Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15 Lionpaw leaped and twisted in the air, diving forward as he landed with his claws raking the ground. Perfect! In battle, that would have beaten even the fastest ShadowClan warrior. Did you see how well I made the turn, Tigerstar? Tigerstar had only taught him the move that afternoon. Lionpaw had mastered it quickly. He sat back on his haunches now, panting, and sniffed the air. Heatherpaw's late. The cave was dark, the moon hidden by the rain that had been falling since sundown. Jaypaw had returned to camp just after dark, drenched to the skin. The mouse-brain had fallen asleep by the lake! Leafpool had hurried him away to dry off in the medicine den. There was still no sign of Hollypaw. The search party had followed her scent down to the shore where it bordered WindClan territory, and now Thornclaw was even more convinced that she had been captured by a WindClan patrol.

第十五章 狮爪在空中腾跃扭转，落地时向前扑出，爪子扒过地面。 太完美了！ 在战场上，这招能击倒影族速度最快的武士。 虎星，你看到我转弯转得多棒了吗？ 虎星当天下午才刚教他这招。 狮爪很快就掌握了这招。 此刻他蹲坐着喘气，还嗅了嗅空气中的气味。 石楠爪迟到了。 洞穴里漆黑一片，日落后就一直下雨，月亮被雨云遮住了。 松鸦爪刚天黑就回到了营地，浑身淋得透湿。 这笨蛋肯定在湖边睡着了！ 叶池赶紧把他带到巫医巢穴擦干身子。 依旧没有冬青爪的踪影。 搜寻队顺着她的气味追到了和风族领地接壤的岸边，荆爪现在越发肯定她被风族巡逻队抓走了。

"Did you think I'd forgotten about you?" Heatherpaw's mew sounded from the tunnel entrance. Lionpaw leaped to his paws happily. "You're late!" "Sorry." Heatherpaw was out of breath. "I caught Gorsetail's kits following me. I had to take them back to camp." "They didn't go near the tunnel entrance, did they?" "No, but it was close." Heatherpaw flicked her tail. "They kept themselves well hidden. I didn't spot them till it was almost too late." Lionpaw's pads pricked. What if their secret had been discovered? "I nearly didn't come myself," he confessed. Heatherpaw widened her eyes. "Why not?" "Hollypaw's missing." "Missing?" "A search party followed her trail as far as—" Lionpaw stopped. He didn't want to let Heatherpaw know that Hollypaw might have crossed the WindClan border. Anxiety spiked his belly. He couldn't be honest with her without

“你以为我把你忘了吗？” 隧道入口传来了石楠爪的叫声。 狮爪开心地一下子站起身。 “你迟到啦！” “对不起。” 石楠爪跑得喘不过气。 “我发现杉尾的幼崽跟着我。 我只好把他们送回营地了。” “他们没靠近隧道入口吧？” “没靠近，但已经差一点了。” 石楠爪甩了甩尾巴。 “他们躲得非常隐蔽。 我发现他们的时候都快晚了。” 狮爪的肉垫一下子绷紧了。 万一他们的秘密暴露了可怎么办？ “我差点就不来了，”他坦白说。 石楠爪瞪大了眼睛。 “为什么不来？” “冬青爪失踪了。” “失踪了？” “搜寻队跟着她的踪迹走到——”狮爪停住了。 他不想让石楠爪知道，冬青爪可能已经越过了风族的边界。 焦虑猛地揪紧了他的肚子。 他没办法对她说实话，不然就

feeling like a traitor to his Clan. The realization stung. At least she might give him some clue about where his sister had gone. "Have you seen her?" Heatherpaw shook her head. Lionpaw gazed into her blue eyes. "Are you sure?" Heatherpaw blinked. "Of course I'm sure!" Guilt tickled in his tail. Heatherpaw wouldn't lie to him. Clearly WindClan hadn't captured Hollypaw after all. Lionpaw narrowed his eyes. How could he tell his Clanmates without letting them know how he had found out? "What are you thinking about?" It was Heatherpaw's turn to sound suspicious. "I was just wondering where Hollypaw could be," Lionpaw lied. "She'll be okay," Heatherpaw mewed, winding around Lionpaw. The touch of her fur soothed him. "It's just odd that she didn't come back before dark." It had been strange creeping out of the apprentices" den without having to worry if Hollypaw had one eye open. He had felt guiltily

觉得自己是族群的叛徒。 这个认知让他心里刺痛。 至少她说不定能给自己一点线索，知道妹妹到底去了哪里。 “你见过她吗？” 石楠爪摇了摇头。 狮爪凝视着她蓝色的眼睛。 “你确定吗？” 石楠爪眨了眨眼。 “我当然确定！” 愧疚感搔弄着他的尾巴。 石楠爪不会对他撒谎的。 这么看来，风族根本就没有抓走冬青爪。 狮爪眯起了眼睛。 他该怎么告诉族猫这个消息，又不暴露自己是怎么知道的呢？ “你在想什么？” 这下轮到石楠爪起疑心了。 “我就是在想冬青爪可能在哪里，”狮爪撒了谎。 “她不会有事的，”石楠爪边说边绕着狮爪转了一圈。 她皮毛的触碰让他平静了下来。 “只是她天黑前还没回来，太奇怪了。” 偷偷溜出学徒巢穴，不用提心吊胆冬青爪睁着一只眼盯着他，这种感觉很奇怪。 他刚才还愧疚地

relieved that he didn't have to have an excuse ready in case she'd asked him where he was going. "I bet she'll be back at first light," Heatherpaw mewed. "I hope so." Lionpaw sighed. "So what have you been doing while you were waiting for me?" Heatherpaw sat back with her head on one side. "I was practicing some new battle moves." He plucked the ground excitedly. "Watch this one!" Flicking his hind legs into the air, he spun around on his forepaws and leaped backward, then reared up and raked the air with each paw before tucking his head down and doing a neat forward roll. "Impressive!" Heatherpaw pricked her ears. "Did you make it up yourself?" "Yes." Lionpaw couldn't tell her that Tigerstar had taught him. She'd never believe him. "It'd be perfect for a DarkClan warrior," Heatherpaw mewed. "Teach me how to do it!" Lionpaw demonstrated the move again and Heatherpaw copied him. "Nearly," he mewed. He crouched in front of

庆幸不用提前准备好借口，应付她问自己要去哪里。 “我打赌她天一亮就会回来的，”石楠爪说。 “希望如此吧。” 狮爪叹了口气。 “那你等我的时候都在做什么呀？” 石楠爪歪着头坐好。 “我在练习新的格斗招式。” 他兴奋地扒了扒地面。 “看我这招！” 他猛地抬起后腿，用前爪撑着转身，向后一跃，接着立起身子，每只爪子都在空中抓挠了一下，再低下头稳稳地向前滚了一圈。 “太厉害了！” 石楠爪竖起了耳朵。 “这招是你自己想出来的吗？” “没错。” 狮爪不能告诉她这是虎星教他的。 她绝不会相信的。 “暗黑族的武士用这招再合适不过了，”石楠爪说。 “快教我怎么练！” 狮爪又演示了一遍，石楠爪跟着他学。 “差一点就对了，”狮爪说。 他蹲在

her. "Try again, but this time aim your paws at me." She flicked out her hind legs, spun, and reared at him. Lionpaw dodged as she lashed out with her paws, shouldering her away before she could dive into the roll. She fell sprawling onto the cave floor. Lionpaw's heart lurched. He had forgotten for a moment that he was stronger than her. He darted to her side and pressed his muzzle against her cheek. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" Tigerstar's training had made him even quicker and tougher than before. "You only caught me because you knew what my next move was going to be!" she mewed. She twisted away from him and gave her shoulder a quick lick. "I just hope I never have to go into battle against you." Her eyes glowed with affection as she looked back at him. "Not that I ever could." Lionpaw blinked. She was staring at him expectantly. Did she want him to make the same pledge? He couldn't do that, not when it meant promising to be disloyal to his Clan. "We'll just

她面前。 “再来一次，这次爪子朝着我来。” 她甩出后腿，转身，对着他立起身子。 她出爪抓来的时候，狮爪闪身躲开，在她滚翻之前用肩膀把她撞开了。 她摔趴在了洞穴的地面上。 狮爪的心猛地一沉。 他刚才一时忘了自己比她更强壮。 他飞快冲到她身边，把鼻子贴在她的脸颊上。 “我没弄伤你吧？” 虎星的训练让他比以前更快更强壮了。 “你赢了我，不过是因为你知道我下一步要做什么！” 她说道。 她扭开身子，飞快舔了一下自己的肩膀。 “我真希望永远不用和你在战场上交手。” 她回头看着他，眼睛里闪动着温柔的光。 更何况我根本打不过你。 狮爪眨了眨眼。 她正期待地望着他。 她是想要自己也许下同样的诺言吗？ 他做不到，只要许诺就意味着背叛自己的族群。 “我们只会

have to hope we never have to," he mewed, glancing away. "Dawn's coming." Lionpaw stretched and blinked open his eyes. Heatherpaw was sitting beside him, looking up at the gap in the roof where the sky was growing pale. He got to his paws, feeling his muscles protest. Teaching Heatherpaw the battle moves he'd learned from Tigerstar had tired him out. It seemed like only a few moments since they had dozed off. "We'd better go," Heatherpaw told him. "Will you meet me here tonight?" Heatherpaw flicked her tail. "Of course, even if Crowfeather makes me run to the top of the moor and back again in our training session." She pressed her muzzle against Lionpaw's cheek, then trotted away toward her tunnel. "See you later." Lionpaw's paws tingled. "Bye." He headed in the opposite direction and raced for the open air. The forest was damp, washed by a light rain. Lionpaw wriggled under the brambles and headed home through the half-light of early dawn. The

“只能祈祷我们永远不用走到那一步，”他喵呜说道，别开了视线。 “天要亮了。” 狮爪伸了个懒腰，眨眨眼睁开了眼睛。 石楠爪坐在他身边，抬头望着洞顶的缺口，那里的天空正渐渐泛白。 他站起身，只觉得浑身肌肉都在酸痛抗议。 教石楠爪他从虎星那里学来的格斗招式，可把他累坏了。 感觉他们才刚打盹没一会儿。 “我们该走了，”石楠爪对他说。 “今晚你还会来这儿见我吗？” 石楠爪轻轻甩了甩尾巴。 “当然啦，哪怕鸦羽训练我的时候，要我跑到荒原顶再跑回来我也来。” 她把口鼻贴在狮爪的脸颊上，接着小跑着朝自己的地道走去。 “回头见。” 狮爪的爪子微微发麻。 “再见。” 他朝相反方向走去，快步跑到了洞外。 刚下过一场小雨，森林里湿乎乎的。 狮爪扭身钻过荆棘丛，在黎明的蒙蒙天光中往营地赶。 树