Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11 "For StarClan's sake!" Ashfur bounded from the ferns and glared angrily at Lionpaw. "How did you miss it?" The wagtail, which had whisked away from Lionpaw's outstretched paws only moments earlier, perched on a branch above the training hollow and called an alarm before fluttering away into the trees. Lionpaw hung his head. He should have caught it, but his paws felt like stones. "Sorry." The midnight trek to the beach with Jaypaw had left him exhausted. He quivered with irritation. He had left Heatherpaw early last night so he could catch up on his sleep. Why had Jaypaw dragged him out to the lake instead of letting him rest? "You're lumbering around like a badger today," Ashfur scolded. Spiderleg and Mousepaw padded out of the ferns with Honeypaw and Sandstorm. "More like a hibernating hedgehog!"

第十一章 “看在星族的份上！” 灰毛从蕨丛里跳出来，怒气冲冲地瞪着狮爪。 “你怎么会让它跑了？” 那只刚才从狮爪伸开的爪间溜走的鹡鸰，落在训练谷上方的树枝上，发出一声警报，接着振翅飞进树林不见了。 狮爪耷拉下脑袋。 他本应该抓住它的，可他的爪子沉得像石头。 “对不起。” 昨夜跟着松鸦爪半夜跋涉去海边，已经把他累得精疲力尽。 他气得浑身发抖。 昨晚为了能补觉，他提早和石楠爪分开了。 为什么松鸦爪不能让他好好休息，非要拉他去湖边？ “你今天笨得像只獾，”灰毛训斥道。 蛛足和鼠爪跟着蜜爪、沙风从蕨丛里走了出来。 “我看更像一只睡不醒的刺猬！”

Mousepaw teased. Lionpaw glared at his denmate. Honeypaw flicked her tail at Mousepaw. "It wasn't long ago you missed a squirrel," she reminded him. Lionpaw's ears grew hot. He didn't need Honeypaw to defend him. "Honeypaw's right." Spiderleg nudged Mousepaw's shoulder with his muzzle. "And your climbing could use some practice." Mousepaw flattened his ears. "Well, let's go practice, then!" "You'd better not try the Sky Oak!" Honeypaw called out as the two cats headed for the trees. Mousepaw's tail quivered with annoyance as it disappeared into the undergrowth. Sandstorm turned to her apprentice. "Come on, Honeypaw, we'll see if there are any mice around the old beech." "Can we come too?" Ashfur looked pointedly at Lionpaw. "I don't think we'll find many birds around here now." "Of course." Sandstorm bounded up the slope out of the hollow and then headed into the trees.

鼠爪打趣道。 狮爪瞪了这位同巢伙伴一眼。 蜜爪冲鼠爪甩了甩尾巴。 “你前不久还放走了一只松鼠呢，”她提醒他。 狮爪的耳朵一下子热了。 他才不需要蜜爪帮他说话。 “蜜爪说得对。” 蛛足用鼻子蹭了蹭鼠爪的肩膀。 “而且你的攀爬技术确实得练练。” 鼠爪压平了耳朵。 “那好啊，咱们这就去练！” “你最好别去爬天橡树！” 两只猫朝树林走去时，蜜爪在后面喊道。 鼠爪的尾巴气呼呼地抖个不停，接着就钻进灌木丛不见了。 沙风转向自己的学徒。 “走吧，蜜爪，咱们去老山毛榉那边看看有没有老鼠。” “我们也能一起去吗？” 灰毛意有所指地看向狮爪。 “我觉得咱们现在在这儿找不到多少鸟。” “当然可以。” 沙风蹦出山谷爬上斜坡，接着朝树林走去。

Ashfur hurried to catch her up. "Don't worry," Honeypaw whispered, falling in beside Lionpaw. "I missed a sparrow yesterday." Lionpaw snorted and hurried ahead of her, bristling. The ground beneath the beech was littered with empty husks. This was a great place for hunting mice attracted by the ready supply of beechnuts. Lionpaw pushed ahead of Honeypaw into the ferns that ringed the open ground beneath the tree. Ashfur and Sandstorm were waiting for them, sat beneath the arching fronds. "Let's hope we manage to catch something here," Ashfur meowed. "We don't want the Clan to go hungry." "They won't!" Lionpaw snapped. Why couldn't Ashfur give him advice instead of pointing out his mistakes? "Look!" Honeypaw jerked her head toward the clearing. A mouse was sitting between the snaking roots of the beech, a nut between its forepaws. It was busy nibbling at the shell. "That'll be easy to catch." She blinked encouragingly at Lionpaw. "It doesn't even know we're here."

灰毛赶紧快步跟上她。 “别担心，”蜜爪小声说，挨着狮爪往前走， “我昨天还放走了一只麻雀呢。” 狮爪哼了一声，炸着毛快步走到了她前面。 山毛榉树下的地上落满了空坚果壳。 这儿是打猎的好地方，充足的山毛榉坚果很招老鼠来。 狮爪抢在蜜爪前面，钻进了环绕树下空地的蕨丛。 灰毛和沙风已经在拱形的蕨叶底下等他们了。 “希望咱们能在这儿抓到点猎物，”灰毛说道， “咱们可不想让族猫挨饿。” “才不会呢！” 狮爪凶巴巴地说。 为什么灰毛不能给点有用的建议，只会挑他的错？ “看哪！” 蜜猛地把头朝向空地。 一只老鼠正坐在山毛榉交错的树根之间，前爪捧着一颗坚果。 正忙着啃坚果壳呢。 “这很好抓呀。” 她鼓励地朝狮爪眨眨眼， “它都不知道咱们在这儿呢。”

"Why don't you catch it, then?" he hissed. Honeypaw's eyes clouded. "I thought you might want the chance." "I don't need help!" Lionpaw snapped. Did she think he was a helpless kit? Honeypaw dropped her gaze and he felt guilty. She had only been trying to help. He turned and peered out of the undergrowth. He'd catch the mouse to show her he was sorry. But it had gone. Something else was stirring the leaves only a few tail-lengths away. Lionpaw dropped into a hunting crouch. Willing away the tiredness that made his limbs feel as heavy as wet wood, he began to creep forward. The leaves moved again and a tiny nose peeked out. Tensing every muscle, Lionpaw prepared to leap. "Keep your tail down!" Ashfur hissed. Lionpaw pressed his haunches down harder to the ground. Then he darted forward. He wasn't fast enough. The vole scuttled beneath a root. Lionpaw glanced at Ashfur, expecting some comment, a word of advice or even disappointment, but his mentor turned away

“那你怎么不自己抓？”他低吼道。 蜜爪的眼神黯淡下来。 “我还以为你想要这个机会呢。” “我才不需要帮忙！” 狮爪厉声打断。 她真把他当成没用的幼崽了吗？ 蜜爪垂下目光，狮爪心里泛起愧疚。 她本来只是想帮忙而已。 他转过身，朝灌木丛外望去。 他要抓住这只老鼠，好让她知道自己不对。 可老鼠已经不见了。 几尾远之外，有什么东西搅动了树叶。 狮爪立刻伏低，摆出捕猎姿势。 他强压着四肢像湿木头一样沉重的倦意，慢慢往前挪。 树叶又动了动，一只小小的鼻子探了出来。 狮爪绷紧全身肌肉，准备扑上去。 “尾巴放低！” 灰毛低声呵斥。 狮爪赶紧把臀部往地面压得更低。 接着他猛地朝前冲了出去。 可他还是不够快。 田鼠匆匆钻到了树根底下。 狮爪看向灰毛，等着对方点评、提建议，哪怕露出失望都好，可他的导师却转身走开了

without saying anything. Brambleclaw looked up as Lionpaw followed Ashfur into camp. The ThunderClan deputy's eyes narrowed as Ashfur dropped two mice and a sparrow onto the fresh-kill pile. Lionpaw had nothing to offer. "Prey still running?" Brambleclaw padded over to them. "There's certainly plenty around," Ashfur commented. Lionpaw waited for Ashfur to tell Brambleclaw how useless he had been today. He blinked in surprise when Ashfur meowed, "Lionpaw's hunting is coming along fine. He just needs to work on his crouch." Why didn't he tell Brambleclaw the truth? Had Ashfur given up on him? Or was he being soft on him because his father was deputy? Brambleclaw cuffed Lionpaw softly around the ear. "I thought you'd mastered the hunting crouch before you left the nursery." Didn't anybody care? Irritation pricked his paws. He had been floundering for days, but

什么都没说。 狮爪跟着灰毛回到营地时，黑莓掌抬头看了看。 这位雷族副族长看到灰毛把两只老鼠、一只麻雀放到猎物堆上，不禁眯起了眼睛。 狮爪什么猎物都拿不出来。 “猎物还多吗？” 黑莓掌朝他们走了过来。 “这儿周围猎物确实不少，”灰毛说道。 狮爪等着灰毛告诉黑莓掌，今天自己表现得有多糟糕。 灰毛说的话让他吃了一惊：“狮爪的打猎进步得很不错， 只是捕猎蹲姿还需要多练习。” 为什么他不把真相告诉黑莓掌？ 灰毛已经放弃他了吗？ 还是因为他父亲是副族长，所以特意对他心软？ 黑莓掌轻轻拍了拍狮爪的耳朵。 “我还以为你出育婴室之前就练好捕猎蹲姿了呢。” 难道谁都不在乎吗？ 火气顺着狮爪的爪子往上窜。 这几天他一直状态不对，可

nobody had mentioned it. Why weren't they taking his training seriously? With all the talk of battle, surely it was more important than ever that he was doing well. He glanced at Brambleclaw, but the ThunderClan deputy was already padding away with a mouse in his jaws. "You might as well have something to eat too," Ashfur meowed. "It's been a long morning." "What about training?" "Rest first." Ashfur began to head across the clearing. "We'll do some battle training later." It looked as if Ashfur really had given up on him. Maybe his mentor thought training was a waste of time. Lionpaw felt a flash of indignation, but it died as he stared wearily at the fresh-kill pile. He was too tired to eat. All he wanted was to curl up and sleep. He headed for the apprentice den, ducking beneath the low branch of the bramble bush. With a sigh of relief, he coiled down into his nest and closed his eyes. "Lionpaw!" Berrypaw's voice woke him. "Time for battle training!" Lionpaw struggled awake like a drowning cat

没人提起过这件事。 他们为什么不认真对待他的训练呢？ 现在大家都在讨论战事，他练好本领本就比以往任何时候都更重要。 他瞥了一眼黑莓掌，可这位雷族副族长已经叼着老鼠慢慢走开了。 “你也去找点东西吃吧，”蜡毛说道。 “一上午都忙个不停。” “那训练怎么办？”“先休息。” 蜡毛转身朝着营地空地走去。 “我们晚点再做格斗训练。” 看起来蜡毛是真的放弃他了。 说不定自己的导师觉得训练他是浪费时间。 狮爪一下子有些恼火，可他疲惫地盯着猎物堆，火气又消了下去。 他累得都吃不下东西。 他就想蜷起来睡一觉。 他朝着学徒巢穴走去，弯身钻过荆棘丛的低枝。 他松了口气，蜷进自己的窝，闭上了眼睛。 “狮爪！” 莓爪的声音把他叫醒了。 “该去做格斗训练啦！” 狮爪像溺水的猫儿一样挣扎着醒了过来