Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18 "Are you telling Firepaw how I protected Redtail?" Firepaw felt a cold shiver ruffle the fur on the back of his neck. Ravenpaw whipped around, eyes wide with fear. Tigerclaw loomed over them, his lips drawn back in a menacing snarl. Firepaw jumped up and faced the new deputy. "He was just saying he wished you had been here to take care of Lionheart as well, that's all!" he mewed, thinking quickly. Tigerclaw looked from one to the other, then stalked away in silence. Ravenpaw's green eyes clouded with terror, and he started to tremble uncontrollably. "Ravenpaw?" Firepaw meowed in alarm. But Ravenpaw didn't even look up at him. With his head held low, he slunk back to Graypaw and crouched next to him, pressing his skinny black body next to Graypaw's thick fur as if he was suddenly cold. Firepaw looked helplessly at his two friends as they huddled beside Lionheart's body. Not

第十八章“你要告诉火爪我是怎样保护红尾巴的吗？”火爪感到脖子后面的毛打了个寒战。 拉文爪猛地转过身来，惊恐地瞪大了眼睛。 虎爪逼近他们，嘴唇向后缩着，发出一声威胁的咆哮。 火爪跳了起来，面对着新来的副手。 “他只是说他希望你也能在这里照顾狮心王，仅此而已！” 虎爪看看他们俩，然后默默地走开了。 拉文爪的绿眼睛里充满了恐惧，他开始无法控制地颤抖起来。 “Ravenpaw ?”火爪惊恐地喵喵叫着。 但拉文爪甚至没有抬头看他一眼。 他低着头，偷偷溜回格雷paw身边，蹲在他身边，把他那又瘦又黑的身体紧贴在格雷paw厚厚的皮毛上，仿佛突然觉得冷了。 火爪无助地看着他的两个朋友，他们挤在狮心的尸体旁。 不

knowing what else to do, he padded over and settled himself beside them, ready to sit out the night. As the moon passed overhead, other cats came to join their vigil. Bluestar arrived last, once the camp was calm and quiet. She said nothing, but sat a little way off, gazing at her dead deputy with an expression of such unbearable grief that Firepaw had to look away. At dawn, a group of elders came to take Lionheart's body away to the burial place. Graypaw followed to help dig the hole where the great warrior would rest. Firepaw yawned and stretched. He felt chilled to the bone. Leaf-fall was nearly here now, and the woods were clouded with mist, but above the leaves Firepaw saw a rosy morning sky. He watched Graypaw disappear into the dew-soaked undergrowth with the elders. Ravenpaw jumped to his paws and hurried back to the apprentices' den. Firepaw followed him slowly. By the time he arrived, the black cat was curled up with his nose tucked under his tail, as if asleep.

他知道还有别的事可做，就悄悄地走过去，坐在他们旁边，准备坐到晚上。 当月亮从头顶经过时，其他的猫也加入了它们的守夜行列。 当营地平静下来后，蓝星最后到达。 她什么也没说，只是坐在离她不远的地方，带着一种难以忍受的悲伤神情凝视着她死去的副手，火爪不得不把目光移开。 黎明时分，一群长老来把狮心的尸体抬到墓地。 灰爪跟在后面，帮着挖坑，让伟大的勇士安息。 火爪打了个哈欠，伸了个懒腰。 他感到冷到骨头。 落叶快到了，树林里笼罩着薄雾，但在树叶之上，火爪看到了一片玫瑰色的早晨天空。 他看着灰爪和长老们一起消失在被露水浸透的灌木丛中。 拉文爪跳了起来，匆匆回到了学徒的窝里。 火爪慢慢地跟着他。 当他到达时，那只黑猫已经蜷缩起来，鼻子藏在尾巴下面，好像睡着了。

Firepaw was too exhausted to speak. He circled around on his mossy bed and then settled down for a long sleep. "Wake up!" Firepaw heard Dustpaw's voice calling through the den entrance. He opened his eyes. Ravenpaw was already awake, sitting bolt upright with his ears pricked. Graypaw was stirring beside him. Firepaw was surprised to see the familiar gray shape. He hadn't heard him come back after burying Lionheart. "Bluestar's called another meeting," Dustpaw hissed at them, and ducked out of the ferns. The three apprentices crawled out of the warm den. The sun was already past its height, and the air felt cooler than before. Firepaw shivered, and his belly growled. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten, and he wondered briefly if he would have a chance to hunt today. Firepaw, Graypaw, and Ravenpaw hurried to join the crowd gathered below the Highrock. Tigerclaw was speaking from his position

火爪累得说不出话来。 他在长满青苔的床上绕了一圈，然后坐下来睡了很久。 “醒来!”火爪听到灰尘爪的声音从洞口传来。 他睁开眼睛。拉文爪已经醒了，直挺挺地坐着，耳朵扎着。 灰爪在他身边动来动去。 火爪惊讶地看到了那个熟悉的灰色身影。 他没有听到他埋葬狮心后回来。 “蓝星又要开会了。”尘埃爪嘶嘶地对他们说，然后从蕨类植物丛中钻了出来。 三个徒弟爬出了温暖的洞穴。 太阳已经落山了，空气也比以前凉了。 火爪颤抖着，肚子咕咕叫着。 他不记得上次吃东西是什么时候，他想知道今天是否有机会打猎。 火爪、灰爪和鸦爪赶紧加入到聚集在海岩山下的人群中。 虎爪在他的位置上说话

beside Bluestar. "During the battle, our leader lost another life. Now that she has only four of her nine lives left, I am going to appoint a bodyguard to stay at her side constantly. No cat will be allowed to approach her unless the guards are present." His amber eyes flicked to Ravenpaw and then back to the rest of the crowd. "Darkstripe and Longtail," he continued, turning his gaze on the warriors, "you will act as Bluestar's guards." Darkstripe and Longtail nodded importantly, and sat taller. Bluestar now spoke. Her voice sounded gentle and calming after her deputy's commanding yowl. "Thank you, Tigerclaw, for your loyalty. But the Clan must understand that I am still here for them. No cat should hesitate to approach me, and I am happy to speak to anyone with or without my bodyguards." Her eyes darted briefly in Tigerclaw's direction. "As the warrior code says, the safety of the Clan is more important than the security of any single member." She paused, and her sky-blue gaze rested briefly on Firepaw. "And now, I wish to invite Yellowfang to join ThunderClan."

蓝星旁边。“在战斗中，我们的领袖又失去了一条生命。 现在她九条命只剩下四条命了，我要派一个保镖一直守在她身边。 除非警卫在场，否则任何猫都不允许靠近她。” 他琥珀色的眼睛扫视了一下拉文爪，然后又转向其他人群。 “黑条纹和长尾，”他继续说道，目光转向了战士们，“你们将担任蓝星的守卫。” 黑条和长尾重要地点了点头，坐得更高了。 现在蓝星说话了。在她的副手发出命令般的嚎叫之后，她的声音听起来温和而平静。 “谢谢你，虎爪，谢谢你的忠诚。 但氏族必须明白我还在这里守护着他们。 没有猫会犹豫接近我，我很乐意和任何人说话，不管有没有我的保镖。” 她的眼睛朝虎爪的方向瞟了一眼。 “正如武士守则所说，氏族的安全比任何一个成员的安全都重要。” 她停顿了一下，天蓝色的目光在火爪身上停留了一会儿。 “现在，我想邀请黄方加入雷霆家族。”

Meows of surprise rose from some of the warriors. Bluestar looked at Frostfur, who nodded her agreement. The other queens looked on silently. Bluestar continued. "Her actions last night proved that she is brave and loyal. If she wishes it, we would welcome her as a full member of this Clan." From her place at the edge of the crowd, Yellowfang looked up at the Clan leader and murmured, "I am honored, Bluestar, and I accept your offer." "Good," meowed Bluestar, her voice firm as if the matter was now closed. Firepaw purred with delight and nudged Graypaw. He was surprised to realize just how much Bluestar's public show of trust in Yellowfang meant to him. Bluestar began to speak again. "Last night we successfully defended ourselves against ShadowClan, but they are still a great threat. The repair work we began this morning will continue. Our boundaries will be patrolled constantly. We must not assume that the war is over."

一些战士发出惊讶的叫声。 蓝星看了看弗罗斯特弗，弗罗斯特点点头表示同意。 其他女王默默地看着。 蓝星继续说。“她昨晚的行为证明了她的勇敢和忠诚。 如果她愿意，我们欢迎她成为这个家族的正式成员。” 黄牙站在人群的边缘，抬头看着氏族首领，低声说道：“我很荣幸，蓝星，我接受你的提议。” “很好，”蓝星喵喵地说，她的声音坚定，好像这件事现在已经结束了。 火爪高兴地咕噜着，用胳膊肘推了推灰爪。 他惊讶地意识到蓝星对“黄方”的公开信任对他有多么重要。 蓝星又开始说话了。 “昨晚我们成功地抵御了暗影氏族，但他们仍然是一个巨大的威胁。 我们今天上午开始的修理工作将继续进行。 我们的边界将经常有人巡逻。 我们不能认为战争已经结束。”

Tigerclaw stood up, his tail held high, and glared down at the assembled cats. "ShadowClan attacked while we were away from camp," he growled. "They chose their moment well. How did they know that the camp was so poorly defended? Do they have eyes inside our camp?" Firepaw froze in horror as Tigerclaw fixed his cold stare on Ravenpaw. Some of the cats followed their new deputy's gaze and stared in puzzlement at the black apprentice. Ravenpaw looked at the ground and shifted his paws nervously. Tigerclaw went on. "We still have a while before sunset. We must concentrate on rebuilding our camp. Meanwhile, if you suspect anything, or anyone, tell me. Be assured, anything you say will be in confidence." He nodded to dismiss the Clan, then turned and began murmuring to Bluestar. The cats separated and began to move around the camp, assessing damage and forming work groups. "Ravenpaw!" Firepaw called, still shocked by Tigerclaw's dark hint that his own apprentice had betrayed the Clan. But Ravenpaw had already

虎爪站了起来，尾巴高高翘起，向下瞪着聚集在一起的猫。 “暗影帮趁我们离开营地时袭击了我们。”他咆哮道。 “他们很好地选择了时机。 他们怎么知道营地的防御如此薄弱？ 他们在我们营地里有眼线吗？”虎爪用冰冷的目光盯着拉文爪，火爪吓呆了。 一些猫跟着他们的新副手的目光，迷惑地盯着这个黑人学徒。 拉文爪看着地面，紧张地移动着爪子。 虎爪继续说。“离日落还有一段时间。 我们必须集中精力重建营地。 同时，如果你怀疑任何事，任何人，告诉我。 请放心，你所说的一切都是绝对保密的。” 他点头示意部落解散，然后转身开始对蓝星低语。 猫们分开了，开始在营地周围移动，评估损失，组成工作小组。 “Ravenpaw !”火爪喊道，虎爪暗示他的徒弟背叛了氏族，他仍然感到震惊。 但拉文爪已经这么做了