Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5 Lionkit woke in his nest. A draft ruffled his golden pelt. Where's Jaykit? Jaykit usually slept beside him, but there was an empty space there now. Then he remembered. Lionkit felt sickness surge in his belly as he pictured Jaykit lying limp at the side of the clearing. He's going to be okay, he reminded himself. But in the clearing, watching Leafpool and Brambleclaw crouch by his body, Lionkit had thought that his brother was dead. A shiver ran down his tail. He nudged Hollykit, who was still sleeping beside him, her black pelt almost making her invisible in the darkness. "It's cold without Jaykit." "He'll be back soon," she murmured, not opening her eyes. "But it's weird when he's not here." "He's only on the other side of the clearing,

第五章 小狮从窝里醒了过来。 一阵冷风掀动了他金色的皮毛。 小鸦呢？ 小鸦平常都睡在他身边，现在这儿只剩下一块空地。 紧接着，他想起来了。 一想到小鸦瘫在空地边上的样子，小狮的胃里一阵翻涌。 他会没事的，小狮提醒自己。 可刚才在空地上，看着叶池和黑莓掌蹲在弟弟身边，小狮那时候真以为弟弟活不成了。 一阵寒颤顺着尾巴窜遍了他全身。 他推了推还睡在身旁的小冬青，夜色里，她乌黑的皮毛几乎和黑暗融在了一起。 “没有小鸦在身边，好冷呀。” “他很快就会回来的，”她呢喃着，眼睛都没睁开。 “可是他不在这儿，总觉得怪怪的。” “他不过就在空地那头，

and he'll be back in a day or two." Hollykit rolled over. "Go back to sleep." Within moments her breathing deepened and she was asleep again. Lionkit still felt a tug of sadness. Jaykit should be with them, just like always. He closed his eyes but the image of his brother lying in the clearing filled his mind again. It was my idea to leave the camp. Jaykit could be dead, or the fox cubs could have chased them into the hollow. What a mess! Lionkit got to his paws. He needed fresh air to clear his head. He peered through the shadows to where Daisy slept. Her long, creamy fur blended into Ferncloud's dark gray pelt. Ferncloud's whiskers were twitching as she dreamed, her two kits snuggled against her flank. Neither queen would be pleased at being woken just so he could ask permission to leave the den; besides, he'd be back before they woke. With a flick of his tail, he picked his way past Hollykit and squeezed through the prickly entrance. Cold night air stung his nose, and the frosty

再过一两天他就回来了。” 小冬青翻了个身。 “快回去睡吧。” 没过一会儿，她的呼吸就变沉，又睡着了。 小狮心里还是揪着一阵难过。 小鸦本来就该和他们在一起，和往常一样啊。 他闭上眼，可弟弟躺在空地上的模样又填满了他的脑子。 离开营地是我出的主意。 小鸦说不定已经死了，或是狐狸幼崽把他们追到洞穴里去了。 真是一团糟！ 小狮站起了身。 他需要新鲜空气让脑子清醒一点。 他透过阴影朝黛西睡觉的地方望去。 她长长的奶白色皮毛，和蕨云深灰色的皮毛融在了一起。 蕨云做梦时胡须轻轻抽动着，她的两个幼崽依偎在她腹侧。 他要是为了问出巢穴的许可吵醒两位猫后，她们肯定不会高兴； 再说了，他在她们醒之前就能回来。 他甩了甩尾巴，绕开小冬青，从扎人的洞口挤了出去。 夜晚冰冷的空气刺得他鼻子发疼，结了霜的

ground made his paws ache as he padded around the edge of the camp. Prey scents drifted from the forest. A bird chattered an alarm call far away. He glanced up at Silverpelt, spread across the inky sky. He was glad StarClan had let Jaykit stay down here with his Clanmates. Perhaps he could look in on his brother. Leafpool would be asleep by now. Lionkit kept to the shadows, painfully aware that he was not supposed to be outside the nursery without permission. As he crept along the stretch of thornbush that sealed the camp, his heart seemed to pound in his chest loud enough to wake his Clanmates. When he scanned the clearing, Lionkit realized with a start that he was not the only cat awake so late. A shape was stirring on the other side of the clearing. The lithe outline of a cat peeled away from the shadows, followed by another. Lionkit ducked under a branch, relieved to find a small space inside the prickly barrier where he could hide. He peered through the twigs at the emerging shapes: Dustpelt and Spiderleg were padding side by side into the pool of moonlight

地面硌得他爪子发疼，他沿着营地边缘慢慢往前走。 猎物的气味从森林里飘了过来。 远处有只鸟儿叽叽喳喳发出报警的叫声。 他抬头望向铺在墨色夜空上的银毛星河。 他很高兴星族允许小鸦留在这里，和他的族伴们在一起。 说不定他能过去偷偷看一眼弟弟。 叶池现在肯定已经睡着了。 小狮贴着阴影走，他清楚得很，没得到允许就不该出育儿室。 他沿着封住营地的荆丛悄悄往前爬，心脏咚咚狂跳，响得好像都能吵醒族伴们。 他扫过空地，猛地反应过来：这么晚醒着的不止他一只猫。 空地那头有个身影动了动。 一只灵活的猫从阴影里走出来，身后跟着另一只。 小狮赶紧伏到树枝底下，发现荆丛围栏里有个空隙能藏身，松了一口气。 他透过细枝盯着那两个走出来的身影：是尘皮和蜘蛛腿，正并排走进月光照亮的水洼边

that lit the center of the camp. "They're nearly here," the long-limbed warrior told Dustpelt. "Good," Dustpelt meowed. Lionkit strained his ears, listening. Frozen leaves crackled beyond the camp wall. He felt the thorn barrier tremble as Stormfur and Brackenfur pushed their way through the entrance tunnel into the camp. The moonhigh patrol had returned. Dustpelt hurried toward them. "Anything to report?" "All quiet," Stormfur replied. Lionkit pressed himself further into the thorns. He could always say he had slipped out only to make dirt, but he was not ready yet to be sent back into the nursery. Brackenfur held a mouse between his teeth. He dropped it. "It's good to be out hunting again," the golden tabby purred. "Did you patrol the new border at the edge of the clearing?" Spiderleg asked. Brackenfur nodded. "ShadowClan has marked it well," he meowed. "But there's no sign they

那片月光照亮了营地的中心。 “他们快到了，”长腿武士对尘皮说。 “好极了，”尘皮说。 小狮绷紧耳朵，仔细听着。 冻硬的树叶在营地墙外哗啦作响。 暴毛和蕨毛挤过入口通道进营地的时候，他感觉荆丛围栏都抖了抖。 午夜巡逻队回来了。 尘皮连忙朝他们走过去。 “有什么情况要报告吗？” “一切平静，”暴毛回答。 小狮把身子往荆丛深处又缩了缩。 他大可以说自己是出来方便的，可他现在还不想被赶回育儿室。 蕨毛嘴里叼着一只老鼠。 他把老鼠放了下来。 “能再出来打猎可真好，”这只金斑虎斑猫满足地呼噜着。 “你们巡查过空地边上的新边界了吗？” 蜘蛛腿问道。 蕨毛点了点头。 “影族已经把边界标得清清楚楚了，”他说。 “但是完全没有迹象表明他们

strayed onto ThunderClan territory." Dustpelt narrowed his eyes. "They'd better not. It's bad enough Firestar gave them that piece of land in the first place. If I catch any ShadowClan cat on the wrong side of the border I'll rip his fur off!" "They wouldn't dare!" Brackenfur growled. "They dared before Firestar gave them the territory," Spiderleg pointed out. He glanced at the scar on Brackenfur's flank, a reminder of one of the vicious quarrels the two Clans had fought over the stretch of open ground on either side of the stream running down from the Twoleg clearing. ShadowClan had always laid claim to the territory, and Firestar had finally granted it to them at the last Gathering to save further blood being spilled over a stretch of land that was too bare to offer good hunting. "It wasn't worth fighting over," Stormfur commented. "Firestar was right to give it up." Dustpelt snorted. "ThunderClan has never given up territory before!" "No," agreed Brackenfur. Spiderleg turned in an agitated circle, tail

闯进雷族的领地了。” 尘斑眯起了眼睛。 “他们最好别乱来。 一开始火星就把那块地给了他们，这已经够糟了。 要是我抓到越界的影族猫，我就扒了他的毛！” “他们敢！” 蕨毛低吼道。 “火星把这块领地给他们之前，他们就敢了。”蛛足指出。 他瞥了一眼蕨毛腰侧的伤疤，这道伤疤提醒着大家，两大族群曾为溪流两岸的开阔地恶战，那片溪流从两脚兽的空地直流而下。 影族一直宣称这片领地是他们的，火星终于在上次森林大会把地给了他们，免得再为这块贫瘠难猎的土地流血牺牲。 “这块地方不值得争夺，”暴毛评论道。 “火星放弃它是对的。” 尘斑哼了一声。 “雷族从来没放弃过领地！” “没错，”蕨毛附和道。 蛛足烦躁地转了一圈，尾巴

lashing, but Brackenfur went on. "However, the land was too exposed, and the Twolegs will be there soon, once it's greenleaf." "And ThunderClan is more used to hunting in the forest," Stormfur added. "Firestar still shouldn't have given it up so easily," Spiderleg insisted. Lionkit watched nervously from his hiding place as Spiderleg glared at Stormfur. The long- limbed black warrior was more hotheaded than his father, Dustpelt. But Stormfur refused to be intimidated. "We gave up nothing but a piece of barren land that was too close to Twoleg territory!" he hissed. "You sound like Brambleclaw." Dustpelt curled his lip. "He only agreed with Firestar's decision because any cat knows he'd rather face a pack of dogs than a Twoleg!" Lionkit's fur bristled with anger. His father wasn't scared of anything! "Brambleclaw sided with Firestar because it was a wise decision, not because he was scared of Twolegs!" Stormfur retorted.

甩个不停，可蕨毛继续说了下去。 “不过那片地太开阔了，到了绿季，两脚兽很快就会去那里。” “而且雷族猫更习惯在森林里捕猎，”暴毛补充道。 “火星根本不该这么轻易把地让出去，”蛛足坚持道。 小狮从藏身之处紧张地看着，蛛足正怒视着暴毛。 这只四肢修长的黑武士比父亲尘斑还要火爆。 可暴毛一点都不害怕。 “我们不过放弃了一块靠近两脚兽领地的荒地而已！” 他嘶声道。 “你说话和黑莓掌一个样。” 尘斑撇了撇嘴。 “他同意火星的决定，不过是因为所有猫都知道，他宁可遇群狗也不想撞见两脚兽！” 小狮气得毛发都炸了起来。 他父亲什么都不怕！ “黑莓掌支持火星是因为这个决定很明智，不是因为他怕两脚兽！” 暴毛反驳道。