Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13 "It was Blackclaw's idea to push the stones into the stream," Willowpaw explained as they picked their way down the sandy cliff. Hollypaw put her head on one side. "But that will stop the water flowing." "Exactly, so the stream above gets deeper and wider, and the island will be better protected." Hollypaw was impressed. "But will it be enough to keep the Twoleg kits away?" "Once the stream's flooded, we're going to put up barricades of gorse." Willowpaw stopped to catch her breath. "The Twolegs aren't trying to hurt us. I think they're just playing." She bent her head to wash the red sand from her pads. "They're like our kits. If we make it too hard for them to get near the island, they'll give up and play somewhere else." "And then you can move back to the island!" Hollypaw guessed. RiverClan had no intention of moving onto WindClan territory. Her paws tingled. She couldn't wait to get back to her own

第十三章 “把石头推到小溪里是黑爪出的主意，”柳爪一边沿着沙崖慢慢往下走，一边解释道。 冬青爪歪着小脑袋。 “可是那样会堵住水流的呀。” “没错呀，这样上游的溪水就会变深变宽，小岛就能防守得更严实啦。” 冬青爪听了十分佩服。 “可这样够挡住两脚兽的幼崽吗？” “等溪水涨起来，我们还要用荆豆堆筑路障呢。” 柳爪停下来喘了口气。 “两脚兽不是要来伤害我们。 我觉得他们只是来玩的。” 她低下头，洗掉爪垫上沾的红沙子。 “他们就和我们的幼崽一样。 要是让他们没法靠近小岛，他们就会放弃，去别的地方玩了。” “那你们就能搬回小岛住啦！” 冬青爪猜测道。 河族根本没打算搬进风族的领地。 她的爪子微微发麻。 她已经迫不及待要回到自己的

camp and tell Firestar. WindClan's borders were perfectly safe, and they'd have no need to try to take any of ThunderClan's territory. There wasn't going to be a battle after all! Willowpaw bounded down the rest of the slope and wove in among the reeds. Hollypaw hurried after her. "But why didn't Leopardstar just tell the other Clans what was going on?" "And look weak because we'd been driven out of our home?" "But the other Clans might have helped." "RiverClan can sort out their own problems!" Hollypaw lowered her gaze. "I didn't mean to say that you couldn't, but—" Willowpaw's pelt was bristling. "It's hard living on the island. There's not enough fish because the boats scare them away, and we can't hunt in the rest of our territory until we get rid of the Twoleg kits. The Clan is hungry and hungry warriors don't win battles." Hollypaw remembered Mistyfoot's dull pelt and the way Mothwing's bones jutted out on her hips and along her spine.

营地，把这件事告诉火星。 风族的边界十分安全，他们根本不需要来抢占雷族的领地。 根本不会爆发战争呀！ 柳爪蹦蹦跳跳跑下剩下的斜坡，一下钻进了芦苇丛里。 冬青爪连忙跟了上去。 “可是豹星为什么不直接告诉其他族群这里出了什么事呀？” “难道要让其他族群知道我们被赶出家园，显得我们很弱小吗？” “可是其他族群说不定会帮忙呀。” “河族能自己解决自己的麻烦！” 冬青爪垂下了目光。 “我不是说你们不行，可是——”柳爪的毛都炸起来了。 “住在岛上太艰难了。 鱼都不够吃，船只吓跑了鱼，不赶走两脚兽幼崽，我们连剩下的领地都没法捕猎。 全族都在挨饿，饿着肚子的武士打不了胜仗。” 冬青爪想起了雾脚黯淡的皮毛，还有蛾翅髋骨和脊骨都凸出来的模样。

"Do you really think Leopardstar can trust the other Clans not to take advantage?" Willowpaw went on, pushing her way through a clump of marsh grass. "We need all our strength to rescue our camp from the Twolegs." "I won't tell ThunderClan that you're hungry," Hollypaw promised. "Only that you'll be back in your old camp soon and there's no reason to think you'll have to leave your territory." Willowpaw blinked gratefully. "But first you have to get home," she reminded her. "Your Clan must be wondering where you are." Hollypaw felt a twinge of guilt. Had her Clanmates noticed she was missing yet? "I'll just go back the way I came." Willowpaw stretched up on her hind legs and peered above the spiky grass. "The shore's quiet," she announced, dropping down onto four paws. She began to weave through the marsh toward the firmer ground inland, where bushes and ferns crowded the shoreline. "Let's head up there," Willowpaw suggested. "It'll be easier to hide." Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "And the otter dung will stop any

“你真觉得豹星能放心其他族群不会趁虚而入吗？” 柳爪一边说，一边从一丛沼泽草里挤了过去。 “我们得攒足全部力气，从两脚兽手里把营地夺回来。” “我不会告诉雷族你们在挨饿的，”冬青爪保证道。 “我只会说你们很快就能搬回旧营地，完全没理由觉得你们会离开自己的领地。” 柳爪感激地眨了眨眼。 “不过你得先回家，”她提醒冬青爪。 “你的族群肯定在纳闷你去哪了。” 冬青爪心头泛起一丝愧疚。 族猫们发现她不见了吗？ “我就顺着我来的路回去吧。” 柳爪踮着后腿站起来，往尖草上方望去。 “岸边安安静静的，”她话音落下，落回四足着地的姿势。 她穿过沼泽往内陆坚实的土地走，岸边密密麻麻长着灌木和蕨类。 “我们往那边走吧，”柳爪提议。 “更容易躲起来。” 她的眼睛闪着调皮的光。 而且水獭粪便能挡住任何

cats from noticing your scent." "Wasn't there anything else you could have used?" "Tansy might have worked," Willowpaw admitted. "But our supplies are a bit low." She pushed her way past a clump of ferns, and Hollypaw padded after her. They followed the shoreline until Hollypaw began to smell the scent of horseplace. "We're near WindClan territory," she whispered. "You can leave me here." Willowpaw's eyes clouded with worry. "Not till we reach the border." The brown fences around the horseplace loomed larger and the ferns began to thin out as the lush foliage of RiverClan's territory gave way to WindClan moorland. Willowpaw paused behind a stunted bramble bush at the edge of a stretch of open grass lay. "There's the border." She pointed with her tail. The wind raced down from the moors, tugging at Hollypaw's pelt. She could smell the WindClan scent line only a few fox-lengths ahead. Willowpaw rested her tail-tip on Hollypaw's

猫发现你的气味。” “你们就找不到别的东西能用吗？” “蓝艾菊说不定也能用，”柳爪承认道。 “不过我们的储备不多了。” 她推开一丛蕨类往前走，冬青爪跟在她身后。 她们沿着岸边走，没多久冬青爪就闻到了马场的气味。 “我们快到风族领地了，”她小声说。 “你可以在这里放我走了。” 柳爪的眼神蒙上了一层担忧。 “要送到边界我才走。” 马场周围棕色的栅栏越来越清晰，蕨类也变得稀疏，河族繁茂的植物渐渐换成了风族的沼地。 柳爪在开阔草地边缘一棵矮小的荆棘丛后停下了脚步。 “边界就在那里。” 她用尾巴指了指方向。 风从沼地吹下来，扯着冬青爪的皮毛。 她能闻到风族的气味线就在几步远的前方。 柳爪把尾尖搭在了冬青爪的

shoulder. "Promise you'll be careful." Suddenly, stones clattered on the shore. Willowpaw whipped around. A RiverClan patrol was haring toward them. Hollypaw stiffened, fear shooting through her like lightning. Then she felt Willowpaw's teeth grab her scruff and drag her behind the bramble. "Did they see us?" Hollypaw whispered, trembling. "I don't know." Willowpaw flicked her tail over Hollypaw's mouth. "Keep quiet!" Hollypaw peered through the leaves. Reedwhisker headed the patrol, his apprentice, Pouncepaw, racing behind him. Voletooth was at Reedwhisker's heels with Minnowpaw at his side. The young she-cat's dappled fur was slicked back by the wind, her whiskers blown against her cheeks, running as though her life depended on it. "Are they hunting?" Hollypaw asked. Willowpaw glanced around the empty shore. "Hunting what?" "Well, are they coming for us?" "Doesn't look like it," Willowpaw replied as the patrol streaked past the bramble without even

肩膀。 "答应我，你一定要小心。" 突然间，碎石哗啦落在岸边。 柳爪猛地转过身。 一队河族巡逻队正朝他们猛冲过来。 冬青爪浑身僵住，恐惧像闪电般窜过她全身。 接着她感觉到柳爪叼住她的后颈，把她拖到了荆棘丛后面。 "他们看见我们了吗？" 冬青爪浑身发抖，低声问道。 "我不知道。" 柳爪把尾巴搭在了冬青爪的嘴上。 "别出声！" 冬青爪透过树叶缝隙向外张望。 须芦苇带队走在最前，他的学徒跃爪跟在身后飞奔。 鼹齿跟在须芦苇身后，米诺爪走在他身侧。 这只年轻母猫的斑纹皮毛被风吹得贴在身上，胡须也吹得贴住脸颊，她们拼了命往前狂奔。 "他们是在打猎吗？" 冬青爪问道。 柳爪扫了一眼空无一人的岸边。 "打什么猎？" "那，他们是来找我们的吗？" "看起来不像，"柳爪答道，此时巡逻队飞快跑过荆棘丛，甚至没

looking at it. Hollypaw realized that the RiverClan cats" eyes had been stretched wide with terror. Her pelt bristled. "Something's wrong." Willowpaw hissed, flattening her ears. "Look!" A rough-haired black-and-white dog was hurtling after the RiverClan patrol. Its eyes were wild, its lips drawn back to show shining white fangs. "The horseplace dog!" Willowpaw yowled. "Run!" She pelted after her Clanmates. Before Hollypaw could move, the black-andwhite dog spotted her and skidded toward her, howling with excitement. Hollypaw shrieked and shot after Willowpaw. Her claws threw up clods of soil as she tore over the grassy slope. The RiverClan patrol had swerved off the beach and was racing up the slope toward the WindClan border. Reedwhisker's eyes widened when he saw Willowpaw. "Stay near us!" he ordered. He raced up the slope, dodging a gorse bush and leaping a low clump of heather. Willowpaw pelted after him. She screeched

看这边一眼。 冬青爪这才发现，河族猫的眼睛都因恐惧瞪得溜圆。 她的毛发一下子竖了起来。 "出事了。" 柳爪贴紧耳朵，嘶声说道。 "看哪！" 一只粗毛黑白花狗正紧追在河族巡逻队身后猛冲。 它双眼狂乱，咧开嘴唇露出亮闪闪的白獠牙。 "马场来的狗！" 柳爪大声吼道。 "跑啊！" 她紧跟着自己的族猫往前猛冲。 冬青爪还没来得及动，那只黑白花狗就发现了她，打滑着朝她冲来，兴奋地吼叫着。 冬青爪尖叫一声，跟在柳爪身后拼命狂奔。 她在草坡上飞奔，爪子带起了一块块泥土。 河族巡逻队已经拐出沙滩，冲上斜坡往风族边界赶去。 须芦苇看见柳爪，眼睛一下子睁大了。 "跟紧我们！" 他命令道。 他往斜坡上跑，躲过金雀花丛，跳过一丛低矮的石楠。 柳爪跟在他身后猛跑。 她尖声喊道