Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18 Lionpaw shivered. The rain had reached right to his skin. He dropped his vole on the fresh-kill pile and shook the water from his pelt. "Good hunting," Ashfur congratulated him. "You've improved a lot these past days. It seems like your mind is on your training again." Lionpaw blinked at his mentor. It had been a good hunting patrol. He, Ashfur, Stormfur, and Brook had caught nearly enough to feed the whole Clan and it was great to feel energetic again, a little faster, a little sharper than his Clanmates, as though StarClan guided his paws. But his heart still ached when he thought of Heatherpaw. He missed being a DarkClan warrior. Stormfur tossed a wet blackbird onto the pile. "Something's wrong." The gray warrior glanced anxiously around the clearing. Beside him, Brook narrowed her eyes. Cinderpaw was tugging twigs toward the thorn barrier where Cloudtail was stuffing them into gaps. Poppypaw and Mousepaw were hurriedly

第十八章 狮爪浑身发抖。 雨水已经浸透了他的皮毛。 他把田鼠放到鲜食堆上，抖掉了皮毛上的雨水。 “捕猎顺利，”灰毛向他道贺。 这几天你进步了好多。 看来你又重新全心投入训练啦。” 狮爪眨眨眼看向自己的导师。 这次捕猎巡逻确实收获不错。 他、灰毛、暴风毛和溪儿捕到的猎物几乎够整个族群吃了，重新充满活力的感觉太好了，他比同伴们更快一点、更敏锐一点，就像星族在指引他的爪子一样。 可一想到石楠爪，他的心还是隐隐作痛。 他想念当黑暗族武士的日子。 暴风毛把一只湿乎乎的乌鸫甩到鲜食堆上。 “出事了。” 那只灰色武士不安地扫视着营地空地。 他身边的溪儿眯起了眼睛。 炭爪正把小树枝拖向荆棘屏障，云尾正在把树枝填进屏障的缺口里。 罂粟爪和鼠爪正急匆匆地

patching the nursery with fresh brambles. Their rain-soaked pelts were spiked, their tails bushed out. Thornclaw and Spiderleg were circling the edge of the camp, staring up through the rain at the walls. Thornclaw flicked his tail toward a rift in the cliff face where the rocks jutted out. "We should reinforce the top there. It's too easy for cats to climb down." Lionpaw's belly tightened. He scanned the clearing. Had Jaypaw returned safely from his mission? He felt relief wash his pelt as he saw Jaypaw emerge from the dirtplace tunnel. Leafpool was calling to him from the medicine den entrance. "We need more dock." "I'll find some," Jaypaw answered at once. "Not by yourself," Leafpool meowed. Jaypaw nodded. "I'll take Hollypaw with me." Lionpaw's paws throbbed with unease. His brother normally bristled with rage at any suggestion that he couldn't manage by himself. Now he accepted it without a murmur. "Don't go far from camp," Leafpool warned. "Lionpaw! Have you heard?" Honeypaw was

用新鲜荆棘修补育婴室。 他们被雨水打湿的皮毛根根竖起，尾巴也蓬了起来。 棘爪和蜘蛛腿正沿着营地边缘绕行，透过雨水仰头盯着营地岩壁。 棘爪甩尾指向岩壁上岩石凸出的一道裂口。 “我们得加固那里的顶部。 别的猫太容易从这里爬下来了。” 狮爪的心一下子揪紧了。 他扫视了一圈营地空地。 松鸦爪完成任务平安回来了吗？ 看到松鸦爪从如厕隧道走出来，一股轻松感漫过了他的全身。 叶池在巫医巢穴洞口喊他。 “我们还需要更多牛蒡草。” “我去找，”松鸦爪立刻回答。 “你不能自己去，”叶池说。 松鸦爪点点头。 “我带冬青爪一起去。” 狮爪的爪子因为不安一阵阵发紧。 换做平时，要是有人说他自己办不到，他肯定气得炸毛。 可今天他一声不吭就接受了。 “别离开营地太远，”叶池提醒他们。 “狮爪！ 你听说了吗？” 蜂蜜爪正

charging toward him, her eyes stretched wide. "There's going to be a battle!" Lionpaw hurried to meet her. "When?" "WindClan is going to attack RiverClan right now," Honeypaw panted. Lionpaw flattened his ears. "Has RiverClan invaded WindClan territory?" Honeypaw shook her head. "RiverClan stole three WindClan kits," she mewed. "WindClan is going to get them back. We have to be ready to fight!" Lionpaw tensed. There weren't many kits in WindClan right now. Could they be the same three who had followed Heatherpaw? "Are you sure RiverClan took them?" "RiverClan was hunting in WindClan territory when the kits went missing," Honeypaw told him. "But it doesn't make sense." Lionpaw's mind was whirling. "Who cares if it makes sense?" Honeypaw trotted around him. "There's going to be a huge battle anyway. Leafpool said so." Sorreltail was heading toward them, eyes clouded with worry. "You're jumping ahead of

朝他冲过来，眼睛瞪得圆圆的。 “要打仗啦！” 狮爪赶紧迎上去。 “什么时候？” “风族现在就要进攻河族了，”蜂蜜爪喘着气说。 狮爪压平了耳朵。 “是河族入侵了风族的领地吗？” 蜂蜜爪摇了摇头。 “河族拐走了风族三只幼崽，”她说。 “风族要去把幼崽抢回来。 我们也得做好战斗准备了！” 狮爪浑身紧绷起来。 风族现在本来就没多少幼崽。 会不会就是跟着石楠爪的那三只？ “你确定是河族抓走的吗？” “幼崽失踪的时候，河族正在风族领地上捕猎，”蜂蜜爪告诉他。 “可这说不通啊。” 狮爪脑子里乱成一团。 “管它说不说得通呢？” 蜂蜜爪绕着他走了一圈。 “反正肯定会有一场大战。 叶池都这么说了。” 斑尾朝他们走来，眼睛里满是担忧。 你太急于

yourself, Honeypaw," she meowed. "We have to be ready," Honeypaw argued. "Who knows what WindClan will do next?" Lionpaw backed away from the two cats, his heart pounding. Had RiverClan really stolen the kits? There was another way off the moor, one their Clanmates didn't know about. What if the kits had found the tunnels? He jumped as a voice sounded behind him. "You should eat," Spiderleg was stretching, flexing his muscles. "You must be ready for battle at any moment." "But WindClan is fighting RiverClan, not us!" "Anything could happen," Spiderleg growled. "RiverClan might chase WindClan off the moor. They might decide to accuse us of taking the kits instead. Leafpool told Firestar that WindClan is desperate enough to do anything." Lionpaw froze. I must find the kits! I must stop this! But what about his Clan? He ought to be thinking about defending them. He should be helping fortify the camp like Cloudtail and Cinderpaw, or joining a patrol to check the border. He couldn't go off and search for kits.

下结论了，蜂蜜爪，”她说道。 “我们必须做好准备，”蜂蜜爪争辩道。 “谁知道风族接下来会做出什么事？” 狮爪从两只猫身边退开，心砰砰直跳。 河族真的拐走幼崽了吗？ 荒原还有另一条出口，是族猫们不知道的。 万一幼崽找到那些隧道了呢？ 身后突然传来声音，吓了他一跳。 “你该吃点东西，”蜘蛛腿一边说一边伸懒腰活动肌肉。 “你得随时做好战斗准备。” “可风族打的是河族，不是我们啊！” “什么事都有可能发生，”蜘蛛腿低吼道。 “河族可能会把风族赶出荒原。 他们说不定会反过来指责我们抓了幼崽。 叶池告诉火星，风族急疯了，什么都干得出来。” 狮爪僵住了。 我必须找到那些幼崽！ 我必须阻止这一切！ 可我的族群怎么办？ 他本该想着怎么保卫族群才对。 他该像云尾和炭爪那样帮忙加固营地，或是跟着巡逻队去检查边境。 他不能就这么离开去找幼崽。

What if WindClan attacked while he was gone? This battle will be a chance to prove yourself a true warrior! Tigerstar's voice murmured in his ear. The kits mean nothing! Think of your Clan. But I am thinking of my Clan! Lionpaw shook his head, clearing Tigerstar's voice from his mind. Cats would be injured. Some might die! He shuddered as he thought of Heatherpaw caught in the midst of the fighting. If the kits were only lost in the tunnels, the battle would be over nothing. "Lionpaw!" Brambleclaw was padding toward him. "Get something to eat and help with the preparations. Firestar's organizing extra patrols and the barrier needs to be strengthened." Lionpaw blinked at the ThunderClan deputy. His belly was churning. "I'm not hungry." Brambleclaw shifted his paws. "Are you scared?" Lionpaw opened his mouth, searching for the words to explain. "It's natural." Brambleclaw's mew softened. "I used to worry about seeing my Clanmates wounded. But defending the Clan is part of the warrior code; it's what we've all trained for. I

要是他离开的时候风族进攻了怎么办？ 这场战斗会是你证明自己是真正武士的好机会！ 虎星的声音在他耳畔低响。 幼崽根本算不了什么！ 多想想你的族群。 可我现在想的就是我的族群啊！ 狮爪摇了摇头，把虎星的声音甩出脑海。 会有猫受伤的。 有些猫甚至会死！ 他浑身发抖，一想到希瑟爪会困在混战当中。 如果幼崽只是在隧道里迷了路，这场战斗根本就毫无意义。 "狮爪！" 黑莓掌正朝他走来。 "去找点吃的，然后过来帮忙做准备。 火星正在增派巡逻队，营地的荆棘屏障需要加固。" 狮爪眨了眨眼，看着雷族的副族长。 他的肚子翻江倒海，难受极了。 "我不饿。" 黑莓掌挪了挪爪子。 "你害怕了？" 狮爪张开嘴，想找些话来解释清楚。 "这很正常。" 黑莓掌的声音软了下来。 "我以前也会担心看到族亲受伤。 但守卫族群是武士守则的一部分，这就是我们训练的目标呀。 我

know it's tough but we're doing the right thing in the eyes of StarClan." He ran his tail along Lionpaw's flank. "You have the makings of a great warrior, Lionpaw, and I'm proud of you. Just remember what you've been taught and stay sharp." "Do we really need to fight?" "If your leader tells you to, then yes," Brambleclaw murmured. "Firestar won't lead any cat into battle unless he believes it's the right thing to do." But Firestar doesn't know everything. Lionpaw suddenly felt weary. If only he didn't know about the tunnels. Then he could just do as he was ordered without question. Miserably, he nodded at Brambleclaw. "Okay." He padded to the fresh- kill pile, sick at the sight of the prey piled there as though it were any ordinary day. "Why can't we fight?" Icekit's small mew wailed across the clearing. "I don't want to wait here until WindClan comes and shreds us!" Foxkit hissed. "You'd only get in the way," Ferncloud told them sternly. She swept her tail over them,

知道这很艰难，但星族会看到我们做的是对的。" 他的尾巴轻轻扫过狮爪的侧腹。 "你具备成为优秀武士的资质，狮爪，我为你骄傲。 只要记住你学过的东西，保持警觉就好。" "我们真的必须打仗吗？" "如果你的首领下令了，那就必须打，" 黑莓掌低声说。 "火星除非确定是对的，否则绝不会带任何猫去打仗。" 可火星并不是什么都知道啊。 狮爪突然觉得疲惫不堪。 要是他不知道隧道的事就好了。 那样他就能毫不犹豫地服从命令了。 他闷闷不乐地朝黑莓掌点了点头。 "好吧。" 他慢慢走向猎物堆，看到那堆猎物像平常日子一样堆在那儿，只觉得胃里一阵恶心。 "我们为什么不能去打仗？" 冰崽稚嫩的哭喊声传遍了营地空地。 "我才不想待在这儿等风族来把我们撕碎！" 狐崽嘶声道。 "你俩只会添乱，" 蕨云严肃地对他们说。 她用尾巴拢住他们，