Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 Leafpool stayed sitting down as her sister and Ashfur headed into the bushes toward the lakeshore. She gazed across the clearing to where she had last seen Crowfeather. She spotted the WindClan cat at once; he was looking straight back at her. Leafpool glanced around. Other cats moved in the shadows; the brambles behind her rustled as they pushed through them on their way back to the tree-bridge. No cat seemed to be paying much attention to her. She started to circle the clearing, keeping to where the moonlight threw deep shadows. "Leafpool!" The young medicine cat froze, feeling her pelt tingle with frustration. She took a deep breath before turning around. "Yes, Cinderpelt?" "Come on, you're being left behind." Leafpool narrowed her eyes. Her Clanmates had only just left the clearing. Was Cinderpelt deliberately keeping her away from Crowfeather? "Okay, Cinderpelt, I'm coming." Leafpool

第六章 叶池仍旧坐着没动，看着她的姐姐和阿什弗钻进灌木丛，朝湖岸走去 她眺望着空地对面，望向她最后看到鸦羽的地方 她一眼就看到了这只风族猫；他正直直地回望着她 叶池环顾了一下四周 其他猫咪在阴影中走动； 身后的黑刺莓丛被往树桥返回的猫咪穿过，弄得枝条沙沙作响 看起来没有哪只猫留意到她 她开始绕着空地走，专走月光投下深阴影的地方 「叶池！」 这位年轻的巫医一下子僵住，满心挫败，连皮毛都微微发麻 她深吸一口气，才转过身来 「怎么啦，炭毛？」 「快点，你要落队了。」 叶池眯起了眼睛 她的族伴们才刚刚离开空地 炭毛是故意把她拦离鸦羽身边吗？ 「好啦，炭毛，我来了。」 叶池

shot a glance over her shoulder and saw Crowfeather watching her with anguish in his eyes. Leafpool knew she couldn't do anything but follow Cinderpelt into the bushes. I'm a medicine cat, she told herself as she ducked under the prickly branches. I can't love Crowfeather, and he can't love me. She repeated it over and over, all the way back to the ThunderClan camp, but all she could think of was the look in Crowfeather's eyes. A sweet scent drifted around Leafpool and a voice murmured her name. At first she thought Spottedleaf was calling to her; the former ThunderClan medicine cat had often come to her in dreams. But when she blinked open her eyes the cat standing in front of her had a silvery-gray pelt, and eyes of clearest blue. Starlight sparkled around her paws and at the ends of her whiskers. Leafpool stared at her, bewildered. "Feathertail?" Beyond her nest among the brambles outside Cinderpelt's den, the hollow was bathed in

她转过头飞快瞥了一眼身后，看见鸦羽正望着她，眼里满是痛苦 叶池清楚，她除了跟着炭毛走进灌木丛，什么也做不了 我是一名巫医，她钻进扎人的枝桠下时，这样对自己说 我不能爱上鸦羽，他也不能爱上我 她一遍又一遍重复这句话，一路走回雷族营地，可满脑子全是鸦羽的眼神 一股甜香绕着叶池散开，一个声音轻声念着她的名字 一开始她以为是斑叶在叫她； 这位从前的雷族巫医经常出现在她的梦里 可她眨开眼睛后，站在面前的猫长着银灰色皮毛，有着澄澈的蓝眼睛 星光在她爪边和胡须末端闪着光 叶池满是困惑，盯着她看 「羽尾？」 炭毛巢穴外的荆棘丛中，她的小窝另一边，整个山谷都浸在

silvery light. But several days had passed since the Gathering, and the moon was waning. Leafpool knew she was dreaming. She stood up. "What is it, Feathertail?" She guessed Feathertail had come to speak to her about Crowfeather. A pang of guilt shot through her. Feathertail and Crowfeather had loved each other so much, but the beautiful RiverClan cat had given up her life to save the Tribe and her friends from the fierce lion-cat Sharptooth. Was she angry that Crowfeather had fallen in love with another cat? "I—I'm sorry," Leafpool stammered. Feathertail swept her tail across Leafpool's mouth. "We need to talk, but not here. Follow me." She led the way into the clearing. Leafpool tried to walk as lightly as if she were stalking a mouse, then she wondered if the Clan could hear her when this was only a dream. A bright, unearthly light flooded the hollow. Brightheart and Sootfur, on watch, looked like cats made of stone, their coats the color of moonlight. Neither stirred as Feathertail and

银色的光芒中。 集会已经过去好几天，月亮也渐渐变缺了 叶池清楚，自己现在正在做梦 她站起了身 「怎么了，羽尾？」 她猜羽尾是来和她说鸦羽的事 一阵愧疚猛地刺痛了她 羽尾和鸦羽曾经深爱彼此，可这只美丽的河族猫为了拯救部落和朋友，牺牲自己除掉了凶猛的狮猫尖牙 她会因为鸦羽爱上别的猫而生气吗？ 「我……对不起，」叶池结结巴巴地说 羽尾把尾巴轻轻扫过叶池的嘴 「我们需要谈一谈，但不是在这里。 跟我来。」 她领头朝着空地走去 叶池努力放轻脚步，就像捕猎老鼠时那样轻，接着她又疑惑，这只是个梦，族猫们能听见她吗 一道明亮奇异的光铺满了整个山谷 放哨的亮心和烟毛，看起来就像石头雕成的猫，皮毛泛着月光的色泽 当羽尾和走过去时，他俩都没有动弹

Leafpool crept past them and out through the thorn tunnel. Once they were several fox-lengths away from the camp, Feathertail found a comfortable spot in a clump of long grass and settled down, gesturing with her tail for Leafpool to join her. "I can guess what you're thinking," she meowed. "You think I'm angry about Crowfeather, don't you?" Leafpool blinked at her, too ashamed to admit to her suspicion. "Do you think I wouldn't want to see him happy?" Feathertail asked gently. "You make him happy; I can see that." "I'm a medicine cat!" Leafpool protested. Her fur tingled with delight that Feathertail wasn't angry—more than that, she seemed to want Leafpool and Crowfeather to be together—but she knew it was more complicated than that. "I wish I could make him happy, but I can't." "That's not why I'm here," Feathertail told her. "There's something I need you to do." Leafpool pricked her ears. "What?" "It's Mothwing." Feathertail's expression

叶池悄悄从他们身边溜过，走出了荆藤隧道 她们离开营地走出好几个狐狸身长的距离后，羽尾在一丛长草里找了个舒服的地方卧下，摆尾巴示意叶池过来一起坐 「我猜得到你在想什么，」她喵声道 「你觉得我会为鸦羽的事生气，对不对？」 叶池冲她眨眨眼，羞愧得说不出自己的猜疑 「你觉得我会不愿意看见他幸福吗？」 羽尾温柔地问道 「你能带给他幸福，我看得出来。」 「可我是巫医啊！」 叶池反驳道 羽尾没有生气，这让叶池开心得浑身发颤——不止如此，她看上去还支持叶池和鸦羽在一起——可叶池知道事情要复杂得多 「我多希望能让他幸福，可我做不到。」 「我来这儿不是为了这件事，」羽尾对她说 「有件事我需要你去做。」 叶池竖起了耳朵 「什么事？」 「是蛾翅。」 羽尾的神情

clouded. "I have an important message for her, but I can't reach her." Leafpool felt icy water trickle down her spine, making her fur stand on end. When the Clans first came to the lake, the RiverClan medicine cat had confessed to Leafpool that she didn't believe in StarClan. At first, Leafpool had been stunned. How could a medicine cat carry out her duties without the guidance of their warrior ancestors? But she agreed to keep her friend's secret because she knew Mothwing was truly committed to caring for her Clan, and she knew as much about herbs as any of the medicine cats. But she should have known that StarClan saw into the heart of every cat. There was no hiding the truth from them. A shiver of alarm swept through Leafpool. Were StarClan angry with Mothwing? Could they stop her being a medicine cat? Would they be angry with Leafpool too, for keeping Mothwing's secret? "Mothwing's really good with healing herbs," she told Feathertail. "And when she was an apprentice she wanted to believe."

阴云密布。 “我有一则重要口信带给她，但我联系不上她。” 叶池感觉一股冰水顺着脊椎滑下，吓得浑身毛发都竖了起来。 族群刚搬到湖边时，河族巫医蛾翅就向叶池坦白，她不相信星族。 一开始，叶池大吃一惊。 没有武士祖先的指引，巫医怎么能履行好职责呢？ 但叶池答应替朋友保守秘密，因为她知道蛾翅真心照料族群，对药草的了解也不输给任何巫医。 可她本该知道，星族能看透每一只猫的内心。 在星族面前，根本藏不住真相。 一阵恐慌的颤抖传遍叶池全身：星族是不是在生蛾翅的气？ 他们会不会不让蛾翅再做巫医？ 他们会不会也生叶池的气，气她替蛾翅保守秘密？ “蛾翅真的很擅长药草治疗，”她对羽须说。 “而且她当学徒的时候，也试着想要相信星族。”

"I know," Feathertail meowed. "We hoped that in time she would find faith in us. But she hasn't, so we can't speak to her to give her the messages her Clan needs." "But—" Leafpool hesitated. This was so hard to ask, but she had to know. "But Mudfur waited for a sign from StarClan before he chose Mothwing to be his apprentice. And one morning he found a moth's wing outside his den. He took it as a sign that StarClan approved his choice. Was he mistaken?" Feathertail bent her head to lick her chest fur. "You can't expect to understand the signs given to another cat," she replied when she looked up again. More briskly she added, "Leafpool, I need to tell Mothwing something urgently. I can't reach her, so will you take a message to her?" "What would you like me to say?" Leafpool knew she wouldn't refuse Feathertail's request. She would do anything to help Mothwing. "Tell her RiverClan is in serious danger from Twolegs." "Twolegs?" Leafpool cocked her head, puzzled. "But we haven't seen any Twolegs yet.

“我知道，”羽须轻声说。 “我们原本希望，时间久了她会慢慢信任我们。 可她一直没能做到，所以我们没法给她传递族群需要的口信。” “可是——”叶池犹豫了。 这个问题很难开口，但她必须弄清楚。 “但是墨毛选蛾翅当学徒前，一直等着星族给预兆。 一天早上，他在巢穴门口发现了一片飞蛾翅膀。 他就把这当成了星族认可他选择的预兆。 他是不是看错了？” 羽须低下头舔了舔胸口的毛。 “你没法强求自己读懂给另一只猫的预兆，”她抬起头回答道。 她干脆地补充道：“叶池，我有急事要告诉蛾翅。 我联系不上她，你能帮我带个口信给她吗？” “你想让我转告她什么？” 叶池清楚自己不会拒绝羽须的请求。 为了帮蛾翅，她什么都愿意做。 “告诉她，两脚兽会给河族带来巨大的危险。” “两脚兽？” 叶池歪着脑袋，满是疑惑。 “可是我们到现在都还没见到任何两脚兽啊。