Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15 Bluestar stood and began to pad toward Mothermouth. Tigerclaw walked beside her, matching her strides step for step. "Come on, Ravenpaw!" called Graypaw. Ravenpaw was still sitting on the rock, staring up at the rocks. At Graypaw's mew, he stood and began to follow slowly. Firepaw realized his friend had hardly said a word the whole journey. Is he just worried about ShadowClan, or is there something else troubling him? Firepaw wondered. It took the cats only a few moments to reach Mothermouth. Firepaw stood on the threshold and peered inside. The blackness beyond the stone archway was darker than the cloudiest night. Firepaw narrowed his eyes, trying to see where the tunnel led, but he couldn't see a thing. Beside him, Graypaw and Ravenpaw craned their heads nervously around the entrance. Even Tigerclaw seemed unsettled by the black hole ahead of them. "How will we find our way in such darkness?" he asked. "I will know the way," answered Bluestar. "Just follow my scent. Ravenpaw and Graypaw, you

蓝星站起来，开始向母茅斯走去。 虎爪走在她身边，配合着她的步伐。 “来吧，乌鸦爪！” 拉文爪仍然坐在岩石上，抬头望着岩石。 到了格雷paw的新址，他站了起来，开始慢慢地跟在后面。 火爪意识到他的朋友一路上几乎没有说过一句话。 他只是在担心ShadowClan，还是有别的事情困扰着他？ Firepaw很好奇。猫咪们只花了几分钟就到达了母嘴。 火爪站在门槛上往里看。 石砌拱门那边的黑暗比最阴云密布的夜晚还要黑暗。 火爪眯起眼睛，想看看隧道通向哪里，但他什么也看不见。 在他身边，灰爪和拉文爪在入口处紧张地伸长了头。 就连虎爪也对眼前的黑洞感到不安。 “在这样的黑暗中，我们怎样才能找到路呢？”他问道。 “我认得路，”蓝星回答。 “跟着我的气味走。乌鸦爪和灰爪，你们

will remain on guard outside. Firepaw, you will accompany me and Tigerclaw to the Moonstone." Firepaw felt a thrill jolt through him. What an honor! Firepaw glanced sideways at Tigerclaw. The warrior sat with his chin boldly raised, but Firepaw could detect a subtle fear-scent coming from him. It grew stronger as Bluestar stepped forward into the blackness. Tigerclaw shook his mighty head and padded after Bluestar. With a brief nod to the other apprentices, Firepaw followed. Inside the cave, his eyes still detected nothing. The complete and utter blackness felt strange, but he was surprised to find that he wasn't frightened. His eagerness to discover what lay ahead was stronger. The cold, damp air reached through his thick fur and into his bones, stiffening his muscles. Even the coldest nights did not hold the same chill as the air here. This ground has never known the warmth of the sun, thought Firepaw, feeling the rock smooth like ice beneath his paws. Freezing air filled his lungs with each breath, until he felt light-headed.

我会在外面保持警戒。 火爪，你陪我和虎爪去月光石那儿。” 火爪感到全身一阵震颤。 多么荣幸啊！火爪瞥了虎爪一眼。 战士坐着，大胆地扬起下巴，但火爪觉察到他身上散发出一股微妙的恐惧气息。 随着蓝星走向黑暗，它变得越来越强烈。 虎爪摇了摇他那粗壮的头，快步跟在蓝星后面。 火爪向其他徒弟微微点了点头，跟着他们。 在洞里，他的眼睛仍然什么也没发现。 完全的黑暗让他感到奇怪，但他惊讶地发现自己并不害怕。 他更渴望了解前方的情况。 寒冷潮湿的空气穿过他厚厚的皮毛，进入他的骨头，使他的肌肉僵硬。 即使是最冷的夜晚也没有这里的空气那么冷。 这片土地从来没有经历过太阳的温暖，火爪心想，他觉得岩石在他的爪子下光滑得像冰。 每次呼吸，他的肺里都充满了冰冷的空气，直到他感到头晕。

He followed Bluestar and Tigerclaw through the darkness, judging his way by scent and feel alone. They were walking along a tunnel that sloped down and down, winding first one way and then the other. Firepaw's whiskers brushed the side of the cave, telling him where to walk and where to turn. His nose told him that Bluestar and Tigerclaw were only a tail-length ahead of him. On and on they went. How far have we come? Firepaw wondered. Then he felt a tingle in his whiskers. The air in his nostrils seemed fresher than before. He sniffed again, relieved to smell the familiar world above. He could smell peat, and prey, and the scent of heather. There must be a hole somewhere in the roof of the tunnel. "Where are we?" he mewed into the darkness. "We have entered the cavern of the Moonstone," came Bluestar's soft reply. "Wait here. It will be moonhigh soon." Firepaw folded his hind legs under him on the chilly stone floor and waited. He could hear the steady breathing of Bluestar and the more rapid, fear-scented panting of Tigerclaw. Suddenly, in a flash more blinding than the

他跟着蓝星和虎爪在黑暗中穿行，凭气味判断方向，感到孤独。 他们正沿着一条向下倾斜的隧道走着，隧道先是一条路，然后是另一条路。 火爪的胡须拂过洞口，告诉他该往哪里走，该往哪里转弯。 他的鼻子告诉他，蓝星和虎爪就在他前面一条尾巴的距离。 他们走啊走啊。我们走了多远？ Firepaw很好奇。接着，他感到胡须一阵刺痛。 他鼻孔里的空气似乎比以前更新鲜了。 他又闻了闻，闻到了上面熟悉的世界，松了口气。 他能闻到泥炭、猎物和石南花的气味。 隧道顶部一定有个洞。 “我们在哪儿？”他在黑暗中叫道。 “我们已经进入了月光石的洞穴。”蓝星轻声回答。 “在这儿等着。月亮很快就要升起来了。” 火爪把后腿蜷在身下，躺在冰冷的石头地板上，等待着。 他能听到蓝星稳定的呼吸声和虎爪急促而充满恐惧的喘息声。 突然，在一个闪光比

setting sun, the cave was lit up. Firepaw's eyes were wide open after the blackness of the tunnel. He closed them quickly against the cold, white light. Then slowly he opened them into tiny slits and peered ahead. He saw a gleaming rock, which glittered as if it were made from countless dewdrops. The Moonstone! Firepaw looked around. In the cold light reflected from the stone, he could make out the shadowy edges of a high-roofed cavern. The Moonstone rose up from the middle of the floor, three tail-lengths high. Bluestar was staring upward, her fur bleached white in the glow of the Moonstone. Even Tigerclaw's dark pelt shone silver. Firepaw followed Bluestar's gaze. High in the roof was an opening that revealed a narrow triangle of night sky. The moon was casting a beam of light through the hole, down onto the Moonstone, making it sparkle like a star. Beside him, Firepaw smelled Tigerclaw's fear- scent growing, until it became overpowering. Firepaw felt startled. Could the warrior see something else here, something dangerous? He

夕阳西下，山洞被照亮了。 经过黑暗的隧道，火爪睁大了眼睛。 他迅速合上眼睛，挡住冰冷的白光。 然后，他慢慢地把它们打开成一个个小缝，向前方窥视。 他看见一块闪闪发光的石头，闪闪发光，仿佛是由无数露珠制成的。 月长石!火爪环顾四周。 在石头反射的冷光下，他能辨认出一个高顶洞穴的阴影边缘。 月光石从地板中央升起，有三条尾巴那么高。 蓝星向上凝视着，她的皮毛在月光石的光芒下变得雪白。 就连虎爪的黑色皮毛也闪闪发光。 火爪跟着蓝星的目光望去。 高高的屋顶上有一个开口，露出一片狭窄的三角形夜空。 月光从洞里射进来，照在月光石上，使它像星星一样闪闪发光。 在他身边，火爪闻到了虎爪的恐惧气味——越来越强烈，直到它变得难以抵抗。 火爪吓了一跳。战士会不会看到别的东西，危险的东西？ 他

saw a flash of movement, felt fur rush past him, and heard the fleeing pawsteps of Tigerclaw racing back to the entrance. "Firepaw?" Bluestar's voice was quiet and calm. "I'm still here," he answered nervously. What had frightened Tigerclaw? "Bluestar?" Firepaw mewed again when she didn't answer. His heart was beating fast, making the blood roar in his ears. "It is all right, young warrior; don't be afraid," Bluestar murmured. Her calm voice settled him a little. "I think Tigerclaw was surprised by the power of the Moonstone. In the world above, Tigerclaw is a fearless and mighty warrior, but down here, where the spirits of StarClan speak, a cat needs a different kind of strength. What do you feel, Firepaw?" Firepaw sniffed the air deeply, and forced his body to relax. "Only my own curiosity," he admitted. "That is good," Bluestar replied. Firepaw looked back at the Moonstone. His eyes had gotten used to its light and he was no

只见一刹那有了动静，皮毛从他身边冲了过去，听见虎爪跑回门口的脚步声。 “Firepaw ?”蓝星的声音平静而平静。 “我还在这里，”他紧张地回答。 是什么把虎爪吓坏了？ “蓝星?”见她没有回答，火爪又叫了一声。 他的心跳得很快，血液在他耳朵里轰鸣。 “没关系，年轻的勇士；“别害怕，”蓝星喃喃地说。 她平静的声音使他稍稍平静下来。 “我认为虎爪对月光石的力量感到惊讶。 在上面的世界里，虎爪是一个无畏而强大的战士，但在这里，在星族的灵魂说话的地方，猫需要一种不同的力量。 你有什么感觉，火爪？”火爪深深地嗅了嗅空气，强迫自己的身体放松下来。 “只是我自己的好奇心，”他承认。 “那很好，”蓝星回答。 火爪回头看了看月光石。 他的眼睛已经习惯了它的光线，他没有

longer dazzled. Instead, it soothed him. With a twitch of his tail, he remembered his dream. This was the brilliant ball of light he had seen! Spellbound, Firepaw watched as Bluestar padded up to the stone and lay down beside it. She reached her head forward and touched the Moonstone with her nose. Her blue eyes sparkled with its reflection for a moment before she closed them. Now she rested her head on her paws, her eyelids flickering, her paws twitching occasionally. Was she sleeping? Then Firepaw remembered Graypaw's words: "new leaders have to sleep near the stone, and as they sleep, they have special dreams." He waited. The chill was not so intense here, but still he found himself shivering. He had no idea how much time had passed, but suddenly the rock stopped glowing. The cavern was plunged into darkness once more. Firepaw looked up to the opening in the roof of the cavern. The moon had passed on, out of sight. All that remained were tiny stars shimmering in blackness. Firepaw could just make out the pale shape of his leader, lying beside the Moonstone. He wanted

眼花缭乱。相反，它安慰了他。 尾巴一抖，他想起了自己的梦。 这就是他看到的明亮的光球！火爪如痴如醉地看着蓝星爬到石头旁躺下。 她探出头，用鼻子碰了碰月光石。 在她闭上眼睛之前，她的蓝眼睛闪着光芒。 现在她把头枕在爪子上，眼皮一眨一眨，爪子偶尔抽动一下。 她在睡觉吗？然后火爪记起灰爪的话：“新的领导人必须睡在石头附近，当他们睡觉时，他们会做特别的梦。” 他等待着。这里的寒意没有那么强烈，但他还是觉得自己在发抖。 他不知道过了多久，岩石突然停止了发光。 洞穴再次陷入黑暗。 火爪抬头看了看洞顶的洞口。 月亮已经过去了，看不见了。 剩下的只有在黑暗中闪烁的小星星。 火爪只能辨认出首领苍白的身影，他躺在月光石旁边。 他想要的