Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2 "Well?" hissed Bluestar, her face only a mouse- length from his now. Lionheart remained silent as he towered over Rusty. He flattened his ears and crouched under the golden warrior's cold stare. His fur prickled uncomfortably. "I am no threat to your Clan," he mewed, looking down at his trembling paws. "You threaten our Clan when you take our food," yowled Bluestar. "You have plenty of food in your Twoleg nest already. You come here only to hunt for sport. But we hunt to survive." The truth of the warrior queen's words pierced Rusty like a blackthorn, and suddenly he understood her anger. He stopped trembling, sat up, and straightened his ears. He raised his eyes to meet hers. "I had not thought of it that way before. I am sorry," he meowed solemnly. "I will not hunt here again." Bluestar let her hackles fall and signaled to Lionheart to step back. "You are an unusual kittypet, Rusty," she meowed. Graypaw's sigh of relief made Rusty's ears twitch. He heard the approval in Bluestar's voice

“怎么样？”蓝星嘶嘶地说，她的脸现在离他只有一只老鼠的距离了。 狮心保持沉默，因为他比罗斯蒂高得多。 他竖起耳朵，蹲在金色武士冰冷的目光下。 他的毛刺得很不舒服。 “我对你们氏族没有威胁。”他叫道，低头看着自己颤抖的爪子。 “当你拿走我们的食物时，你威胁了我们的部落。”蓝星咆哮道。 “你的Twoleg窝里已经有很多食物了。 你到这里来只是为了找乐子。 但我们打猎是为了生存。”勇士女王的真心话像刺痛了黑刺李一样刺穿了Rusty，他突然明白了她的愤怒。 他停止了颤抖，坐起来，竖起耳朵。 他抬起眼睛与她的目光相遇。 “我以前从来没有这样想过。 我很抱歉。”他严肃地喵了一声。 “我不会再在这里打猎了。” 蓝星让她的鬃毛掉下来，示意狮心退后。 “你是一只不寻常的小猫，罗斯蒂，”她喵喵地说。 灰爪如释重负的叹息使罗斯蒂的耳朵抽动起来。 他从蓝星的声音里听到了赞许

and noticed as she swapped a meaningful glance with Lionheart. The look made him curious. What flashed between the two warriors? Quietly he asked, "Is survival here really so hard?" "Our territory covers only part of the forest," answered Bluestar. "We compete with other Clans for what we have. And this year, late newleaf means prey is scarce." "Is your Clan very big?" Rusty meowed, his eyes wide. "Big enough," replied Bluestar. "Our territory can support us, but there is no prey left over." "Are you all warriors, then?" Rusty mewed. Bluestar's guarded answers were just making him more and more curious. Lionheart answered him. "Some are warriors. Some are too young or too old or too busy caring for kits to hunt." "And you all live and share prey together?" Rusty murmured in awe, thinking a little guiltily of his own easy, selfish life. Bluestar looked again at Lionheart. The golden tabby stared back at her steadily. At last she returned her gaze to Rusty and meowed, "Perhaps

注意到她和狮心王交换了一个意味深长的眼神。 那表情使他很好奇。 两个战士之间闪过的是什么？ 他平静地问：“在这里生存真的那么难吗？”“我们的领土只覆盖了森林的一部分。”蓝星回答。 “我们与其他部落竞争我们所拥有的东西。 而今年，新叶晚生意味着猎物稀少。” “你的家族很大吗？”罗斯蒂叫了一声，眼睛睁得大大的。 “够大了。”蓝星回答。 “我们的领地可以养活我们，但没有猎物了。” “那么，你们都是战士了？”生锈的只能。 蓝星谨慎的回答只会让他越来越好奇。 狮心王回答他。“有些是战士。 有些太年轻或太老，或者太忙着照顾幼崽而无法捕猎。” “你们一起生活，一起分享猎物吗？”罗斯蒂怀着敬畏的心情喃喃地说，想到自己那种安逸、自私的生活，心里有点内疚。 蓝星又看了看狮心。 金色虎斑猫也盯着她。 最后，她把目光转向罗斯蒂，喵喵叫道：“也许吧

you should find out these things for yourself. Would you like to join ThunderClan?" Rusty was so surprised, he couldn't speak. Bluestar went on: "If you did, you would train with Graypaw to become a Clan warrior." "But kittypets can't be warriors!" Graypaw blurted out. "They don't have warrior blood!" A sad look clouded Bluestar's eyes. "Warrior blood," she echoed with a sigh. "Too much of that has been spilled lately." Bluestar fell silent and Lionheart meowed, "Bluestar is only offering you training, young kit. There is no guarantee you would become a full warrior. It might prove too difficult for you. After all, you are used to a comfortable life." Rusty was stung by Lionheart's words. He swung his head around to face the golden tabby. "Why offer me the chance, then?" But it was Bluestar who answered. "You are right to question our motives, young one. The fact is, ThunderClan needs more warriors." "Understand that Bluestar does not make this offer lightly," warned Lionheart. "If you wish to train with us, we will have to take you into our

你应该自己去发现这些事情。 你想加入ThunderClan吗？”拉什蒂惊讶得说不出话来。 蓝星接着说：“如果你这样做了，你就可以和灰爪一起训练，成为一名部落战士。” “但是小猫不可能是战士！”灰爪脱口而出。 “他们没有战士的血！”忧郁的神情笼罩了蓝星的双眼。 “战士的血。”她叹了口气，重复道。 “最近泄漏的太多了。” 蓝星沉默了，狮心叫道：“蓝星只是给你训练，小宝贝。 没有人能保证你会成为一名真正的战士。 这对你来说可能太难了。 毕竟，你习惯了舒适的生活。” 狮心王的话刺痛了罗斯蒂。 他转过头来，面对着那只金色的虎斑猫。 “那为什么要给我这个机会呢？”但接电话的是蓝星。 “你质疑我们的动机是对的，年轻人。 事实是，雷霆部落需要更多的战士。” “你要明白，蓝星不会轻易提出这个提议。”狮心王警告道。 “如果你想和我们一起训练，我们将不得不带你进我们的

Clan. You must either live with us and respect our ways, or return to your Twolegplace and never come back. You cannot live with a paw in each world." A cool breeze stirred the undergrowth, ruffling Rusty's fur. He shivered, not with the cold, but with excitement at the incredible possibilities opening up in front of him. "Are you wondering if it's worth giving up your comfortable kittypet life?" asked Bluestar gently. "But do you realize the price you will pay for your warmth and food?" Rusty looked at her, puzzled. Surely his encounter with these cats had proved to him just how easy and luxurious his life was. "I can tell that you are still a tom," Bluestar added, "despite the Twoleg stench that clings to your fur." "What do you mean—still a tom?" "You haven't yet been taken by the Twolegs to see the Cutter," meowed Bluestar gravely. "You would be very different then. Not quite so keen to fight a Clan cat, I suspect!" Rusty was confused. He suddenly thought of

家族。你要么和我们住在一起，尊重我们的生活方式，要么回到你的家乡，永远不再回来。 你不可能在每个世界都有一只爪子。” 一阵凉风吹动了灌木丛，拉斯提的皮毛被吹皱了。 他打了个寒颤，不是因为冷，而是因为眼前展现的不可思议的可能性而兴奋不已。 “你想知道放弃舒适的小猫生活是否值得吗？”蓝星温柔地问。 “但是你知道你要为温暖和食物付出的代价吗？”罗斯蒂不解地看着她。 当然，他与这些猫的相遇向他证明了他的生活是多么的轻松和奢侈。 “我能看出来你还是一只汤姆，”蓝星补充道，“尽管你的皮毛上还粘着特沃列格的臭味。” “你是什么意思——还是一只汤姆？”“你还没有被特立格人带去看切割机呢。”蓝星严肃地叫道。 “那你就大不一样了。 我想，我可没那么想跟家族的猫打架！”罗斯蒂很困惑。 他突然想到

Henry, who had become fat and lazy since his visit to the vet. Was that what Bluestar meant by the Cutter? "The Clan may not be able to offer you such easy food or warmth," continued Bluestar. "In the season of leaf-bare, nights in the forest can be cruel. The Clan will demand great loyalty and hard work. You will be expected to protect the Clan with your life if necessary. And there are many mouths to feed. But the rewards are great. You will remain a tom. You will be trained in the ways of the wild. You will learn what it is to be a real cat. The strength and the fellowship of the Clan will always be with you, even when you hunt alone." Rusty's head reeled. Bluestar seemed to be offering him the life he had lived so many times, and so tantalizingly, in his dreams, but could he live like that for real? Lionheart interrupted his thoughts. "Come, Bluestar, let's not waste any more time here. We must be ready to join the other patrol at moonhigh. Tigerclaw will wonder what has become of us." He stood up and flicked his tail

自从看了兽医之后，亨利变得又胖又懒。 这就是蓝星所说的刀具吗？ “氏族可能无法为你提供这么容易的食物和温暖，”蓝星继续说。 “在光秃秃的季节，森林里的夜晚可能是残酷的。 氏族需要极大的忠诚和努力。 如果有必要，你要用生命来保护氏族。 还有很多人要养活。 但回报是巨大的。 你还是一只汤姆。你会被训练在野外的道路上。 你会知道什么是真正的猫。 氏族的力量和友谊将永远伴随着你，即使你独自狩猎。” 罗斯蒂的头一阵眩晕。蓝星似乎要给他提供那种他在梦中曾经历过无数次的、如此诱人的生活，但他真的能那样生活吗？ 狮心打断了他的思绪。 “来吧，蓝星，我们不要再浪费时间了。 我们必须准备好在月高时加入另一支巡逻队。 虎爪会纳闷我们现在怎么样了。” 他站了起来，摇了摇尾巴

expectantly. "Wait," Rusty meowed. "Can I think about your offer?" Bluestar looked at him for a long moment and nodded. "Lionheart will be here tomorrow at sunhigh," she told him. "Give him your answer then." Bluestar murmured a low signal, and in a single movement the three cats turned and disappeared into the undergrowth. Rusty blinked. He stared—excited, uncertain —up past the ferns that encircled him, through the canopy of leaves, to the stars that glittered in the clear sky. The scent of the Clan cats still hung heavy in the evening air. And as Rusty turned and headed for home, he felt a strange sensation inside him, tugging him back into the depths of the forest. His fur prickled deliciously in the light wind, and the rustling leaves seemed to whisper his name into the shadows.

期待着什么。“等等，”罗斯蒂叫道。 “我能考虑一下你的提议吗？”蓝星看了他很久，点了点头。 “狮心王明天太阳升起的时候会在这里。”她告诉他。 “那就给他你的答复吧。” 蓝星低声发出一个信号，三只猫立刻转身消失在灌木丛中。 生锈的眨了眨眼睛。他兴奋而不确定地望着，越过环绕着他的蕨类植物，穿过树叶的树冠，望向晴朗天空中闪烁的星星。 氏族猫的气味在傍晚的空气中依然浓重。 当Rusty转身回家时，他感到一种奇怪的感觉，把他拉回森林深处。 他的皮毛在微风中刺痛，沙沙作响的树叶似乎在阴影中低语着他的名字。