Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17 Mel fell through the sharp pine branches. They scraped and stabbed her as her body twisted and turned. She grasped desperately for them. But the fragile twigs broke off in her hands. She landed with a jarring thud in the bushes, smacking her head hard on the ground. She shook off the pain and sat up. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

梅尔从尖锐的松枝上掉了下来。 当她的身体扭动时，他们又刮又刺。 她拼命地抓住它们。 但是脆弱的树枝在她手中折断了。 她砰的一声落在灌木丛里，头重重地撞在地上。 她摆脱了疼痛，坐了起来。 Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr。

The bear was just feet away. She could see its glistening black nose, the gleaming points of its canine teeth. Mel braced for the feeling of claws slashing through her skin, jaws crunching down on her bones. She gripped a long, sharp branch that must have broken off as she was falling. She sat up and held it out in front of her. A ridiculous weapon, that little stick. She wouldn't have been surprised if the grizzly had laughed. Mel heard something rustling in the bushes right in front of her. Probably some terrified squirrel. Voices echoed. "Mel! Mel! Where are you?" It was Cassie and Steve! The grizzly stepped toward her, its eyes burning with fury. Its muscles rippled under its shaggy fur. The rustling in the bushes got louder. And then Mel heard a strange new sound. Click, clack, click, clack, click, clack.

熊就在几英尺远的地方。 她可以看到它那闪亮的黑鼻子和闪闪发光的尖尖犬齿。 梅尔准备好迎接爪子划破她皮肤的感觉，下巴咬着她的骨头。 她抓着一根又长又尖的树枝，那根树枝一定是在她掉下去的时候折断的。 她坐起来，把它举到面前。 那根小棍子真是可笑的武器。 如果灰熊笑了，她也不会感到惊讶。 梅尔听到就在她前面的灌木丛里有什么东西在沙沙作响。 可能是受惊的松鼠。 的声音回荡。“梅尔!梅尔!你在哪儿？”是凯西和史蒂夫！灰熊朝她走来，眼睛里燃烧着怒火。 它的肌肉在蓬松的皮毛下荡漾。 灌木丛里的沙沙声更响了。 然后梅尔听到了一种奇怪的新声音。 咔哒，咔哒，咔哒，咔哒，咔哒，咔哒。

Before Mel even knew what she was doing, she had pulled the stick back and jabbed it into the bushes. The stick hit something, something big and solid. And then that something leaped out of the bushes. It landed on the ground between Mel and the grizzly. Mel's mouth fell open.

梅尔还没来得及反应过来，她就把棍子拉了回来，插进了灌木丛里。 棍子打到了什么东西，一个又大又结实的东西。 然后有个东西从灌木丛里跳了出来。 它落在了梅尔和灰熊之间的地上。 梅尔张大了嘴。

It was a huge porcupine. Its quills stood straight up, like metal spears. The bear reared up onto its hind legs. It let out an earsplitting roar. Not of fury. The sound was high-pitched, ragged, almost a cry. The bear was afraid. The porcupine click, clack, click clacked, louder and faster. Mel's heart thundered. In that moment, everything seemed to disappear. The voices shouting her name. The footsteps closing in. The flashlight beams getting closer and closer. At that moment it was just three of them: The grizzly. The porcupine. And Mel. Three terrified animals, alone in the wild.

那是一只巨大的豪猪。它的羽毛直立，像金属长矛。 熊用后腿站立起来。 它发出震耳欲聋的吼声。 不是因为愤怒。那声音尖厉刺耳，几乎是一声喊叫。 熊很害怕。豪猪咔哒，咔哒，咔哒，咔哒，声音越来越大，越来越快。 梅尔的心怦怦直跳。在那一刻，一切似乎都消失了。 那些呼喊她名字的声音。 脚步声越来越近了。手电筒的光束越来越近了。 在那一刻，只有三个人：灰熊。 豪猪。和梅尔。三只受惊的动物，独自在野外。