Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5 "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge!" Firestar's yowl halted Leafpool on her way back from the elders" den, where she had been checking Mousefur's wound. The brown-furred elder was still complaining of stiffness, but the claw marks had begun to heal, and there was no sign of infection. Leafpool made her way toward the edge of the clearing, stopping beneath the ledge where Firestar stood looking down at his Clan. Sandstorm and Thornclaw got up from the fresh- kill pile and padded over, while Cloudtail and Rainwhisker left their work on the thorn barrier. Uneasiness gnawed in Leafpool's belly. The dawn patrol had just returned and gone straight to Firestar; had they discovered more badgers, or maybe signs that ShadowClan was trying to take over part of the territory? Trying to stifle her anxiety, Leafpool sat down beside Ferncloud, who mewed a greeting and asked anxiously, "How's Birchpaw?"

第五章 "所有能独立捕猎的猫，都到高岩下来集合！" 火星的吼声叫住了刚从长老巢穴返回的叶池，她刚才去那儿检查鼠毛的伤口。 这头棕毛长老还在说伤口发僵，但爪痕已经开始愈合，也没有任何感染的迹象。 叶池朝空地边缘走去，停在高岩下方，火星正站在岩上俯瞰自己的族群。 沙风和棘爪从新鲜猎物堆起身走了过来，云尾和雨须也停下了修补荆棘屏障的活计。 不安的感觉啃噬着叶池的心口。 黎明巡逻队刚返回营地，就直接去找了火星； 他们是发现了更多獾，还是发现影族试图抢占领土的迹象？ 叶池压下心头的不安，坐到蕨荫身旁，蕨荫向她打了招呼，还焦急地问："桦爪怎么样了？"

"He'll be fine," Leafpool replied. Birchpaw was Ferncloud's kit, the only one of his litter to survive the famine in the old forest; she could understand how worried his mother must be about his injuries. "The swelling around his eye is going down. But I'll keep him with me for a few more days until I'm sure there's no infection." Ferncloud gave Leafpool's ear a grateful lick. "You're a wonderful medicine cat, Leafpool. I'm so glad you came back." I haven't been wonderful, Leafpool thought. I abandoned my Clan! The elders emerged from their den and settled down near the rock wall, glancing nervously at one another like they expected bad news. Stormfur and Brook hovered on the edge of the clearing, as if they weren't sure whether they were meant to be there or not. Leafpool beckoned to them with her tail. "Come and sit here," she invited them. "You're welcome to join in while you're staying with us." Nodding gratefully, Stormfur and Brook came over to join her. Daisy brought her three kits out, and Brackenfur sat in the entrance to the nursery,

"他会好起来的，"叶池回答。 桦爪是蕨荫的幼崽，是她那一窝在旧森林饥荒中唯一活下来的孩子； 她能理解这位母亲有多担心孩子的伤。 "他眼睛周围的肿已经消了不少。 但我还要再留他几天，确定没有感染才能放心。" 蕨荫感激地舔了舔叶池的耳朵。 "你真是个优秀的巫医，叶池。 真高兴你回来了。" 我算不上优秀，叶池心想。 我抛弃了我的族群！ 长老们走出巢穴，在岩壁旁坐下，不安地互相张望，好像预料到会有坏消息。 暴毛和溪儿在空地边缘徘徊，好像不确定自己该不该参加这场集会。 叶池用尾巴招呼他们过来。 "过来坐这儿吧，"她邀请道。 "你们留在我们这里，欢迎一起参加。" 暴毛和溪儿感激地点点头，走过来坐到了她身边。 黛西带出了她的三只幼崽，刺掌坐在育婴室门口，

where he could listen and still be close to Sorreltail. Brambleclaw and the rest of the dawn patrol were standing together at the foot of the tumbled rocks. Leafpool saw their tails were fluffed out and their eyes alert, as if they could sense danger on its way. "Cats of ThunderClan," Firestar began, "Brambleclaw and the dawn patrol found something you need to know about. Brambleclaw, will you tell them?" Brambleclaw leaped up onto one of the rocks. "We found a Twoleg trap on a fox track," he meowed. "It's a loop of thin, shiny stuff, fastened to a stick driven into the ground. When you touch the loop, it pulls tight. Any cat who got their head stuck in it could be killed." Before he had finished speaking, wails of dismay began to rise from the cats who sat around him. Ashfur crouched down with his neck fur bristling as if he were about to leap onto an enemy, while Whitepaw pressed her belly to the ground in terror. Beside her, Cloudtail lashed his tail and bared his teeth in a snarl.

这样他既能听清集会内容，也能待在栗尾身边。 黑莓掌和黎明巡逻队的其他成员一起站在乱石堆脚下。 叶池看到他们都炸着尾巴，眼神警惕，仿佛已经感知到危险临近。 "雷族的猫们，"火星开口道，"黑莓掌和黎明巡逻队发现了一件事，你们必须知道。 黑莓掌，你来告诉大家吧？" 黑莓掌跳上了一块岩石。 "我们在狐狸小径上发现了一个两脚兽的陷阱，"他说道。 "那是一圈亮晶晶的细东西，拴在一根插进地里的木棍上。 只要碰到那个圈，它就会猛地收紧。 任何猫把头卡进去都会被勒死。" 他话音还没落，围坐的猫儿们就发出了惊慌的哭嚎。 蜡毛俯下身子，颈毛倒竖，仿佛随时要扑向敌人，白爪则恐惧地把肚子贴在地上。 在她身旁，云尾甩动着尾巴，龇牙发出阵阵低吼。

Mousefur's voice rose above the rest. "Are these traps all over the territory?" Brambleclaw waved his tail for silence so that he could reply. Leafpool thought how commanding he looked, standing on the rock. It wasn't difficult to imagine him becoming Clan deputy. Is Firestar right to keep on hoping that Graystripe will return? Would it be better for the Clan to accept that he has gone, and appoint a new deputy? "We only found one trap," Brambleclaw was meowing. "But it makes sense there would be more." "Why?" Rainwhisker demanded. "Why would Twolegs want to trap foxes, anyway?" The cats glanced at one another, murmuring in bewilderment. Then a new, trembling voice spoke up. "I can tell you why." Leafpool glanced over her shoulder and saw that Daisy had risen to her paws. It was the first time the horseplace cat had spoken in a Clan meeting, and she looked almost as terrified as when the badgers had broken into the camp. "Go on, Daisy," Firestar mewed

鼠毛的声音盖过了其他所有猫。 "整个领地上都遍布这种陷阱吗？" 黑莓掌摆了摆尾巴让大家安静，好开口回答。 叶池觉得他站在岩石上的样子格外有威信。 不难想象他成为族群副族长的模样。 火星一直盼着灰条回来，真的是对的吗？ 让族群接受灰条已经离开的事实，任命新副族长，会不会对族群更好？ "我们只发现了一个陷阱，"黑莓掌说道。 "但很有可能这里还有更多。" "为什么？" 雨须追问道。 "两脚兽干嘛要抓狐狸啊？" 猫儿们面面相觑，困惑地低声议论起来。 接着，一个新的、带着颤抖的声音响了起来。 "我能告诉你们为什么。" 叶池转过头去，看见黛西站了起来。 这是这只原本住在马场的猫第一次在族群集会上发言，她看起来几乎和獾攻破营地时一样恐惧。 "继续说吧，黛西，"火星说道。

encouragingly. "The Nofurs—I mean, the Twolegs—keep birds on their farms for fresh-kill. Not little birds like the ones we eat, but bigger. But foxes come and steal them, so the Twolegs want to kill the foxes to protect their birds." She sat down again, blinking in embarrassment, and wrapped her tail around her paws. "Thanks, Daisy," Firestar told her. "At least now we understand what's going on." "But what are we going to do about it?" Cloudtail demanded. "What can we do?" Goldenflower challenged him. "No cat can stop Twolegs from doing what they want. We saw that in the old forest, and this place is worse!" "That's not true." Ferncloud spoke gently to the elder. "Even if it was, we can't go back. There'll be nothing left of the old forest by now. Here we have to learn new things. StarClan wouldn't have brought us somewhere that's too dangerous for us to live." "Then maybe StarClan can tell us what to do about the traps!" Goldenflower flashed back at

鼓励地说道。 “无毛兽——哦不对，两脚兽——在农场养鸟就是当猎物的。 不是我们平常吃的那种小鸟，是更大的鸟。 可狐狸会来偷这些鸟，所以两脚兽要杀狐狸保护他们的鸟。” 她重新坐下，难为情地眨了眨眼，把尾巴卷在了爪子边上。 “谢谢你，黛西，”火星对她说。 “至少我们现在知道是怎么回事了。” “那我们该怎么应对这件事呢？” 云尾追问道。 “我们能做什么？” 金花反问他。 “没有猫能阻止两脚兽做他们想做的事。 我们在旧森林就见识过，这儿比旧森林还要糟！” “才不是这样。” 蕨云温柔地对这位长辈说。 “就算真是这样，我们也回不去了。 旧森林到现在肯定什么都不剩了。 来到这儿我们得学习适应新事物。 星族不会把我们带到一个危险到没法生存的地方。” “那星族倒是告诉我们该怎么对付陷阱啊！” 金花厉声对

her. "We can do that," Brambleclaw meowed. "Squirrelflight worked it out. Squirrelflight, come up here and tell them." Leafpool watched her sister leap up onto the rock beside Brambleclaw. The sunlight gleamed on her dark ginger fur, turning it to flame, and for an instant she looked just like their father. "It's easy," she meowed. "You get a stick—as long as you can manage—and poke it into the loop. The loop snaps tight around the stick, and there you are—no more problem." Pride flooded over Leafpool. Their mother Sandstorm's green eyes shone with admiration too. "The real danger," Firestar warned, "is that cats will come across these things when they aren't expecting it. All patrols will have to keep a lookout, and report back if they find anything." "And if we spring a trap with a stick," Brambleclaw added, "we should check it regularly in case the Twolegs set it again." "Good thinking," Firestar meowed. "We'll do that. Every cat who goes outside the clearing

她。 “我们有办法解决，”黑莓掌说。 “松鼠飞已经想出办法了。 松鼠飞，上来告诉大家。” 叶池看着姐姐跳上黑莓掌身旁的岩石。 阳光在她深姜色的皮毛上闪烁，把皮毛映得像火焰一样，一瞬间她看起来就和她们的父亲一模一样。 “这很简单，”她说。 “找一根你拿得动的木棍，把它插进陷阱的活套圈里。 活套会牢牢卡在木棍上，这样就没问题啦。” 叶池心中充满了骄傲。 她们的妈妈沙风的绿眼睛里也闪着赞赏的光。 “真正的危险，”火星提醒道，“是猫咪们会在毫无防备的时候撞见这些陷阱。 所有巡逻队都要留心观察，发现情况马上回来报告。” “如果我们用棍子触发了陷阱，”黑莓掌补充道，“我们得定期检查，防止两脚兽重新设陷阱。” “想得好，”火星说。 “就这么办。 每一只走出营地空地的猫