Chapter 28

CHAPTER 28 Beneath the full moon the mountains were washed with silver, patched with the deep shadows of jutting rocks. Lionpaw padded at his father's shoulder. "Remember," Brambleclaw mewed, glancing back at him and Hollypaw, "you're not trying to prove anything. Don't try to take on a cat you can't handle. Not if you can help it." "We don't want to get our ears clawed off," Hollypaw pointed out, with a whisk of her tail. "Be careful you don't, then." Brambleclaw's amber gaze was warm. "How would I face Firestar if I didn't bring you all home safe?" Anticipation shivered through Lionpaw from ears to tail-tip. Every paw step was bringing him closer to his first real battle. He longed with every hair on his pelt to make his father and his Clan proud of him. Yet he wasn't just fighting for his Clan and the warrior code. He was fighting for the Tribe, too, alongside Tribe cats who had become his friends. Their enemies had become his

第28章 满月之下，群山镀上银辉，突出的岩石投下片片浓影 狮爪放轻脚步，跟在父亲肩旁 “记住，”棘爪边说边回头看向他和冬青爪，“你不用非要证明什么 别去迎战你应付不了的对手 能避免就尽量避免。” “我们可不想耳朵被抓掉，”冬青爪甩了甩尾巴说道 “那你们可要小心，别出事。” 棘爪琥珀色的目光十分温和 “要是没能把你们平安带回家，我该怎么面对火星？” 期待的战栗从狮爪的耳朵一直传到了尾尖 每一步都让他离自己第一场真正的战斗更近一步 他满心渴望能让父亲和部族为自己骄傲 不过他并非只为部族和武士守则而战 他也为部落而战，要和已经成为朋友的部落猫并肩作战 他们的敌人，已经成了他的

enemies, because the intruders had shown that they had no code of honor; they couldn't admit the justice of dividing the mountains into separate territories. A few tail-lengths away he spotted Breezepaw. The WindClan apprentice was ready for battle too, with bristling fur and his lips already drawn back in a fierce snarl. He was padding just behind Crowfeather, yet his father didn't offer him any encouragement. Lionpaw felt a pang of sympathy. Maybe Breezepaw wouldn't be such an annoying furball if he had Brambleclaw for a father instead of Crowfeather. A shadow drifted over the rocks and Lionpaw looked up to see a cloud covering the moon. A chill crept through him, as though his pads had touched ice. Did that mean that StarClan was angry because they were breaking the full moon truce? But StarClan doesn't walk these skies, he remembered. Jaypaw had warned them that they would be alone. Besides, a moment later the cloud had drifted away and the moon shone brightly again. Sometimes a cloud is just a cloud. The moon floated high in the sky by the time

敌人，因为这些入侵者早已暴露，他们根本没有荣誉准则 他们不承认平分山地领地是公道合理的事 几尾长之外，他看到了荆爪 这位风族学徒也做好了战斗准备，毛发倒竖，嘴唇绷紧，露出凶狠怒容 他跟在鸦羽身后，可父亲半句鼓励都没给他 狮爪心头涌起一阵同情 要是荆爪的父亲是棘爪而非鸦羽，说不定他就不会这么讨人厌了 一片影子飘过岩石，狮爪抬头看见一朵云遮住了月亮 一阵寒意爬遍全身，就像肉垫踩在了冰上 这会不会是星族发怒了，因为他们打破了满月休战的约定 可他想起，星族并不眷顾这片天空 松爪早就警告过他们，在这里他们只能靠自己 况且，没过一会儿云就飘走了，月亮再次明亮地照下来 有时候，一朵云就只是一朵云而已 等到月亮高高飘在夜空时

the battle-hungry cats reached the intruders" camp. Everything was quiet. Lionpaw gazed at the narrow cleft between the tilted rocks, but he could make out nothing in the darkness inside. "I can't see any sign of guards," Hollypaw whispered. "They probably don't think they need them," Lionpaw murmured. "After all, Tribe cats are too weak to give any trouble, right?" Hollypaw's green eyes gleamed with amusement. "We'll see about that!" Brambleclaw gathered the cats around him with a gesture of his tail and led them into the shadow of a rock. "Crag and I will divide you into attacking patrols," he mewed. "Tribe and Clan, apprentices and to-bes, in each group. That way we'll have the best spread of skills. The plan is to lure the trespassers out here and then attack them, otherwise we'll be fighting in the dark on enemy ground." Lionpaw glanced again at the dark cleft and then back at Brambleclaw. "That can't be right," he objected. Brambleclaw cocked his head. "No?"

这群渴望战斗的猫抵达了入侵者的营地 四周万籁俱寂 狮爪盯着倾斜岩石间的窄缝，缝里漆黑一片，什么都看不清 “我没看到放哨的猫，”冬青爪低声说 “他们大概根本不觉得需要放哨，”狮爪小声说 “毕竟部落猫太弱，翻不了浪，对不对？” 冬青爪绿色的眼睛里闪着笑意 “咱们走着瞧！” 棘爪甩尾巴把猫群召集到身边，带着大家躲进岩石的阴影 “我和石影会把你们分成几支攻击小队，”他说 “每个小队都要有部落猫和族群猫，也有学徒和预备战士 这样我们就能充分发挥不同的本领 计划是把入侵者引到这里再进攻，不然我们就得在敌人领地的黑地里作战。” 狮爪又看了一眼黑沉沉的裂缝，再转回头看向棘爪 “这不对，”他反对道 棘爪歪了歪头 “不对？”

"No, because the cleft can't be totally dark. Their dens are in there—they can't be stumbling around blind, can they?" Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes. "You're right. There must be a shaft that lets in light and air." "We should go look for it!" Lionpaw's pads were tingling with excitement. His father thought for a moment longer, then nodded. "Okay. We shouldn't attack without knowing exactly what we're up against. If there's another entrance, they might be able to get out that way and attack us from behind." He angled his ears toward the rocks. "Let's go. Hollypaw, Breezepaw, you come too." "And me!" Pebble sprang up. "I know rocks," she added. "I might be able to help." "Come on, then," Brambleclaw meowed. "Crag, you start dividing up the patrols. And every cat keep as quiet as if you were stalking prey. This attack will start when we're ready and not before." Cautiously the five cats crept across the open ground in front of the cleft and onto a narrow trail that led upward beside one of the tilted rocks. Lionpaw was poised to spring into battle if there

“不对，因为这条裂缝不可能全黑 他们的窝就在里面——总不能摸黑瞎走吧，对不对？” 棘爪眯起了眼睛 “你说得对 肯定有一个洞道能透进光和空气。” “我们应该去找找它！” 狮爪的肉垫因为兴奋阵阵发麻 他的父亲又想了一会儿，随后点了点头 “好吧 我们没摸清情况，不该贸然进攻 如果还有另一个入口，他们说不定会从那里出来绕到我们背后偷袭。” 他把耳朵转向岩石的方向 “我们走 冬青爪、荆爪，你们也一起来。” “还有我！” 卵石跳了出来 “我熟悉岩石，”她补充道 “我可能帮得上忙。” “那走吧，”棘爪说道 “石影，你开始给队伍分组 所有猫都要像追踪猎物一样安静 进攻要等我们准备好才能开始，没准备好绝对不许动手。” 五只猫小心翼翼爬过裂缝前的空地，踏上倾斜岩石旁向上延伸的窄径 狮爪已经蓄势待发，只要前方出现

was any movement from the cleft, but it remained dark and silent. The tilted rocks were set against a boulder-strewn slope leading to a ridge. The trail wound between the boulders until it emerged at the top, close to where the two rocks joined. Lionpaw crept toward them, his belly fur brushing the ground. "Breezepaw, keep watch below," Brambleclaw whispered. "Tell me if there's any sign of the intruders." Looking pleased to be singled out, Breezepaw wriggled forward on his belly until he could overlook the ground at the bottom of the slope. Brambleclaw and the apprentices spread out, examining the area around the tilted rocks. Lionpaw sniffed around the boulders piled along the ridge. There was a strong scent of cat, the scent he was beginning to recognize as the intruders'. But he couldn't see where it was coming from. Then he spotted a gap between two rocks; the scent was especially strong there. "I think I've found something!" he called softly. Brambleclaw, Hollypaw, and Pebble joined

裂缝那边没再有动静，只余下黑暗与寂静。 倾斜的岩石立在遍布巨石的斜坡上，斜坡一直延伸到山脊。 小径在巨石间蜿蜒，一直延伸到坡顶，就在两块岩石衔接处的旁边。 狮爪匍匐着爬向岩石，肚子上的毛都擦到了地面。 “风爪，你在下面放哨，” 棘爪低声说。 “要是看到入侵者的踪影，马上告诉我。” 能被单独指派任务，风爪很高兴，他贴着肚子匍匐向前，直到能看清坡底的整片空地。 棘爪和学徒们散开，搜查倾斜岩石周围的区域。 狮爪沿着山脊堆着的巨石一路嗅过去。 空气中飘着浓重的猫味，他渐渐认出这就是那些入侵者的气味。 可他找不到气味是从哪里飘来的。 接着他发现两块岩石之间有一道缝隙，气味格外浓烈。 “我好像发现东西了！” 他轻声喊道。 棘爪、冬青爪和卵石都赶了过来

him, brushing against his flanks. Thrusting his head into the gap, Lionpaw saw a shaft leading down through the rock. At the very bottom was a circle of sand, with the shadow of his own head outlined on it in moonlight. There was no sign of cats, but the scent was stronger still. "Let me look," Pebble mewed impatiently. Lionpaw stepped back to let the Tribe to-be into the gap. She stared down for a few heartbeats, then raised her head, her blue eyes glittering. "They'll never be able to get out this way. But I could climb down." "Yes!" Lionpaw wanted to bounce up and down like an excited kit. "We could all go. We could chase the cats out into the open where our warriors are waiting." Brambleclaw shook his head. "Not a chance. It's far too dangerous." "No, it isn't." Hollypaw butted his shoulder with her head. "They won't be expecting us. They'll be too scared to do anything but run." "Then I'll go," Brambleclaw countered. Lionpaw let out a small mrrow of laughter. "Think you would get those shoulders through

来到他身边，身体擦着他的肋腹。 狮爪把头伸进缝隙里，看见岩石里有一道向下的通道。 最底部是一片圆形沙地，月光把他脑袋的影子印在了沙地上。 看不到猫的踪影，可气味变得更浓烈了。 “让我看看，” 卵石不耐烦地喵道。 狮爪退后一步，让这位部落候选武士走进缝隙。 她往下看了几秒，随后抬起头，蓝色的眼睛闪闪发亮。 “他们从这条路是绝对出不去的。 可我能爬下去。” “对呀！” 狮爪兴奋得想像幼崽一样上蹦下跳。 “我们全都能下去。 我们可以把那些猫赶到开阔地，咱们的武士就在那儿等着呢。” 棘爪摇了摇头。 “绝对不行。 这太危险了。” “才不危险呢。” 冬青爪用头撞了撞他的肩膀。 “他们根本想不到我们会来。 他们会吓得只顾逃跑，根本不敢反抗。” “那我去，” 棘爪反驳道。 狮爪低低地笑出了声。 “你觉得你那宽肩膀挤得进