Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 Brambleclaw shifted uneasily among the dead leaves. A branch was digging into his flank, but that wasn't what had woken him. He couldn't get used to sleeping alone, without the warmth of Squirrelflight's body beside him. He thought she had gone to sleep next to Ashfur, but he wasn't sure. She certainly wasn't anywhere near him. There was another prod in his side. Brambleclaw looked up blearily to see that it wasn't a branch after all, but a paw. Barkface was standing over him. "Where's Firestar?" the WindClan medicine cat demanded. Brambleclaw scrambled up, yawning. Above his head the sky was just beginning to grow light. "Most of ThunderClan is over there, under the trees." "Find him for me, will you?" Barkface's voice sounded close to breaking. "Tallstar is asking for him." Brambleclaw knew the WindClan leader must

第六章 黑莓掌不安地在枯树叶里挪了挪身子。 一根树枝硌着他的侧腹，但弄醒他的并不是这个。 他还不习惯独自睡觉，身边没有松鼠飞暖暖的体温。 他原以为松鼠飞去蜡毛身边睡觉了，可他并不确定。 她确实不在他附近任何地方。 他的腰侧又被戳了一下。 黑莓掌睡眼惺忪地抬头看，发现那根本不是树枝，而是一只爪子。 斑脸站在了他的面前。 "火星在哪儿？" 这只风族巫医问道。 黑莓掌打着哈欠，慌慌张张爬了起来。 他头顶的天空才刚刚开始变亮。 "雷族大部分猫都在那边，树林底下。" "帮我找找他，好吗？" 斑脸的声音听着几乎快要绷不住了。 "高星要见他。" 黑莓掌明白，这位风族族长一定

be close to losing his last life. "I'll fetch him," he promised. "Thanks. We're under that gorse bush over there." Barkface pointed with his tail. "I've got to find Onewhisker." He dashed off. Brambleclaw bounded toward the nearest ThunderClan warriors. Tallstar was the eldest of the leaders, and his death would be a great loss to all four Clans, not just WindClan. For a few heartbeats he despaired of finding Firestar in the dim predawn light, but then he spotted him sharing tongues with Sandstorm near the tree stump. "Firestar, Barkface says Tallstar wants to see you," Brambleclaw meowed as he raced up to them. Firestar stiffened, and exchanged a glance with Sandstorm. "I'll come at once," he replied. "Does Barkface need any help?" Sandstorm asked. "Cinderpelt was here a moment ago. Tell Barkface to send a cat with a message if he wants her." Brambleclaw nodded, and followed Firestar across the open ground to the gorse bush where

就快失去他最后一条命了。 "我这就去叫他来，"他答应道。 "谢谢。 我们在那边那丛金雀花底下。" 斑脸用尾巴指了指方向。 "我得去找一根须。" 他快步跑走了。 黑莓掌朝着离得最近的雷族武士奔去。 高星是所有族长里年纪最长的，他的离去对四个族群都是巨大的损失，不只是风族。 黎明前光线昏暗，好一会儿黑莓掌都找不到火星，都快绝望了，这时他看见火星在树墩旁和沙风舔毛聊天。 "火星，斑脸说高星要见你，"黑莓掌边跑过去边开口说道。 火星身子一僵，和沙风对视了一眼。 "我马上过去，"他回答道。 "斑脸需要帮忙吗？" 沙风问道。 "炭毛刚才还在这儿， 告诉斑脸，如果需要她就派只猫来捎信。" 黑莓掌点点头，跟着火星穿过开阔地，走向那丛金雀花，那里

Tallstar lay dying. Its outer branches swept the ground, and there was no sign of any cats at first, but as Brambleclaw approached he heard the sound of harsh, uneven breathing. Ducking down, he peered through a gap to see Tallstar stretched out on his side in a nest of dead leaves. "Firestar's here," he meowed, stepping back to let his leader enter the makeshift den. "I'll wait outside," he added to Firestar. "Is that Brambleclaw?" Tallstar's voice came weakly from beneath the bush. "Don't go. You should hear what I have to say, too." Brambleclaw glanced hesitantly at Firestar, and when his leader nodded he flattened himself against the ground to creep under the low branches beside him. Tallstar was alone; Barkface hadn't come back yet with Onewhisker. The WindClan leader's chest heaved as he fought for breath, and Brambleclaw winced at the effort it cost him to raise his head. But in the faint moonlight that filtered through the branches, Tallstar's eyes shone with the light of StarClan. "Firestar, I must thank you,"

高星已经奄奄一息。 金雀花的外层枝桠垂到地面，一开始完全看不到猫的踪影，黑莓掌走近后，听到了粗重不均的呼吸声。 他低下头，从缝隙往里张望，看见高星侧躺在枯树叶铺成的窝上。 "火星来了，"他说完，退到一旁让自己的族长走进这座临时窝洞。 "我在外面等，"他对火星补充道。 "是黑莓掌吗？" 高星虚弱的声音从灌木丛底下传出来。 "别走开。 你也得听听我要说的话。" 黑莓掌犹豫地看向火星，首领点头后，他贴着地面钻过低矮枝桠，走到火星身边。 高星独自一人待着；斑脸还没和一根须一起回来。 这位风族族长胸膛起伏，费力地喘着气，看到他抬头都要花这么大劲，黑莓掌不由得心头一紧。 但在透过枝桠洒进来的淡淡月光里，高星的眼睛闪烁着星族的光芒。 "火星，我必须谢谢你，"

he rasped. "You have saved my Clan." Firestar gave a murmur of protest. "And Brambleclaw..." Tallstar went on. "You journeyed a long way to find this place for us, facing dangers no cat has seen before. Even Graystripe, may he walk with StarClan, would agree you will make a worthy deputy for ThunderClan." Brambleclaw gasped. He didn't dare look at his leader, who stiffened beside him. He knew that Firestar had never stopped grieving for Graystripe, and clung to the belief that his friend was still alive. He had refused to name another deputy so far, even though it seemed extremely unlikely that Graystripe would escape from the Twolegs who had taken him away from the forest. Ambition gripped Brambleclaw like an eagle's talons. Hard as it was to admit it, he knew that he wanted to be deputy, and then leader, of his Clan. Was this what Tigerstar had felt? he wondered. His father's hunger for power had been so strong that he was prepared to lie and murder and betray to achieve it. I could never do

他哑着嗓子说。 "你拯救了我的族群。" 火星低声表示谦让。 "还有黑莓掌……" 高星继续说。 "你长途跋涉为我们找到这片新家园，面对了从未有猫经历过的危险。 就连灰条，愿他在星族安息，都会认可你配当雷族的副族长。" 黑莓掌倒抽了一口冷气。 他不敢看身边身子已经僵住的族长。 他知道火星从来没有停止过思念灰条，一直坚信他的朋友还活着。 到现在火星都拒绝另立副族长，哪怕灰条几乎不可能从抓走他的两脚兽手里逃出来了。 对副族长之位的渴望像鹰爪一样紧紧攥住了黑莓掌。 虽然很难承认，但他知道自己想要成为雷族的副族长，之后再当族长。 虎星当年是不是也有这种感受？ 他暗自想道。 他父亲对权力的渴望太过强烈，为了得到权力，他可以撒谎、杀人、背叛。 我永远做不出

that, Brambleclaw thought. If he became deputy it would be through loyalty to his Clan, hard work, and respect for the warrior code. But Tigerstar's dark heritage would always be with him, overshadowing all he tried to do. They look at me and see Tigerstar. He recovered himself in time to dip his head to Tallstar and murmur, "It wasn't just me. It was all of us together." "You're tiring yourself, Tallstar." Firestar's voice was gentle. "You need to rest." "Rest will do me no good now," the WindClan leader meowed. Firestar did not try to pretend that there was any hope he would get better. "You will be a noble addition to the ranks of StarClan," he told him. He crouched down so he could press his muzzle to Tallstar's. "Before then... before then I must say..." Tallstar started to choke, and his paws scrabbled in the dried leaves. "Brambleclaw, find Barkface," Firestar ordered. "No." Tallstar managed to catch his breath

荆爪这么想到。 如果他当上副族长，一定是靠对族群的忠诚、不懈的努力，还有恪守武士守则得来的。 可虎星黑暗的血统会永远跟着他，笼罩住他所有的努力。 他们看着我，眼里只看得见虎星。 他回过神，连忙向高星低下头，轻声说：“不只是我的功劳。 是我们大家一起做到的。” “高星，你太累了。” 火星的声音十分温柔。 “你需要休息。” “现在休息对我已经没用了。”这位风族族长开口道。 火星也没有假装高星还有好转的希望。 “你一定会成为星族中尊贵的一员。”他对高星说。 他俯下身，将自己的鼻子贴在了高星的鼻子上。 “在那之前……在那之前我必须说……” 高星开始呛咳，爪子在枯树叶上不停扒抓。 “荆爪，去找疤脸，”火星下令。 “不用了。” 高星好不容易才喘过气来

again, and signaled with his tail for Brambleclaw to stay. "Nothing... any medicine cat can do for me now." His eyes half closed and he took several gasping breaths before continuing. "There's something important I have to say. Where's Onewhisker?" Firestar glanced at Brambleclaw, who shook his head. "Barkface went to get him," he meowed. "I'll go and look too." "Quickly..." Tallstar rasped as Brambleclaw backed out. "Tell them... that it is time...." When Brambleclaw straightened up and looked around, the dawn light was strengthening, but he still couldn't see any more than dark shapes and the occasional blur of a pale-colored pelt. Most cats were still sleeping in hastily flattened dens among the long grass, roughly divided among the four Clans. He was trying to work out which of the shadowy groups was WindClan when he spotted a solitary cat racing up from the direction of the lake. To his relief he recognized Onewhisker. "Barkface said Tallstar's dying." The

说完，他摆了摆尾巴，示意荆爪留在原地。 “现在……任何巫医都救不了我了。” 他半眯起眼睛，喘了好几大口，才继续往下说。 “我有一件重要的事要说。 一脚掌在哪里？” 火星看向荆爪，荆爪摇了摇头。 “疤脸去找他了。”火星说道。 “我也出去找找。” “快一点……”荆爪退出窝时，高星沙哑地说道。 “告诉他们……时机到了……” 荆爪直起身子环顾四周，黎明的天光越来越亮，可他依旧只能看到模糊的黑影，偶尔闪过一团浅色皮毛。 大多数猫还睡在长草间仓促压出来的窝里，四个族群大致划分了营地。 他正琢磨哪一团黑影是风族，就看到一只独行猫从湖边方向疾奔而来。 他认出那是一脚掌，不由得松了口气。 “疤脸说高星快不行了。” 这只