Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23 Squirrelflight lashed her tail. "Go back to camp," she ordered Ashfur. "Fetch more cats to help." Before she finished speaking, Leafpool was already racing through the undergrowth, not caring when trailing brambles clawed at her fur. Squirrelflight bounded along at her shoulder. Neither of them spoke. Ashfur's fear-scent was strong along his trail, showing them which way to go. Leafpool's belly churned. Now she understood the premonition of danger that had flooded over her in the nursery. What could be worse than losing their Clan leader—Firestar, the father she loved? Her mistrust of Brambleclaw swelled into a giant wave that threatened to crash down and swamp her. The tabby warrior was strong and brave, but Tigerstar's evil influence was surely too much for him. Before the lake came in sight she began to pick up the scent of cats and, even stronger, the reek of fresh blood. Her heart seemed to stop for

第二十三章 松鼠飞猛地甩了甩尾巴 “回营地去，”她命令蜡毛 “再叫些猫过来帮忙。” 她话音未落，叶池已经冲进了矮树丛，任凭带刺荆棘勾扯自己的皮毛也毫不在意 松鼠飞紧挨着她，快步跟了上去 两只猫都没有说话 蜡毛留下的踪迹带着浓烈的恐惧气味，给她们指明了方向 叶池只觉得胃里翻江倒海 此刻她终于明白，刚才在育婴室里涌上心头的危险预兆是什么了 还有什么比失去他们的族长火星——她深爱的父亲更糟糕的呢？ 她对黑莓掌的不信任化作了滔天巨浪，眼看就要将她彻底吞没 这只虎斑武士强壮勇敢，但虎星的邪恶影响对他来说肯定早已难以抵挡 还没看见湖泊，她就已经闻到了猫的气味，还有一股更浓烈的新鲜血腥味 她的心脏仿佛霎时间停住了

a moment. No cat could lose that much blood and survive. She skidded around the roots of a tree and came to a halt just above the water's edge. Firestar lay on his side in front of her, not moving. Brambleclaw was standing over him, his paws matted with blood. I was right! Brambleclaw is a traitor. He murdered my father so he can be Clan leader. Before she could speak, Firestar stirred and opened his eyes. "Leafpool," he whispered. "It's okay. Hawkfrost set a trap for me, but Brambleclaw killed him." He shifted his foreleg, revealing the broken fox trap, and when Leafpool looked closer at Firestar, she could see that his neck, though badly scratched, was not bleeding heavily enough to produce this scarlet pool that lapped at her paws. The blood on Brambleclaw's paws was not her father's; instead, his claws were muddy and broken, which meant he must have dug up the stick and saved her father's life. Yet there was no pride or satisfaction in his gaze; his eyes were shadowed with horror, and he seemed to be

片刻 流了这么多血，没有猫能活下来 她猛地滑过树根，在湖岸边停住了脚步 火星侧躺在她面前，一动也不动 黑莓掌站在他身旁，爪子上沾满了凝结的鲜血 我猜对了！ 黑莓掌就是个叛徒 他杀了我父亲，好当上族长 她还没开口，火星就动了动，睁开了眼睛 “叶池，”他轻声唤道 “没事的 鹰霜给我设了陷阱，不过黑莓掌杀了他。” 他动了动前腿，露出坏掉的狐狸捕兽夹，叶池仔细打量火星后发现，他的脖子虽然伤得很重，但出血量远不够积成这摊浸在她爪边的猩红血泊 黑莓掌爪上的血并非她父亲的； 他的爪子沾满泥污还带了伤，说明一定是他挖开陷阱救了她父亲的命 可他的目光里没有半分骄傲或是满足； 他的眼底蒙着恐惧的阴影，似乎正在

listening to something no other cat could hear. Squirrelflight flung herself past Leafpool and crouched beside her father, nosing him from ears to tail-tip. "Brambleclaw, thank you. You saved his life!" Brambleclaw blinked as if he had only just realized she was there. "I only did what any cat would have done." Leafpool padded past her father, feeling blood well up, damp and sticky, between her pads. Where did all that blood come from? A trail led through the ferns to the lakeshore, leaving the stems flattened and broken—and stained with blood. Peering through, Leafpool saw Hawkfrost's dark tabby body lying unmoving in the shallows at the edge of the lake. Blood still spilled from a wound in his throat, clouding the water with a glaring splash of scarlet. Waves lapped heavily against the shore, turning the pebbles red. "Before all is peaceful, blood will spill blood, and the lake will run red," she whispered. At last Leafpool understood. Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost were kin; blood had indeed spilled

聆听其他猫都听不到的声音 松鼠飞飞快冲过叶池身边，伏在父亲身旁，从耳朵到尾尖嗅了个遍 “黑莓掌，谢谢你 你救了他的命！” 黑莓掌眨了眨眼，仿佛才刚刚发现她在这里 “我只是做了任何猫都会做的事。” 叶池从父亲身边走过，感觉到血在爪垫间涌出来，又湿又黏 这么多血到底是从哪里来的？ 一道血迹穿过蕨丛通向湖边，蕨茎被压得扁平折断，还沾满了鲜血 叶池透过蕨丛望去，看见鹰霜深褐色的虎斑身体一动不动地躺在湖边浅滩上 鲜血还不断从他喉咙的伤口涌出，把湖水染成了刺目的猩红色 波浪重重拍击岸边，把鹅卵石都染成了红色 “一切归于安宁之前，血会染血，湖水将泛红，”她轻声念道 叶池终于明白了 黑莓掌和鹰霜本是血亲；鲜血确实已经浸染了

blood. Brambleclaw had killed his half brother to save Firestar. She had been right about Hawkfrost —he was too ambitious, too much like his father, Tigerstar—but she had never imagined that Brambleclaw would be the cat to stop him. The prophecy that had haunted her pawsteps for so long was finally fulfilled. Now the Clans could look forward to the peace that it had promised. And now that Hawkfrost was dead, Mothwing would be free of his attempts to control her. The secret of the moth's wing sign would be safe forever. Leafpool turned away from Hawkfrost's body and went to join her father and Squirrelflight. Leaning on Squirrelflight's shoulder, Firestar had managed to sit up. Brambleclaw stood in silence beside them, still apparently stunned with shock, not even trying to clean Hawkfrost's blood from his paws. "It's over," Leafpool told them quietly. She squared her shoulders and turned her face to the rising sun. "It's over, and peace has come."

血 黑莓掌为了救火星，杀死了自己的同父异母兄弟 她对鹰霜的判断没有错——他野心勃勃，和父亲虎星一模一样，但她从没想过会是黑莓掌出手阻止他 那个长久以来困扰着她的预言终于应验了 现在各族终于可以迎来预言承诺的和平了 如今鹰霜已经死了，蛾翅再也不用被他控制，可以重获自由了 蛾翼标记的秘密会永远不为人知 叶池转身离开鹰霜的尸体，回到父亲和松鼠飞身边 火星靠着松鼠飞的肩膀，已经勉强坐起身来 黑莓掌静静站在她们身边，看起来还没从震惊中回过神，甚至都没想去清理爪子上鹰霜的血 “都结束了。”叶池轻声对他们说 她挺直肩膀，将脸转向初升的太阳 “一切都结束了，和平已经到来。”