Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1 "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting." Squirrelflight woke with a start as the ThunderClan leader's yowl rang out across the stone hollow. Cloudtail was already pushing his way out through the thorny branches that screened the warriors" den. His mate, Brightheart, uncurled herself from their mossy nest and followed him. "What does Firestar want now?" Dustpelt muttered, pulling himself stiffly to his paws and shaking scraps of moss from his fur. With an irritated flick of his ears, he thrust his way into the open after his Clanmates. Stretching her jaws in a yawn, Squirrelflight sat up and gave herself a quick grooming. Dustpelt's temper was even shorter than usual this morning; Squirrelflight could see from his awkward movements that the wound he'd received in the battle against Mudclaw was still painful. Most of the ThunderClan cats still bore

第一章 “所有能自行捕猎的猫，都到高岩下集合，参加族会。” 雷族族长的吼声响彻石坑，松鼠飞猛地惊醒。 云尾已经挤出挡住武士巢穴的荆棘丛了。 他的伴侣亮心从苔藓铺的窝里舒展身体，跟在了他身后。 “火星现在又有什么事？” 尘毛嘟囔着，僵硬地站起身，抖掉皮毛上沾的苔藓碎屑。 他恼怒地甩了甩耳朵，挤到开阔处，跟上族猫们。 松鼠飞张开嘴打了个哈欠，坐起身快速梳理了自己的皮毛。 今天早上尘毛的脾气比往常更暴躁； 松鼠飞从他笨拙的动作能看出，他对抗泥爪时留下的伤口还在疼。 大部分雷族猫身上还留着

the rebels" claw marks; Squirrelflight's side stung from a wound of her own, and she drew her tongue over it in rapid, soothing strokes. Mudclaw had been deputy of WindClan until the Clans arrived in their new territory around the lake. The previous leader, Tallstar, had appointed Onewhisker to succeed him instead just moments before he died; furious, Mudclaw had led a rebellion against Onewhisker before he had the chance to receive his nine lives from StarClan. And Hawkfrost of RiverClan had helped him. Squirrelflight felt a surge of anger as she remembered how Brambleclaw still insisted on trusting his half brother, even after he had seen that Hawkfrost was up to his ears in Mudclaw's treachery. Thank StarClan, Squirrelflight thought, that ThunderClan discovered the plot in time, and joined the battle against Mudclaw and his supporters. StarClan had proved who the true leader was when lightning struck a tree that fell on Mudclaw and killed him. Giving a last lick to her dark ginger fur, Squirrelflight slid through the branches and

反叛军留下的爪印； 松鼠飞身侧的伤口也在疼，她快速舔着伤口缓解疼痛。 在族群迁到湖边的新领地之前，泥爪一直是风族的副族长。 前任族长高星在临死前，改指定一根须接替自己的位置； 泥爪怒不可遏，在一根须从星族获得九条命之前，就发动了叛乱。 而且河族的鹰霜也帮了他。 松鼠飞想起，就算棘爪已经知道鹰霜深度参与泥爪的阴谋，还是坚持相信这个同父异母的兄弟，这让她怒火中烧。 谢天谢地，松鼠飞心想，雷族及时发现了阴谋，加入了对抗泥爪及其支持者的战斗。 闪电击中一棵树，倒下砸死了泥爪，星族也借此证明了谁才是真正的领导者。 松鼠飞最后舔了舔自己深姜黄色的皮毛，钻过树枝，

padded into the clearing, shivering in the cold air. The pale sun of leaf-bare was just showing above the trees around the stone hollow where ThunderClan had settled at the end of their long journey. Wind rattled in the bare branches, but down here all was still. The air smelled crisp, and frost still edged the grass and bushes with white. Yet Squirrelflight could pick up a faint hint of growing things that told her newleaf could not be far away. Digging her claws into the earth, she stretched luxuriously. Her father, Firestar, was seated on the Highledge outside his den, about halfway up the cliff. His flame-colored pelt gleamed in the slanting rays of sun, and his green eyes shone proudly as his gaze swept across his Clan. Squirrelflight guessed he wouldn't look so confident if he needed to warn them about more trouble. The cats gathered in the clearing below him. Mousefur and Goldenflower emerged one after the other from the elders" den; Goldenflower was guiding blind Longtail behind her, the tip of her tail resting on his shoulder.

缓步走进空地，冷得直发抖。 秃季的淡日刚刚升上石坑周围的树梢，雷族长途跋涉后就定居在这里。 风在光秃秃的树枝间呼啸，可坑里一片寂静。 空气清冽，草和灌木的边缘还镶着一层白霜。 但松鼠飞还是能闻到微弱的植物生发气息，说明新叶季已经不远了。 她把爪子抠进泥土，舒舒服服地伸了个懒腰。 她的父亲火星正坐在巢穴外的高岩上，高岩就在峭壁的半腰处。 他火焰色的皮毛在斜阳光线下闪闪发亮，绿色的眼睛骄傲地发光，目光扫过整个族群。 松鼠飞心想，如果要警告大家有新麻烦，火星肯定不会这么从容自信。 族猫们都聚集在他下方的空地上。 鼠毛和金花一个接一个从长老巢穴里走出来； 金花走在前面领着失明的长尾，尾巴尖轻轻搭在他的肩膀上。

"Hi." Squirrelflight's sister Leafpool padded up and touched noses with her. "How are those scratches? Do you want some more marigold?" "No, I'll be fine, thanks." Leafpool and her mentor, Cinderpelt, the ThunderClan medicine cat, had been busy ever since the battle, finding the right herbs and treating the cats" wounds. "There are plenty of cats who need it more than I do," Squirrelflight added. Leafpool sniffed Squirrelflight's scratches and gave a nod of satisfaction. "You're right. They're healing well." An excited squeal came from the nursery as Birchkit pelted out, tumbled over his own paws, and picked himself up in a scramble of light brown fur to take a place beside his father, Dustpelt. His mother, Ferncloud, padded after him and sat next to him, turning her head to smooth his ruffled fur. Squirrelflight let out a mrrow of amusement. Her gaze drifted past them to the tunnel through the thorn barrier at the entrance to the camp. She felt the muscles in her shoulders tense. It looked like the dawn patrol had just returned:

“嗨。” 松鼠飞的妹妹叶池走过来，和她碰了碰鼻子。 “你的伤口怎么样了？ 还要再涂点金盏花吗？” “不用了，我没事，谢谢你。” 叶池和她的导师——雷族巫医炭毛，战后一直忙个不停，找药草治伤。 “有很多猫比我更需要它，”松鼠飞补充道。 叶池闻了闻松鼠飞的伤口，满意地点了点头。 “你说得对。 伤口恢复得很好。” 育婴室传来一声兴奋的尖叫，桦崽冲了出来，被自己的爪子绊倒，又一身浅棕毛乱糟糟地爬起来，站到父亲尘毛身边。 他的母亲蕨云跟在后面，走过来坐在他身旁，扭头舔顺他翘起的乱毛。 松鼠飞被逗得低笑了一声。 她的目光越过他们，落在营地入口荆棘屏障的通道上。 她感觉自己肩膀的肌肉紧绷起来。 看起来黎明巡逻队刚刚回来了：

Brambleclaw was padding out of the tunnel, followed by Sandstorm and Rainwhisker. "What's the matter?" Leafpool asked. Squirrelflight suppressed a sigh. She and her sister were much closer than most littermates, and each one was always aware of what the other was feeling. "It's Brambleclaw," she mewed reluctantly. "I can't believe he's still friends with Hawkfrost, after the way he supported Mudclaw." "Many cats supported Mudclaw," Leafpool pointed out. "They did it because they truly believed Onewhisker wasn't the right cat to lead WindClan. After the tree fell, Hawkfrost admitted he was wrong, and that Mudclaw had tricked him into helping. Onewhisker has already forgiven him, and all the other cats who fought against him." Squirrelflight lashed her tail. "Hawkfrost lied! He was part of Mudclaw's plot all along. I heard what Mudclaw said before he died—Hawkfrost was trying to become powerful enough to take over RiverClan." Leafpool's troubled gaze seemed to pierce

黑莓掌缓步走出地道，身后跟着沙风和雨须。 “出什么事了？” 叶池问道。 松鼠飞压下了一声叹息。 她和妹妹比大多数同窝手足都更亲近，总能感知到对方的心情。 “是黑莓掌，”她不情不愿地喵道。 “真不敢相信，鹰霜当初支持了泥爪，他居然还和鹰霜做朋友。” “很多猫都支持过泥爪，”叶池提醒道。 “他们这么做，是真的觉得一根须不适合领导风族。” 树倒之后，鹰霜承认自己错了，说是泥爪骗他帮忙的。 一根须已经原谅他了，也原谅了所有当初反对他的猫。” 松鼠飞狠狠甩了甩尾巴。 “鹰霜撒谎了！ 他从一开始就参与了泥爪的阴谋。 我亲耳听见泥爪临死前说的——鹰霜一直在积蓄力量，想要夺取河族。” 叶池满是忧虑的目光仿佛要穿透

Squirrelflight's fur. "You have no proof of that, Squirrelflight. Why should we believe Mudclaw over Hawkfrost? Are you sure you're not judging Hawkfrost because of who his father was?" Squirrelflight opened her jaws for a swift retort, but there was nothing she could say. "Remember, Tigerstar was Brambleclaw's father too," Leafpool went on. "He may have been a murderous traitor, but that doesn't mean his sons have to follow his pawsteps. I don't trust Hawkfrost any more than you do, but we can't assume he's as evil as his father without proof. And even if Hawkfrost is dangerous, it doesn't mean that Brambleclaw has to be like him—or like Tigerstar." Squirrelflight twitched her tail uneasily. "I guess you're right." The three tabby toms were tangled together like the tendrils in a bramble thicket, and she wondered if either of Tigerstar's sons could ever be free of their father's treacherous legacy. "It's just—Brambleclaw won't listen to a word I say! He cares about Hawkfrost far more than he cares about me. I don't understand why he would take Hawkfrost's word

松鼠飞的皮毛。 “你没有证据，松鼠飞。 我们凭什么不信鹰霜，偏信泥爪呢？ 你确定你不是因为他父亲的身份才对鹰霜有偏见吗？” 松鼠飞张开嘴想要立刻反驳，却一句话都说不出来。 “别忘了，虎星也是黑莓掌的父亲，”叶池继续说道。 “他虽然是个凶残的叛徒，但这不代表他的儿子也会走他的老路。 我不比你更信任鹰霜，但我们不能没证据就咬定他和他父亲一样邪恶。 就算鹰霜很危险，也不代表黑莓掌就会像他——或是像虎星一样啊。” 松鼠飞不安地抽动了一下尾巴。 “大概你是对的。” 这三只虎斑公猫的关系就像黑莓丛里缠作一团的藤蔓，她忍不住猜想，虎星的儿子们究竟能不能摆脱父亲留下的邪恶烙印。 只是——黑莓掌根本不听我说半句话！ 他在乎鹰霜，远比在乎我多得多。 我真不懂，为什么他宁愿信鹰霜的话