Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 Leafpaw crouched not far from Tallstar's body, watching the cats who came to keep vigil for the dead leader. Daylight spread steadily from beyond the ridge of hills, revealing a gray sky with clouds hanging low over the trees. A damp, chilly wind blew from the lake and made the branches rattle together like mouse bones. The dead leader's body looked grim and stark. Leafpaw shivered. It felt very strange to be sitting in vigil in the cold light of morning. Usually the ceremony was carried out at night, when the unmoving shape would be muffled by shadows as comforting as soft, black fur. Glancing away from Tallstar's body, Leafpaw let her thoughts wander. Anxiety gnawed at her, sharp as a fox's fangs. Onewhisker couldn't go all the way back to the Moonstone to receive his name and his nine lives from StarClan; he was too tired to make the long journey twice over again, and it was obvious Mudclaw would seize upon his absence to make trouble. But what

第八章 叶爪蹲在高星遗体不远处，看着前来为这位已故族长守夜的猫群。 天光顺着山脊缓缓铺展开，露出灰蒙的天空，云朵低低压在树梢。 潮湿阴冷的风从湖面吹来，刮得树枝碰撞作响，像老鼠骨头在咔咔晃动。 这位已故族长的遗体看起来肃穆又凄凉。 叶爪打了个哆嗦。 在清晨清冷的晨光里坐着守夜，感觉实在太奇怪了。 这种仪式一般都在夜里举行，一动不动的遗体会被阴影笼罩，那阴影软得像黑绒毛，让人安心。 叶爪移开目光，不再看高星的遗体，任由思绪飘散开。 焦虑像狐狸的尖牙，狠狠啃噬着她的心。 一根须没法一路赶回月石，从星族那里获得名号和九条命； 他太累了，没办法再走一遍这么远的长路，而且泥爪明显会趁他不在挑起事端。 可这到底

would happen to the Clans if their leaders didn't share tongues with StarClan? The warrior code would fade away like mist in sunshine, and they would be nothing more than rogues. "StarClan must guide us!" she mewed out loud. Cinderpelt glanced around from where she was talking to Barkface. "Leafpaw? What's the matter?" She padded over, looking concerned. Leafpaw shook her head. "Sorry I disturbed you, Cinderpelt. I was just thinking about Onewhisker. What's he going to do if he can't go to Highstones?" Cinderpelt stretched out her tail and touched Leafpaw gently on the head. "Don't worry," she reassured her. "StarClan will show us a new place to share tongues with them." "But when?" Leafpaw gazed into her mentor's blue eyes. "Onewhisker needs his name and his nine lives now." "Leafpaw, be patient. StarClan can't be hurried. There'll be an answer, you'll see. And meanwhile," she added more briskly, "you could be doing something useful instead of worrying.

会给族群带来什么，如果族长没法和星族交流？ 武士守则会像阳光下的雾气一样消散，他们就和流浪猫没两样了。 "星族一定要指引我们啊！" 她出声说道。 正在和疤脸说话的炭毛闻言转过头来看向这边。 "叶爪？ 你怎么了？" 她慢悠悠走过来，满脸担忧。 叶爪摇了摇头。 "对不起打扰你了，炭毛。 我只是在想一根须的事。 要是他去不了高石，他该怎么办啊？" 炭毛伸开尾巴，轻轻搭在叶爪的头顶。 "别担心，"她安慰叶爪说， "星族会给我们指引一处新的地方和他们交流的。" "可是什么时候啊？"叶爪望着老师蓝色的眼睛问， "一根须现在就需要他的名号和九条命呀。" "叶爪，耐心点。 星族的安排急不得。 一定会有答案的，你看着吧。 而且现在，"她语气更轻快地补充道，"你别光顾着担心，可以做点有用的事呀。

Look, Mothwing has the right idea. She's fetching water for all the kits and elders." On the other side of the clearing, the RiverClan medicine cat was padding toward a group of WindClan cats, her mouth filled with dripping moss. Leafpaw realized with a guilty pang that she had done nothing except fret over things she could not help. "Sorry, Cinderpelt," she meowed, getting to her paws. "I'll go and fetch some moss too." Cinderpelt nodded. "You'll feel better if you're busy." Leafpaw headed for the lake, but she had barely left the copse of trees when she spotted several cats bounding up the slope. Their pelts were slick with lake water, and Leafpaw recognized Hawkfrost in the lead. It was the RiverClan patrol that had gone to explore the island as soon as the first streaks of dawn appeared. Curious, she turned back and followed them into the center of the clearing. Hawkfrost leaped onto the tree stump and let out a yowl to summon all the cats to listen to

你看，蛾翅就做得很好。 她正去给幼崽和长老们打水呢。" 空地的另一头，这位河族巫医正朝着一群风族猫走去，嘴里叼着浸满水的苔藓。 叶爪心头泛起一阵愧疚，她发现自己除了为无能为力的事发愁，什么都没做。 "对不起，炭毛，"她边说边站起身， "我也去叼些苔藓来。" 炭毛点了点头。 "忙起来你就会好受多了。" 叶爪朝湖边走去，可她刚走出小树林，就看见好几只猫顺着山坡奔了上来。 他们的皮毛沾着湖水，湿乎乎的，叶爪认出领头的是鹰霜。 这就是天刚亮就出发去探索小岛的河族巡逻队。 她好奇地转回身，跟着他们走到了空地中央。 鹰霜跳上树桩，发出一声嗥叫，召集所有猫过来听他

him. Leafpaw wondered if he should have done that. "What's he playing at? The stump's for the leaders, just like the Great Rock at Fourtrees." Sorreltail echoed Leafpaw's thoughts as she trotted over to join her friend. "Hawkfrost isn't even a deputy anymore." But no cat challenged the RiverClan warrior. Instead the Clans gathered quickly to hear Hawkfrost's news. "Well?" Leopardstar prompted. "Did you make it to the island? What did you find?" "Everything we could have hoped for," Hawkfrost declared. "I can't imagine a better place for a camp. StarClan must have had it in mind when they brought us here. There's the lake to fish in, trees for shelter, and it's safe from predators—or anything else that might attack us," he added, his eyes flashing toward the rival Clans. Several mews of agreement came from the RiverClan warriors, and Blackclaw called out, "Well done, Hawkfrost!" The tabby warrior dipped his head. "I'm only trying to do what's best for the Clan," he replied.

说话。 叶爪不禁纳闷，他这么做合适吗。 "他这是在耍什么花招？ 这树桩是族长用的，就像四棵树那儿的大岩石一样。" 蕨毛把叶爪的心里话讲了出来，她小跑过来找自己的朋友。 "鹰霜早就不是副族长了。" 可没有一只猫站出来阻止这只河族武士。 相反，族群很快就聚了过来，听鹰霜带来的消息。 "怎么样？" 豹星催促道。 "你们成功登上小岛了吗？ 你们都发现了什么？" "一切都和我们期望的一模一样，"鹰霜大声说， "我找不到比这儿更适合安营的地方了。 这肯定是星族带我们来的时候就安排好的。 这儿能捕鱼，有树木遮身，还能抵御掠食者——或是任何可能袭击我们的东西，"他补充道，目光扫过对立族群，闪了一下。 好几只河族武士出声附和，黑爪大喊道："干得好，鹰霜！" 这只花斑武士低了低头， "我只是尽力为族群做最好的安排，"他回答道。

Leafpaw was surprised to hear a loud "Huh!" coming from just behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Squirrelflight glaring at Hawkfrost with unmistakable hostility. Quietly Leafpaw wriggled backward until she reached her sister. "What's the matter?" "I don't trust him," Squirrelflight muttered, not taking her eyes from the RiverClan warrior. "Me neither," Leafpaw meowed. She thought back to the day in the forest when Sorreltail had accidentally crossed the RiverClan border while chasing a squirrel. Hawkfrost had caught her, and only Mothwing's warning about making trouble between the Clans had made him let her go. He had made his ambitions perfectly clear then, even hinting that RiverClan might move into ThunderClan territory while they were weak from lack of prey. Leafpaw and Sorreltail had decided not to say anything about the incident to Firestar or their Clanmates. Sorreltail didn't want to confess that she had crossed the border, and she pointed out that any ambitious young warrior might have dreams of taking over another Clan's hunting

叶爪突然听到身后传来一声响亮的“哼！”，不由得吃了一惊。 她回头瞥了一眼，看见松鼠飞正带着毫不掩饰的敌意瞪着鹰霜。 叶爪悄悄向后挪动，一直挪到了姐姐身边。 “怎么了？” “我不信任他。”松鼠飞低声嘟囔，目光始终没离开这名河族武士。 “我也不信。”叶爪小声说。 她想起那天在森林里，褐皮追松鼠时不小心闯过了河族边界。 鹰霜抓住了褐皮，全靠蛾翅提醒他这会引发族群矛盾，他才放褐皮离开。 那时候他就把野心摆得明明白白，甚至暗示雷族缺猎物实力弱，河族说不定会搬进雷族领地。 叶爪和褐皮说好，这件事不告诉火星，也不告诉其他族猫。 褐皮不想承认自己越了界，还说，任何有野心的年轻武士都可能做着占下别族猎

ground. Leafpaw had wished she could dismiss Hawkfrost's greed for territory and power quite so lightly. "I knew you didn't trust him," Squirrelflight mewed quietly. "I could tell all along. I'm glad some cat agrees with me." Mistyfoot padded to the foot of the tree stump, her tail-tip twitching. "Hawkfrost, I've already told you what a mousebrained idea it is to camp on the island. Warriors can swim over there, yes, but what about kits and elders? And what if something happens to the fish in the lake? We'd never be able to carry fresh-kill across from the shore." Hawkfrost looked straight past her and meowed, "Leopardstar, what do you think?" The RiverClan leader hesitated before replying. "What you say is true, Hawkfrost," she meowed at last. "The island would be easier to defend than any camp on land. But Mistyfoot's right, as well. We can't make our home somewhere that kits and elders would struggle to reach, and our isolation would make us vulnerable as well as safe. We will camp in the

场。 叶爪真希望自己也能像褐皮一样，不把鹰霜对领地和权力的贪欲当回事。 “我就知道你不信任他。”松鼠飞轻声说。 我从一开始就看出来了。 真高兴有猫认同我。” 雾足走到树桩脚下，尾尖微微抽动着。 “鹰霜，我早就跟你说了，在岛上安营是个蠢透了的主意。 武士倒是能游过去，可是幼崽和长老怎么办？ 要是湖里的鱼出了什么问题怎么办？ 我们根本没法把新鲜猎物从岸边运过去。” 鹰霜的目光径直越过她，开口问道：“豹星，你怎么看？” 这位河族族长犹豫了一下才回答。 “你说的没错，鹰霜。”她终于开口说。 小岛确实比任何岸上营地都更容易防守。 不过雾足说的也对。 我们不能把家安在幼崽和长老难以前往的地方，而且孤立固然安全，也会让我们变得脆弱易攻。 我们就安营在