Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5 A ruffled disc of white light trembled on the surface of the lake, and up above the stars of Silverpelt blazed in the night sky. StarClan must be pleased with how we're settling in, Squirrelflight decided as she followed her sister along the lakeshore. Her paws tingled at the thought of taking part in the first Gathering on the island. She couldn't wait to cross the fallen tree and explore. Firestar led the way with Dustpelt, Sandstorm, and Cloudtail close to his flanks. Ashfur and Spiderleg padded just behind, ahead of Cinderpelt, Goldenflower, and Brackenfur. Brambleclaw brought up the rear, glancing back now and again as if he expected trouble. His caution reminded Squirrelflight of the uneasy new relationship with WindClan. To reach the tree-bridge and the island, they had to pass through WindClan territory, and as far as Squirrelflight knew they hadn't formally asked for Onestar's permission. "It was a lot easier at Fourtrees," she meowed

第五章 一圈颤抖的白光荡漾在湖面，夜空里，银毛带的群星灼灼闪耀。 松鼠飞跟在姐姐身后沿湖岸走着，心里暗想：星族肯定对我们的新居所很满意。 一想到要参加岛上的第一次集会，她的爪子都兴奋得发麻。 她迫不及待要走过那棵倒树去探险。 火星走在最前头，尘毛、沙风和云尾紧紧跟在他两侧。 灰毛和蜘蛛腿跟在后面，走在炭毛、金花和蕨毛前面。 黑莓掌走在队伍最后，时不时回头张望，好像预感到会有麻烦。 他的警惕让松鼠飞想起，雷族和风族的新关系一直很紧张。 要到树桥和岛上，他们必须穿过风族领地，而且据松鼠飞所知，他们还没有正式请求一星的允许。 “在四树林的时候可要方便多了，”她喵声说道

to Leafpool, with a sudden pang of homesickness. She would never forget the horror of discovering that Twoleg monsters had destroyed the great oak trees where the Clans met every full moon. "Back there, we didn't have to cross other Clans" territories to get to Gatherings." "Cats can't possibly fight on the way to a Gathering," Leafpool mewed. "I'm not sure. When does the truce start? When we get to the island, or when we're on the way?" Leafpool shook her head, unable to reply. Squirrelflight stayed alert as she and her Clanmates slipped through the shadows with the glimmering lake on one side and the steeply sloping moorland on the other. As they drew closer to the Twoleg horseplace, they began to pick up strong WindClan scent, as if a large patrol had just passed that way. "Onestar and his Clan must be ahead of us," Squirrelflight meowed. Pausing to taste the air, she distinguished another scent, and a moment later she spotted two pale shapes flitting across the field beyond the horseplace fence. "That

，这话是说给叶池听的，心头突然涌起一阵思乡的酸楚。 她永远不会忘记那可怕的发现：两脚兽的怪兽摧毁了各族每个满月聚会的大橡树。 “在旧地方，我们去集会根本不用穿过其他族群的领地。” “去集会的路上，猫咪们不会打架的呀，”叶池轻声说。 “我也不确定。 休战从什么时候开始呀？ 是到岛上才算，还是我们上路就开始了？” 叶池摇了摇头，回答不出来。 松鼠飞和族伴们在阴影中悄悄穿行，一边是波光粼粼的湖面，一边是倾斜陡峭的荒原，她一直保持着警惕。 当他们快走到两脚兽的马场时，闻到了浓重的风族气味，好像一支大巡逻队刚刚从这里经过。 “一星和他的族群一定走在我们前面，”松鼠飞说。 她停下来闻了闻空气中的气味，分辨出另一种味道，没过一会儿就看到两个浅淡的影子飞快掠过马场栅栏外的田野。 “那

must be the kittypets who live in the barn," she commented. "Do you remember Smoky and Daisy? We met last time we came to a Gathering. I wonder if Daisy has had her kits yet." "It's time the ThunderClan queens started having kits," Leafpool mewed. "The Clan is really short of young cats." Squirrelflight nodded. More kits meant more apprentices, and that meant she wouldn't have to collect any more moss! They crossed the marshy ground where they had made their temporary camp when they first reached the lake. Just beyond it, a new set of scent marks warned that they had reached the RiverClan border. On the lakeshore ahead of them, Squirrelflight could see a throng of cats; in the bright moonlight it was easy to recognize Onestar and his WindClan warriors. She remembered how her patrol had first discovered the island. They had always known it would be a perfect place to gather, but they had assumed it would be impossible to reach, except for the strong swimmers in RiverClan. But StarClan had found a way to help them cross the

一定是住在谷仓里的宠物猫，”她说。 你还记得烟毛和黛西吗？ 我们上次来集会的时候见过他们。 我猜黛西是不是已经生下小猫了。” “也该轮到雷族的猫后们生小猫啦，”叶池说。 “族群里真的缺很多年轻猫咪呢。” 松鼠飞点了点头。 多些小猫就意味着多些学徒，这样她就不用再去采苔藓啦！ 他们穿过了那片沼泽地，刚到湖边的时候他们曾在那里临时扎营。 刚走出沼泽，一排新的气味标记提醒他们，已经到了河族边界。 松鼠飞能看到前方湖岸聚集了一大群猫； 明亮的月光下，一眼就能认出一星和他的风族武士们。 她还记得自己的巡逻队第一次发现这个岛的情景。 他们一直都知道这里是聚会的绝佳地点，但之前都觉得除了河族擅长游泳的猫咪，其他人根本没法上岛。 但是星族已经帮他们找到了办法，渡过分隔小岛

narrow stretch of water that separated the island from the shore. Squirrelflight felt her fur bristle with anticipation as they approached the tree- bridge. It had once been a lofty pine tree, growing close to the edge of the island. Now its roots reared up into the air, while its tip rested on the pebbly lakeshore. As she drew closer Squirrelflight could see its needles were already brown and dry, falling like brittle rain onto the stones. Cats were bunched together around the topmost branches; their flattened ears and stiffly held tails betrayed their nervousness about trusting the tree to support their weight across the cold black water. Squirrelflight watched Webfoot sniff warily at a twig. Suddenly there was an impatient meow and Crowfeather leapt up onto the trunk, close to where it stretched out over the water. He swayed until he found his balance, then started to walk along the trunk, placing each paw carefully until he was near enough to the opposite shore to jump down safely. Squirrelflight wanted to push forward and

和湖岸的那片狭窄水域。 走近树桥的时候，松鼠飞激动得毛发都竖起来了。 它曾经是一棵高大的松树，长在小岛的岸边附近。 现在它连根翘出在空中，树顶搭在铺满鹅卵石的湖岸上。 松鼠飞走近些，看到松针已经干枯发褐，像碎脆的雨一样落在石头上。 猫咪们聚集在树干最顶端的周围； 他们抿着耳朵，尾巴绷得紧紧的，看得出来很紧张，不确定这棵树能不能承受自己的重量，从冰冷漆黑的水面上过去。 松鼠飞看着湿脚小心地嗅一根小树枝。 突然传来一声不耐烦的喵叫，鸦羽跳上树干，刚好在树干伸到水面上方的位置。 他晃了晃身子找到平衡，然后沿着树干往前走，每一步都落得小心翼翼，走到离对岸足够近的时候，就安全地跳了下去。 松鼠飞也想赶紧往前走

scramble along the trunk so she could explore the island too, but she made herself wait, claws scraping impatiently on the stones. She was conscious of Brambleclaw watching her with amber eyes that gave away nothing of what he felt. Turning her back on him, she padded over to Ashfur. "This is great!" he meowed, touching his nose to her ear. "I can't wait to get over there." "Me neither," Squirrelflight agreed. More WindClan cats began to cross, gripping the trunk with their claws as they advanced pawstep by pawstep toward the far shore. When Firestar waved his tail for the ThunderClan cats to follow, Squirrelflight started forward eagerly, only to bump into Leafpool, who was gazing across the water to the island. "What's the matter?" Squirrelflight mewed. "For StarClan's sake, get a move on!" Leafpool jumped. "Sorry!" As Tornear leapt up onto the tree-bridge, Onestar padded across and spoke quickly to Firestar before following his warrior. Firestar beckoned his Clan around him.

她也想顺着树干爬过去探索小岛，可她只能忍着，爪子不耐烦地刮着石头。 她感觉到黑莓掌正用琥珀色的眼睛看着她，看不出他到底是什么心情。 她转过身背对着他，轻步走向灰毛。 “这儿太棒啦！” 他轻声叫着，用鼻子蹭了蹭她的耳朵。 “我都等不及要过去啦。” “我也是，”松鼠飞附和道。 更多风族猫开始过桥，他们爪子牢牢抓着树干，一步一步朝对岸前进。 火星甩尾巴示意雷族猫跟上，松鼠飞迫不及待往前走，一头撞到了正望着水中小岛的叶池。 “怎么啦？” 松鼠飞轻声问道。 “看在星族的分上，快走吧！” 叶池吓了一跳。 “对不起！” 托尼尔跳上树桥的时候，一星走了过来，他飞快地和火星说了几句话，就跟着自己的武士走了。 火星招手叫雷族的猫围到他身边。

"RiverClan and ShadowClan have already crossed," he meowed. "Onestar told me Leopardstar and Blackstar agreed we should all have a chance to explore the island before the Gathering." "Where will we meet when it starts?" Cloudtail asked. Firestar twitched his ears. "Only StarClan knows, until we get over there. But you shouldn't get lost. The island's not that big." He jumped onto the tree trunk, followed by Sandstorm and Cloudtail. At last it was Squirrelflight's turn. She crouched and sprang into the air; the trunk bounced under her weight as she landed. Her fur fluffed out in alarm and she sank her claws into the bark to keep her balance. Suddenly she was conscious of how narrow the trunk was, and how close the water was, lapping at the half-submerged branches beneath her. "Go on," Ashfur meowed. "You're keeping every cat waiting." Cautiously Squirrelflight edged out along the tree trunk. The trunk bounced even harder as

“河族和影族已经过去了，”他说道。 “一星告诉我，豹星和黑星都同意，森林大会开始前，我们都可以上岛探索。” “森林大会开始的时候我们在哪儿集合呀？” 云尾问道。 火星动了动耳朵。 “我们过去之前，只有星族知道。 不过你不会迷路的。 这个岛又不大。” 他跳上树干，沙风和云尾跟在他身后。 终于轮到松鼠飞了。 她弓起身子一跃跳出去，落地的时候树干在她体重下晃了晃。 她吓了一跳，毛发都炸起来了，赶紧把爪子扎进树皮稳住身体。 她突然察觉树干有多窄，河水离她有多近，浪花正拍打着她身下半淹在水里的树枝。 “快走吧，”灰毛说道。 “所有猫都等着呢。” 松鼠飞小心翼翼地沿着树干慢慢往前挪。 树干晃得比刚才更厉害，正当