Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5 Leafpool was sharing a mouse with Cloudtail when Jaypaw nosed his way out of the medicine cat den and padded to the fresh-kill pile. There was plenty of prey to choose from. Hunting patrols had already stacked it full, and it was hardly sunhigh. As he dragged a shrew from the bottom—so fresh it still felt warm—the image of Cinderpelt starving in the snowy camp flashed in his mind. Was Leafpool thinking of her old mentor as she ate her meal? "Jaypaw!" Graystripe was bounding across the clearing toward him. The warrior skidded to a halt. "Eat up! We're going hunting." "Me?" Jaypaw's heart soared. "Sorreltail, Mousewhisker, and I will be hunting," Graystripe corrected him. He must have realized Jaypaw's disappointment. He whisked his tail along Jaypaw's flank. "You've got a more important job. Leafpool wants you to come with us to gather herbs." Great. Jaypaw suddenly didn't feel hungry

第五章 叶池正和云尾分吃一只老鼠，这时松鸦爪走出巫医巢穴，慢慢走到猎物堆旁。 这儿有足够的猎物可供挑选。 狩猎巡逻队早就把猎物堆堆得满满的，现在还没到正午呢。 当他从堆底拖出一只鼩鼱——新鲜得还带着体温——炭毛在雪地营地挨饿的画面突然闪现在他脑海里。 叶池 吃饭的时候会不会想起她的旧导师呢？ “松鸦爪！” 灰条正穿过空地朝他奔来。 这位武士猛地刹住脚步。 “快吃吧！ 我们要去打猎了。” “我也去？” 松鸦爪的心一下子兴奋起来。 “我要带栗尾、鼠须去打猎，”灰条纠正道。 他肯定察觉到了松鸦爪的失望。 他的尾巴轻轻扫过松鸦爪的腰侧。 “你有更重要的任务。 叶池要你跟我们一起去采集药草。” 好吧。 松鸦爪忽然一点也不饿了

anymore. He shoved the shrew back under the pile. "I'll eat when I get back." "We're going down to the lake," Graystripe went on. "The lake?" Jaypaw felt a glimmer of interest. The notched stick was on the shore; it was his link to the ancient cats from the tunnels. Maybe to even greater mysteries, if he could just understand what all the claw marks meant. "I guess it'll be good to get out of camp and stretch my legs." "That's more like it." Graystripe turned and headed toward the thorn tunnel. Jaypaw could hear Sorreltail and Mousewhisker pacing there impatiently. He hurried after Graystripe, and together the patrol headed out into the forest. Mousewhisker—only recently made a warrior —was buzzing with excitement. "I hope I catch something good! Maybe a squirrel." Graystripe purred. "Look out, squirrels!" The woods were drowsy with heat, the undergrowth limp and fragrant as Jaypaw brushed past it, the air humming with bees. Mousewhisker's paws thrummed on the leaf- strewn floor as he dashed on ahead. Graystripe

了。 他把鼩鼱塞回猎物堆底下。 “我回来再吃。” “我们要去湖边，”灰条接着说。 “湖边？” 松鸦爪心里泛起一丝兴趣。 那根带刻痕的木棍就在岸边，那是他和地道里古代猫族的联结。 如果他能弄明白所有爪痕的意思，说不定还能解开更大的秘密。 “出营地活动活动腿脚好像也不错。” “这才对嘛。” 灰条转身朝荆刺地道走去。 松鸦爪能听见栗尾和鼠须在那儿不耐烦地踱来踱去。 他赶紧跟上灰条，整队猫一起出发走进森林。 鼠须刚成为武士不久，整个人兴奋得不行。 “希望我能抓到好猎物！ 最好是一只松鼠。” 灰条欢快地呼噜叫着。 “小心哦，松鼠们！” 森林被暑气熏得懒洋洋的，松鸦爪擦过灌木丛，灌木软软的透着清香，空气里满是蜜蜂的嗡嗡声。 鼠须往前冲的时候，爪子落在满是落叶的地面发出轻响。 灰条

hurried after him. "I wish it could be greenleaf forever." Sorreltail was padding beside Jaypaw, letting her pelt brush his. "Yeah." He drew away from her. He knew this part of the forest well enough not to need guiding. Pushing hard against the leafy forest floor, he broke into a run and charged along the familiar track. "Wait for me!" Sorreltail called in surprise. They caught up to Graystripe and Mousewhisker at the top of the rise. The trees ended here as the forest turned to grassland, sloping down to the lake. Mousewhisker was panting. "He almost got his squirrel," Graystripe meowed proudly. "But it scooted up that tree." Leaves rustled overhead. "If that dumb blackbird hadn't called the alarm," Mousewhisker grumbled. "You'll get the next one," Graystripe told him encouragingly. Sorreltail kneaded the ground. "I can't wait to hunt with my kits when they're warriors." Pride

赶紧追了上去。 “真希望永远都是绿叶季呀。” 栗尾走在松鸦爪旁边，让自己的皮毛蹭着他。 “是啊。” 他躲开了她。 他对这片森林够熟了，根本不需要带路。 他用力蹬着林间地面，撒腿跑起来，沿着熟悉的小径向前冲。 “等等我！” 栗尾惊讶地喊道。 他们在坡顶追上了灰条和鼠须。 树木到这儿就到了头，森林变成草地，顺着斜坡向下一直延伸到湖边。 鼠须累得直喘气。 “他差点就抓到那只松鼠了，”灰条骄傲地说。 “结果它窜到那棵树上去了。” 树叶在头顶沙沙作响。 “要不是那只笨黑鸟发出警报，”鼠须嘟囔着。 “下一只你肯定能抓到，”灰条鼓励他说。 栗尾揉了揉地面。 “等我的幼崽成为武士，我都等不及要和他们一起打猎了。” 骄傲

warmed her mew. "Honeypaw, Poppypaw, and Cinderpaw will be having their assessment any day now." Jaypaw tensed. Was Cinderpaw's leg really strong enough? "It'll be great having them in our den," Mousewhisker put in. "It might stop the old warriors from hogging the best nests and stealing all the softest moss." Graystripe purred with amusement. "We old warriors need the soft moss for our poor ancient bones." "I didn't mean you two!" Mousewhisker mewed, sounding embarrassed. "I'm sure Thornclaw and Dustpelt will be pleased to hear that," Sorreltail teased. "You won't tell them?" Mousewhisker squeaked in alarm. "Of course not!" Sorreltail called over her shoulder as she darted down the slope. "Besides, we're not old. And once Millie's kits are born, Graystripe will feel younger than ever." Jaypaw hurried after her, enjoying the breeze ruffling his fur. It smelled of the lake.

让她的声音都浸着暖意。 “蜜爪、罂粟爪和炭爪随时都要进行武士考核了。” 松鸦爪绷紧了身体。 炭爪的腿真的够强壮吗？ “他们住进我们巢穴可太棒了，”鼠须开口说。 “这样就能不让老武士占着最好的窝，偷拿最软的苔藓了。” 灰条被逗得笑出了声。 “我们这些老武士才需要软苔藓养我们可怜的老骨头呀。” “我不是说你们两个！” 鼠须难为情地说道。 “我肯定荆爪和尘毛听了会很高兴的，”栗尾打趣道。 “你不会告诉他们吧？” 鼠须惊慌地叫出声。 “当然不会啦！” 栗尾一边喊一边冲下山坡。 “再说了，我们又不老。 等米莉的幼崽生下来，灰条肯定会觉得自己年轻多了。” 松鸦爪赶紧跟上，享受着微风拂过毛发的感觉。 风里都是湖水的气息。

At the shore, Graystripe paused. "Is this a good place for herbs?" Jaypaw nodded. "I can get mallow down by the water." "Mousewhisker can help you," Sorreltail volunteered her denmate. "But what about my—" "Your squirrel can wait," Graystripe meowed. "I guess so." Mousewhisker swished his tail. "Besides, if we're going down to the water, I might catch a fish!" Unlikely, unless you've had a RiverClan mentor as well. Jaypaw picked his way down onto the shingle. It shifted satisfyingly beneath his paws. Mousewhisker padded after him. "The lake's as smooth as a laurel leaf." Jaypaw had guessed that already. He could hear the sound of lazy ripples lapping the shore. "What does mallow look like?" Mousewhisker asked. Jaypaw shrugged. "Never seen any." Mousewhisker squeaked in dismay. "Sorry!" "Forget it." It was just a dumb slip. "It feels soft

到了岸边，灰条停下脚步。 “这儿适合采药吗？” 松鸦爪点点头。 “我可以在水边找到锦葵。” “鼠须可以帮你，”栗尾推荐了她的窝友。 “可是我的——”“你的松鼠可以等，”灰条说道。 “那好吧。” 鼠须甩了甩尾巴。 “再说了，我们去水边，我说不定能抓到鱼呢！” 不太可能，除非你也有个河族导师教你。 松鸦爪一步步走到鹅卵石滩上。 鹅卵石在他爪下舒服地晃动着。 鼠须跟在他后面走了过来。 “湖面平得像月桂叶一样。” 松鸦爪早就感觉到了。 他能听见慵懒的涟漪轻轻拍着岸边的声音。 “锦葵长什么样子呀？” 鼠须问道。 松鸦爪耸耸肩。 “我从来没见过。” 鼠须惊愕地叫了一声。 “对不起！” “没事。” 就是个不小心说漏嘴而已。 “它摸起来软软的

and kind of furry. The leaves are big." Jaypaw sniffed the air. He remembered gathering mallow here before. Sure enough, a sweet smell filled his nose. Jaypaw flicked his tail toward the water's edge. "See that plant over there? That's mallow." "Really?" Mousewhisker sounded impressed. Jaypaw didn't bother to reply. His paws had started to tingle. The stick must be just along the shore. "Would you go and gather some leaves?" Jaypaw asked. "There's something farther up the shore I want to check." "Okay." Mousewhisker began to hurry down to the water. "How much do you want?" "As much as you can carry!" Jaypaw veered away, heading along the beach. He padded to the tree line, where twisting roots spilled over onto the pebbles, and sniffed around the gnarled bark until he scented the stick. It was still where he had wedged it, beneath the root of a rowan, safe from the pull of the lake. He dragged it out, relief flooding his paws as they felt the smoothness of the exposed wood. This was definitely the right stick. Running his pads along its length he felt the familiar scratches.

还有点毛茸茸的。 “它的叶子可大了。” 松鸦爪嗅了嗅空气。 他记得之前在这里采集过锦葵。 果然，一股甜香钻进了他的鼻子。 松鸦爪甩了甩尾巴，指向水边。 “看见那边的植物了吗？ 那就是锦葵。” “真的吗？” 鼠须听起来挺佩服的。 松鸦爪懒得搭理他。 他的爪子开始微微发麻。 那根木棍肯定就在岸边不远处。 “你能去摘些叶子吗？” 松鸦爪问道。 “岸边再往里面走点，我想去看看一样东西。” “好啊。” 鼠须赶紧朝水边走去。 “你要多少呀？” “能拿多少就拿多少！” 松鸦爪拐了个弯，沿着海滩走。 他慢慢走到林边，盘错的树根露在鹅卵石滩上，他在粗糙扭曲的树皮旁嗅来嗅去，直到闻到了那根木棍的气味。 它还卡在原来的地方，就在花楸树根下面，没被湖水冲走。 他把木棍拽出来，爪子碰到裸露的光滑木头时，满爪子都浸着松快的感觉。 这绝对就是他要找的那根木棍。 他用肉垫沿着木棍划过，摸到了那些熟悉的划痕。