Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14 Jaypaw could feel dappled sunlight and shade on his pelt as he padded beneath the trees. Lionpaw flanked him on one side, while Hollypaw bounded ahead for a few paw steps, then returned to join her littermates. The air was full of birdsong and the rustling of leaves, and the scents of prey were sharp in the undergrowth. The three apprentices brought up the rear of the group of traveling cats. Brambleclaw had taken the lead, with Stormfur and Brook, closely followed by Talon and Night. Just ahead of Jaypaw he could scent Squirrelflight and Tawnypelt. "...and Tigerkit has already learned the hunter's crouch," Tawnypelt was meowing. "But I think Dawnkit will be the best fighter, if only she listens to what her mentor tells her once she's apprenticed. Right now she doesn't listen to any cat." "All kits can be deaf when they choose," Squirrelflight told her. "They'll grow into fine

第十四章 松鸦爪在树下缓步前行，斑驳的光影落在他的皮毛上。 狮爪走在他身侧，冬青爪往前蹦了几步，又折回来加入同窝兄妹的队伍。 空气中满是鸟鸣和树叶的沙沙声，灌木丛里猎物的气味浓郁清晰。 三只学徒走在这支旅行猫群的队尾。 黑莓掌走在最前头，身旁是暴风毛和溪儿，紧挨着他们的是猛爪和夜。 松鸦爪闻到，就在他不远处有松鼠飞和褐皮的气味。 “……而且小虎已经学会捕猎蹲伏了，”褐皮说道。 不过我觉得晓崽会是最棒的战士，只要她当上学徒后肯听导师的话。 她现在谁的话都不听。” “所有幼崽想装聋的时候都能装聋，”松鼠飞对她说道。 “他们会长成优秀的

warriors, you'll see." Kits! Jaypaw thought. Boring! He angled his ears, trying to pick up more interesting snippets of conversation, but all he could hear was Crowfeather telling Breezepaw about the best way to catch prey in the mountains. The two WindClan cats were padding side by side a few tail-lengths from the rest; Jaypaw could feel Breezepaw's resentment at being forced to come on the journey. I don't think he and his father even like each other, Jaypaw decided. "Hey, look!" Lionpaw exclaimed. "Bet you I can catch that butterfly!" "Bet you can't," Hollypaw returned. "Just watch!" Lionpaw took off in an enormous leap, then crashed back to the forest floor. "Missed it!" Hollypaw let out a mrrow of laughter. "Told you!" Jaypaw heard heavier paw steps in the bracken and his mother's scent drifted over him. "Just what do you three think you're doing?" she scolded them. "Are you kits, let out of camp for the first time? This is a serious journey, and

武士，你等着瞧吧。” 幼崽们！ 松鸦爪心想。 真无聊！ 他竖起耳朵，想捕捉更有意思的只言片语，可他只听到鸦羽给荆爪讲在山里捕猎的最佳方法。 这两只风族猫和大部队隔开了几个尾长的距离，并排走着； 松鸦爪能感觉到荆爪对被迫参加这次旅行满心不满。 我看他和他父亲根本就不喜欢对方，松鸦爪想。 “喂，你看！” 狮爪喊道。 “我打赌我能抓到那只蝴蝶！” “我赌你抓不到，”冬青爪回道。 “你看着！” 狮爪猛地纵身一跃，接着重重摔在了森林地面上。 “没抓到！” 冬青爪喵呜一声笑了出来。 “我就说吧！” 松鸦爪听到蕨丛里传来更沉重的脚步声，妈妈的气味飘到了他跟前。 “你们三个说说，这是在干什么？” 她训斥他们道。 “你们难道是第一次出营地的幼崽吗？ 这是一次严肃的旅程，而且

you need to save your strength. You'll need it later." "Sorry," Lionpaw muttered. Jaypaw drew his lips back in the beginning of a snarl as he imagined Breezepaw's smug expression; he knew the WindClan apprentice was listening. If he says one word, I'll claw his ear off! But Breezepaw had the sense to keep his jaws shut. Soon Jaypaw began to pick up the clean scent of water. Stronger sunlight on his pelt told him they had left the shelter of the trees. He realized they had emerged beside the lake, and for a moment his paws itched to search for the stick with the marks Rock had made. But he couldn't carry the stick all the way to the mountains. I'll have to leave it behind. But I'm not leaving you behind, Rock. When I get to the mountains, I know I'll find you there. "We're near the WindClan border," Hollypaw whispered into his ear. "We have to cross the stream." For a couple of heartbeats Jaypaw froze,

你们得保存体力。 你之后会用得上它的。” “对不起，”狮爪小声嘟囔道。 松鸦爪想起荆爪得意的表情，忍不住咧开嘴，快要发出吼声了； 他知道这个风族学徒正在偷听。 他要是敢说一个字，我就抓破他的耳朵！ 不过荆爪还算识相，闭紧了嘴巴。 没多久，松鸦爪就闻到了清水的气味。 更强烈的阳光落在皮毛上，告诉他他们已经走出了树林的遮蔽。 他意识到他们已经来到湖边，一瞬间爪子发痒，想去找那块刻了记号的棍子，那是岩石留下的。 可他没法把这根棍子一路带到山里去。 我只能把它留在这里了。 但我不会丢下你的，岩石。 等我到了山里，我知道我一定会在那里找到你。 “我们快到风族边界了，”冬青爪对着他的耳朵轻声说。 “我们得渡过这条小溪。” 有好几秒钟，松鸦爪僵住了，

remembering the smothering water in the tunnels. He hated getting his paws wet! Lionpaw butted him gently in the shoulder. "It'll be okay. The water's really shallow." Jaypaw bit back an indignant retort, though it was really himself he was angry with. Would he always have to fight this terror of drowning? He could hear splashing as the other cats crossed the stream. Hollypaw guided him to the bank with her tail across his shoulders. Jaypaw tensed when he felt the current swirling around his paws. The stream bed shelved down until the water brushed his belly fur. He could feel Hollypaw and Lionpaw close on either side; Lionpaw murmured, "This way a bit; there's a deeper place just there." Then the stream grew shallower again, and Jaypaw could scramble up the bank on the other side. He halted a tail-length away and shook himself to hide his tremors of relief. "Hey, do you mind?" Breezepaw's unfriendly voice came from just behind him. "You're making my fur wet!" "Sor-ree," Jaypaw muttered.

想起了隧道里令人窒息的水流。 他讨厌把爪子弄湿！ 狮爪轻轻撞了撞他的肩膀。 “没事的。 水真的很浅。” 松鸦爪忍住了愤愤的反驳，其实他生气的对象是自己。 难道我永远都要和对溺水的恐惧抗争吗？ 其他猫渡溪的时候，他听到了哗哗的溅水声。 冬青爪把尾巴搭在他肩上，领着他走到岸边。 感觉到水流绕着爪子打转，松鸦爪瞬间绷紧了身体。 溪床往下倾斜，河水都碰到了他肚子上的毛。 他能感觉到冬青爪和狮爪紧挨着自己在两边； 狮爪轻声说：“往这边挪一点； 那地方正好有一处深水区。” 接着溪水又变浅了，松鸦爪顺利爬上了对岸的堤岸。 他在离岸边一个尾长的地方停下，抖了抖身子，藏起自己释然的颤抖。 “喂，你到底能不能小心点？” 荆爪不友好的声音从他身后传来。 “你把我的毛弄湿了！” “对不——起，”松鸦爪嘟囔道。

The cats continued along the lakeshore, across WindClan territory and past the horseplace. Jaypaw could just pick up the scent of the horseplace cats beneath the overwhelming scent of horse, but neither Smoky nor Floss appeared to greet them. He pricked his ears at distant barking and decided that the dog who lived near the horseplace was too far away to be a nuisance. Once past the horseplace, Brambleclaw led the way uphill. Jaypaw's paws tingled as he realized he was setting them down on unfamiliar ground. This was the real beginning of the adventure! The scents of home were fading behind him, and a stiff breeze brought new scents to him, wild and strange. His paws faltered briefly. Stupid cat! he berated himself. This is what you wanted, isn't it? He felt his littermates" pelts touching his on either side, and sensed that they too were daunted by the unknown path where they had set their paws. The ground underfoot was growing wetter and more uneven. Jaypaw brushed past a clump of reeds and heard a splash accompanied by a strong scent of frog. A moment later, one of his paws slipped on a tussock of wet grass and water surged

猫咪们沿着湖岸继续前行，穿过风族领地，经过了马场。 松鸦爪能在浓重的马味底下闻出马场猫咪的气息，可斯莫基和弗洛斯都没出来迎接他们。 他竖起耳朵听远处的狗吠，断定住在马场附近的狗离得太远，不会添麻烦。 离开马场后，黑莓掌带头往山上走。 松鸦爪发现自己正踩在陌生的土地上，爪子不由得一阵发麻。 这场冒险才真正开始呢！ 故乡的气息在他身后渐渐消散，凛冽的微风送来新鲜又陌生的狂野气息。 他的脚步稍稍顿了顿。 笨猫！ 他在心里骂自己。 这不就是你想要的吗，不对吗？ 他感觉到两侧同窝手足的皮毛蹭着自己，也察觉出他们对脚下这条未知的路同样心生胆怯。 脚下的地面越来越湿，也越来越凹凸不平。 松鸦爪从一丛芦苇间挤过，听见扑通一声响，还闻到一股浓烈的青蛙气味。 没过一会儿，他的一只爪子在湿草墩上一滑，河水猛地涌了

over his hindquarters. "Fox dung!" he spat, clawing with his forepaws to heave himself out again. "Are you okay?" Lionpaw asked. "Fine." Jaypaw spoke through gritted teeth. Just beyond his brother, he heard Talon murmur to Night, "This is crazy. Taking a blind to-be all the way to the mountains!" "I know," Night replied. "He'll never keep up." A sharp retort bubbled up inside Jaypaw, but before he could speak he felt his mother's tail laid firmly over his mouth. "Jaypaw will manage just fine," she meowed. "He's as good at tackling new territory as any cat. Have you never put a paw in the wrong place, Talon?" she added. When the big Tribe tabby didn't reply, she moved her tail from Jaypaw's mouth to his shoulder. "Come this way. It's drier over here." Jaypaw followed her, thankful to feel more solid ground beneath his paws. He was surprised that Breezepaw hadn't made some sarcastic comment about his misstep. But Breeze-paw was a Clan cat; maybe he felt a kind of loyalty to support any Clan cat against the Tribe.

过他的后半身。 “狐粪！” 他啐了一口，伸出前爪扒拉着想把自己拉出去。 “你没事吧？” 狮爪问道。 “没事。” 松鸦爪咬着牙说道。 就在哥哥身后不远处，他听见猛爪低声对夜说：“这太疯狂了， 带着一只失明的猫一路去山区！” “我知道，”夜回答道。 “他肯定跟不上的。” 一句尖刻的反驳涌到松鸦爪嘴边，可他还没开口，就感觉到母亲的尾巴牢牢搭在了他的嘴上。 “松鸦爪肯定能应付的，”她喵呜道。 “他应付新领地的本事可不输任何一只猫。 你就从来没踩错过地方吗，猛爪？” 她补充道。 这个大个子部落虎斑猫没有答话，她便把尾巴从松鸦爪的嘴上移到了他的肩膀上。 “往这边走， 这边地面更干。” 松鸦爪跟着她走，很高兴脚下重新踩上了结实的地面。 他很惊讶，荆爪居然没对他这一失足说什么风凉话。 可荆爪毕竟也是族群猫； 说不定他念着同族群的情义，会支持族群猫对抗部落猫。