Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11 Wind whipped through Lionpaw's pelt as he raced toward the ShadowClan border. He couldn't think of anywhere he would rather be than running beside his father, with an important mission ahead and the chance to prove himself. He was proud of how he kept up with Brambleclaw; he wasn't as big, but his legs were nearly as long. "Watch out," Brambleclaw warned. "Fallen tree ahead." Lionpaw had already spotted it, a beech with smooth gray bark, brought down in the storms of the previous leaf-bare. A few dead leaves still clung to its branches, rustling in the breeze. Brambleclaw skirted the roots, but Lionpaw sprang upward, scrabbling with his hind paws to drag himself on top of the trunk, and pushed his way through the branches until he could leap down on the other side. He wanted to show Brambleclaw just how fast and powerful he could be, so when a small stream

第十一章 风刮过狮爪的皮毛，他正朝着影族边界飞奔而去。 他想不到还有什么地方，比和父亲并肩奔跑更让他向往，前方有重要任务，还有机会证明自己。 他很骄傲自己能跟上黑莓掌的步伐； 他虽然个头没那么大，腿却几乎一样长。 “小心，”黑莓掌提醒道。 “前面有棵倒树。” 狮爪早就发现它了，这是一棵树皮滑溜溜的灰皮山毛榉，是去年秃叶季的风暴刮倒的。 几片枯树叶还挂在枝头上，在微风里沙沙作响。 黑莓掌绕开树根走，狮爪却纵身跃起，后爪扒着树干爬上树顶，挤过枝丫后跳到了树干另一边。 他想向黑莓掌展示自己有多迅捷强壮，因此当一条小溪

crossed their path he gathered his muscles for an enormous leap and launched himself across the water. His paws stretched for a smooth flat stone on the opposite side, but just before he landed a blackbird erupted from a hazel bush just ahead, giving a raucous alarm call. Startled, Lionpaw landed awkwardly; his hind paws slipped and cold water surged over his haunches and his tail. "Mouse dung!" he spat, his claws scoring the stone as he dragged himself out. Brambleclaw was waiting for him on the bank, amusement glimmering in his amber eyes. "Steady on," he purred. "You're not a RiverClan cat, and we haven't time for fishing." "Sorry," Lionpaw muttered. Glittering drops of water spun away from his pelt as he tried to shake himself dry. As they drew closer to ShadowClan territory, Brambleclaw's pace slowed, until he came to a halt on the border not far from the dead tree. "What are we waiting for?" Lionpaw mewed. "A ShadowClan patrol," his father replied. "They'll escort us to their camp." "But you know where the camp is," Lionpaw

拦住去路时，他绷紧肌肉，蓄力一跃，纵身跳过溪水。 他伸出爪子，想落在对岸一块平整的石头上，可就在落地前，一只乌鸫猛地从前方的榛丛飞出，发出粗哑的告警声。 狮爪吓了一跳，落地姿势歪歪扭扭； 他的后爪一滑，冰冷的溪水没过了他的臀部和尾巴。 “鼠屎！” 他啐了一口，爪子抠住石头，把自己拉上了岸。 黑莓掌在岸上等他，琥珀色的眼睛里闪着打趣的光。 “稳着点，”他轻声呼噜道。 “你又不是河族猫，我们可没时间捕鱼。” “对不起，”狮爪嘟囔道。 他试着把毛抖干，亮晶晶的水珠从他的皮毛上甩飞出去。 他们越来越靠近影族领地，黑莓掌放慢了脚步，最后在离倒树不远的边界停了下来。 “我们在等什么？” 狮爪喵声问道。 “等影族的巡逻队，”他的父亲回答。 “他们会带我们去他们的营地。” “可你明明知道营地在哪，”狮爪

protested, flexing his claws in frustration. "It's not as if we're attacking them! Why can't we just go?" "Because Blackstar won't see it like that." Brambleclaw looked down at him, serious now. "We're coming to take one of his warriors away on a long, dangerous journey, to help a completely different group of cats. He won't like it, and I can't say I blame him. Besides, the warrior code forbids us to trespass on another Clan's territory, whether we're friendly or not. We'll wait." He sat down just on the ThunderClan side of the border and wrapped his tail over his paws. "If you want something to do, you can groom that wet fur. I don't want ShadowClan thinking that ThunderClan apprentices can't look after themselves." Lionpaw's pelt had begun to dry, the hairs clumping together in untidy tufts. He sat down and gave himself a thorough washing, stretching his neck over his back to reach every last scrap of fur. When he had finished there were still no ShadowClan warriors in sight. "Don't they ever patrol their borders?" he grumbled, batting at a beetle that was climbing a

抗议道，挫败地活动着爪子。 “又不是我们要攻打他们！ 我们为什么不能直接进去？” “因为黑星不会这么想。” 黑莓掌低头看向他，神色变得严肃。 “我们这次来，要带他们的一名武士踏上漫长危险的旅程，去帮助另一群完全陌生的猫。” 他不会乐意的，我也没法怪他。 再说，武士守则禁止我们侵入别族领地，不管我们是不是友邻。 我们在这里等。” 他就在雷族这边的边界坐下，尾巴搭在了爪子上。 “要是你没事可做，就把湿毛梳理一下。 我可不想让影族觉得，雷族的学徒连自己都收拾不好。” 狮爪的皮毛已经开始变干，毛发结成了一块块乱糟糟的毛簇。 他坐下认认真真舔了一遍，伸长脖子够到后背，把每一块皮毛都梳理干净。 等他梳理完，还是没有半个影族武士的影子。 “他们难道从来不巡逻边界吗？” 他嘟囔着，拍向一只正往

grass stem near his nose. Brambleclaw had settled into a crouch, his paws tucked comfortably under him and his eyes slitted, enjoying the sun. "They'll be along soon. You can hunt if you want, but make sure you stay on this side of the border." Lionpaw sprang up, but before he could pinpoint any prey he heard the sound of pelts swishing through the bracken a few fox-lengths away. A ShadowClan patrol appeared from the arching fronds and stalked toward the border. Lionpaw recognized Russetfur, the ShadowClan deputy, but the other two—a young dark brown tom and a tortoiseshell she-cat—were strangers to him. As soon as he spotted Brambleclaw and Lionpaw waiting by the border, the young tom exclaimed, "Intruders! I knew I'd scented them." He bounded forward, his fur bristling. "Toadfoot, wait!" Russetfur overtook her Clanmate and padded up to Brambleclaw. "What do you want?" "Greetings." Brambleclaw dipped his head, ignoring the deputy's hostile tone. "We're not

他鼻子旁草茎上爬的甲虫。 黑莓掌舒舒服服伏低身子蹲着，爪子收在腹下，眼睛眯着，享受着阳光。 “他们很快就会来的。 你要是想打猎就去，但一定要待在边界这一侧。” 狮爪一下子跳起来，可他还没锁定猎物，就听见几狐步外的蕨丛里传来皮毛擦过的沙沙声。 一支影族巡逻队从拱起的蕨叶中走出来，朝着边界走来。 狮爪认出了影族副族长褐皮，另外两只——一只年轻深棕色公猫和一只玳瑁色母猫——他都不认识。 那只年轻公猫一看见在边界等候的黑莓掌和狮爪，就大声喊道：“入侵者！ 我就说我闻到他们的气味了。” 他毛发倒竖，冲了上来。 “蟾足，等等！” 褐皮赶在族猫前面，走到黑莓掌面前。 “你们想要干什么？” “你们好。” 黑莓掌低下头，没有理会副族长充满敌意的语气。 “我们不是

intruding, Russetfur, just waiting for an escort to your camp. We need to speak to Blackstar." Russetfur's whiskers twitched suspiciously. "What's so important that it can't wait until the Gathering?" "A decision that Blackstar must make now." The ShadowClan deputy lashed her tail; Lionpaw guessed she was furious that Brambleclaw wouldn't tell her what his business was. Reluctantly she stepped back, jerking her head to invite Brambleclaw and Lionpaw across the border. "Ivytail, run back to the camp and warn Blackstar," she ordered. "Toadfoot, keep an eye out behind. We need to be sure that there aren't any more ThunderClan warriors lurking about." She turned and stalked off, with Brambleclaw padding quietly at her shoulder, while Toadfoot drew close to Lionpaw, fixing him with a fierce glare. "Don't even think about unsheathing your claws," he hissed. "Don't worry, I won't," Lionpaw retorted. He remembered Birchfall, back in camp, talking about his friendship with ShadowClan kits during

我们并非擅闯，赤毛，只是等着有人领我们去你们营地。 我们要见黑星。 赤毛的胡须满是怀疑地抽动了一下。 “什么事这么重要，不能等到森林大会再说吗？” “这是黑星必须立刻做出的决定。” 这位影族副族长狠狠甩了甩尾巴； 狮爪猜测，黑莓掌不肯说明来意，肯定把她惹火了。 她不情愿地退开，偏了偏头，示意黑莓掌和狮爪越过边界。 “常春藤尾，快回营地通知黑星，”她下令道。 “蟾蜍足，看好身后。 我们得确认没有其他雷族武士埋伏在附近。” 她转身大步走开，黑莓掌静静跟在她身侧，蟾蜍足则凑近狮爪，恶狠狠地瞪着他。 “你敢亮出爪子试试，”他嘶声说。 “放心，我不会的，”狮爪回嘴道。 他想起营中的桦落，曾说起自己和影族幼崽的友谊，那还是在

the Great Journey. Toadkit was one of the names he mentioned; this young warrior must be the same cat. "Do you remember Birchkit?" he asked, trying to be more friendly. "He's Birchfall now." "So?" Toadfoot sounded just as hostile. "He was telling us about you earlier today. He said what good friends he was with you and your littermates." For a heartbeat he thought he saw a shadow of sadness in Toadfoot's eyes, but it was gone before he could be sure. "That was on the Great Journey," Toadfoot meowed. "Things were different then. I'm a ShadowClan warrior now." Lionpaw stifled a sigh. Why couldn't you be a loyal warrior and still have friends in other Clans? He wondered if things had been better on the Great Journey, when there were no borders, so you didn't have to be enemies with other cats just because of where they lived. But he couldn't go on thinking about that now, not when Russetfur was leading them deeper into ShadowClan territory. Lionpaw's whiskers

大迁徙途中。 桦落提到过蟾蜍崽，这位年轻武士肯定就是当年那只猫。 “你还记得桦崽吗？”他问道，努力放软态度。 “他现在叫桦落了。” “那又怎样？” 蟾蜍足的语气依旧充满敌意。 “他今天早些时候还跟我们说起你。 他说当年你和你的同窝手足跟他是非常要好的朋友。” 一瞬间，狮爪好像看到蟾蜍眼底闪过一丝忧伤，可没等他确认，那情绪就消失了。 “那都是大迁徙时候的事了，”蟾蜍足说。 “那时候情况不一样。 我现在是影族武士。” 狮爪把叹息憋了回去。 为什么做了忠诚的武士，就不能有其他族群的朋友呢？ 他忍不住想，大迁徙的时候是不是更好？那时候没有边界，不用因为对方住在别的地方就非得当敌人。 可他现在没法接着想这件事，赤毛已经带着他们往影族领地深处走了。 狮爪的胡须