Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23 Leafpool and Crowfeather paused beside the stepping-stones that led across the stream into ThunderClan territory. Night had fallen, and a thin crescent moon rode high in the sky. They had traveled all day, only stopping at sunhigh long enough to devour a rabbit Crowfeather had caught on the moorland. Now Leafpool's paws were sore and her heart pounded with mounting fear. "Good-bye," she murmured, pushing her nose into Crowfeather's fur. "I'll see you again when all this is over." "What do you mean, "good-bye'?" Crowfeather demanded. "I'm not leaving you when there are hostile badgers around." "But you need to warn WindClan." "I know, and I will. But I'll see you to your camp first. It won't take long." Seeing the stubborn light in his eyes, Leafpool knew she would only waste time by arguing. Leaping swiftly from one stepping-stone to the next, she led the way down the slope and into

第23章 叶池和鸦羽停在踏脚石旁，这些踏脚石跨溪通往雷族领地。 夜幕已经降临，一弯细月牙高挂在天空。 他们走了一整天，只在正午停下，狼吞虎咽吃完了鸦羽在荒原捕到的兔子。 此刻叶池的爪子酸痛不已，恐惧不断累积，心脏怦怦直跳。 "再见了，"她轻声呢喃，把鼻子埋进鸦羽的毛里。 "等这一切结束，我们就会再见面的。" "你说‘再见’是什么意思？" 鸦羽质问道。 "周围有狂暴的獾，我不会丢下你不管的。" "可你得回去提醒风族啊。" "我知道，我会去的。 但我得先送你回营地。 花不了多长时间。" 叶池看到他眼中固执的光芒，知道争辩只会白白浪费时间。 她轻快地从一块踏脚石跳向另一块，领头走下斜坡，进入

the shelter of the trees. It was a relief to enter the woods after traveling for so long under the open sky, but Leafpool's feeling of homecoming didn't last long. Almost at once a rank scent drifted around them, masking all the other scents of the forest. "Badgers," Crowfeather growled. Leafpool was too terrified to speak. Although she was exhausted from the long trek over the moors, she picked up her pace until she was racing through the trees, the gray-black warrior at her shoulder. As they drew closer to the ThunderClan camp, she heard the sound from her dream she had been dreading every pawstep of the journey: the yowls of fighting cats mingled with the deeper roars of her enemies. Badgers had broken into the camp! When she reached the edge of the hollow, she heard a rustling among the ferns and a cat wailing, "Not more of them! Oh, help!" Whipping around, Leafpool saw Ferncloud and Daisy peering out from under a clump of bracken. It was Daisy who had cried out. "Leafpool!" Ferncloud exclaimed. "What—"

树林的树荫里。 在开阔旷野走了这么久，进入树林总算松了口气，但叶池的归家感没持续多久。 几乎立刻就有一股腐臭气味飘到他们身边，盖过了森林里所有其他气味。 "是獾，"鸦羽低吼道。 叶池吓得说不出话。 虽然荒原长途跋涉后她已经精疲力竭，还是加快脚步在树林里飞奔，那只灰黑毛色的武士紧跟在她身侧。 他们越靠近雷族营地，就越听到那个她一路上每走一步都惧怕的、曾出现在梦里的声音：参战猫的怒嚎混着敌人低沉的吼声。 獾已经冲进营地了！ 她走到凹洞边缘，听到蕨草丛里有沙沙声，一只猫哀号道："千万别再来了！ 哦，救命啊！" 叶池猛地转过身，看见蕨云和黛西从一丛欧洲蕨底下探出头来。 出声叫喊的正是黛西。 "叶池！" 蕨云惊叫道。 "怎——"

She broke off and added, "No, don't stop. Go and help the Clan." Leafpool and Crowfeather ran on, down the slope that led to the entrance. The thorn barrier that was supposed to protect the camp had been utterly destroyed, trampled down by monstrous paws. Beyond the scattered branches, badgers filled the hollow, their thick-furred shoulders heaving as they pounced and fought. Leafpool caught a glimpse of her father, a wild light in his green eyes as he rallied his Clan with sweeping gestures of his tail. "Follow me! Drive them out!" he yowled as he leapt at the nearest badger, a huge male with a scarred muzzle. Dustpelt and Brambleclaw were hard on his paws. Dustpelt hurled himself at the badger's shoulder, scoring its pelt with outstretched claws. Brambleclaw flung himself at another creature that stood growling a tail-length away, springing up as it lowered its head and fastening his teeth in its ear. Around the edge of the clearing, the dens that were barely two moons old were torn, their

她话没说完又补充道："不，别停下。 快去帮族群。" 叶池和鸦羽继续往前跑，冲下通往营地入口的斜坡。 本该保护营地的荆藤屏障已经被彻底摧毁，被怪物般的巨爪踩平了。 散落枝丫的后方，凹洞里挤满了獾，它们长着厚毛的肩膀不停耸动，正扑击撕打。 叶池瞥见了父亲，他绿眼睛里燃着狂野的光，正挥动尾巴召集族群。 "跟我来！ 把它们赶出去！" 他吼着扑向离得最近的那只獾，那是一只有着带疤口鼻的大雄獾。 尘皮和黑莓掌紧紧跟在他身后。 尘皮猛地扑向獾的肩膀，伸出爪子抓破了它的皮毛。 黑莓掌扑向另一只站在一尾远外低吼的獾，趁它低头时扑上去，一口咬住了它的耳朵。 空地边缘，那些才建好不到两个月的巢穴都被撕裂，它们的

branches scattered so that Leafpool scarcely recognized her home. One massive badger was crashing through the warriors" den in pursuit of Rainwhisker. Another rolled around a tail-length from Leafpool, locked into combat with Spiderleg while Sandstorm sank her teeth into its hind leg. I'm too late! Leafpool thought in dismay. She couldn't see Midnight anywhere among the badgers. Perhaps her vengeful kin had caught her on her way to ThunderClan and stopped her from warning the cats. Maybe they'd even killed her! Throwing off the horror that froze her paws, Leafpool tore through the trampled thorns into the clearing. There must be something she could do to help her Clanmates, something more than just die at their side. She was about to hurl herself into battle when an eerie shriek rose above the rest of the clamor. It came from the nursery, the only clump of thorns that remained standing. "Cinderpelt!" she gasped to Crowfeather. As if her paws had wings, she streaked across

枝干散落得到处都是，叶池几乎认不出自己的家了。 一只巨型獾撞进武士巢穴，正在追捕雨须。 另一只獾在离叶池一尾远的地方，和蜘蛛腿扭打缠斗，沙风咬住了它的后腿。 我来太晚了！ 叶池满心绝望地想。 她在獾群里完全找不到午夜的身影。 说不定她那些爱记仇的同族在她来雷族的路上截住了她，不让她来报信。 说不定他们甚至杀了她！ 叶池甩开钉住她双脚的恐惧，冲过被踩烂的荆藤，闯进了空地。 肯定还有什么能帮族猫的，不只是陪着他们一起死。 她正准备扑进战场，一声诡异的尖叫盖过了所有喧闹。 尖叫声来自育儿室，那是唯一还立着的一丛荆藤。 "炭毛！" 她喘着气对鸦羽说。 她的爪子就像长了翅膀，飞快地冲过

the clearing, barely aware of a badger that lunged for her, only to fall back as Crowfeather flew at it, spitting and clawing. He was hard on her paws as she raced up to the nursery. Just outside, a ginger cat was lying in the dust, a badger looming over her. "Squirrelflight!" Leafpool yowled. Her claws sank into the badger's leg. Its head swung around, jaws snapping. Crowfeather thrust himself in front of Leafpool, his claws raking at the badger's eyes. With a bellow of pain it reared back and lurched away. Leafpool flung herself down beside her sister. Only the link that still connected them told her that her sister wasn't dead. Relief swept through her from ears to tail-tip as Squirrelflight raised her head, blinking confusedly. "Leafpool... you came back!" "Yes, I'm here. Are you hurt?" Squirrelflight took in a huge, gasping breath. "Only... winded. Leafpool, in there..." Her gaze flicked to the nursery. "In there... Cinderpelt, with Sorreltail... kits coming. Badger... broke in."

来到空地上，她几乎没察觉一只獾猛地扑向自己，好在鸦羽立刻冲上前，又吼又抓，把獾逼退了。 她往育婴室狂奔，鸦羽紧紧跟在她身后。 育婴室门外，一只姜黄色母猫躺在尘土里，一只獾正恶沉沉地对着她。 "松鼠飞！" 叶池嘶声大喊。 她的爪子深深扎进了獾的腿里。 獾猛地转过头，大嘴咬了过来。 鸦羽冲到叶池身前，爪子狠狠抓向獾的眼睛。 獾痛苦地号叫一声，后仰退开，踉跄着逃走了。 叶池一下子扑到妹妹身边。 只有姐妹间相连的羁绊告诉她，妹妹还活着。 当松鼠飞抬起头，迷茫地眨着眼时，叶池从耳根到尾尖都松了一口气。 "叶池……你回来了！" "对，我在这里。 你受伤了吗？" 松鼠飞大口大口地喘着气。 "我只是……喘不上气。 叶池，里面……" 她的目光扫向育婴室。 "里面……炭毛陪着栗尾……幼崽要出生了。 獾……闯进去了。"

A fresh wave of terror flooded over Leafpool. I'm too late. She plunged past Squirrelflight into the nursery. The shadows inside were filled with the sound of vicious snarling, cut through with a wail of terror. Leafpool recognized Sorreltail's voice. "Sorreltail, it's me, Leafpool. Where's Cinderpelt?" In the darkness she could make out nothing but a huge, humped shape. The stench of the badger filled the whole nursery. She hurled herself forward and collided with a solid flank covered in coarse fur. Raking her claws down the badger's side, she gasped, "Out! Get out!" The invader turned its head toward her; she caught the gleam of bright, malignant eyes and knew she was living out her nightmare of the rolling black mist. Lashing out with one paw, she scored the badger across its nose and saw blood spatter out, its hot scent mingling with the reek of badger. A paw swept up to batter her, but before the blow fell Crowfeather appeared next to her, slashing at the badger's muzzle.

一阵新的恐惧猛地席卷了叶池。 我来太晚了。 她绕过松鼠飞，冲进了育婴室。 阴影里满是凶狠的咆哮，中间还夹杂着一声恐惧的哀鸣。 叶池听出那是栗尾的声音。 "栗尾，是我，叶池。 炭毛在哪里？" 黑暗里她只能辨出一个巨大隆起的身影，什么都看不清。 獾的臭味填满了整个育婴室。 她猛地冲上前，撞在了长着粗硬毛发的结实躯干上。 她用爪子狠狠抓挠獾的侧腹，喘着气喊："滚出去！ 给我滚出去！" 入侵者转过头朝向她。 她看见一双邪恶发亮的眼睛，才反应过来这正是她噩梦里那团翻滚黑雾的场景。 她挥出一爪，抓伤了獾的鼻子，鲜血溅了出来，浓烈的血腥味混着獾的臭气。 一只爪子挥过来要打她，就在爪子落下前，鸦羽出现在她身边，狠狠抓破了獾的口鼻。