Chapter 0 Prologue

OUTCAST POWER OF THREE WARRIORS ERIN HUN TER NEW YORK TIMES BESTSEL ING AU HOR

《放逐者：三力量 猫武士 艾琳·亨特 纽约时报畅销书作家》

PROLOGUE "Prey-stealers! This is our territory." A gray tomcat spat out the words. His neck fur bristled and his lips were drawn back in a snarl. His gaze raked over the group of cats who crouched below him on the steep path. Their claws were unsheathed and their eyes were bright and hungry. One of them had a limp rabbit dangling from her jaws. "Our territory and our prey." A silver tabby tom gave him an insolent stare. "If it's your territory, why are there no border markings? The prey here belongs to every cat." "That's not true and you know it." A black she- cat stood close to the gray tom's shoulder, her tail lashing. "Get out now!" From the side of her mouth she added in a low mutter, "Crag, we can't fight them. Remember what happened last time." "I know, Night," the gray tom replied. "But what else can we do?" On Crag's other side a huge brown tabby tom thrust his way forward, letting out a hiss of fury. "Take one more paw step and we'll rip your fur

序章 “偷猎物的小偷！ 这是我们的地盘。” 一只灰色公猫恶狠狠地吐出这句话。 他颈毛倒竖，咧嘴龇牙，发出低吼。 他的目光扫过陡坡上蹲在他下方的这群猫。 他们亮出爪子，眼睛闪着饥渴的光。 其中一只母猫的嘴里叼着一只软垂的兔子。 “这里的地盘和猎物都是我们的。” 一只银纹公猫傲慢地瞪着他。 “如果这真是你的地盘，怎么没有边界标记？ 这里的猎物本该给所有猫分享。” “你明明知道这不对。” 一只黑色母猫站在灰公猫肩旁，尾巴甩个不停。 “现在立刻滚出去！” 她压着嗓子低声补充道：“石峰，我们打不过他们。 别忘了上次出事的教训。” “我知道，夜毛，”灰公猫石峰回答道。 “可我们还能怎么办呢？” 石峰身旁另一只巨型棕纹公猫挤上前，愤怒地嘶嘶叫。 再往前踏一步，我们就扯掉你的

off," he growled. Crag touched him on the shoulder with the tip of his tail. "Steady, Talon," he warned. "Let's get out of this without ripping fur if we can." More cats appeared around a curve in the path, filling the narrow space behind the silver tabby. "Sheer." Crag summoned a small tabby tom with a flick of his ears. "Get back to the cave, quickly. Tell them the invaders are back." "But—" Sheer was obviously reluctant to leave his friends when they were already outnumbered. "Now!" Crag snapped. Sheer turned and fled up the path. The sun was going down. Rocks cast long shadows over the rough ground, stained red as blood. The faint sound of tumbling water broke the silence, and from the sky came the harsh cry of a hawk. "This is as far as you go," Crag meowed. "Turn back and find somewhere else to hunt." "Who's going to make us?" the silver tabby sneered. "Try staying here, and you'll see," Talon hissed.

毛，”他低吼道。 石峰用尾尖碰了碰他的肩膀。 “冷静点，利爪，”他警告道。 “能不动手就不动手解决。” 更多猫从小路转弯处冒出来，挤满了银纹公猫身后的窄路。 “希尔。” 石峰动了动耳朵，召唤那只小斑纹公猫。 “快回洞穴去， 告诉他们入侵者又来了。” “可是——”希尔明显不想在同伴寡不敌众的时候离开。 “立刻去！” 石峰厉声喝道。 希尔转身沿着小路跑走了。 太阳快要落山了。 岩石在粗糙的地面投下长长的影子，地面被染得像血一样红。 潺潺的流水声打破了寂静，天空传来鹰刺耳的啼叫。 “你们只能走到这里了，”石峰说道。 “掉头回去，找别的地方捕猎吧。” “谁能拦得住我们？” 银纹公猫讥笑道。 “有种就留在这里，你们马上就知道厉害了，”利爪嘶声说。

Crag's patrol pressed up beside him, blocking the path. But the intruders began fanning out, scrambling onto the boulders on either side. Crag crouched, tensing his muscles. He would fight if he had to, in spite of what had happened last time. "Stop!" A brown tabby tom shouldered his way through Crag's patrol to stand in front of the invaders. Though his muzzle was gray with age, his muscles were still wiry and powerful and he held his head high. "I am Stoneteller, Tribe-Healer of the Tribe of Rushing Water," he announced, his voice echoing hoarsely off the rocks. "This is our territory, and you are not welcome here." "Territory only belongs to cats who can defend it," the silver tabby retorted. "Remember how we drove you out, before the time of frozen water?" Stoneteller growled. "We will do the same again, unless you leave now." The silver tabby narrowed his eyes. "Drove us out? That's not how I remember it." "We chose to leave," a brown-and-white she

石峰的巡逻队挤到他身边，挡住了去路。 但入侵者开始分散开来，爬向两侧的巨石。 石峰俯下身子，绷紧了肌肉。 哪怕上次出过事，逼不得已他也会一战。 “住手！” 一只棕纹公猫推开石峰的巡逻队，站到入侵者面前。 虽然他的口鼻因为年纪已经花白，肌肉却依旧强健有力，高高昂着头。 “我是尖石巫师，急水部落的疗愈者，”他开口说道，声音粗哑地在岩石间回荡。 “这是我们的地盘，我们不欢迎你们。” “地盘只属于能守住它的猫，”银纹公猫反驳道。 “还记得结冰季之前我们怎么把你们赶出去的吗？” 尖石巫师低吼道。 “你们现在不走，我们还会再赶你们一次。” 银纹公猫眯起了眼睛。 “赶我们出去？ 我记得可不是这样。” “是我们自己选择离开的，”一只棕白相间的母

cat added from where she crouched on top of a boulder. "We found a better place to spend leaf- bare, with more prey." "And now we choose to come back." The tabby tom lashed his tail. "A few scrawny, flea- ridden excuses for cats aren't going to stop us." He flexed his claws, scraping the stones. "The Tribe of Rushing Water has always made its home in these mountains," Stoneteller meowed. "We—" His words were lost in a yowl of fury as the brown-and-white she-cat launched herself from the boulder and fastened her claws in Night's shoulder. The tabby tom let out a fearsome screech and hurled himself at Crag. As Crag rolled over and over, clawing at his attacker, the air filled with the shrieks of battling cats. Far above, the Tribe of Endless Hunting looked on helplessly.

猫蹲在一块巨石顶上补充道。 “我们找到了更好的地方过冬，猎物也更多。” “现在我们选择回来。” 那只斑纹公猫甩了甩尾巴。 “就凭你们这几只瘦巴巴、满身跳蚤的破猫，也想拦住我们？” 他张开爪子，刮着岩石。 “急水部落一直都住在这些山里，”尖石巫师说道。 “我们——”他的话被一声怒吼淹没，那只棕白母猫从巨石上扑下来，爪子紧紧扣住了夜毛的肩膀。 那只斑纹公猫发出可怕的尖叫，朝着石峰猛扑过去。 石峰滚来滚去，抓挠着攻击者，空气里满是打斗猫咪的尖叫。 在高高的天上，无尽狩猎族只能无助地看着这一切。