Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11 A warm breeze circled the hollow, drawing the night scents of the forest into the camp. The moon was high; Jaypaw could feel its light wash his pelt. He shifted his paws, stiff from waiting. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do?" he whispered to Leafpool through the brambles covering the entrance of the medicine cats" den. She'd sent him outside when his pacing had knocked the poppy seeds flying across the floor. She was gathering them up now. "I could help you clean up," he offered. "No, thanks," Leafpool called back. "You just keep your ears pricked for any noise from the nursery." Millie had been circling her den restlessly since sunhigh, and, though her pains had not started properly, Leafpool had warned her the kittens might come anytime. The rest of the camp was asleep, except for Graystripe, who kept his own vigil outside the nursery. Jaypaw tried not to let the fear drifting from the gray warrior taint his

第十一章 温暖的微风绕着凹地打转，把森林夜晚的清香吹进了营地。 月亮高高挂着，松鸦爪能感觉到月光覆在他的皮毛上。 他动了动因等待僵住的爪子。 “真的没有什么我能帮忙的吗？” 他隔着巫医巢穴入口的荆棘，小声对叶池说。 刚才他走来走去，把罂粟籽碰得撒了一地，叶池就让他出来了。 她现在正把罂粟籽捡起来。 “我可以帮你打扫呀，”他主动说道。 “不用啦，谢谢你，”叶池回应道。 “你只要竖起耳朵，听着育婴室那边任何动静就好。” 米莉从正午开始就不安地在巢穴里走来走去，虽然阵痛还没正式开始，叶池已经提醒她幼崽随时可能出生。 营地里其他猫都睡了，只有灰条独自守在育婴室外面。 松鸦爪尽量不让这只灰色武士散出的恐惧沾染上自己的

own thoughts. Millie will be fine. The nursery brambles shivered, and paws pattered over the clearing. "The kits are coming!" Daisy called, keeping her voice low. Leafpool darted out of her den. "Follow me," she hissed to Jaypaw. Jaypaw hurried after her, his heart racing as Leafpool and Daisy squeezed into the nursery. "Look after Millie." Graystripe's anxious growl made him jump. The warrior was so close their pelts touched. "If you have to choose which life to save, save hers." Before Jaypaw could answer, he was swept into Graystripe's memory. A silver tabby she-cat lay in a pool of blood at the bottom of a ravine. Grief wrenched Jaypaw's heart, and he fought to escape the vision, relieved when he blinked and found the world black once more. "Leafpool won't let anything bad happen," he promised as he scrabbled inside the nursery. He was scared of sensing any more of Graystripe's pain. He must have loved the silver she-cat very

思绪。 米莉一定会没事的。 育婴室的荆棘晃了晃，有爪子嗒嗒跑过营地空地。 “幼崽要出生啦！” 黛西压着声音喊道。 叶池冲出了她的巢穴。 “跟我来，”她对松鸦爪低声说。 松鸦爪连忙跟上，叶池和黛西挤进育婴室时，他的心砰砰直跳。 “照顾好米莉。” 灰条焦虑的低吼吓了他一跳。 这只武士离得太近，他俩的皮毛都碰到了一起。 “如果必须选一个救，一定要救她。” 松鸦爪还没来得及回答，就被卷入了灰条的记忆。 一只银斑母猫躺在峡谷底部的血泊里。 悲痛揪紧了松鸦爪的心，他拼命挣脱这个幻象，眨眨眼回到熟悉的黑暗世界，这才松了口气。 “叶池不会让坏事发生的，”他一边承诺一边爬进育婴室。 他害怕再感受到更多灰条的痛苦。 他对那只银斑母猫的爱一定非常

much. Millie was panting hard. She yowled low and long as Jaypaw slid in beside his mentor. "Is she okay?" he whispered. He had missed the birth of Daisy's kits and was excited to be witnessing Millie bringing new life into the Clan. "She's doing fine," Leafpool soothed. "If this is what fine feels like," Millie croaked, "StarClan save me from—" Another spasm silenced her. Rosekit and Toadkit were wriggling in the corner of the den, their paws scrabbling on the moss. "Stay back!" Daisy mewed sternly, her fur brushing theirs as she held them. "I want to see the kits!" Rosekit complained. "Is there any blood?" Toadkit squeaked. "Shh!" Leafpool hissed. Millie was panting again, hard. "You're doing well," Leafpool assured her. "Where's Graystripe?" Millie begged. "He's just outside," Jaypaw told her. "Good." Millie sighed as the spasm left her. "Don't let him come in, not yet."

深。 米莉喘得厉害极了。 松鸦爪滑到导师身边时，她低低地长嚎了一声。 “她还好吗？” 他小声问道。 他错过了黛西生幼崽，这次能亲眼见证米莉为族群带来新生命，十分兴奋。 “她做得很好，”叶池安抚道。 “如果这都叫还好，”米莉哑着嗓子说，“星族救我——”一阵阵痛让她说不出话。 玫瑰崽和蟾蜍崽在巢穴角落扭来扭去，爪子不停扒着苔藓。 “退到一边去！” 黛西严厉地说，她按住两只幼崽，皮毛蹭到了他们身上。 “我要看新出生的幼崽！” 玫瑰崽抱怨道。 “有没有流血呀？” 蟾蜍崽尖声问道。 “嘘！” 叶池低声喝止。 米莉又开始大口喘着粗气。 “你做得很棒，”叶池安慰她。 “灰条在哪里？” 米莉恳求道。 “他就在外面，”松鸦爪告诉她。 “那就好。” 阵痛退去，米莉叹了口气。 “别让他进来，现在还不行。”

Leafpool wrapped her tail over Jaypaw, drawing him closer. "Here," she mewed, grasping his paw gently between her jaws and resting it on Millie's swollen flank. "Another spasm is coming. They come like waves lapping the shore, one after another, growing faster and stronger." Jaypaw felt a thrill of anticipation as Millie's flank tensed and rolled beneath his paw. "Her muscles are working to push the kits out," Leafpool explained. "In a moment she's going to have to help by pushing too." "Now?" Millie asked. "Not yet." Leafpool rested her paw beside Jaypaw's as the spasm subsided. Calm radiated from the medicine cat like moonbeams. Jaypaw was impressed. His own heart was pounding so hard he was sure the others must be able to hear it. "Now!" A new spasm gripped Millie, and Jaypaw felt the queen tense and tremble as she pushed with all her might. "The first one's coming," Leafpool encouraged. "I can see it." Millie pushed again, and Jaypaw smelled a new

叶池把尾巴绕住松鸦爪，把他拉到自己身边。 “来，”她轻轻用嘴衔住松鸦爪的爪子，放在米莉发胀的侧腹上。 “又一阵阵痛要来了。 阵痛就像拍岸的浪，一阵接一阵，越来越快，越来越强。” 米莉的侧腹在他爪下绷紧滚动，松鸦爪感到一阵期待的激动。 “她的肌肉在用力把幼崽推出来，”叶池解释道。 “过一会儿她也需要跟着用力推。” “现在吗？”米莉问。 “还没到时候。” 阵痛退去后，叶池把爪子放在松鸦爪爪子旁边。 这位巫医身上散发出平静的气息，就像月光一样柔和。 松鸦爪十分佩服。 他自己的心砰砰狂跳，他肯定其他猫都能听见。 “好了！” 新一阵阵痛袭来，米莉绷紧身体拼尽全力推，浑身发抖，松鸦爪都能感觉到。 “第一只幼崽要出来了，”叶池鼓励道。 “我能看到它了。” 米莉再一用力，松鸦爪闻到了一股新

scent, warm, both musky and fresh at the same time. Leafpool shuffled along until she was crouched at Millie's tail. "Look," she whispered to Jaypaw. He leaned over and sniffed the damp bundle wriggling under his nose. Leafpool's cheek brushed his as she lapped at the newborn kit. "I've opened the sac so it can breathe air for the first time." Millie gasped. "The next one's coming," Leafpool announced. Daisy pushed past Jaypaw and dragged the first kit out of the way. Jaypaw could hear her tongue scraping the kit's soggy pelt. "Are you washing it?" From the sound of it she was licking the fur the wrong way. "This will warm it and help it start breathing," Daisy told him. Jaypaw leaned in close and heard a tiny gasp as the kit drew in its first mouthful of air. Millie gave a low moan, and another damp bundle fell onto the moss. "Here." Leafpool nosed Jaypaw toward it. "Nip open the sac to release it." Suddenly feeling nervous, Jaypaw licked at the

这股气味暖暖的，同时既有麝香气，又透着清新。 叶池慢慢挪过来，最后蹲在了米莉的尾巴旁边。 "看呀。"她轻声对松鸦爪说。 他探过身，嗅了嗅鼻子底下那团不停扭动的湿软小家伙。 叶池舔新生小猫的时候，脸颊蹭到了他的脸。 "我已经弄破胎膜了，它现在可以第一次呼吸空气啦。" 米莉倒吸了一口气。 "下一只宝宝要出来啦，"叶池宣布道。 黛西挤过松鸦爪身边，把第一只小猫挪到了一旁。 松鸦爪能听见她的舌头刮过小猫湿漉漉皮毛的声音。 "你这是在给它洗澡吗？" 听声音，她舔毛的方向都反了。 "这样能让它暖和起来，帮它开始呼吸，"黛西告诉他。 松鸦爪凑近了些，听见小猫吸第一口气时，发出了微弱的呛声。 米莉低吟了一声，又一团湿乎乎的小家伙掉在了苔藓上。 "这里。" 叶池用鼻子把松鸦爪拱向那只小家伙。 "咬开胎膜把它放出来。" 松鸦爪突然紧张起来，伸出舌头舔向

wriggling mass, feeling the membrane slimy on his tongue. Careful to avoid the soft flesh beneath, he nipped at the delicate sac. It split between his teeth and tore open so that the kit tumbled out, squeaking and struggling. "This one's breathing already," he told Leafpool. "Good," she mewed. "Now lick it like Daisy is doing." Sniffing first to find the kit's head, he began licking it from tail to ear. Soaked to the skin, it had grown cold quickly, but it soon began to grow warm and dry beneath his tongue. Millie shifted behind him, and her nose pushed past to sniff at her kits. Then she fell back again with a groan. "Another one's coming," Leafpool announced. Millie yowled, softer this time, as though the pain were easing. "There we go," Leafpool murmured as a new bundle plopped out. "That's the last one." Millie turned and released it from the sac. She started to purr, lapping at its wet body. "One male and two females," Leafpool told her.

那团不停扭动的小家伙，胎膜滑溜溜地沾在他的舌头上。 他小心避开下方软乎乎的小身子，咬向薄薄的胎膜。 胎膜在他齿间裂开撕开，小猫吱叫着扭啊扭，滚了出来。 "这只已经会呼吸了，"他对叶池说。 "做得好，"她轻声喵道。 "现在像黛西那样舔它。" 他先嗅出小猫脑袋的位置，就从尾巴往耳朵方向舔了起来。 小猫浑身湿透，很快就变凉了，可在他的舔舐下，没多久就变得暖乎乎干松松了。 米莉在他身后动了动，凑过鼻子来闻自己的宝宝们。 接着她哼了一声，又躺了回去。 "又一只宝宝要出来了，"叶池宣布道。 米莉叫了一声，这次声音轻多了，好像疼痛已经减轻了。 "好了，"叶池轻声道，又一团小家伙扑通落了下来。 "这是最后一只了。" 米莉转过身，咬破胎膜把宝宝放了出来。 她发出呼噜声，开始舔宝宝湿漉漉的身子。 "一只公猫，两只母猫，"叶池告诉她。