Chapter 0 Prologue

THE NEW PROPHECY WARRIORS STARLIGHT ERIN HUNTER #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

新预言 猫武士：星光 艾琳·亨特 《纽约时报》畅销书榜首作家

PROLOGUE Moonlight washed over the hillside, casting heavy shadows around a thick wall of thornbushes. The bushes surrounded a hollow with rocky sides that sloped down steeply to a pool in the shape of a full moon. Halfway up the side of the hollow, a trickle of water bubbled up between two moss- covered stones, glimmering like liquid starshine as it fell into the pool below. The branches rustled and parted as cats emerged at the top of the hollow and began to pick their way down to the water's edge. Their pelts shone with a soft, pale light, and their pawsteps left a frosty glitter on the moss behind them. A tortoiseshell she-cat was the first to reach the pool. She looked around with glowing eyes. "Yes," she purred. "This is the place." "You're right, Spottedleaf. When we chose the four cats to lead the Clans out of the forest, we chose well." The reply came from a blue-gray warrior who was approaching from the other side

序章 月光漫过山坡，在浓密的荆豆篱墙投下了浓重的阴影。 荆丛围着一处山谷，谷壁遍布岩石，陡峭向下延伸，尽头是一弯满月形状的水潭。 在谷壁半腰处，一股细流从两块覆满苔藓的石头间汩汩涌出，落进水潭时像流动的星光一样闪闪发亮。 枝条沙沙分开，一群猫出现在谷顶，慢慢摸索着往下走到水岸边。 它们的皮毛泛着柔和的淡光，爪垫踏过苔藓，身后留下一片冰霜般的闪光。 一只玳瑁色母猫第一个抵达了水潭。 她睁着发光的眼睛环顾了四周。 “没错，”她轻声呼噜道。 “就是这里了。” “你说得对，斑叶。 当初我们选出四只猫带领族群离开森林，我们选对了。” 开口回应的是一只蓝灰色武士，正从另一边走来

of the hollow. She leaped down from a jutting rock to face the tortoiseshell across the moonlit water. "But the Clans still have a hard task ahead of them." Spottedleaf dipped her head in agreement. "Yes, Bluestar. Their courage and faith will be tried to their limits. But they have come this far —they will not give up." More starry warriors joined them, clustering around the water until the hollow was lined with their sleek, shining shapes. "Our journey was hard, too," one cat meowed. "We felt the pain of leaving the paths we had walked for so long," added another. "Now we must learn to walk in new skies." Spottedleaf's voice was full of confidence. She sat on a rock near the tumbling stream and wrapped her tail around her paws. "We must guide our Clans to this new meeting place, where we can speak to the leaders and medicine cats. Then this will truly be home for all five Clans." A murmur of agreement rose, and a gleam of hope shone in the eyes of the cats around her.

的山谷。 她从一块突出的岩石上跃下，在洒满月光的水面对面，和那只玳瑁母猫对望着。 “但族群前路还有艰巨的任务在等着他们。” 斑叶低头表示同意。 “没错，蓝星。 他们的勇气和信念将要受到极限考验。 但他们已经走到这里了——绝不会放弃。” 更多星族武士加入它们，聚集在水潭边，山谷四周布满了它们光滑闪亮的身影。 “我们的旅程也很艰难，”一只猫说道。 “我们也体会过离开走了那么久的旧路的痛苦，”另一只猫补充道。 “现在我们得学着在新的天空下行走了。” 斑叶的声音满是自信。 她坐在湍急溪流旁的石头上，把尾巴绕在了爪子边。 “我们必须引领族群来到这个新的聚会地，在这里我们可以和族长、巫医交流。 到那时，这里才会真正成为五大族群的家。” 一片赞同的低语响起，她周围众猫的眼里都亮起了希望的光。

"They will catch fish from the lake," one cat meowed. "And prey is running in the hills and beside the water," another put in. "All the Clans will find food, even in leaf-bare." The blue-gray warrior still seemed uneasy. "There's more to life than fresh-kill," she mewed. A bracken-colored tom thrust his way to the front of the crowd. "They're not kits," he pointed out impatiently. "They know how to avoid Twolegs and their dogs. Foxes and badgers, too." "Not all trouble comes from Twolegs," Bluestar snapped. She swiveled her head to glare into the tom's eyes. "And not from foxes or badgers either, Oakheart. You know that as well as I do. The Clans bring trouble within themselves." The warriors glanced uneasily at one another, but Oakheart dipped his head. "Of course. And they always will. That is part of what it means to be a warrior." "Trouble from within greatest danger brings." A new voice spoke, deep and gravelly. Bluestar whipped around, her neck fur rising,

“他们可以在湖里抓鱼，”一只猫说道。 “山林和水边都有猎物出没，”另一只猫插话说。 哪怕是秃叶季，所有族群也都能找到食物。” 这只蓝灰色武士依旧看起来忧心忡忡。 “活下去可不只靠新鲜猎物，”她说道。 一只蕨棕色公猫挤到了猫群最前面。 “他们又不是幼崽，”他不耐烦地指出。 他们知道怎么躲开两脚兽和他们的狗。 狐狸和獾也一样。” “麻烦不全来自两脚兽，”蓝星厉声说。 她转过脑袋，怒视着这只公猫的眼睛。 “也不全来自狐狸或者獾，橡心。 你和我一样清楚这一点。 麻烦就来自族群内部。” 武士们不安地对视着，不过橡心还是低下了头。 “当然。 麻烦永远都会存在。 这就是身为武士的一部分意义。” “内部的麻烦才是最大的危险。” 一个新的声音响起，低沉沙哑。 蓝星猛地转过身，颈毛都竖了起来，

and stared at the newcomer standing at the top of the hollow. It was too big and solid to be a cat. Instead, it seemed as if a clot of darkness had entered the circle of thornbushes, in which the watching cats could just make out broad, muscular limbs and the gleam of small, bright eyes. After a few heartbeats Bluestar relaxed. "Welcome, friend," she meowed. "StarClan owes you thanks. You have done well." "By me is little done," the newcomer replied. "These cats their destiny have faced with courage." "The Clans have traveled far and suffered a great deal of sadness that we were powerless to ease," Spottedleaf agreed. "They kept going even when we lost sight and hearing of them among the mountains, when they walked the paths of a different Tribe. Now they must learn to be four Clans again." She looked solemn. "There will be much pain, especially for those who traveled together to the sun-drown-place. They won't find it easy to forget their friendship." "They must mark out their new territories as

盯着站在谷顶的不速之客。 它块头很大，轮廓结实，不像是一只猫。 反倒像是一团黑暗钻进了荆丛围起的圈子，众猫只勉强能看清它宽阔健壮的四肢，还有一双小而亮的眼睛闪着光。 过了一会儿，蓝星放松下来。 “欢迎你，朋友，”她说道。 “星族欠你一句感谢。 你做得很好。” “我没做什么，”来客回答道。 这些猫勇敢地面对了自己的命运。” “族群走了很远的路，承受了太多我们无力缓解的悲伤，”斑叶赞同地说。 哪怕我们在群山中失去了他们的音讯，看着他们走在另一个部落的道路上，他们也一直没有停下脚步。 现在他们必须重新学着做回四个族群了。” 她的神情十分严肃。 “未来还会有很多痛苦，尤其是那些一起走到海边的猫。 他们很难忘掉彼此之间的友谊。” “他们必须划分出自己的新领地，

soon as they can." Oakheart's voice rumbled in his throat. "There'll be trouble there." "Every loyal warrior will want the best for their Clan," meowed Bluestar. "So long as it is their Clan that they fight for," returned Oakheart, "and not themselves." "That's where the danger lies," murmured an anxious voice. A tomcat with a glossy black coat was gazing down into the silvery water as if he could see danger rising to the surface like a giant fish. "I see one cat, hungry for power that is not deserved...." "Not deserved?" A lean tom with a crooked jaw sprang to his paws on the other side of the pool, the fur on his shoulders bristling in fury. "Nightstar, how dare you say "not deserved'?" The black tom's pelt rippled in the moonlight as he looked up. "Very well, Crookedstar, not deserved yet," he meowed. "This cat needs to learn the virtue of patience. Power is not a piece of prey to be grabbed before it escapes." The cat with the crooked jaw sat down again, though the anger stayed in his eyes. "Would you have all our warriors as timid as mice?" he

越快越好。” 橡心的嗓子里滚出低沉的声音。 “那儿一定会出乱子。” “每一位忠诚的武士都希望族群越来越好，”蓝星开口道。 “只要他们是为自己的族群而战，”橡心回应道，“而非为了自己。” “危险就藏在这里，”一个焦虑的声音轻声呢喃。 一只皮毛油亮的黑色公猫低头盯着银光粼粼的池水，仿佛看见危险像大鱼一样正浮出水面。 “我看见有一只猫，觊觎着本不属于他的权力……” “本不属于他？” 池对岸，一只下颌扭曲的精瘦公猫猛地站起身，肩膀的毛发因愤怒炸了起来。 “夜星，你竟敢说‘不该属于他’？” 这只黑猫抬眼，皮毛在月光下泛起起伏的光泽。 “好吧，钩星，是尚且不该属于他，”他说道。 “这只猫该学学耐心的美德，” “权力可不是一块要趁它逃走前一把抢走的猎物。” 这只下颌扭曲的猫重新坐下，只是怒火仍旧留在他的眼底。 “你想让我们所有武士都胆小得像老鼠吗？” 他