Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7 "I've got a plan," Hollypaw announced. She and Cinderpaw had cleared the old bedding out of the elders" den and were clawing fresh moss from around the roots of an oak tree. Shreds of mist drifted among the trees, while overhead the sun was struggling to break through a covering of cloud. Cinderpaw stopped with her claws deep in the soft green covering. "What plan?" "It's about becoming a warrior." Hollypaw left the ball of moss she was gathering and padded over to sit on a twisted root beside her friend. "It's so confusing, learning about fighting and hunting and all the stuff about the warrior code. I can't think of everything at once, so I'm going to concentrate on one thing at a time." Cinderpaw blinked. "I don't get it." Hollypaw sighed; it seemed straightforward enough to her. "I'm going to start with hunting. If a Clan isn't well fed, it can't defend its borders and fight battles. I'll practice and practice until

第七章 "我有个计划，" 冬青爪宣布道。 她和炭爪清理完长老巢穴里的旧垫草，正在一棵橡树的树根周围扒新鲜苔藓。 片片薄雾在树林间飘移，头顶的太阳正努力穿透云层。 炭爪停了下来，爪子还深深埋在柔软的绿色苔藓里。 "什么计划？" "是关于成为武士的事。" 冬青爪放下她正在收集的苔藓团，轻步走过去坐在好友旁一根扭曲的树根上。 "学格斗、捕猎还有武士守则的所有内容，实在太让人糊涂了。 我没法一下子兼顾所有事，所以我打算一次只专注做一件事。" 炭爪眨了眨眼睛。 "我没明白。" 冬青爪叹了口气，这对她来说明明再清楚不过了。 "我打算先从捕猎开始。 如果族群吃不饱，就没法守卫边境、打胜仗。 我会一直练习，直到

I'm really good at it. Then I'll go on to something else." Her friend started clawing up the moss again. "I think that sounds mouse-brained," she mewed. "I mean, you can't stop doing everything else, can you? Are you going to leave me to finish the bedding while you go off looking for prey?" Hollypaw swiped out a paw, claws sheathed, just missing Cinderpaw's ear. "No, of course I'm not. I know I'll have to do duties and training sessions and all that. But I'm going to concentrate on hunting." Cinderpaw let out a faint snort of amusement. "I'd like to hear what Brackenfur has to say if he thinks you're not concentrating on fighting." Exasperated, Hollypaw snagged up a bit of moss and tossed it at her friend. She expected Cinderpaw to toss some back at her, but instead the young she-cat stopped what she was doing and looked up at her, blue eyes serious. "Honestly, Hollypaw, I don't think this is a good idea. Being a warrior means you have to do everything together. You can't put stuff in order. I know I'm not explaining it very well, but—"

我能变得特别擅长捕猎。 之后我再去练别的东西。" 她的朋友又开始扒苔藓了。 "我觉得这个想法好蠢哦，" 她喵声说道。 "我是说，你总不能把别的所有事都停下吧，对不对？ 你打算让我一个人铺完垫草，自己跑去打猎吗？" 冬青爪挥出一掌，爪子收着，差一点就碰到炭爪的耳朵。 "不，我当然不会那样。 我知道我还要完成任务、参加训练这些事。 但我就是要专注捕猎。" 炭爪轻轻嗤笑了一声。 "我倒想听听，要是蕨毛发现你不专注练格斗，他会说什么。" 冬青爪很恼火，揪起一块苔藓扔向她的朋友。 她本来以为炭爪会扔回来，可这只年轻母猫却停下手里的活，抬起头看着她，蓝色的眼睛十分严肃。 "说真的，冬青爪，我不觉得这是个好主意。 当武士就得所有事一起做。 你不能把事情排好顺序一件件来。 我知道我讲得不太清楚，可是——"

"No, you're not," Hollypaw snapped, then stopped herself. Cinderpaw was her best friend, and she didn't want to quarrel with her. "Sorry, Cinderpaw," she went on. "I just think this will be a way that will work for me. You don't have to join in if you don't want to." Cinderpaw reached up to touch Hollypaw's nose with her ear. "It's okay. And you know I'll help if I can." By the time Hollypaw and Cinderpaw had finished refreshing the elders" bedding, Thornclaw and Brackenfur were gathering the apprentices together in the middle of the clearing. "Are we hunting?" Hollypaw asked eagerly. It was Thornclaw who replied. "No, Cloudtail and I are taking our apprentices to the mossy clearing for some advanced battle training. You and Lionpaw can come along and watch." "And join in if you want to," Brackenfur added. Cinderpaw gave an excited little bounce. "Let's go!" Her mentor, Cloudtail, padded up behind her

"好了，别说了，" 冬青爪厉声打断，随即又压下了火气。 炭爪是她最好的朋友，她不想和炭爪吵架。 "对不起，炭爪，" 她接着说。 "我只是觉得这个方法对我有用。 你要是不想加入，不用勉强。" 炭爪抬起身子，用耳朵碰了碰冬青爪的鼻子。 "没关系的。 只要我能帮上忙，我一定会帮你的。" 等冬青爪和炭爪换完长老巢穴的新垫草，荆毛和蕨毛已经在空地中央把学徒们召集好了。 "我们是要去捕猎吗？" 冬青爪急切地问道。 开口回答的是荆毛。 "不去，我和云尾带我们的学徒去苔藓空地做进阶格斗训练。 你和狮爪可以一起过去旁观。" "想加入也可以一起，" 蕨毛补充道。 炭爪兴奋地轻轻蹦了一下。 "我们走吧！" 她的导师云尾轻步走到她身后

and flicked her on the shoulder with his tail. "You be careful of that leg. If I'm asking too much of you, I want to know." Cinderpaw's excitement faded. "My leg's fine, Cloudtail. It won't hold me back from being a warrior, will it?" "I hope not. We'll have to see," was Cloudtail's discouraging response. Hollypaw pressed her muzzle against Cinderpaw's. "Don't worry. You will be a warrior. I just know it." Ashfur came padding over with Lionpaw from the apprentices" den. "Are we all ready?" the gray warrior asked. "Where's Honeypaw?" "Sandstorm took her on a hunting patrol," Brackenfur replied. "She'll join us later." The clouds had cleared away and the sun was burning up the mist. In the shadow of the trees the grass was still laden with dew. Hollypaw brushed past a clump of fern and flicked her ears as droplets fell on her head. The undergrowth was full of exciting scents and sounds; she longed to put her plan into practice on a hunting patrol, instead of going to a training session when she

用尾巴轻轻拍了拍她的肩膀。 "你要小心你的腿。 如果我给你安排的训练量太大，一定要告诉我。" 炭爪的兴奋劲儿一下子退了。 "我的腿没事，云尾。 它不会拖我后腿，我肯定能当上武士的，对不对？" "希望不会。 我们得走着瞧，" 云尾的回答让人很泄气。 冬青爪把自己的鼻尖贴在炭爪的脸上。 "别担心。 你一定能当上武士的。 我肯定不会错的。" 灰毛带着狮爪从学徒巢穴走了过来。 "大家都准备好了吗？" 这只灰色武士问道。 "蜜爪在哪里？" "沙风带她去捕猎巡逻队了，" 蕨毛回答道。 "她稍后会过来找我们。" 云层已经散去，太阳把薄雾都蒸干了。 树荫下的草叶还沾满了露水。 冬青爪从一丛蕨类边走过，水珠滴在她头上，她甩了甩耳朵。 灌丛里满是让人兴奋的气味和声响； 她多希望能跟着捕猎巡逻队，早点把自己的计划付诸实践，而不是来参加训练，这会儿她

would have to spend most of her time watching. With four apprentices and their mentors, the clearing was crowded. Hollypaw sat in a sunny spot at one side with Brackenfur. Lionpaw and Ashfur were a couple of tail-lengths away. Hollypaw tried to hide a yawn as Cloudtail and Thornclaw demonstrated a move to the two older apprentices: Cloudtail leaped into the air with a twist so that he came down on Thornclaw's shoulders. "Now you try," he invited Cinderpaw. Cinderpaw crouched to face her mentor and launched herself into the air. She got the twist right, but she hadn't leaped high enough, so instead of landing on Cloudtail's shoulders she blundered clumsily into his side, and he pinned her down with one paw on her chest. "Not bad for a first try," he commented, letting her get up, "but you need more strength in that leap. Is your leg bothering you?" Cinderpaw blinked. "No, it's fine. I'll get it right next time." "And don't forget," Thornclaw added, "in a real fight your enemy won't stand still and wait

她大部分时间都只能在一旁旁观。 加上四名学徒和他们的导师，空地挤得满满当当。 冬青爪和蕨毛坐在一侧的向阳处。 狮爪和灰毛在离他们几个尾长远的地方。 云尾和刺爪给两名年长学徒演示动作时，冬青爪悄悄忍住了哈欠：云尾扭身一跃，稳稳落在了刺爪的肩膀上。 "你来试试看吧，"他招呼炭爪。 炭爪弓起身子面对导师，猛地跃向空中。 她转身动作做对了，可跳得不够高，没能落到云尾肩膀上，反倒笨拙地撞到他腰侧，云尾一爪按在她胸口把她制住了。 "第一次试已经很不错了，"他放开炭爪点评道，"不过你起跳需要再加点力气。 你的腿还不舒服吗？" 炭爪眨了眨眼睛。 "不，它没事。 下次我肯定能做好。" "还有别忘了，"刺爪补充道，"真打起架来，你的敌人可不会站着不动等

for you to land on him. You've got to anticipate his next move." "Let me have a try," Poppypaw meowed. As the training session went on, Hollypaw noticed that Lionpaw was fidgeting. "I can do that," he told Ashfur. "Can I try it?" Ashfur hesitated. "It's advanced stuff," he pointed out. "There's no point in trying before you're ready." "I am ready," Lionpaw insisted, his fur starting to fluff up. Ashfur shrugged. "Don't say I didn't warn you." Hollypaw watched nervously as Lionpaw and his mentor moved out into the clearing, well away from the other practice session. "Go on, then, show me," Ashfur mewed. Lionpaw leaped into the air, sunlight turning his golden pelt to flame. With all four paws off the ground he twisted and came down perfectly balanced on Ashfur's shoulders. Ashfur let out a grunt of surprise, while Hollypaw stared in astonishment. How had Lionpaw learned how to do that move so perfectly?

你落到他身上哦。 你得预判对手的下一步动作。" "让我也试试吧，"罂粟爪喵道。 训练逐步推进，冬青爪注意到狮爪一直坐立不安。 "这个我也会，"他对灰毛说。 "能让我试试吗？" 灰尼犹豫了一下。 "这是进阶动作哦，"他提醒道。 "还没准备好就试，没有任何意义。" "我已经准备好了，"狮爪坚持道，背上的毛都蓬了起来。 灰毛耸了耸肩。 "可别说我没提醒过你。" 冬青爪紧张地看着狮爪和他的导师走到空地中央，离其他训练的伙伴远远的。 "来吧，展示给我看，"灰毛喵道。 狮爪一跃而起，阳光把他金色的皮毛染得像火焰一样。 四只爪子全都离地后，他扭身一转，完美平衡地落在了灰毛的肩膀上。 灰毛惊讶地哼了一声，冬青爪也惊愕地怔住了。 狮爪怎么会把这个动作练得这么完美呢？