Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12 Leafpool flattened herself to the ground as fighting surged across the clearing. Horror froze her limbs and made her fur bristle. She couldn't believe that any cat would dare to break StarClan's truce. Then she remembered her dream of sticky scarlet waves washing up on the lakeshore. It was true! There could be no peace until blood had spilled blood. The clearing was full of spitting, clawing cats. Leafpool tried vainly to spot Crowfeather, terrified that he would be badly injured. She heard her father call out, but his words of command were lost among the screeches of the rival Clans. "StarClan help us!" she prayed. As if the spirits of her warrior ancestors had heard her plea, a shadow fell across the clearing and the silver wash of moonlight faded. Looking up, Leafpool saw that a cloud had drifted over the moon, hiding it completely. The shrieks of battle began to fade, or changed to yowls of terror. Some cats stopped fighting and crouched

第十二章 叶池伏在地面上，打斗已经席卷了整片空地。 恐惧冻住了她的四肢，让她浑身炸毛。 她不敢相信竟然有猫胆敢打破星族的休战约定。 这时她想起自己的梦：黏糊糊的猩红色浪涛拍打着湖岸。 这竟然是真的！ 唯有血债血偿，才会迎来和平。 空地里满是怒吼挥爪、互相撕打的猫。 叶池怎么也找不到鸦羽，她满心恐惧，生怕他受了重伤。 她听到父亲的呼喊，可他的命令被对立族群的尖叫盖过了。 "星族救救我们！" 她祈祷道。 仿佛她武士祖先的灵魂听到了她的恳求，一道阴影落进空地，银色月光渐渐褪去。 叶池抬头看去，一朵云飘到月亮前方，把月亮完全遮住了。 战斗的尖叫渐渐消散，转而变成了恐惧的嗥叫。 有些猫停下打斗，蹲伏下来

motionless, staring at the threatening sky. "Look!" It was too dark to see which cat had cried out, but Leafpool recognized the voice of Barkface, the WindClan medicine cat. "StarClan is angry! This must be a sign that the boundaries should stay where they are." In spite of the authority with which the old medicine cat spoke, several voices were raised in screeches of protest. Firestar's yowl drowned them all out. Leafpool could just make him out in the glitter of starshine, standing on an overhanging branch. "Barkface is right!" he called. "StarClan has shown their will. The boundaries will stay as they are. The Gathering is over!" "The next RiverClan cat to raise a paw will answer to me," Leopardstar added, balanced commandingly on her branch. "Every cat go home, now." "That goes for WindClan too," meowed Onestar, raking the clearing with a furious gaze. Blackstar let out a hiss. "This isn't over," he snarled. "No, it's not!" another cat called out; peering

一动不动，盯着乌云压顶的天空。 "看呐！" 天太黑了，叶池看不清喊这话的是谁，可她认出这是风族巫医树皮脸的声音。 "星族发怒了！ 这一定是预兆，边界必须维持原样。" 哪怕这位老巫医说得十分有威信，还是响起了不少抗议的尖叫。 火星的嗥叫盖过了所有声音。 叶池借着闪烁的星光，才勉强看清他站在一根悬垂的树枝上。 "树皮脸说得对！" 他喊道。 "星族已经展示了他们的意志。 边界就维持原样不变。 森林大会结束！" "下一个敢动爪子的河族猫，就先来和我算账，"豹星补充道，威风凛凛地站在自己的树枝上。 "所有猫立刻回家。" "这话对风族也一样，"一星说道，怒气冲冲地扫视着整片空地。 黑星发出一声嘶嘶的低吼。 "这事没完，"他怒声说道。 "没错，这事没完！" 另一只猫喊道；叶池眯起眼

into the darkness, Leafpool could just make out the massive tabby shape of Hawkfrost. "We'll discuss it again at the next Gathering." That's not your decision, Leafpool thought. Hawkfrost was already behaving as if he were Clan leader, and he wasn't even a deputy. Her mistrust of him made her fur stand on end, even more when she wondered just how much influence he had over his half brother, Brambleclaw. To her relief, the last of the battle was over. Cats broke apart, licking their wounds and glaring at each other. The leaders leaped down from the Great Oak and began to gather their Clans together. Leafpool struggled through the shifting mass of cats, all trying to find their Clanmates for the journey home. She couldn't leave without speaking to Mothwing. Heavystep was dead! When Leafpool had decided not to take Mudfur's message about the catmint to RiverClan, she had comforted herself with the thought that Mothwing would find it anyway, or that the elder would recover without

望向黑暗中，叶池才勉强认出鹰霜壮硕的虎斑身影。 "我们下次森林大会再接着讨论这件事。" 这事轮不到你做主，叶池心想。 鹰霜明明连副族长都不是，却已经摆出了族长的做派。 她对他的不信任让她浑身炸毛，更让她不安的是，她不知道鹰霜到底对他的异母哥哥黑莓掌有多少影响力。 让她松一口气的是，所有打斗都结束了。 猫们纷纷分开，一边舔着伤口，一边互相怒视。 族长们从大橡树上跳下来，开始集合自己族群的猫。 叶池在乱哄哄移动的猫群里挤着走，大家都在找自己的族友，准备动身回家。 她不找到蛾翅和她说句话，是不会走的。 重步死了！ 当初叶池决定不把泥毛关于猫薄荷的消息带给河族，她还安慰自己说，蛾翅总会发现的，再不济那位长老也会康复，不需要

it. It's my fault he died. And what about the dream Mothwing had reported? The dream of two pebbles in a stream? If she had really started to believe in StarClan and receive signs from them, Mudfur wouldn't have needed Leafpool to take his message. He could have told Mothwing himself. But he hadn't —which meant Mothwing had lied in front of the whole Gathering. Leafpool couldn't imagine why her friend would do that. What quarrel did she have with Stormfur and Brook, that she would try to drive them out of RiverClan? Leafpool remembered the tension between Mothwing and Hawkfrost, and how keen Hawkfrost had been for his sister to speak out in front of every cat. Could this have been his idea? And if Hawkfrost had tried to coerce Mothwing into lying, why would she go along with him? She was a loyal medicine cat, and had refused to tell Leopardstar about any of Leafpool's dreams before now because she hated lying. Pushing determinedly between a couple of WindClan warriors, Leafpool spotted Mothwing

它。 他死都是我的错。 那蛾翅之前说过的那个梦又是怎么回事？ 就是那个梦见溪流里有两颗鹅卵石的梦？ 要是她真的已经开始相信星族，能收到星族的预兆，泥毛根本不需要叶池帮他传消息。 他完全可以自己告诉蛾翅。 可他没有——这说明蛾翅在全体猫的大会面前说谎了。 叶池想不通她的朋友为什么要这么做。 她和暴毛、溪儿有什么仇，非要把他们赶出河族？ 叶池想起蛾翅和鹰霜之间紧张的关系，也记得鹰霜一直巴不得让妹妹在所有猫面前说那些话。 这会不会是鹰霜的主意？ 要是鹰霜逼蛾翅说谎，蛾翅为什么要顺着他的意思做？ 她明明是个忠诚的巫医，之前因为讨厌说谎，从来不肯把叶池的任何梦告诉豹星。 叶池硬从两名风族武士之间挤过去，终于看到了蛾翅

crouching in the shelter of a root of the Great Oak with Willowpaw, as if she had been protecting her apprentice from the battle. But before Leafpool could reach her friend, Hawkfrost appeared; his fur was ruffled but he didn't seem seriously hurt, even though Leafpool had spotted him in the thick of the fighting. He stalked toward his sister with a look of murderous fury in his eyes. "You mouse-brained idiot!" he spat. "You nearly ruined everything." Mothwing gave Willowpaw a swift glance. "Go and find Mistyfoot," she told her apprentice. "Tell her I'll be along in a moment." Willowpaw sprang up and scampered off, glancing back nervously at Hawkfrost as she went. Leafpool shrank into the shadows; she hated eavesdropping on her friend, but she had to know what was going on. "You let me down," Hawkfrost growled. "You promised me you would tell the Gathering about that dream. We would have been able to get rid of those mangy interlopers right away. Now we'll be lucky if any cat believes you next time you open your mouth!"

她和柳爪蹲在大橡树的树根下躲着，就好像一直在保护自己的学徒远离这场战斗。 可叶池还没走到朋友身边，鹰霜就出现了； 他的毛发凌乱不堪，但看起来伤得不重，哪怕叶池刚才看见他一直战斗在最激烈的地方。 他步步紧逼走向姐姐，眼睛里燃着杀意腾腾的怒火。 “你这笨得像老鼠的蠢货！” 他厉声啐道。 “你差点把一切都搞砸了。” 蛾翅飞快扫了柳爪一眼。 “去找雾脚，”她对自己的学徒说。 “告诉她我一会儿就过去。” 柳爪立刻跳起身跑开了，跑的时候还紧张地回头看了鹰霜一眼。 叶池缩到了阴影里； 她不想偷听朋友说话，可她必须弄清楚到底发生了什么。 “你太让我失望了，”鹰霜低吼道。 “你答应过我，会在森林大会上说那个梦的。” 我们本来能立刻把那些讨厌的入侵者赶出去的。 现在下次你再开口，有猫信你才怪！

"Well, why should they?" Mothwing rose and faced her brother, her eyes filled with misery. "We both know it was a lie. I've never had any dreams from StarClan." Hawkfrost let out a snort of disgust. "But no cat knows that, do they? That's just between you and me. They would have listened to you if you hadn't stood there mewling like a kit. "I can't be sure... I need a clearer sign!'" He mimicked his sister's tones viciously. "I could rip your fur off for this." "I don't care!" Mothwing retorted. "You made me lie in front of the whole Gathering. That's worse than losing fur." Leafpool tensed, flexing her claws in case she had to spring to Mothwing's defense. But she could see that Hawkfrost was making a massive effort to control himself. The fur on his shoulders began to lie flat, and his voice was quieter as he continued. "It wasn't really lying. You know it's best if Stormfur leaves. I deserve to be deputy, but if he stays, Mistyfoot will make sure he succeeds her." "He's a good warrior—"

“哼，他们凭什么信我？”蛾翅站起身，面对弟弟，眼里满是痛苦。 “我们都清楚那是个谎言。 我从来没有得到过星族托的任何梦。” 鹰霜不屑地哼了一声。 “可没有猫知道这件事，不是吗？ 这只有你我知道而已。 要是你没有站在那儿像幼崽一样哼哼唧唧，他们本来会信你的。 “我不确定…… 我需要更清晰的征兆！” 他恶狠狠地模仿着姐姐的语气。 “为了这件事我真想扒了你的皮。” “我才不在乎！” 蛾翅反驳道。 “你逼我在整个森林大会面前撒谎。 这比掉毛糟糕一百倍。” 叶池绷紧身子，伸出了爪子，随时准备冲出去保护蛾翅。 但她能看出来，鹰霜正在拼命压下自己的火气。 他肩上炸起来的毛慢慢放平了，他接着说话的时候声音也轻了不少。 “这其实不算撒谎。 你也知道暴毛离开才是最好的。 我配当副族长，可要是他留下来，雾脚一定会让他接自己的位置。” “他是个好武士——