Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10 A fox screeched from deep in the forest. Hollypaw stirred in her nest as its bark echoed around the walls of the camp and crept into her dreams. "Not in the tunnels," she murmured. "What?" Lionpaw rolled over beside her, but Hollypaw didn't answer. She had fallen back into sleep, slipping into the dream again. A tunnel stretched away in front of her, disappearing into shadow. The dark river frothed and swirled at her tail. Heavy paws padded down the tunnel toward her, claws scraping against the rock floor. The stench of fox filled her nose. Her pelt pricked in terror as she saw a shape forming from the shadows, eyes glowing in the dark. Fox! She backed away, feeling the river tugging at her hind paws. The shape kept coming, eyes unblinking, until it emerged into the half-light. It was Lionpaw. She leaped up with a start as a paw touched her shoulder. "Hollypaw?" Brackenfur was standing beside

第十章 森林深处传来狐狸的尖叫 叫声在营地四壁回荡，钻进了冬青爪的梦里，她在窝里动了动身子 “不是在隧道里，”她喃喃道 “什么？” 狮爪在她身旁翻了个身，但冬青爪没有回应 她重新沉沉睡去，又一次滑进了那个梦里 一条隧道在她眼前向前延伸，消失在了阴影中 乌黑的河水在她脚边翻着泡沫打着旋 沉重的爪子顺着隧道朝她走来，爪子刮擦着岩石地面发出声响 狐狸的臭味钻进了她的鼻腔 看到阴影里浮现出轮廓，黑暗中双眼发亮，她吓得毛发倒竖 狐狸！ 她连连后退，感觉到河水拉扯着她的后爪 那个影子不停逼近，眼睛一眨不眨，直到它走到了半明半暗的地方 居然是狮爪 一只爪子碰到她的肩膀，她猛地惊跳起来 “冬青爪？”蕨毛正站在

her nest. The den was in darkness, weak moonlight washing through the branches of the yew. "Are you okay?" She was trembling, her pelt hot with panic. "It was just a dream." Relief washed over her like a cool wind. "Can't you dream more quietly?" Lionpaw grumbled beside her. "I was out on the midnight patrol while you were snoring." He rolled over and tucked his muzzle under his paw. "It's your turn now, Hollypaw," Brackenfur meowed softly. Foxpaw and Icepaw were fast asleep in their nests. "Is it dawn?" Hollypaw asked, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. "Not for a while yet," Brackenfur whispered. "We're doing the predawn patrol." The extra patrols had drained the Clan and left its warriors and apprentices tired, but Firestar's plan seemed to be working. There had been no sign of intruders or prey-stealing in days. Hollypaw stretched and followed her mentor out of the den. Her paws felt numb with sleep, and

她的窝边 洞穴里一片漆黑，淡弱的月光透过紫杉树枝洒了进来 “你没事吧？” 她浑身发抖，恐慌让她浑身发烫 “只是做了个梦而已” 松快的感觉像凉风一样拂过她全身 “你做梦就不能轻点儿吗？” 狮爪在她身旁嘟囔道 你打呼噜的时候，我已经巡完午夜岗了 他翻了个身，把鼻子埋进了爪子里 “轮到你了，冬青爪，”蕨毛轻声说 狐爪和冰爪在自己窝里睡得正熟 “已经天亮了吗？” 冬青爪一边问，一边揉掉眼里的睡意 还要好一会儿才亮呢，”蕨毛低声说 “我们要去巡黎明前的岗” 额外的巡逻拖得整个族群精疲力尽，武士和学徒们都疲惫不堪，但火星的计划似乎见效了 这几天都没有发现入侵者，也没出现偷猎物的痕迹 冬青爪伸了个懒腰，跟着导师走出了洞穴 她的爪子还睡得发麻，

even the early-morning chill couldn't chase away her weariness. A sharp white moon lit the camp. Thornclaw sat in the clearing, holding his tail down with a paw while he washed the tip. Sorreltail paced around him. "It's too cold to sit still," she complained. "There'll be more warm nights before greenleaf is gone," Brackenfur promised, padding up to the tortoiseshell and brushing his muzzle against hers. "Is Hollypaw awake?" Thornclaw asked. Hollypaw stepped from the shadows. "Almost." "Good." The golden brown tabby got to his paws. "We can go." A small squeak sounded from inside the nursery. "Has the fox gone?" Rosekit mewed anxiously. "I heard it barking, and it sounded really close!" "It's far away in the forest, dear," Daisy soothed. "Now go back to sleep." Hollypaw fell in behind Brackenfur as the patrol padded single file out into the forest. It was

就连清晨的寒意都赶不走她的疲惫 一轮皎洁的明月照亮了营地 荆爪坐在空地上，爪子按着尾巴清洗尾尖 栗尾在他身边来回踱步 “坐着不动太冷了，”她抱怨道 “绿叶季结束前还会有很多暖和的夜晚的，”蕨毛边许诺边走到这只玳瑁猫身边，用鼻子蹭了蹭她 “冬青爪醒了吗？” 荆爪问道 冬青爪从阴影里走了出来 “差不多醒了” “好” 这只金棕色虎斑猫站起身来 我们可以出发了 育婴室里传出一声轻轻的叫唤 “狐狸走了吗？” 小玫瑰焦急地叫道 我听到它叫了，听起来离这儿特别近！ “它在森林深处很远的地方呢，宝贝，”黛西安抚道 快回去睡觉吧 巡逻队排成单列走进森林，冬青爪跟在了蕨毛身后 天

dark beneath the shelter of the trees, and Hollypaw stumbled over a root as they headed up the slope toward the WindClan border. Brackenfur glanced back at her. "Are your paws still asleep?" "I'll wake up soon," she promised. They trekked to the border stream, slowing as they neared it. Sorreltail, leading the patrol, signaled with her tail for them to halt and lifted her nose to taste the air. "No fresh scents here." Thornclaw scrambled down the bank, and Hollypaw heard bushes rustle as he checked beneath them. He emerged with leaves caught in his pelt. "No signs there." Padding quietly through the trees, they followed the stream along the border. Brackenfur pushed through a clump of ferns, sliding out the other side with a shake of his head. "All clear." Thornclaw left a scent marker at the roots of an oak. "We'll follow the stream out of the trees," Sorreltail decided. "Then we can reset our markers along the moorland border." She led the way out of the forest and into moonshine. The hillside

色笼罩在树林间，他们往风族边界上坡走的时候，冬青爪被树根绊了一跤 蕨毛回头看了她一眼 “你的爪子还没醒过来吗？” “我很快就清醒了，”她保证道 他们走到边界小溪旁，靠近时放慢了脚步 走在队首的栗尾用尾巴示意停下，抬起鼻子嗅了嗅空气中的气味 这里没有新鲜的气味 荆爪爬下河岸，冬青爪听到他检查灌木丛时，树丛发出沙沙的声响 他钻出来的时候，皮毛上挂着树叶 “这里也没异常” 他们静悄悄地穿过树林，沿着边界旁的小溪前进 蕨毛拨开一丛蕨类，滑到另一边后抖了抖脑袋 “一切正常” 荆爪在一棵橡树根部留下了气味标记 “我们顺着小溪走出树林，”栗尾决定道 之后我们再去重设荒原边界的标记 她带头走出森林，走进了月光里 山坡

glowed eerily white, and the silence of the moor and the forest set Hollypaw's pelt prickling. "It's so quiet," she murmured. "Dawn's coming," Brackenfur meowed. "The birds will be waking soon." A breeze rustled the heather. "Thornclaw, Brackenfur, you reset the markers," Sorreltail ordered. "Hollypaw and I will scout around and check for any WindClan scents." She nodded to Hollypaw. "Follow me." Hollypaw padded down the slope after the tortoiseshell, her sleep-clumsy paws slipping on the coarse grass. Sorreltail beckoned her onward with her tail, and Hollypaw weaved ahead through the heather while Sorreltail headed back up the slope. Sniffing her way from bush to bush, she followed the curving ground through a dip and up onto a shallow hillock. The borderline lay here, detectable more from recent ThunderClan markers than the stale WindClan scent. It was as if this border hardly mattered to WindClan anymore. They must have been too busy hunting in the forest. Hollypaw gazed at the hillside beyond. The

泛着诡异的惨白光芒，沼地和森林的死寂让冬青爪的毛皮都绷得发紧。 "这儿太安静了。" 她轻声嘟囔道。 "天就要亮了。" 蕨毛轻声说道。 "鸟儿很快就要醒过来了。" 一阵微风吹得石楠沙沙作响。 "刺爪，蕨毛，你们去重新设置边界标记。" 炭尾下令道。 "我和冬青爪去附近巡逻，查看有没有风族的气味。" 她朝冬青爪点了点头。 "跟我来。" 冬青爪跟在这只玳瑁猫身后走下山坡，还没睡醒的爪子笨笨的，在粗糙的草上打了滑。 炭尾摆尾巴示意她往前走，冬青爪穿过石楠丛向前，炭尾则转身往山坡上走回去。 她从一丛灌木闻到另一丛，顺着起伏的地面走过洼地，登上一块浅浅的小丘。 边界就在这里，更多是靠着雷族新近做的标记才认得出来，风族的旧气味早就淡得闻不到了。 好像这个边界对风族来说早就不重要了似的。 他们肯定一直忙着在森林里捕猎呢。 冬青爪望向远处的山坡。 那片

hill arched like the spine of a giant cat against the sky. It stretched to the horizon, creamy with the coming dawn. Cream gave way to yellow as the sun began to push against the darkness, driving back the night and staining the hilltop a soft pink. As the sky lightened, Hollypaw noticed a shape silhouetted on the crest. She narrowed her eyes, trying to make it out. She could not gauge its size. But as the dawn light washed over the hilltop, she recognized the shape as feline, with a face that tapered at the muzzle, a long, smooth back, and a curving tail, bushed at the tip. There was something proud and magnificent about the way it held its head; the large, wide-spaced ears prickled as it surveyed the lake below. Hollypaw stiffened. "It's a lion!" "A lion?" Sorreltail dashed to join her. "Where?" Hollypaw pointed with her nose at the figure standing motionless on the hill. Sorreltail shook her head. "It's just a cat." She peered harder. "Doesn't look like WindClan, though. It's far too stocky and long-haired." Hollypaw blinked, realizing Sorreltail was

山丘拱起，像一只巨猫的脊背贴在天空下。 它一直延伸到天边，天快要亮了，蒙着一层奶白色的柔光。 太阳开始冲破黑暗，奶白渐渐变成鹅黄，黑夜慢慢退去，山顶被染成了柔和的粉色。 天渐渐亮起来，冬青爪注意到山顶的山脊上有一个模糊的影子。 她眯起眼睛，努力想看清那是什么。 她猜不出那东西到底有多大。 可当黎明的光漫过山顶，她认出那是猫的轮廓：口鼻渐渐收窄，后背修长光滑，还有一条弯尾巴，尾巴尖蓬蓬松松的。 它昂着头的样子，骄傲又威风； 它那两只分得开开的大耳朵竖着，正探望着山下的湖泊。 冬青爪一下子浑身僵住。 "那是一头狮子！" "狮子？" 炭尾冲过来跑到她身边。 "在哪儿？" 冬青爪用鼻子指了指站在山顶一动不动的那个影子。 炭尾摇了摇头。 "那只不过是一只猫啦。" 她凑得更近，仔细打量。 "不过看着不像是风族的猫， 它太壮实，毛也太长了。" 冬青爪眨了眨眼，发现炭尾说的