Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10 Lionpaw glanced up at the moon shining full and bright into the hollow. Clouds aren't going to stop this Gathering. Dustpelt, Spiderleg, and Ashfur were already waiting by the camp entrance. Firestar stood beneath Highledge with Sandstorm and Brambleclaw, talking quietly to them. "Why are we hanging about?" Hollypaw fussed, tearing the grass with her thorn-sharp claws. "It can't be much longer," Lionpaw mewed. He felt every bit as excited as his sister. This was their first Gathering, their first chance to meet apprentices from rival Clans, to swap stories and compare training—knowing that the next time they met might be in battle, with claws unsheathed and teeth bared. "It looks like Firestar's waiting for Leafpool," Hazelpaw put in. "Why's it taking her so long?" Hollypaw complained. "She's only sorting through the new

第十章 狮爪抬眼望向那轮又圆又亮的月亮，月光正洒进山坳。 这点云挡不住这次森林大会。 尘毛、蜘蛛腿和蜡毛已经在营地入口等着了。 火星站在高岩下，和沙风、黑莓掌低声说着话。 “我们还在这儿磨蹭什么？” 冬青爪烦躁地念叨着，用荆棘般锋利的爪子扒着草地。 “不会再等多久了，”狮爪开口道。 他和妹妹一样，心里满是兴奋。 这是他们第一次参加森林大会，第一次有机会见到敌对族群的学徒，交换故事、切磋训练——他们清楚，下次碰面说不定就是在战场，亮出利爪，露出尖牙。 “看样子火星在等叶池，”榛爪插话道。 “她怎么去这么久？” 冬青爪抱怨道。 “她只不过是在整理新

herbs we gathered before sunhigh." "She might sort them quicker if she had her apprentice helping," Berrypaw pointed out. "I tried helping!" Hollypaw protested. "But Leafpool said it would be quicker if she did it herself." Mousepaw's whiskers twitched. "Are you sure you're cut out to be a medicine cat?" "Of course I am," Hollypaw snapped. "One day you'll be waiting for me to come out of the medicine den!" "They're only teasing you," Lionpaw soothed her. He thought it was odd that Daisy's kits were all going to the Gathering, while the Clanborn kits, Cinderpaw, Honeypaw, and Poppypaw, were staying behind. I guess it's only fair, he decided. Three Clanborn apprentices and three non-Clan. He sighed. At least, it would have been three, if only... He looked at Jaypaw, crouching in the entrance of their den, and sighed. He had been sitting there since sundown, forbidden to go to the Gathering as punishment for the adventure that had ended with his half drowning in the lake.

采的药草，就是我们正午前收的那些。” “要是有她的学徒帮忙，她肯定整理得更快，”莓爪说道。 “我试过帮忙了！” 冬青爪抗议道。 “可叶池说她自己做更快。” 鼠爪的胡须抖了抖。 “你确定你适合当巫医吗？” “我当然适合，”冬青爪厉声说。 “总有一天你会等着我从巫医巢里出来！” “他们只是逗逗你，”狮爪安慰她。 他觉得很奇怪：黛西的幼崽都能去森林大会，可出生在族群的幼崽炭爪、蜜爪和罂粟爪，却要留在营地。 他暗自想，这么安排也算公平吧。 三个族群出身的学徒，三个非族群出身的。 他叹了口气。 至少，本来应该是三个的，如果不是…… 他望向蹲在巢穴门口的松鸦爪，又叹了口气。 从日落开始他就一直坐在这里，因为上次闯祸差点淹死在湖里，被罚禁止参加森林大会。

Now he glowered angrily out of the shadows, his sightless blue gaze fixed on his brother and sister joking with Daisy's kits as they waited to leave. Why did he have to be so reckless? It was harder now that they were apprentices— Lionpaw's duties kept him so busy that he could not keep an eye on Jaypaw, as he used to when they were kits. He felt a flash of guilt but pushed it quickly away. His first responsibility was to the Clan now. Jaypaw would have to learn to be more sensible. He padded over to his brother and smoothed the fur between his ears with his tongue. "I wish you were coming," he mewed. "You're the only one who does," Jaypaw grumbled. "You know that's not true," Lionpaw argued. "It's your own fault you've been confined to camp." "Perhaps Firestar just doesn't want a blind cat at the Gathering." "What do you mean?" "I mean it doesn't look good having an apprentice like me in the Clan," Jaypaw growled.

此刻他在阴影里怒目而视，失明的蓝眼睛牢牢盯着弟弟妹妹，他们正等着出发，和黛西的幼崽有说有笑。 他为什么非要那么莽撞呢？ 成为学徒之后日子就变了——狮爪的任务占了他太多时间，没法像他们还是幼崽时那样时刻盯着松鸦爪了。 他心头闪过一丝愧疚，又很快把它压了下去。 现在他第一要对族群负责。 松鸦爪总得学会更懂事一点。 他走到弟弟身边，用舌头舔顺了他耳后的毛发。 “我真希望你也能一起去，”他说。 “也就只有你希望我去，”松鸦爪嘟囔道。 “你知道不是这样的，”狮爪反驳道。 “被罚留在营地是你自己闯祸的结果。” “说不定火星就是不想带一只瞎猫去森林大会。” “你这话是什么意思？” “我意思是，族群里有我这样的学徒，太不好看了，”松鸦爪低吼道。

Was that true? Before Lionpaw could say anything, he heard Firestar's call. "I have to go," he told Jaypaw. "But I'll tell you all about it when we get back." He ran after the other apprentices, who were already racing toward the entrance. Firestar padded to the head of the party and, with a sharp nod, bounded away through the tunnel. Lionpaw charged after his Clanmates, his heart soaring as their paws drummed the forest floor. He felt Hollypaw's pelt brushing his, rippling with excitement. A moment later they burst out of the tunnel and charged up the slope. They raced past Sky Oak and down to the lake. The pebbles on the shore clattered beneath their paws. The stones grazed Lionpaw's pads but he didn't care; he could already see the island on the far side, rising from the water, crowded with trees. Their slender leafless branches reached up to the star-pricked sky, trembling like whiskers, and Lionpaw flicked his tail excitedly. As the cats began the long trek through WindClan territory, Firestar steadied the pace. They passed the horseplace, where Daisy used to

真的是这样吗？ 狮爪还没来得及开口，就听到了火星的召唤。 “我得走了，”他对松鸦爪说。 “等我们回来，我会把所有事都讲给你听。” 他追着其他学徒跑去，他们早就冲到入口了。 火星走到队伍最前端，干脆地点了点头，就纵身穿过隧道奔了出去。 狮爪跟在族猫身后猛冲，爪子砰砰踏在森林地面上，他的心兴奋得都要飞起来了。 他能感觉到冬青爪的皮毛擦过自己，因为兴奋不住地发颤。 没过一会儿，他们就冲出隧道，往山坡上冲去。 他们跑过天橡树，一直奔向湖边。 岸边的卵石在他们爪下哗哗作响。 碎石磨得狮爪的肉垫发疼，可他毫不在意； 他已经能看到对岸的小岛从水面升起，岛上长满了树木。 纤细无叶的树枝伸向缀满星星的天空，像胡须一样轻轻颤动，狮爪兴奋地甩了甩尾巴。 当猫群开始长途跋涉穿过风族领地时，火星放慢了步伐。 他们经过马场，黛西以前就住在

live, and crossed into RiverClan territory, always keeping within five tail-lengths of the waterline, as agreed by all the Clans. The ground became muddier as they neared the island. Lionpaw slowed down after he nearly slipped. He didn't want to arrive covered in mud. He could make out dark shapes streaming over the fallen tree that bridged the gap between shore and island. The scent of WindClan mingled with the scents of ShadowClan and RiverClan; the other Clans were arriving. "Will you mention the border markers?" Lionpaw heard his father meow. He peered past Mousepaw and Spiderleg and saw Brambleclaw keeping pace with Firestar. "Do you mean the fact that ShadowClan and WindClan have marked every tree and blade of grass on our borders?" Firestar asked. "Yes," Brambleclaw replied. "I can't dictate what the other Clans do in their territory," Firestar reminded him. "But it's an open show of hostility!" Brambleclaw growled. "We're not going to react," Firestar told him.

进入河族领地后，他们一直和水岸保持着五条尾巴长度的距离，这是所有族群共同约定的规矩。 越靠近小岛，地面就越泥泞。 狮爪差点滑倒，于是放慢了脚步。 他可不想浑身沾着泥巴抵达目的地。 他隐约看见，连接岸边和小岛的倒木上，有黑影正在移动。 风族的气味混着影族和河族的气味， 其他族群已经到了。 “你要说说边界标记的事吗？” 狮爪听见父亲开口说。 他从老鼠掌和蜘蛛腿身后望过去，看见黑莓掌正和火星并排走。 “你说的是影族和风族把我们边界每一棵树、每一寸草都做了标记这件事吗？” 火星问道。 “没错，”黑莓掌回答。 “我没法干涉别的族群在他们自己领地上做什么，”火星提醒他。 “可这明摆着就是挑衅啊！” 黑莓掌低吼道。 “我们不会做出反应的，”火星对他说。

"Yet." "Firestar's right." Ashfur hurried to catch up with them. "It would be better to send out more frequent border patrols than give the other Clans the satisfaction of knowing they've got us worried." "It takes more than the stench of ShadowClan to worry us!" Firestar declared. He broke into a run, bounding the last few tail-lengths to the fallen tree, and skidded to a halt by the withered roots. Lionpaw stared up at the trunk that bridged the water between the shore and the island. The air was filled with the scents of WindClan, ShadowClan, and RiverClan. "We must be the last to arrive!" he whispered to Hollypaw. Suddenly he felt shy about facing all three Clans at once. "Do you suppose Ferncloud's nursery stories about ShadowClan are true?" "You don't actually believe they let their elders starve, do you?" Hollypaw mewed scornfully. "Well, no," Lionpaw murmured. "But what if all the other apprentices are bigger than us?" "We've been apprentices for only a quarter

“至少现在不会。” “火星说得对。” 灰毛赶紧追了上来。 “与其让别的族群看出来我们被他们搅得心神不宁，不如多安排几次边境巡逻会更好。” “影族那点臭味，可吓不倒我们！” 火星大声宣布。 他突然跑了起来，几步纵跃跳到倒木前，在干枯的树根边停了下来。 狮爪抬头望着这根横在水面、连接岸边和小岛的树干。 空气中满是风族、影族和河族的气味。 “我们肯定是最后到的！” 他小声对冬青爪说。 面对一下子来了的三个族群，他突然觉得有点害羞。 “你说蕨云讲的那些关于影族的育婴故事，都是真的吗？” “你不会真的相信他们任由长老挨饿吧？” 冬青爪轻蔑地喵了一声。 “嗯，我也不信，”狮爪小声嘟囔。 “可要是别的学徒都比我们高大怎么办？” 我们才当学徒，才过了四分之