Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24 Squirrelflight leapt around at the sound of pawsteps behind her. Crowfeather was emerging from the nursery. "What's happening in there?" she demanded. The WindClan warrior stared at her as if he were looking straight through her. "Cinderpelt's dead," he meowed hoarsely. Squirrelflight's belly clenched. It couldn't be true! StarClan couldn't be that cruel! She wanted to rush into the nursery to see for herself and comfort her sister, but she knew she had to stay where she was, guarding Sorreltail while her kits arrived. In front of her, the hollow was emptying as if some of the badgers had been chased off, but the cats still weren't winning the fight. There were too many unmoving heaps of fur sprawled on the ground, too much blood sinking into the paw- trodden earth. A few fox-lengths away Squirrelflight could see Firestar and Brackenfur battling a long-legged male badger, darting forward in turn to confuse

第24章 松鼠飞听到身后的脚步声，猛地转过身来。 鸦羽从育婴室走了出来。 “里面出什么事了？” 她质问道。 风族武士直直盯着她，目光仿佛穿透了她的身体。 “炭毛死了。”他沙哑地说道。 松鼠飞的肚子猛地一抽。 这不可能是真的！ 星族绝不会这么残忍！ 她想要冲进育婴室亲眼确认，安慰自己的妹妹，可她知道自己必须留在原地，在栗尾生下幼崽时守着她。 她面前的洼地里猫群正在疏散，似乎一部分獾已经被赶跑了，但猫群还没有打赢这场仗。 地上横躺着太多一动不动的毛团，太多鲜血渗进了被爪掌踩实的泥土里。 几狐身长开外，松鼠飞看见火星和蕨毛正对战一只长腿公獾，它们轮番冲上前迷惑

it. The badger swiped at them with massive paws; it couldn't be long before one of the blows landed, hard enough to smash a cat's skull or break a limb. Her belly churned as she looked for Brambleclaw, but she couldn't see him. Crowfeather crouched beside her, his amber eyes burning as he gazed across the clearing. "You wouldn't think he'd be so upset about the death of another Clan's medicine cat," Ashfur muttered into Squirrelflight's ear. Squirrelflight didn't say anything. She knew the gray-black warrior wasn't just grieving for Cinderpelt. Another badger lumbered out of the shadows, its jaws open to reveal two rows of pointed yellow teeth. It was bleeding heavily from one shoulder; Squirrelflight's belly twisted as she imagined what might have happened to the warrior who had inflicted the wound. Ashfur leapt out to confront the creature before it got too close to the nursery, and Squirrelflight sprang up to follow. "Crowfeather, guard the entrance!" she yowled. But before she could join Ashfur, she was

它。 那只獾用硕大的爪子朝他们挥击； 用不了多久就会有一击命中，力道足以击碎猫的头骨，或是折断一条腿。 她内心揪紧，四处寻找黑莓掌，却没有找到他。 鸦羽蹲在她身旁，琥珀色的眼睛燃着怒火，望向空地对面。 “你真以为他只是难过别族巫医的死吗。”蜡毛凑在松鼠飞耳边低声说。 松鼠飞什么都没有说。 她清楚，这只灰黑武士不只是为炭毛的死感到悲伤。 又一只獾笨重地从阴影里走出，张开嘴露出两排尖尖的黄牙。 它的一侧肩膀正流出大量鲜血； 松鼠飞的心再次揪紧，她不禁想象，弄出这个伤口的武士到底遭遇了什么。 蜡毛跳出去拦住这只畜生，不让它靠近育婴室，松鼠飞也紧跟着起身追上去。 “鸦羽，守住入口！” 她高声吼道。 可她还没来得及跟上蜡毛，就被

distracted by a terrified wail. Glancing over her shoulder she saw Whitepaw flat on the ground by the trampled barrier, frozen with terror as a badger loomed over her. Squirrelflight swerved and pelted over to the apprentice's side. She aimed outstretched claws, then pulled back without striking and stared up in disbelief. "It's okay, Whitepaw," she choked out after a moment. "This is Midnight." "Greetings, small warrior," Midnight rasped. Squirrelflight's instinctive reaction had been relief, but then her suspicions flared up. Was Midnight here to fight on behalf of her kin? Squirrelflight took a pace backward until she was standing protectively over Whitepaw. "What are you doing here?" she demanded. "No need for fear," Midnight reassured her. "My way is not fight. I bring help." She cocked her head to one side as if she were listening to something, then stepped aside to let a river of cats stream into the camp: strong, fresh warriors who fell on the badgers with yowls of fury. Tornear, Ashfoot, Whitetail, Onestar... WindClan had come to help them!

一声惊恐的哭喊引开了她的注意力。 她回头一瞥，看见白爪趴在被踩坏的防御墙边，吓得动弹不得，一只獾正朝着她逼近。 松鼠飞立刻转弯，冲到这名学徒身边。 她伸出爪子对准目标，接着却没发动攻击，反而后退一步，难以置信地抬头盯着。 “没事了，白爪。”过了一会儿，她哽咽着开口。 “这是午夜。” “你好啊，小武士。”午夜粗声说道。 松鼠飞本能地松了口气，紧接着疑心又冒了出来。 午夜是来帮她的同族打仗的吗？ 松鼠飞往后退了一步，站到白爪身前护住了她。 “你到这里来做什么？” 她质问道。 “不用害怕，”午夜安抚她道。 “我不是来打架的。 我是来帮忙的。” 她歪着脑袋，仿佛在听什么动静，接着退到一边，让猫群涌进营地：强壮精力充沛的武士们怒吼着扑向獾群。 托内尔、灰脚、白尾、一星…… 风族居然来帮助他们了！

The badger that had been fighting with Firestar and Brackenfur staggered back, turned tail, and ran. Firestar and Webfoot chased after it, hissing. Nightcloud and Onestar joined Ashfur to chase off the badger that had come too close to the nursery. Squirrelflight dashed forward to help, but she realized all the invaders were fleeing from the clearing. She skidded to a halt and watched them blunder through the broken branches that lay across the entrance to the hollow. Relief stabbed Squirrelflight as she spotted Brambleclaw standing a little way off, his sides heaving with effort. She caught his eye and saw her own surprise reflected at the arrival of the Clan who had so recently rejected their friendship. Ashfur's badger lumbered past her with Nightcloud and Onestar hard on its paws. Onestar halted in front of Brambleclaw as the badger scrambled over the remains of the thorn barrier and vanished into the trees. "You came," Brambleclaw meowed. "Of course we came." Pride kindled in

刚才和火星、蕨毛打斗的那只獾踉跄后退，转身逃跑了。 火星和蹼足嘶叫着追了上去。 夜云和一星加入蜡毛，赶走了那只差点靠近育婴室的獾。 松鼠飞冲上前想去帮忙，却发现所有入侵者都在逃出空地。 她打滑着停住脚步，看着它们跌跌撞撞穿过横在洼地入口的断枝。 松鼠飞看到不远处站着的黑莓掌，他正累得胸脯不停起伏，顿时松了口气。 她对上他的目光，看到自己的惊讶也映在他眼中，谁都没料到不久前和他们断交的族群会到来。 蜡毛拦住的那只獾笨重地从她身旁跑过，夜云和一星紧追在它身后。 那只獾爬过荆刺屏障的残骸，消失在树林中后，一星停在了黑莓掌面前。 “你们来了。”黑莓掌说道。 “我们当然会来。” 骄傲在

Onestar's eyes. "There are four Clans in the forest, but we can still help one another." Ashfur staggered to a stop beside Squirrelflight, and she turned to lick his wounds. He had lost fur from his shoulder and one side, and there was a deep gash on his foreleg. Even as she took care of him she tried to push aside the thought that she hadn't been as frightened for him as she'd been for Brambleclaw. "You'd better let Leafpool have a look at that," she told him. She'd almost said "Cinderpelt." "Later," he meowed. "It's nothing serious. I couldn't believe it when I saw Onestar and his warriors," he added. "I thought we were all going to join StarClan." "Not yet," Squirrelflight assured him. But the grim truth of what had happened swept over her, and she felt like wailing aloud. How many cats were dead besides Cinderpelt and Sootfur? How many more would die of their injuries? The last of the badgers were disappearing with WindClan in pursuit. The exhausted ThunderClan warriors began to gather in the

一星的眼睛。 “森林里有四个族群，可我们依然可以互帮互助。” 灰毛跌跌撞撞停在松鼠飞身旁，松鼠飞转过身舔舐他的伤口。 他的肩膀和身体一侧掉了毛，前腿上还有一道深深的口子。 哪怕在照顾他的时候，她也忍不住撇开想法：她刚才为他的担忧，远不如为黑莓掌担惊受怕。 “你最好让叶池看看你的伤。”她对灰毛说。 她差点就说出“炭毛”了。 “一会儿再说。”他喵喵道。 “这点伤不算重。 我看到一星和他的武士的时候，简直不敢相信。”他补充道。 “我还以为我们都要去星族了。” “还不会呢。”松鼠飞安慰他。 可刚刚发生的残酷真相将她淹没，她忍不住想要放声大哭。 除了炭毛和烟毛，还有多少猫死了？ 还有多少猫会因为伤重死去？ 最后几只獾在风族的追击下逃走了。 精疲力竭的雷族武士们开始聚集在

center of the camp around Midnight. Their eyes were stunned with horror, as if they couldn't believe the battle was over. Whitepaw scrambled to her paws and ran over to Cloudtail and Brightheart, who were slowly approaching from the direction of the elders" den. Cloudtail's white fur was caked with blood and dust, and he leaned heavily on Brightheart's shoulder. Mousefur guided Longtail down from the Highledge, glancing around with narrowed eyes as if she wasn't sure all their enemies had gone. Goldenflower followed a moment later; Brambleclaw, Thornclaw, and Sandstorm joined them. Dustpelt limped up, fear in his eyes as he scanned the clearing. "Ferncloud?" he rasped. "Birchpaw?" "They're fine," Squirrelflight reassured him. "They got out of the camp. They're looking after Daisy and her kits." The brown tabby warrior visibly relaxed, collapsing on the ground to lick a wound on his shoulder. Firestar staggered up and halted in front of

营地中央，围在午夜身边。 他们眼中满是惊魂未定的恐惧，仿佛不敢相信战斗已经结束了。 白爪爬起身，跑向云尾和亮心，他俩正从长老巢穴的方向慢慢走来。 云尾的白毛沾满了血和尘土，他重重地靠在亮心的肩膀上。 鼠毛领着长尾走下高岩，眯着眼睛四处张望，好像不确定敌人全都走了。 金花没过多久跟了上来，黑莓掌、刺掌和沙风也加入了他们。 尘爪一瘸一拐地走来，眼中满是恐惧，扫视着营地空地。 “蕨云？”他沙哑地唤道。 “桦爪？” “他们都没事。”松鼠飞安抚他。 “他们逃出营地了。 正在照顾黛西和她的幼崽呢。” 这只棕斑武士明显松了口气，瘫倒在地舔肩膀上的伤口。 火星蹒跚走来，停在