Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4 A cold breeze ruffling his fur woke Brambleclaw. Stretching his jaws in an enormous yawn, he looked up. A patch of pale sky was visible through a ragged hole where once thorn branches had sheltered the warriors" den. Dawn was breaking; it was time to get to work. Brambleclaw felt more hopeful after a good night's sleep, undisturbed by dreams. Around him the other cats were beginning to wake. Cloudtail got up, wincing as he put weight on the paw that had lost a claw. "Badgers!" he snorted. "If I never see another, it'll be too soon." He brushed between two branches, out into the clearing. Brambleclaw had gone to sleep with Squirrelflight curled up by his side, her sweet scent in his nostrils. But now she was gone, leaving only a flattened patch of moss. His pelt prickled when he saw that Ashfur was gone too. He sprang up, making his wounded shoulder protest with a shriek of pain, but before he could follow them into the clearing he heard

第四章 一阵凉风吹动黑莓掌的皮毛，把他弄醒了。 他大大张开嘴打了个哈欠，抬头望去。 原本遮挡武士巢穴的荆棘破了洞，透过洞口能看到一小块泛白的天空。 破晓了，该开工干活了。 一夜无梦安睡过后，黑莓掌觉得更有希望了。 他身边的其他猫儿也渐渐醒了过来。 云尾站起身，把重量压在那只掉了爪子的脚上时，疼得缩了一下。 "獾！"他冷哼道。 "我哪怕再也见不到獾，都嫌见得太多了。" 他从两根树枝之间挤过去，走到了空地上。 黑莓掌睡着的时候，松鼠飞正蜷在他身边，甜美的气息留在他鼻尖。 可现在她不见了，只留下一丛被压平的苔藓。 看到灰毛也不见了，他的汗毛一下子竖了起来。 他猛地跳起身，受伤的肩膀被牵扯得剧痛，可他还没来得及追去空地，就听到了

Squirrelflight and Ashfur just outside; he stood without moving, screened by a branch, to listen. "Look, Ashfur." Squirrelflight's voice told Brambleclaw that she was trying hard to hold her temper. "I really care about you as a friend, but I don't want any more than that." "But I love you!" Ashfur protested. More hesitantly, he added, "We'd be great together, Squirrelflight, I know we would." Brambleclaw felt a stab of sympathy for the gray warrior. He remembered how he had felt when he thought he had lost Squirrelflight's affection. "I'm sorry," Squirrelflight went on. "I never meant to hurt you, but Brambleclaw—well, I think StarClan has destined us to be together." "I don't know how you can say that!" There was the hint of a snarl in Ashfur's voice. "You said yourself that it's impossible to trust a cat with Brambleclaw's heritage. He's a great cat, I know, but he is still Tigerstar's son." Brambleclaw's feelings of sympathy vanished instantly. He unsheathed his long, curved claws and sank them into the ground. Would he never

松鼠飞和灰毛就在外面，他一动不动站着，藏在树枝后偷听。 "看，灰毛。" 松鼠飞的语气让黑莓掌明白，她正在拼命压着脾气。 "我真的只把你当好朋友，不想再有更进一步的关系。" "可我爱你！" 灰毛抗议道。 他犹豫了一下，又补充道："我们在一起会很棒的，松鼠飞，我知道我们可以。" 黑莓掌不由得对这只灰色武士生出一丝同情。 他还记得自己以为失去松鼠飞的好感时，是什么心情。 "对不起，"松鼠飞继续说。 "我从来没想过要伤害你，可是黑莓掌——我觉得星族注定我们要在一起。" "你怎么能说这种话！" 灰毛的声音里带着一丝低吼。 "你自己也说过，有着黑莓掌这样血统的猫根本没法信任。" "他是只好猫，我知道，可他终究是虎星的儿子。" 黑莓掌心里的同情瞬间消失得一干二净。 他亮出长长的弯爪，狠狠插进了泥土里。 难道他永远都

be judged for what he was, instead of who his father had been? Worse, would Squirrelflight be unable to trust him because Tigerstar was his father? "I'll judge Brambleclaw by his own actions," she retorted hotly, "not by something that other cats did long before I was born." "I'm only thinking of you, Squirrelflight," Ashfur meowed. "I can remember Tigerstar. His paws were red with the blood of innocent cats. You know that he murdered my mother to lure a pack of dogs to our camp?" Squirrelflight murmured something Brambleclaw couldn't catch, then went on more clearly, "But that doesn't mean Brambleclaw will turn out like his father." Movement behind Brambleclaw distracted him, and he realized that more of the warriors were stirring. Not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, he slid quickly between the branches and into the clearing. Squirrelflight turned to him as he appeared. "Hi, Brambleclaw!" The light was strengthening and the sky was

因为父亲是谁被评判，而不是靠他自己的为人吗？ 更糟的是，就因为虎星是他父亲，松鼠飞也没法信任他吗？ "我会凭黑莓掌自己的所作所为评判他，"她气冲冲地反驳，"不会凭我出生前很久别的猫做过的事评判他。" "我都是为你着想，松鼠飞，"灰毛说道。 "我还记得虎星是什么样。 他的爪子沾满了无辜猫儿的鲜血。 你知道他杀了我母亲，引一群狗进我们营地吗？" 松鼠飞低声说了句黑莓掌听不到的话，接着清楚地说道："可那不代表黑莓掌就会变成他父亲那样。" 黑莓掌身后的动静分散了他的注意力，他意识到更多武士都醒过来了。 他不想被发现偷听，赶紧挤开树枝走到了空地上。 他一出现，松鼠飞就转头看向他。 "嗨，黑莓掌！" 天光越来越亮，天空

clear, promising sunlight later to drive off the dawn chill. But for Brambleclaw the warmth in Squirrelflight's eyes was even better. He padded over and touched noses with her, trying to ignore the frosty look Ashfur gave him. As he stretched to ease the stiffness in his shoulder, Brambleclaw saw Firestar emerge from his den onto the Highledge and taste the morning air. "Firestar!" he called. "Has the dawn patrol left yet?" "No, would you like to lead one?" Brambleclaw dipped his head. "Of course. Coming with me?" he asked Squirrelflight. She nodded. Ashfur mewed abruptly, "I'm going to check on Birchpaw," and stalked off toward Leafpool's den without waiting for a reply. Squirrelflight watched him walk away, her green gaze troubled. "I'm sorry he's been hurt," she meowed. "I thought he was the right mate for me, but he's not. I don't know how I can make him understand." Brambleclaw knew there was nothing he

澄澈干净，用不了多久太阳就会出来，驱散清晨的寒意。 可对黑莓掌来说，松鼠飞眼中的暖意比阳光更让人舒心。 他轻步走过去，和她碰了碰鼻子，尽力不去在意灰毛投来的冰冷目光。 他伸懒腰舒展肩膀的僵硬时，看见火星走出自己的巢穴，来到高岩上，嗅了嗅清晨的空气。 "火星！" 他喊道。 "黎明巡逻队已经出发了吗？" "还没，你愿意带队吗？" 黑莓掌低下了头。 "当然愿意。 你跟我一起吗？"他问松鼠飞。 她点了点头。 灰毛突然开口说："我去看看桦爪，"说完不等回答就大步朝叶池的巢穴走去了。 松鼠飞看着他走远，绿色的眼睛里满是忧虑。 "我很抱歉伤害了他，"她说道。 "我之前以为他是适合我的伴侣，可他不是。 我不知道要怎么才能让他明白。" 黑莓掌知道，他什么也

could say to make her feel better, so he just pressed his muzzle briefly to hers. But would the Clan side with him or with Ashfur? The gray warrior was popular with all their Clanmates, while Brambleclaw had forged his strongest friendships with the cats who had traveled to the sun-drown-place, and all but Squirrelflight were in different Clans. A rustle sounded behind him as Brightheart pushed her way into the open. She glanced around as if she was looking for Cloudtail, then pricked her ears when she spotted him outside the nursery. He was talking to Daisy while her three kits tried to scramble over him. Brambleclaw saw sadness shadow Brightheart's gaze, and felt a stab of anger. Cloudtail had bees in his brain if he couldn't see how he was hurting Brightheart with the attention he was giving to the horseplace cat! "Hey, Brightheart," he meowed, pretending he hadn't noticed anything. "Do you want to come with the dawn patrol?" Brightheart shook her head. "Thanks, but I've promised to help Leafpool this morning. Can we

他想不出什么话能让她好受些，于是只把自己的口鼻轻轻碰了碰她的。 可族群会站在他这边，还是灰毛那边呢？ 这只灰色武士在所有族猫里都很受欢迎，而黑莓掌最要好的朋友都是当年和他一起去太阳沉没之地的伙伴，除了松鼠飞，其他猫都在别的族群了。 亮心挤到空地上时，他身后传来一阵窸窸窣窣的响动。 她四下张望，好像在找云尾，看到云尾在育婴室外面后，一下子竖起了耳朵。 黛西的三只幼崽正往云尾身上爬，云尾这会儿正和黛西聊天。 黑莓掌看到悲伤蒙上了亮心的眼睛，心头不由得一怒。 云尾要是看不出他对那只马场来的猫大献殷勤有多伤亮心的心，那真是脑子糊涂了！ "嘿，亮心，"他开口道，假装自己什么都没发现。 "你要不要一起出黎明巡逻队？" 亮心摇了摇头。 "谢谢，不过我今早已经答应帮叶池干活了。 我们能不能

have Whitepaw again?" "Sure. It's a good idea to keep her busy while Brackenfur's in the nursery with Sorreltail." "Thanks. I'll go and call her." Brightheart took a pace toward the apprentices" den, then paused to look back. "It's really great to see you and Squirrelflight back together again," she added softly. Surprise kept Brambleclaw silent, while Brightheart bounded away, calling for Whitepaw. Impatient to be off, Brambleclaw stuck his head back through the branches into the den. Dustpelt was just getting up, shaking scraps of moss from his brown tabby fur. "Dawn patrol?" Brambleclaw meowed. Dustpelt twitched his whiskers. "I'll be right with you. If ShadowClan has heard about the badgers, they might be getting ideas about helping themselves to our territory while we're still recovering." Brambleclaw had been thinking exactly the same thing. The border with WindClan should be secure. Onestar had brought his warriors to help drive out the badgers; he wouldn't be so two- faced as to take advantage of ThunderClan's

再带白爪一次了？" "当然。 蕨毛在育婴室陪烁皮的时候，让她忙起来是个好主意。" "谢谢。 我这就去叫她。" 亮心朝学徒巢穴走了一步，又停下来回头望去。 "真高兴看到你和松鼠飞重归于好，"她轻声补充道。 黑莓掌吃了一惊半天没说话，亮心已经唤着白爪蹦蹦跳跳地走了。 黑莓掌急着出发，又把脑袋探回巢穴的树枝里。 尘毛刚起身，正抖掉自己棕虎毛上的苔藓碎渣。 "出黎明巡逻队吗？" 黑莓掌问道。 尘毛动了动胡须。 "我马上就来。 要是影族听说了獾的事，说不定会趁我们还没恢复，打主意侵占我们的领地呢。" 黑莓掌心里想的和这一模一样。 和风族的边界应该是安全的。 一星已经带着他的武士来帮忙赶跑獾了； 他不会这么两面三刀，趁雷族的