸦幼崽困乎乎地朝药窝深处点了点头 “叶池用酸模治过我的伤，”他说 “你得自己找哦。 叶池出去采荨麻了。” “好的，”冬青幼崽说完，赶紧跑去放草药的地方 “你还记得它是什么味道吗？” “它闻着有点冲。” 松鸦幼崽抬起鼻子吸了吸 “就在靠前边的那几堆里，”他告诉冬青幼崽 冬青幼崽看着一堆堆的叶子和种子，犯了难 靠前边有两堆，其中一堆比另一堆颜色更深绿 她先闻了闻颜色最深的那堆 “这个闻着怪怪的，”她对松鸦幼崽说 “酸模不难闻，”松鸦幼崽告诉她 “就是味道冲。” 冬青幼崽闻了另一堆，皱起了眉头 这堆确实味道冲 她叼了一口，衔着它走到松鸦幼崽身边

"That's the right one," he mewed. The brambles rustled at the den entrance, and Hollykit jumped. It was Leafpool, holding a bunch of nettles carefully by their stems. The dew still glistened on their jagged leaves. She dropped them and looked at Hollykit. "You're up early." She noticed the pile of dock leaves beside Hollykit. "Your brother's healing well," she meowed. "He doesn't need any more treatment. He only needs rest." "I'm not treating Jaykit," Hollykit explained. "Lionkit's been scratched by a thorn in his bedding." Leafpool opened her eyes wide in surprise. "How did you know to use dock?" Hollykit stared uncertainly at the medicine cat. Jaykit told me. "She remembered the smell from when you used it to treat me," Jaykit mewed. Hollykit ran her tail across his flank so he knew she was grateful. It wasn't that she wanted Leafpool to think she was more clever than Jaykit; she just wanted her to see that she would make a great medicine cat.

“就是这棵没错。”他喵了一声说。 荆棘丛在巢穴入口沙沙作响，小冬青吓了一跳。 来的是叶池，她小心地捏着一把荨麻的茎杆。 露珠还在它们锯齿状的叶子上闪着光。 她放下荨麻，看向小冬青。 “你起得真早呀。” 她注意到小冬青旁边堆着酸模叶。 “你弟弟恢复得很不错哦。”她喵声道。 “他不需要再接受治疗了。 只要好好休息就够了。” “我不是来给小松鸦治病的。”小冬青解释说。 “小狮被他窝里的刺划伤了。” 叶池惊讶地睁大了眼睛。 “你怎么知道要用酸模草的？” 小冬青不确定地望着这位巫医。 是小松鸦告诉我的。 “她还记得你给我治伤时这草的味道。”小松鸦喵声道。 小冬青用尾巴扫过他的身侧，好让他知道自己很感激。 她并不是想让叶池觉得自己比小松鸦更聪明； 她只是想让叶池看看，自己也能成为很棒的巫医。

"Well done, Hollykit!" Leafpool meowed. Hollykit felt warm to the tip of her tail. She told herself that one day she would know which herb was which and wouldn't have to pretend. "Let me show you how to apply it," Leafpool offered. She crouched over the pile of dock, taking a single leaf in her mouth and chewing it. Once it was well chewed she held out her paw and licked the juice from the dock into her fur. Then she spat out the remainder of the leaf. "Make sure you lick it in firmly so that it seeps right into the wound," she advised. "It may sting, but it will save a lot more pain later if you do it properly." Hollykit watched carefully. "Do you want to try it before you go?" Leafpool asked. "I think I should get back to Lionkit," Hollykit mewed, wanting to return to the nursery before Daisy and Ferncloud realized she was missing. "He was pretty sore." "I could come too," Leafpool offered. Hollykit was about to say yes when she hesitated. If Leafpool saw how many thorns were

“做得好，小冬青！” 叶池喵喵说道。 小冬青从尾巴尖都暖到了心里。 她暗暗告诉自己，总有一天她能分清每一种药草，就不用再假装了。 “我来教你怎么敷药吧。”叶池主动提议。 她弓着腰凑到酸模草堆前，叼起一片叶子嚼了起来。 等叶子嚼碎后，她伸出爪子，把酸模的汁舔到自己爪部的毛发上。 接着她把剩下的叶渣吐了出来。 “一定要用力涂匀，让药渗进伤口里哦。”她叮嘱道。 “可能会有点刺痛，但敷对了能省掉之后很多疼哦。” 小冬青认认真真地看着。 “你要不要自己先试试，再回去？” 叶池问道。 “我得赶紧回小狮那儿去了。”小冬青说，她想赶在黛西和蕨云发现她不见之前回到育婴室。 “他疼得挺厉害的。” “我也跟你一起去吧？”叶池主动说。 小冬青刚要答应，又犹豫了。 如果叶池看到那么多刺