Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7 Jayfeather stood in the clearing after the Sol patrol had left, sniffing the tang of snow on the dawn wind. He could hear rustling as several cats pushed their way through the branches of the warriors" den. There was a strange sense of tension among his Clanmates. "Dawn patrol." Graystripe's voice came from close by Jayfeather. "Sandstorm, you can lead. Take Foxpaw and Squirrelflight with you. And take care along the WindClan border." "Do I have to go with them?" Jayfeather heard the dismayed voice of Foxpaw. "I don't like WindClan." "Shh." Ferncloud sounded shocked. "You know there's nothing to be frightened of anymore." Jayfeather winced; it sounded as if most of the Clan believed that Sol was the murderer, and there was nothing more to worry about. But they're wrong! They're completely wrong! "Foxpaw, you're my apprentice," Squirrelflight meowed with an edge of annoyance in her voice.

第七章 索尔的巡逻队离开后，松鸦羽站在空地上，嗅着晨风里雪的清冽气息。 他听见好几只猫挤过武士巢穴树枝时发出的沙沙声。 他的族猫之间弥漫着一股异样的紧张感。 “黎明巡逻队。” 灰条的声音从松鸦羽近旁传来。 “沙风，你来带队。 带上狐爪和松鼠飞一起去。 沿着风族边界走的时候多加小心。” “我非得跟他们一起去吗？” 松鸦羽听到了狐爪沮丧的声音。 “我不喜欢风族。” “嘘。” 蕨云的语气听起来满是震惊。 “你知道现在已经没什么好害怕的了。” 松鸦羽皱了皱眉； 听起来族群里大部分猫都认定索尔就是凶手，已经没什么可担心的了。 可他们错了！ 他们完全错了！ “狐爪，你是我的学徒，”松鼠飞的声音里带着一丝恼怒。

"Of course you come with me. Or if you'd rather, you can go and search the elders for ticks." "Uh... no, I guess I'll come." "You'll be fine," Firestar assured the apprentice; Jayfeather hadn't heard him come down from the Highledge. "Who have we got for hunting patrols, Graystripe?" "I thought I'd lead one," the gray warrior meowed. "I'll take Sorreltail and Mousewhisker." In a lower voice he added to Firestar, "If you or I do the border patrols, every cat will think there's something to be scared of." "Good thinking," Firestar agreed. "Dustpelt, will you lead another hunting patrol," Graystripe went on more loudly. "Cloudtail and Brightheart can go with you. Try the ShadowClan border, but remember what Brambleclaw said about being careful not to cross it." "I wasn't born yesterday, thanks," Dustpelt snapped, irritation sparking from him. "Should we take Icepaw?" Brightheart asked. "She doesn't get out much, now that Whitewing is in the nursery."

“你当然得跟我走。 要是你更情愿不去，那你就去给长老们捉蜱虫好了。” “呃……那算了，我还是去吧。” “你不会有事的，”火星安抚学徒道； 松鸦羽没听见他从高岩上下来的动静。 “灰条，我们狩猎巡逻队都安排了哪些猫？” “我打算带一队，”这只灰色武士说道。 “我带上纹尾和鼠须。” 他压低声音对火星补充道：“要是你我亲自去边界巡逻，所有猫都会觉得有危险，反而更恐慌。” “想得周到，”火星赞同道。 “尘毛，你能带另一支狩猎巡逻队吗，”灰条提高声音继续说道。 “云尾和亮心可以跟你一起去。 去影族边界那边碰碰运气，但记住黑莓掌说的，千万小心别越界。” “我又不是刚出生的小猫，多谢提醒，”尘毛怒冲冲地说，浑身都透着不耐烦。 “我们要带上冰爪吗？” 亮心问道。 “白翅现在待在育婴室，冰爪都不怎么出来活动了。”

"Sure," Graystripe meowed. "Icepaw! Stop batting that bark around and come over here." Jayfeather heard the scampering of paws and excited mews as the other apprentice bounded up. "You're going hunting with Dustpelt, Cloudtail, and Brightheart," Graystripe told them. "We're counting on you to bring back a lot of fresh-kill." "I'm sure you will," Firestar assured her. "You're doing so well." Jayfeather could feel the apprentice's happy pride as she padded over to join the senior warriors. "It won't be long before we'll be holding another warrior ceremony," Firestar remarked to Graystripe. Although his words sounded cheerful, Jayfeather picked up the doubt buzzing beneath them. He knew that his Clan leader's thoughts were with the patrol of Clanmates who were heading off to find Sol. Did Sol really kill Ashfur? Was I right to send so many warriors to look for him? Will my Clan be vulnerable without them? Jayfeather could

“当然可以，”灰条说道。 “冰爪！别追着那片树皮玩了，到这边来。” 松鸦羽听到爪子跑动的声音和兴奋的叫声，这名学徒蹦跳着跑了过来。 “你跟尘毛、云尾还有亮心一起去狩猎，”灰条对她说。 我们可指望你带回来好多新鲜猎物呢。 “我相信你肯定没问题，”火星安抚她道。 “你现在进步非常大。” 当冰爪迈着步子走过去跟资深武士们汇合时，松鸦羽都能感受到她满心的欢喜和骄傲。 “用不了多久我们就要再举办一场武士命名仪式了，”火星对灰条说道。 尽管他的语气听上去很欢快，松鸦羽还是察觉到了话语底下藏着的疑虑。 他知道这位族长心里正记挂着那支出发去找索尔的族猫巡逻队。 索尔真的杀了蜡毛吗？ 我派这么多武士去找他，真的做对了吗？ 没有这些武士，我的族群会不会变得不堪一击？ 松鸦羽能够

hear his leader's thoughts as clearly as if Firestar had spoken them aloud. To his surprise, he realized that Firestar still felt weak after the attack of greencough that had taken one of his nine lives. Lurking in his mind was the fear that the sickness would return. And maybe he's right, Jayfeather thought. He could hear Spiderleg wheezing over by the nursery, as his kits tumbled all over him. "That's right," their mother, Daisy, meowed. "You can practice your fighting moves with your father. Spiderleg, can't you be a scarier badger than that?" "Badgers... don't"—Spiderleg was finding it hard to catch his breath—"get... greencough," he finished painfully. Nearby Millie was grooming her three kits, breaking off every now and then to cough. "Don't stay out if it gets too cold," Graystripe warned her, bounding over to her side. "And you three kits—don't play too rough with your mother." Jayfeather heard Blossomkit's high-pitched mew. "We won't." "Right, the patrols can go now," Graystripe

听清这位族长的心事，清晰得就跟火星亲口说出来一样。 令他惊讶的是，他发现夺走火星一条命的绿咳症退去后，火星到现在还觉得体虚。 火星心底藏着对疾病复发的恐惧。 说不定他的担心是对的，松鸦羽想。 他听见育婴室旁蛛足正喘着粗气，他的幼崽们正扑在他身上滚来滚去打闹。 “没错，”孩子们的妈妈黛西说道。 “你们可以跟爸爸练习格斗动作呀。 蛛足，你扮獾能不能装得再吓人一点啊？” “獾……才不会……”——蛛足喘得说不出话——“得……绿咳症，”他痛苦地说完这句话。 旁边米莉正在给她的三个幼崽梳理毛发，时不时停下来咳几声。 “要是天气转冷就别待在外面，”灰条提醒她，快步跳到她身边。 “还有你们三个小家伙——别跟妈妈闹得太凶了。” 松鸦羽听到了小花尖尖的叫声。 “我们不会的。” “好了，巡逻队现在可以出发了，”灰条

announced as he returned. "Keep a good lookout, and report anything you see that's at all strange." The stone hollow was quiet after all the patrols had left; the remaining warriors returned to their den to get out of the cold. Daisy and Millie rounded up the kits. "It's time for some exercise," Daisy meowed. "Running around will keep you warm. Who can fetch me a twig from the thorn barrier and get back here first?" "I can!" all the kits yowled together, and they pelted across the clearing. Jayfeather jumped back to avoid being knocked over and retreated into his den. As soon as he set paw behind the bramble screen, the dust from churned-up moss and bracken hit him in the nose. "What's going on?" he asked, stifling a sneeze. "I'm changing the bedding," Leafpool explained. "Can you come over here and roll up this moss, please?" Jayfeather padded over, his paws sinking into the heaps of moss and bracken that Leafpool had already clawed together. "I think it's going to

他回来的时候开口说道。 “好好盯紧，看到任何不对劲的东西都要来报告。” 所有巡逻队离开后，石谷恢复了安静； 剩下的武士回到巢穴躲避严寒。 黛西和米莉把幼崽们召集了起来。 “该活动活动身体啦，”黛西喵呜说道。 “跑一跑身子就暖和了。 谁能去荆棘屏障叼一根小树枝，第一个跑回这里呀？” “我能！” 所有幼崽一起叫着，蹦跳着跑过了空地。 杰伊爪往后跳躲开没被撞倒，退回了自己的巢穴。 他刚把爪子踏进荆条帘子，搅动起来的苔藓和蕨叶的灰尘就钻进了他的鼻子。 “这是在做什么呀？”他问道，憋着一个喷嚏。 “我在换垫窝草，”叶池解释道。 “你能过来帮我把这块苔藓卷起来吗？” 杰伊爪慢慢走过去，爪子陷进叶池已经耙好的那堆苔藓和蕨叶里。 “我觉得快要

snow," he pointed out. "All the fresh stuff will be soaked with it." "We can squeeze the water out," Leafpool replied. "This old bedding is disgusting. How can we ask sick cats to sleep in it?" I'd rather sleep in it, Jayfeather thought, than go outside to get freezing cold and wet. He was starting to push the piles together, half burying himself in dried fronds of fern and clumps of moss, when he heard a cat brush past the brambles. He picked up Firestar's scent above the dusty smell of the bedding. "How are you, Leafpool?" Firestar meowed. "Fine, thanks." Leafpool's tone was brisk, and she didn't stop raking out the remains of the bedding. "There's something I want to ask you...." Firestar's voice trailed off, and Jayfeather picked up strong waves of anxiety coming from him. He crouched among the ferns, trying not to sneeze again and hoping that whatever Firestar had to say didn't need to be said in private. "Well?" Leafpool prompted. "It's just—" Firestar broke off again.

下雪了，”他提醒道。 “新换的垫草都会被雪打湿的。” “我们可以把水挤掉呀，”叶池回答。 “这些旧垫草太脏了。 我们怎么能让生病的猫睡在上面呢？” 我宁愿睡旧垫草，也比出去冻得湿冷强，杰伊爪心想。 他刚把草堆推到一起，半个身子埋进干蕨叶和苔藓堆里，就听到有猫蹭着荆条走过。 他在垫草的灰尘味里，闻出了火星的气味。 “你还好吗，叶池？” 火星喵呜问道。 “我很好，谢谢。” 叶池语气轻快，手里还不停耙着剩下的旧垫草。 “我有件事想问你……” 火星的声音越来越小，杰伊爪感觉到他传来强烈的焦虑。 他蹲在蕨叶丛里，憋着不再打喷嚏，盼着火星要说的话不需要私下讲。 “然后呢？” 叶池催促道。 “就是——”火星又停住不说了。