Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15 A few wisps of cloud drifted across the sky, but the full moon floated clear of them as the ThunderClan cats crossed the tree-bridge to the island. Leaping down onto the pebbly shore, Leafpool scanned the cats who were already there and spotted Ashfoot and Barkface making their way toward the line of bushes that guarded the center of the island. WindClan is here, so where's Crowfeather? She told herself to stop looking for him, but when she couldn't spot him her belly clenched with disappointment. She paused in the shadow of the tree roots, tasting the air for his scent, but it was impossible to pick one out among so many mingled scents. Tail drooping, she trudged up the slope toward the barrier of bushes. She saw Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost padding up to touch noses; amber eyes gazed into ice blue. Some unspoken message passed between them; then both cats turned and disappeared beneath the thick branches.

第15章 几缕云飘过天空，雷族猫走过树桥前往小岛时，满月挣脱云絮，清朗朗浮在空中。 叶池跳上铺满卵石的岸边，环视已经到场的猫群，发现灰脚和疤脸正朝着小岛中心的灌木丛走去。 风族都到齐了，那鸦羽在哪里呢？ 她告诫自己别再找他了，可真没看到他，失望让她肚子都揪紧了。 她停在树根的阴影里，嗅着空气寻找他的气味，可这么多气味混在一起，根本分辨不出来。 她耷拉着尾巴，拖着脚走上斜坡，朝着那道灌木丛屏障走去。 她看见黑莓掌和鹰霜走上前碰了碰鼻子，琥珀色的眼睛对上了冰蓝色的眼睛。 一股难以言说的讯息在他俩之间传递； 接着两只猫一同转身，消失在茂密的枝桠之下。

Leafpool felt chilled to the depths of her fur. For a moment the island vanished, and she was back in that dark forest where Tigerstar was advising his sons how to seize power. What were Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw planning? She heard the bushes rustle as the two tabby toms pushed their way into the clearing, and she waited for the leaves to stop quivering before she followed them. Her paws tingled with the sense of danger. Was Brambleclaw plotting to take over ThunderClan, just as his bloodthirsty father had plotted so many seasons ago? She emerged from the bushes, blinking in the shining wash of moonlight that outlined every leaf and stem. Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost were sitting side by side in front of her, not far from the roots of the Great Oak. Leafpool was just in time to see Squirrelflight glare at them before she settled down beside Ashfur. Tawnypelt and Russetfur joined them and the four warriors greeted one another in a friendly way, as if they were remembering how they had recently fought side by side against the kittypets. Mothwing was comfortably crouched near the

叶池感觉寒意直透皮毛最深处。 有那么一瞬间，小岛在她眼前消失，她回到了那片黑暗森林，虎星正在那儿教儿子们夺取权力。 鹰霜和黑莓掌到底在策划什么？ 那两只虎斑公猫挤过灌木丛进了空地，叶池听见灌木丛沙沙作响，她等叶片不再晃动，才跟了上去。 危险的预感让她的爪子阵阵发麻。 黑莓掌是不是在策划夺取雷族大权，就像他嗜血的父亲很多季节前谋划的那样？ 她从灌木丛走出来，明亮的月光勾勒出每一片叶子和茎干，晃得她眨了眨眼睛。 黑莓掌和鹰霜并排坐在她面前，离大橡树的树根不远。 叶池刚好看见松鼠飞瞪了他们一眼，才在阿什毛身边坐下。 褐皮和赤毛走了过来，四名武士友好地互相打招呼，就像记起不久前他们还并肩对抗宠物猫一样。 蛾翅正舒服地蹲在

edge of the clearing with her paws tucked under her, beside Cinderpelt and the other medicine cats. Leafpool padded over to her. "Is everything okay? Have you had any more trouble with that Twoleg stuff?" Mothwing shook her head. "Everything's fine, thanks. Dawnflower and her kits have gone back to the nursery, with Mosspelt to keep an eye on them. And Beechpaw is training with Blackclaw again." "That's great news," Leafpool purred, at the same moment as Littlecloud asked, "What Twoleg stuff?" Mothwing began to tell him about the leaking green and silver liquid, while Leafpool glanced around the clearing. She flinched as she made out the lean gray-black shape of Crowfeather, sitting in a group of other WindClan cats. She had been so sure he wasn't there! She stared at him for a few heartbeats, only tearing her gaze away when his ears twitched as if he knew he was being watched. A yowl sounded from the branches of the Great Oak. She looked up to see Blackstar

空地边缘，爪子收在身下，身旁坐着炭毛和其他巫医。 叶池朝她走了过去。 “一切都还好吗？ 那些两脚兽的东西又给你惹麻烦了吗？” 蛾翅摇了摇头。 “一切都好，谢谢你。 曙花带着幼崽回育婴室了，藓毛会照看着他们。 比奇爪又跟着黑爪训练了。” “这可真是好消息，”叶池轻声呼噜着，与此同时小云问道：“什么两脚兽的东西？” 蛾翅开始给他讲漏出来的绿银色液体的事，叶池趁机环视了一圈空地。 当她认出那精瘦的灰黑色身影——正是坐在一群风族猫中间的鸦羽，不由得一颤。 她之前还笃定他根本没来这儿！ 她盯着他看了好几秒，直到他的耳朵动了动，好像察觉到有人在看他，才慌忙移开目光。 一声号叫从大橡树的枝桠间传了出来。 她抬头看去，看见了黑星

standing on a branch that jutted out over the clearing. Firestar was sitting on a branch just above him, with Leopardstar beside him. Onestar was a couple of tail-lengths away, crouched in the fork between a thick bough and the tree trunk. Ashfoot and Mistyfoot were already sitting on the roots; Russetfur bounded up to join them as Blackstar stepped forward. "Cats of all Clans," he began, "StarClan has brought us here again to gather in the light of the full moon. Firestar, will you begin?" The ThunderClan leader stood up and dipped his head to Blackstar. "ThunderClan has a new apprentice," he reported. "Ashfur is now mentor to Birchpaw." Not far away, Leafpool saw Ashfur give his chest fur a couple of self-conscious licks, while Squirrelflight, beside him, gazed around proudly. Birchpaw himself hadn't come to this Gathering. "Daisy, one of the cats from the horseplace, has brought her kits to ThunderClan," Firestar went on as soon as the meows of congratulation had died away. "I have given them permission to stay as long as they like."

站在一块探出空地的枝桠上。 火星坐在他上方的一根枝桠上，身边是豹星。 一星在他身后隔了两条尾巴的距离，蹲在粗枝和树干的分叉处。 灰脚和雾脚已经坐在树根上了； 黑星走上前时，赤毛蹦跳着过去和他们同坐。 “所有族群的猫们，”他开口道，“星族再次引领我们来到这里，在满月的柔光下聚会。 火星，由你先来吧？” 这位雷族族长站起身，朝黑星点了点头。 “雷族迎来了一名新学徒，”他宣布道。 “阿什毛现在是桦爪的导师。”不远处，叶池看见阿什毛不好意思地舔了好几下胸口的毛，他身边的松鼠飞则骄傲地环视四周。 桦爪自己没来参加这次集会。 “黛西，那匹从马场来的猫，把她的幼崽带到了雷族，”祝贺的喵呜声平息后，火星立刻继续说道。 “我已经允许他们想在这里住多久就住多久了。

A murmur of surprise rose up in the clearing, along with one or two yowls of protest. Rowanclaw of ShadowClan sprang to his paws. "Is that wise?" he demanded. "What good will kittypets be?" Leafpool saw her father's neck fur bristle, then relax again as if he were trying hard to keep his temper. "Daisy isn't exactly a kittypet," he replied evenly. "She lived with the horses, not in the Twoleg nest. And she did a brave thing in bringing her kits to us so the Twolegs couldn't take them away." Rowanclaw flicked his tail. "They'll never be warriors." "You don't know that," Firestar meowed, with a glance at Cloudtail, who was sitting near the roots of the Great Oak. "A good warrior doesn't have to be forestborn, just as being forestborn doesn't guarantee being a good warrior. Daisy is settling in well, and her three kits will be apprenticed as soon as they're old enough. They'll soon learn the warrior code." "Maybe," grunted Rowanclaw, sitting down again. Leafpool was close enough to hear him

空地上响起一阵惊讶的低语，还夹杂着一两声抗议的嗥叫。 影族的花楸爪一跃站起身。 “这么做明智吗？”他质问道。 “宠物猫能有什么用？” 叶池看见父亲颈后的毛炸了起来，接着又平复下去，仿佛他在拼命压着脾气。 “黛西算不上真正的宠物猫，”他平静地回答。 “她住在马场，不是住在两脚兽的巢穴里。 而且她把幼崽带来我们这儿，免得被两脚兽抓走，已经做得很勇敢了。” 花楸爪甩了甩尾巴。 “它们永远成不了武士。” “你没法确定这一点，”火星说着，瞥了一眼坐在大橡树根旁的云尾。 “优秀的武士不必生来就在森林，同理，生在森林也不能保证就是好武士。 黛西已经适应得很好，她的三只幼崽一够年龄就会成为学徒。 它们很快就能学会武士守则。” “或许吧，”花楸爪咕哝着，重新坐了下来。 叶池离得够近，听清了他的话

mutter to Oakfur, "Why do we expect him to understand the importance of being Clanborn? Firestar would fill the forest with kittypets if he could." Oakfur twitched his ears. "You've got to admire him," he mewed. "You think Blackstar would turn down the chance to have three extra warriors for the Clan?" Rowanclaw just snorted. While Leafpool was listening to the ShadowClan warriors she had missed the end of her father's report. When she started paying attention again, Leopardstar was on her paws. "Twolegs left poison in our territory," she meowed. "Ivytail and one of our kits died, but all our other cats are recovering, thanks to Mothwing—and Leafpool, who came to help us from ThunderClan." Her gaze swept the clearing and fixed on Leafpool; the RiverClan leader dipped her head in a gesture of thanks before she sat down again. Embarrassed to be praised in front of every cat, Leafpool studied her paws. "ShadowClan has reason to thank

对橡毛小声嘟囔：“为什么我们要指望他理解出身族群的重要性？ 火星要是可以，早就把整个森林塞满宠物猫了。” 橡毛抖了抖耳朵。 “你不得不佩服他，”他说道。 “你觉得黑星会拒绝给族群多添三个武士的机会吗？” 花楸爪只是哼了一声。 叶池刚才一直听影族武士说话，没听到父亲报告的结尾。 等她重新集中注意力时，豹星已经站起身了。 “两脚兽在我们的领地里放了毒药，”她说。 “常春藤尾和我们的一只幼崽死了，不过其他猫都在康复，多亏了蛾翅——还有从雷族来帮忙的叶池。” 她的目光扫过空地，落在了叶池身上； 这位河族族长点头致谢，之后才重新坐下。 在所有猫面前被夸奖，叶池很不好意思，低头盯着自己的爪子。 “影族也有理由感谢