Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1 Brambleclaw stood in the middle of the clearing, gazing at what was left of the ThunderClan camp. A crescent moon, thin as a claw, drifted above the trees that surrounded the stone hollow. Its pale light revealed the dens trampled down, the thorn barrier at the camp entrance broken and tossed aside, and the wounded cats of ThunderClan slowly creeping from the shadows, their fur bristling and their eyes stretched wide with shock. Brambleclaw could still hear the trampling of the badgers as they lumbered away. The undergrowth beyond the entrance quivered where they had pushed through, driven off with the help of Onestar and the WindClan warriors who had come just in time to help ThunderClan. But it wasn't the sight of devastation that pricked Brambleclaw's pelt and kept his paws frozen to the ground. Two cats he had never thought he'd see again were picking their way carefully among the scattered thorns of the entrance barrier. They were uninjured, their pelts sleek and their eyes alight with alarm.

第一章 棘爪站在空地中央，凝视着雷族营地残存的景象。 一弯细如爪尖的新月，浮在环绕石坑的树林上空。 清冷的月光照出被踩塌的巢穴、营地入口被撕碎扔在一旁的荆棘屏障，受伤的雷族猫正慢慢从阴影里爬出来，它们毛发倒竖，眼睛因为震惊瞪得大大的。 棘爪还能听到獾群笨重离开时的踩踏声。 多亏一星及时带着风族武士赶来帮忙赶走了獾群，獾群挤过的入口外灌丛还在微微颤动。 但让棘爪毛发竖起、爪子钉在地上挪不动步的，不是这片满目疮痍的景象。 有两只他本以为再也见不到的猫，正小心翼翼地在入口屏障散落的荆棘里开路走来。 它们没有受伤，毛皮顺滑，眼睛里闪着警惕的光。

"Stormfur! What are you doing here?" Brambleclaw called. The powerful gray tomcat paced forward until he could touch noses with Brambleclaw. "It's good to see you again," he meowed. "I... I wanted to see if you'd found a place to live. But what has happened here?" "Badgers," Brambleclaw replied. He glanced around, wondering where to begin helping his wounded and frightened Clanmates. Beside Stormfur, the slender brown tabby she-cat brushed her tail against a long scratch on Brambleclaw's shoulder. "You're hurt," she mewed. Brambleclaw twitched his ears. "It's nothing. Welcome to ThunderClan, Brook. I'm sorry you had to travel so far to find us like this." He paused and looked from one to the other. "Is everything all right in the Tribe of Rushing Water? I never expected you to come visit us so soon." Stormfur shot a glance at Brook, so swift Brambleclaw almost missed it. "Everything's fine," he meowed. "We just wanted to be sure

“暴毛！ 你怎么会在这里？” 棘爪喊道。 这只健壮的灰公猫走上前，和棘爪碰了碰鼻子。 “很高兴再见到你，”他开口说。 “我……我想看看你们有没有找到新的定居地。 但这里到底发生了什么？” “是獾群，”棘爪回答。 他扫了一眼四周，不知道该从哪里开始帮助这些受伤又受惊的族猫。 站在暴毛身边那只纤细的棕虎斑母猫，用尾巴蹭了蹭棘爪肩膀上长长的抓痕。 “你受伤了，”她说。 棘爪抖了抖耳朵。 “没事的。 欢迎来到雷族，溪儿。 很抱歉，你们千里迢迢找来，见到的却是这般光景。” 他顿了顿，来回看着这两只猫。 “急水部落一切都好吗？ 我没想到你们这么快就会来看我们。” 暴毛飞快地瞥了溪儿一眼，快到棘爪几乎没察觉到。 “一切都好，”他说。 “我们只是想确认

you had found a new place to live, like StarClan promised." Brambleclaw looked around the devastated camp, the stricken cats stumbling through the remains of their home. "Yes, we found it," he murmured. "You said badgers attacked you?" Brook prompted, sounding puzzled. "They came here on purpose," Brambleclaw explained. "StarClan knows where they came from, more badgers than I've ever seen in my life. They would have killed us all if WindClan hadn't turned up." His paws trembled, and he sank his claws into the bloodstained earth to keep himself steady. Stormfur nodded. "Don't worry about telling us everything now. What can we do to help?" Brambleclaw sent a silent prayer of thanks to StarClan that they had chosen this moment to send his old friend back to the Clans. He and Stormfur had been through a lot together on the first journey to the sun-drown-place, and he could think of few cats he'd rather have beside him now.

你们已经像星族承诺的那样，找到了新的定居地。” 棘爪环顾这片被摧毁的营地，受创的族猫在家园残骸间蹒跚而行。 “没错，我们找到了，”他低声说。 “你说獾群袭击了你们？” 溪儿疑惑地追问道。 “它们是故意找来这里的，”棘爪解释道。 天知道它们从哪来的，我这辈子都没见过这么多獾。 如果风族没有及时赶到，我们肯定全死在这里了。” 他的爪子在发抖，于是把爪子扎进染血的泥土里，好让自己站稳。 暴毛点了点头。 “不用急着现在把一切都告诉我们。 我们能做些什么来帮忙？” 棘爪默默向星族致谢，感谢星族选在这个时刻把他的老朋友送回族群。 当初第一次前往太阳沉没之地的旅程里，他和暴毛一起经历了太多，现在他想不到有谁比暴毛更适合陪在他身边。

He turned his head as a thin wail came from a trampled clump of ferns at the edge of the hollow. "We need to find all the cats that have been badly wounded. Some will be on their way to join StarClan," he warned, glancing at Brook. "The badgers came to kill, not drive us out." Brook met his gaze steadily. "Whatever they have done, I want to help. I have seen this kind of savagery before from Sharptooth, remember?" Sharptooth was a giant mountain cat that had terrorized the Tribe of Rushing Water for many moons, until the cats from the forest arrived. Stormfur's sister, Feathertail, had died in the fall that killed the savage animal. "We'll do whatever we have to," Stormfur promised. "Just tell us what to do. Are you ThunderClan's deputy now?" Brambleclaw studied a fragment of moss that was trapped under his front paw. "No," he admitted. "Firestar has decided not to appoint another deputy. He wants to give Graystripe more time to come back." "That's tough." There was a note of sympathy in Stormfur's voice that made Brambleclaw

石坑边缘一丛被踩塌的蕨类里传来一声微弱的哀号，他转过头去。 “我们得找到所有受了重伤的猫。 有些撑不住的猫就要去星族了，”他提醒道，瞥了溪儿一眼。 “獾群来这里是为了赶尽杀绝，不是只为了把我们赶走。” 溪儿平静地迎上他的目光。 “不管它们做了什么，我都想帮忙。 我之前见识过尖牙的这种凶残，还记得吗？” 尖牙是一头巨型山猫，它祸害急水部落好多个月，直到森林猫赶来才终结了它。 暴毛的妹妹羽尾，在杀死这头猛兽的坠落中牺牲了。 “我们会尽全力帮忙，”暴毛保证道。 告诉我们该做什么就行。 你现在是雷族的副族长了吗？” 棘爪看着前爪底下卡住的一小块苔藓。 “不是，”他坦言。 火星决定不任命新的副族长。 他想给灰条多留一点回来的时间。” “这太不容易了。” 暴毛话音里的一丝同情，让棘爪

wince. He didn't want any cat's pity. Suddenly Brook froze. "I thought you said the badgers had gone," she hissed. Brambleclaw whipped around, then relaxed as he saw a familiar, pointed, black-and-white face pushing its way out of a clump of dead bracken. Stormfur touched Brook's shoulder lightly with his tail. "That's Midnight," he meowed. "She wouldn't hurt any cats." He bounded forward to meet the elderly badger. Midnight peered at Stormfur with shortsighted eyes. Then she gave a small nod. "Cat friend from journey," she rumbled. "Good it is to see you again. And this cat from mountain Tribe, is she not?" she added, gesturing with her snout toward Brook. "That's right," Stormfur meowed. "This is Brook, a prey-hunter from the Tribe of Rushing Water." He beckoned Brook forward with his tail; she went over reluctantly, as if she couldn't quite believe this badger was friendly. Brambleclaw understood her feelings; he knew Midnight as well as any cat, but it was hard not to look at her

身子猛地一缩。 他才不想要任何猫的同情。 溪儿突然僵住了。 “你明明说獾都走了，”她嘶声说。 荆爪猛地转过身，看清那张熟悉的带黑白斑纹的尖脸从枯蕨丛里挤出来，顿时放松下来。 暴毛用尾巴轻轻碰了碰溪儿的肩膀。 “那是午夜，”他说道。 “她不会伤害任何猫的。” 他快步奔上前迎接这只年迈的獾。 午夜视力不佳，眯起眼睛打量暴毛。 接着她微微点了点头。 “一起旅行过的猫朋友，”她沉沉地说。 “能再次见到你，真好。 这只来自山地部落的猫，就是她对不对？” 她补充道，用鼻子朝溪儿示意了一下。 “没错，”暴毛说道。 “她是溪儿，急水部落的狩猎猫。” 他用尾巴招呼溪儿上前； 她不情愿地走过去，好像还是没法相信这只獾是友好的。 荆爪理解她的感受； 他和所有猫一样熟悉午夜，可看着她，还是很难不

bulky shape without remembering snapping jaws, fierce gleaming eyes, and claws that shredded cats" fur like leaves in newleaf.... There was the sound of heavy paws, and he looked up to see Midnight standing beside him. Grief and anger sparked from her berry-bright eyes. "Too late my warning," she rasped. "Not enough could I do." "You brought WindClan to help us," Brambleclaw pointed out. "Without you, our whole Clan would have been wiped out." Midnight bowed her head, the white stripe that ran the length of her snout gleaming in the faint moonlight. "Shame for my kin I feel." "Every cat knows this attack had nothing to do with you," Brambleclaw told her. "You will always be welcome in this Clan." Midnight still looked troubled. Behind her, Brambleclaw spotted his Clan leader near the center of the clearing, with Onestar and the WindClan warriors. He padded toward them, motioning with his tail for Stormfur and Brook to follow. A fox-length away, in the shelter of an upturned thornbush, Leafpool was bending over

魁梧的身形时，不联想起咬人的利颌、凶狠发光的眼睛，还有像新叶撕碎树叶一样撕开猫毛的爪子…… 一阵沉重的脚步声传来，荆爪抬头看见午夜站在自己身旁。 她明亮如浆果的眼睛里翻涌着悲痛与愤怒。 “我的警告来晚了，”她沙哑地说。 “我已经无能为力了。” “你带风族来帮我们了呀，”荆爪提醒道。 “要是没有你，我们整个族群都要被消灭了。” 午夜低下头，她口鼻上那道长长的白纹在微弱月光下泛着光。 “我为我的同类感到羞愧。” “所有猫都知道这次袭击和你没关系，”荆爪对她说。 “你永远都受雷族欢迎。” 午夜看上去依旧满心不安。 在她身后，荆爪看见自己的族长站在空地中央，身旁是一星和风族武士。 他朝他们走去，用尾巴招呼暴毛和溪儿跟上。 在一狐身长外，翻倒的荆豆丛遮蔽下，叶池正弯着腰