Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9 Jaypaw blinked open his eyes. He could hear Leafpool stretching in her nest. It must be dawn. The medicine cat sat up and yawned. Jaypaw waited for her to leave the den to make dirt, as she always did first thing. The moss from his nest was tickling his nose. He sneezed, then sniffed the air. It was dry and warm and promised sun. It would be a good day to take Cinderpaw to the lake. Padding from his nest, he tried to ignore the doubt rumbling in his belly. Even if teaching Cinderpaw to swim didn't heal her leg, it would prove to Leafpool that he hadn't given up on their patient. "Jaypaw?" Cinderpaw was calling him. "Leafpool's gone out." She sounded nervous. "But she'll probably be back in a moment. Perhaps we should leave this swimming idea for another time." "If we hurry, we can be gone by the time she gets back." He was nervous too, but he refused to let it stop either of them. "We have to try this."

第九章 杰爪睁开了眼睛。 他听见叶池在窝里伸懒腰。 肯定已经天亮了。 这名巫医坐起身打了个哈欠。 杰爪等着她出窝方便，就像她每天醒来说做的第一件事那样。 他窝里的苔藓挠得鼻子痒乎乎的。 他打了个喷嚏，接着嗅了嗅空气。 空气干燥又温暖，预示着今天是晴天。 今天带煤爪去湖边再合适不过了。 他走出窝，努力不去想肚子里翻涌的不安。 就算教煤爪游泳治不好她的腿，也能让叶池知道，他没有放弃这个病人。 “杰爪？” 煤爪在喊他。 “叶池已经出去啦。” 她听起来很紧张。 “不过她应该很快就会回来， 要不我们把游泳的计划改到别的日子吧？” “我们快点走，就能赶在她回来之前离开。” 他也很紧张，但他绝不肯让这份紧张拦下他俩。 “我们必须试一试。”

Cinderpaw gave a resigned sigh, and her nest rustled as she struggled to her paws. "Ow!" "Your leg's just stiff," Jaypaw reassured her. "Could I have a couple of poppy seeds, just to ease the pain?" Cinderpaw begged. "No." Jaypaw was firm. "They'll make you sleepy, and you'll need all your wits about you if you're going to learn to swim." A pause. Then determination hardened Cinderpaw's mew. "Okay." Jaypaw slid beside her, pressing his shoulder to hers so that she could lean on him. She was heavy, and he struggled to help her out of the den. Once outside the bramble-covered entrance he checked the clearing, tasting the air and pricking his ears for any sign of life. Squirrelflight was padding sleepily from the thorn tunnel. She must have been on guard overnight. "Don't move," Jaypaw warned Cinderpaw. The pair stood still as Squirrelflight padded into the warriors" den. The entrance would be unguarded for a few moments while Squirrelflight woke her replacement. The dawn patrol was due back, and Leafpool was sure to return from the dirtplace

煤爪无奈地叹了口气，她挣扎着起身时，窝发出了沙沙的声响。 “哎唷！” “你的腿只是僵住了而已，”杰爪安慰她。 “能不能给我几粒罂粟籽，帮我止止疼呀？” 煤爪央求道。 “不行。” 杰爪态度十分坚决。 “它们会让你犯困，学游泳的时候你得保持清醒才行。” 一阵沉默。 接着，煤爪的声音变得坚定起来。 “好吧。” 杰爪挪到她身边，把肩膀贴上去，好让她能靠着自己。 她很重，杰爪费了好大力气才把她扶出巢穴。 走出荆棘遮挡的入口后，他检查了空地，嗅了嗅空气，竖起耳朵听有没有其他猫的动静。 松鼠飞正睡眼惺忪地从荆棘通道走出来。 她肯定守了一整夜的岗。 “别动，”杰爪提醒煤爪。 松鼠飞走进武士窝时，他俩一动不动地站着。 在松鼠飞叫醒换岗的猫之前，入口会有一小会儿没人看守。 黎明巡逻队很快就要回来了，叶池也肯定马上就从如厕的地方回来了

before long. "Come on." He nudged Cinderpaw forward, and they made awkward progress across the clearing. Jaypaw tensed every time Cinderpaw stumbled and growled with pain. He willed her on, praying her courage would hold and hoping no one could hear her. As they reached the thorn barrier, it rustled. Jaypaw sniffed the air and froze. "Leafpool." The medicine cat was returning through the dirtplace tunnel at the far end of the barrier. Quickly, he pressed Cinderpaw against the thorny hedge and flicked his tail across her mouth to silence her gasp. Leafpool's paws scuffed across the clearing as she headed back to her den. The moment the bramble-covered entrance swished shut, Jaypaw steered Cinderpaw into the thorn tunnel and nudged her onward. "You're doing really well," he encouraged. "I'm not getting much choice," she grumbled. She was panting with effort by the time they had cleared the camp. Once they reached the trees, Jaypaw relaxed a little. They would be out of sight of the camp guard and any patrol here.

用不了多久了。 “走吧。” 他轻轻推了煤爪一把，俩人磕磕绊绊地穿过了空地。 每次煤崴脚、疼得发出呻吟，杰爪都跟着绷紧神经。 他给她打气，祈祷她能鼓起勇气撑住，也祈祷没人听见她的动静。 他们走到荆棘围墙边时，围墙发出了沙沙的声响。 杰爪嗅了嗅空气，一下子僵住了。 “是叶池。” 这名巫医正从围墙另一端的如厕通道往回走。 他赶紧把煤爪按在荆棘围墙上，甩过尾巴捂住她的嘴，不让她发出痛呼。 叶池的爪子蹭着空地的地面，往自己的巢穴走回去。 荆棘入口唰地关上的那一刻，杰爪立刻领着煤爪钻进荆棘通道，推着她往前走。 “你做得已经非常好了，”他鼓励道。 “我可没什么选择的余地，”她抱怨道。 等他们走出营地的时候，她已经累得气喘吁吁了。 走到树林里之后，杰爪才稍微放松了一点。 在这里，营地的岗哨和任何巡逻队都看不见他们了。

"Rest a moment," he mewed. Cinderpaw sat down, relieved. "Where are you going?" "Just scouting for the best route." He felt his way carefully forward, testing the ground for slippery leaves, checking that no fallen branches blocked the path. Cinderpaw was in a lot of pain, and he wanted to make the journey as easy as possible for her. When he returned, she had flopped onto her side, but her breathing had eased. Jaypaw sniffed her leg, touching his nose to her fur. It didn't feel too hot, and the swelling hadn't grown any worse. "Your leg's doing great," he mewed. "Doesn't feel like it," Cinderpaw moaned. "Imagine we're going to save a drowning kit," Jaypaw suggested. Cinderpaw lifted her head. "You wouldn't let a sore leg stop you from getting there." She heaved herself to her paws. "No way!" That's more like the old Cinderpaw! "Come on, then." Jaypaw pressed in beside her once more, taking her weight the best he could.

“歇一会儿吧，”他说道。 煤爪坐了下来，松了口气。 “你要去哪里？” “我去看看哪条路最好走。” 他小心翼翼地往前摸索，检查地面有没有滑溜溜的叶子，确认路上没有落枝挡路。 煤爪已经疼得够呛了，他想让这趟路走得尽量轻松一点。 等他回来的时候，煤爪已经侧躺下来，但呼吸已经平稳多了。 杰爪嗅了嗅她的腿，鼻子轻轻碰了碰她的毛发。 腿没有发烫，肿胀也没有变得更严重。 “你的腿恢复得很不错，”他说道。 “我可一点都不觉得，”煤爪呻吟着说。 “你就想象我们要去救一只落水的幼崽，”杰爪提议道。 煤爪抬起了头。 “你总不会让一条疼腿拦着你不去救它对不对。” 她猛地撑起身子站了起来。 “当然不会！” 这才是原来那个煤爪嘛！ “那我们走吧。” 杰爪再次走到她身边贴住，尽力帮她撑住身体重量。

Her whiskers twitched, tickling his cheek. "A blind cat leading the way!" "I bet you never thought it was possible." Jaypaw was glad to hear her joking. The smooth grass beyond the trees was slippery, and they slid and stumbled down the slope toward the lake. "Are you sure you're not trying to make me worse?" Cinderpaw mewed through gritted teeth as they fell for the third time. "It'll be worth it, I promise." Jaypaw hoped it was true. Was swimming really the answer? StarClan, let me be right! A cool breeze lifted their fur as he finally helped Cinderpaw onto the beach. The shingle crunched under their paws. "The lake's beautiful today," Cinderpaw breathed. "With the wind ruffling the water, it looks like soft gray fur." Jaypaw padded cautiously forward, expecting to find himself wading at any moment. But the water level had fallen since yesterday. He remembered with a twinge how close he'd come to losing his stick, then hopped backward as the

她的胡须动了动，挠得他脸颊痒痒的。 “一只盲猫带路哦！” “我打赌你绝对没想过能这样吧。” 松鸦爪听到她开玩笑，心里很高兴。 树林外的嫩草滑溜溜的，他俩连滑带摔，跌跌撞撞往湖边的斜坡走。 “你确定你不是想把我坑得更惨吗？” 第三次摔倒后，炭爪咬着牙喵呜道。 “我保证，这一切都值得。” 松鸦爪心里也盼着这话是真的。 游泳真的能解决问题吗？ 星族啊，保佑我是对的吧！ 终于，他扶着炭爪走到沙滩，凉风吹得他们的毛发轻轻扬起。 鹅卵石在爪垫下嘎吱作响。 “今天的湖真美呀，”炭爪轻声感叹。 “风吹得水波荡漾，看起来就像柔软的灰毛呢。” 松鸦爪小心翼翼往前走，随时准备踩进水里。 可从昨天开始，水位已经降了。 他想起差点弄丢拐杖的事，心头一紧，连忙往后跳，这时

waves lapped unexpectedly at his paws. "Is it cold?" Cinderpaw mewed anxiously. "Not too bad." Jaypaw's fur along his spine rippled. He'd have to wade in with her. How else could he persuade her there was nothing to worry about? Tensing against the tug of the lake, he padded a tail-length out, trying not to show how much he hated the feel of the water soaking his leg fur. "Come on!" Water splashed as Cinderpaw limped out after him. "Now what?" she asked, pausing beside him. "Just keep walking until you can't feel the stones under your paws anymore." Cinderpaw's fur bristled. "You make it sound so simple." "It is." Jaypaw remembered struggling to shore after he was washed out of the tunnels, the terrifying sensation of water dragging him down, how he'd fought to stay afloat. "You'll know what to do," he promised Cinderpaw. After all, he'd managed to stay afloat, hadn't he? Cinderpaw pressed against him, fear pulsing beneath her pelt. "I can't." Jaypaw tried to picture the lake stretching

浪花出其不意拍到了他的爪上。 “水凉吗？” 炭爪不安地喵道。 “还不算太冷。” 松鸦爪脊背上的毛发轻轻颤了颤。 他得陪着她一起走进水里。 不然怎么能让她放心呢？ 他绷紧身体对抗湖水的拉扯，往水里走了一个尾巴身长，拼命掩饰自己有多讨厌水浸湿腿毛的感觉。 “快来呀！” 炭爪一瘸一拐跟在他身后，溅起了片片水花。 “接下来做什么？”她停在他身边问道。 “一直走，直到你爪底碰不到鹅卵石为止。” 炭爪的毛发一下子炸了起来。 “你说的倒轻巧。” “本来就很简单。” 松鸦爪想起自己被冲出隧道后拼命游上岸的经历：湖水拖着他往下沉，那可怕的感觉，还有他拼命挣扎着不沉下去的样子。 “你知道该怎么做的，”他向炭爪保证。 毕竟，他当时都能浮起来，不是吗？ 炭爪紧紧靠着他，毛发下都能感受到她害怕得发抖。 “我做不到。” 松鸦爪努力在脑海中勾勒延展开的湖面