Chapter 2

Chapter Two I hear a swirling, deafening thunderclap, followed by the sound of walloping wings and crumbling brick. I throw a glance over my shoulder. The flying terror is rocketing after us. "This may not have been an A-plus plan, Rover. Possibly more of a C-minus plan. So... FASTER!" I cry, and Rover's paws slam the pavement. The monster's wings are beating, air clapping, the sound of the swooping louder and louder. I feel the airborne enemy at my back, and then—

我听到一声震耳欲聋的雷鸣，接着是翅膀拍击的声音和砖头破碎的声音。 我回头瞥了一眼。 飞行的恐怖分子正飞快地追着我们。 “这可能不是一个a +计划，罗孚。 更可能是c -计划。 所以…快!”我哭了，罗孚的爪子重重地踩在人行道上。 怪物的翅膀在拍打着，空气拍击着，俯冲的声音越来越大。 我感觉到空中的敌人在我背后，然后——

TALON SMACK. I smack into the street, flipping and flopping like a fish. My nose cracks against my knee, and I immediately feel blood bubbling inside my nostrils. I ignore it, suck air, then scramble to my feet—just in time to see the beast's massive front talons pierce Rover's hide. Rover yelps as—

如爪的味道。我扑通一声摔在街上，像条鱼一样翻来翻去。 我的鼻子贴在膝盖上，我立刻感到鼻孔里有血在冒泡。 我忽略了它，吸了口气，然后爬起来——正好看到这只野兽巨大的前爪刺穿了罗孚的皮。 罗孚叫着——

"NO!" I shriek. The monster zooms low, dragging Rover across the pavement. The sound of pained scraping fills my ears while dread floods my stomach. Rover suddenly snarls and—SLASH!—strikes with his claws, smacking the Wretch's talons. Rover is released. He plunges into the pavement— cracking, bouncing, and flipping across the ground. He rolls to a stop.

“不!”我尖叫。怪物急速俯冲，拖着罗孚穿过人行道。 痛苦的刮擦声填满了我的耳朵，恐惧淹没了我的胃。 漫游者突然咆哮——砰！——用爪子敲打着坏蛋的爪子。 漫游者被释放。他一头扎进人行道，在地上噼里啪啦地跳来跳去。 他滚动着停了下来。

He's on his side. Not moving. "Rover!" I cry as I speed down the street. My monster-dog has been hauled and tossed, like, fifty feet. "Oh no," I say, dropping to one knee beside him. I scratch the thick, soft hair behind Rover's ears. We'll get you fixed up. Don't worry. But we need to get you out of here. Now. The monster's wings beat and snap. He's swooping toward me and Rover, returning to finish what he started. But then I hear voices yelling. I snap my head around and see my friends—

他站在他这边。不动。 “罗孚!”我一边在街上疾驰，一边哭着。 我的怪物狗被拖了大概五十英尺。 “哦，不，”我说，在他身边单膝跪地。 我搔搔罗孚耳后浓密柔软的毛发。 我们会把你治好的。别担心。 但我们得把你弄出去。 现在。怪物的翅膀拍打着，啪地一声。 他向我和罗孚俯冲而来，回来完成他开始的事情。 但接着我听到有人大喊大叫。 我摇了摇头，看到我的朋友们

OVER HERE. Come mess with us! Distractions! We are performing the functions of distractionSl. Quint is a very literal person. But the beast is not distracted. The monster's focus is only on Rover and me. He screams through the sky. His wings smack the ground, and debris whirls as he rockets toward us. Three hundred feet and closing in. Two hundred feet and closing in. One hundred feet and closing in.

在这里。来惹我们吧！分心!我们在执行分散注意力的功能。 昆特是个不折不扣的人。 但这头野兽并没有分心。 怪物只盯着我和罗孚。 他对着天空尖叫。 他的翅膀拍打着地面，当他向我们飞来时，碎片在旋转。 三百英尺，越来越近了。 两百英尺，越来越近了。 一百英尺，越来越近了。

The monster's dragon-like mouth opens, and I see an army of thick fangs. I gulp. But suddenly, the monster's wings snap to his sides and his legs stab forward. KA-KRAK! It feels like an earthquake as his talons slam into the street, claws digging into the asphalt. I crane my neck to look up at the monster—and I see him, fully and 100 percent clearly for the first time. He is bigger than any Winged Wretch. In fact, it's more like... -The King Wretch!

怪物的龙一样的嘴张开了，我看到了一群厚厚的毒牙。 我吞咽。但突然，怪物的翅膀啪的一声扑向身体两侧，他的腿向前刺。 KA-KRAK !感觉就像地震一样，他的爪子猛击着街道，爪子在柏油路上挖着。 我伸长脖子抬头看那怪物——我第一次完全、百分之百地看清了他。 他比任何长翅膀的可怜虫都大。 事实上，它更像是…… -卑鄙的国王！