Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20 Brambleclaw stood in the clearing and watched the hunting patrols leave through the thorn tunnel. The dawn patrol had already left, and the early-morning mist was beginning to clear. Above the trees the sky was a pale, distant blue, promising a warm day later. Soon the sun would rise. The tabby tom glanced around, anxious to make sure that all duties were being covered. The fresh-kill pile was low, but the hunting patrols would take care of that. Daisy was yawning at the entrance to the nursery, watching her kits play fighting in front of her. Leafpool crossed the camp to the elders" den, where Mousefur had just emerged, scratching her ear vigorously with one hind paw. Every cat looked sleek and well-fed; even slender Leafpool had grown quite plump. The famine in their old home had become nothing more than an unpleasant memory. Behind Brambleclaw the branches of the warriors" den rustled; he glanced back to see Ashfur slipping between them and stopping to

第20章 黑莓掌站在空地上，目送狩猎巡逻队穿过荆藤隧道出发 黎明巡逻队早已出发，清晨的薄雾正渐渐散去 树林上方的天空淡蓝辽远，预示着今天晚些时候会很暖和 太阳很快就要升起了 这只虎斑公猫环顾四周，急切确认所有任务都已安排妥当 新猎堆所剩不多，但狩猎巡逻队会解决这个问题 黛西在育婴室门口打着哈欠，看着幼崽们在她面前打闹玩耍 叶池穿过营地走向长老巢穴，鼠毛刚从巢穴出来，正用一只后爪使劲挠耳朵 每只猫都皮毛顺滑、吃得饱饱；就连原本纤细的叶池都养得丰腴了不少 旧家园的饥荒早已不过是一段不愉快的回忆 黑莓掌身后，武士巢穴的树枝沙沙作响； 他回头看去，只见蜡毛从枝桠间溜出来，停住了脚步

give his pelt a quick grooming. Brambleclaw padded up to him. Whitepaw had gone with her mentor, Brackenfur, on hunting patrol, so the apprentices wouldn't be training together today. "Where's Birchpaw?" he asked. "This would be a good time for a training session." Ashfur narrowed his eyes. "I can mentor my own apprentice," he meowed. "I've arranged to give him an assessment today, actually." "Yes, that's fine," Brambleclaw replied. "Remind him about the fox traps, just in case." Ashfur stalked off toward the apprentices" den without replying. Birchpaw emerged when his mentor called him and listened to his instructions, paws working impatiently in the ground. Then he headed for the camp entrance, stopping for a brief word with Thornclaw as the brown warrior emerged from the tunnel with fresh-kill in his jaws. At last Birchpaw left, bounding away with his tail in the air. Ashfur gave Brambleclaw another resentful glare before he followed. Brambleclaw told himself he could have been

飞快地梳理了一下自己的皮毛 黑莓掌慢慢朝他走去 白爪已经跟着导师蕨毛去狩猎巡逻了，所以学徒们今天没法一起训练 “桦爪在哪儿？” 他问道 “现在正好适合训练。” 蜡毛眯起了眼睛 “我会带好我自己的学徒，”他说道 “其实我今天已经安排好给他做评估了。” “好的，没问题，”黑莓掌回答 “提醒他小心狐狸陷阱，以防万一。” 蜡毛没回话，径直朝学徒巢穴走去 听到导师呼唤，桦爪走出来，听着他的指示，爪子在地上不耐烦地蹭动着 接着他朝营地入口走去，停下和荆爪匆匆说了句话，这只棕色武士刚叼着猎物从隧道出来 桦爪终于出发了，尾巴翘得高高的，蹦蹦跳跳跑远了 蜡毛又怨恨地瞪了黑莓掌一眼，才跟了上去 黑莓掌告诉自己，他原本可以说得

a bit more tactful; even so, if Ashfur's attitude didn't improve, he was going to find himself collecting mouse bile for the elders" ticks. Suddenly he froze. He had become so caught up in his deputy's duties that he had almost forgotten about meeting Hawkfrost. Sunrise was not far off; he was going to be late. He headed for the thorn barrier, only to halt, groaning inwardly, when he heard Squirrelflight's voice behind him. "Hey, Brambleclaw! Where are you going?" Brambleclaw turned to face her as she came bounding across the clearing toward him. Squirrelflight hadn't been assigned to any of the early patrols. She wouldn't understand why he didn't want to spend time with her, since he wasn't going on a patrol either. "Where are you going?" she repeated as she came up to him. "Hunting? Let's go together." "I have to—" Brambleclaw began awkwardly. He broke off as Daisy's three kits, Berrykit in the lead, dashed across the clearing and disappeared behind the brambles that screened Leafpool's den. "Those bad kits!" Squirrelflight exclaimed.

更委婉一点； 即便如此，如果蜡毛不改变态度，他就得去给长老收集治蜱虫的鼠胆汁了 突然，他僵住了 他刚才一门心思扑在副族长的职责上，差点忘了和鹰霜的会面 日出就要到了，他要迟到了 他朝荆藤屏障走去，听到身后传来松鼠飞的声音，只好停步，心里暗暗叫苦 “嘿，黑莓掌！ 你要去哪儿？” 松鼠飞蹦跳着穿过空地朝他跑来，黑莓掌转身面对她 松鼠飞没有被安排参加任何早班巡逻 既然他也不是去出巡逻，她不会明白为什么他不想陪她 “你要去哪儿？” 她走到他身边，又问了一遍 “去狩猎吗？ 我们一起去吧。” “我得去——”黑莓掌尴尬地开口 话还没说完，黛西的三只幼崽就冲过空地，领头的莓爪，消失在遮挡叶池巢穴的荆棘丛后 “这群调皮的小家伙！” 松鼠飞惊呼道

"Remember the mess they made last time? I'd better check that Leafpool is there." She raced off. Silently thanking StarClan, Brambleclaw slipped out through the tunnel and headed into the forest at a run, making for the lake. The sun had risen by now, and the trees were casting long shadows over grass that glittered with dew. Cobwebs shone on every bush. There was no sign of other cats; he had made sure that the hunting patrols went to other parts of the territory. He paused at the edge of the forest; he heard the gentle lap of water a couple of tail-lengths away and glimpsed its dazzling surface through the thick ferns. Opening his jaws, he tasted the air. He thought he could pick up RiverClan scent, and an unexpected trace of ShadowClan, but he couldn't see his half brother. "Hawkfrost?" he called cautiously. No reply. Brambleclaw spotted a thrush a fox-length or so in front of him, dragging a worm out of the ground. It reminded him that he hadn't eaten that morning, so he dropped

“还记得他们上次闯的祸吗？ 我最好去看看叶池在不在那儿。” 她跑开了 黑莓掌默默感谢星族，溜出隧道拔腿朝森林跑去，直奔湖边 此时太阳已经升起，树木在沾着露闪亮的草地上投下长长的影子 每丛灌木上的蛛网都亮晶晶的 没有其他猫的踪影； 他早就安排狩猎巡逻队去领地的其他区域了 他在森林边缘停了下来； 他听到两三个尾长开外传来轻柔的拍水声，透过浓密蕨丛，瞥见了耀眼的水面 他张开嘴，嗅了嗅空气中的气味 他闻出了河族的气味，还有一丝意外的影族痕迹，但没看见自己的同父异母兄弟 “鹰霜？”他小心地喊道 没有人回答 黑莓掌看见前方一狐长左右的地方有一只画眉，正把虫子从地里拽出来 这让他想起自己早上还没吃东西，于是他伏下身

instinctively into the hunter's crouch. In the same heartbeat something heavy crashed down on him, sending him tumbling over. He let out a yowl of alarm and the thrush took off with a loud stuttering cry. Flipping over to face his attacker, Brambleclaw stared up at Hawkfrost, who was gazing down at him with a glimmer of amusement in his ice-blue eyes. "Do you mind?" Brambleclaw spat. "Do you want every cat in ThunderClan to know you're here?" Hawkfrost shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I'm allowed to be here as long as I stay close to the lake." Brambleclaw scrambled to his paws and smoothed his ruffled fur with a couple of licks. Hawkfrost was right, but he would still have some explaining to do if any of his Clanmates spotted him talking to his half brother. He wished he had Hawkfrost's confidence, but he reminded himself that he was Clan deputy, and the RiverClan warrior's equal in every way. "Come into the ferns," he meowed, flicking his tail to beckon Hawkfrost.

本能地摆出捕猎的伏身姿势。 就在同一瞬，一个沉甸甸的东西砸在他身上，把他撞得滚了出去。 他惊慌地大叫一声，那只画眉扑棱着惊叫着飞走了。 荆爪翻身面向袭击者，抬头看向鹰霜，鹰霜正低头看着他，冰蓝色眼睛里闪着一丝玩味。 “你到底想干什么？” 荆爪气冲冲地说。 “你想让雷族所有猫都知道你在这儿吗？” 鹰霜耸耸肩。 “无所谓。 只要我待在湖边，我就可以待在这儿。” 荆爪爬起身，舔了几下理顺蓬乱的毛发。 鹰霜说得没错，可要是被族伴看见他和同母异父的兄弟说话，他还是得费一番口舌解释。 他羡慕鹰霜的从容自信，但他提醒自己，他是雷族副族长，各方面都不比这只河族武士差。 “到蕨丛里来，”他喵声道，甩甩尾巴招呼鹰霜进去。

As they sat close together beneath the arching fronds, Brambleclaw picked up the scent of ShadowClan again. He wrinkled his nose. "You have ShadowClan scent on you," he mewed. Hawkfrost narrowed his eyes. "I must have picked up their reek on my way across their territory," he growled. "Never mind that. We're wasting time." Brambleclaw nodded and took a deep breath. He hoped he could find the right words to let Hawkfrost know his doubts about Tigerstar's vision, without letting him think he was any less committed to becoming leader of his Clan. "This idea of Tigerstar's, that we take over ShadowClan and WindClan," he began, "I'm not sure it will work. StarClan has decreed there should be four Clans." His half brother flicked the tip of his tail. "Like Tigerstar said, that was back in the forest. Listen, Brambleclaw. ShadowClan has always been a nuisance. Don't you think life would be better for all of us if they settled down under a leader who could make sure they stuck to the warrior code? Don't you think you could make a

他们并肩蹲在拱形蕨叶下，荆爪又闻到了影族的气味。 他皱了皱鼻子。 “你身上沾了影族的气味，”他说。 鹰霜眯起眼睛。 “肯定是穿过他们领地的时候沾上那股臭味了，”他低吼道。 “别管这个了。 我们在浪费时间。” 荆爪点点头，深吸一口气。 他想找合适的措辞告诉鹰霜，他对虎星的愿景有疑虑，又不想让鹰霜觉得他不想当雷族族长。 “虎星这个计划，要我们接管影族和风族，”他开口道，“我不确定这能行得通。 星族早就规定了，四大族群必须各自存在。” 他这位同母异父的兄弟甩了甩尾尖。 “就像虎星说的，那是旧森林时候的老规矩了。 听我说，荆爪。 影族一直就是个麻烦。 如果换一个能保证他们遵守武士守则的领袖来管他们，咱们所有猫的日子不都会更好过吗？ 你不觉得你能比