Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14 "I can't stand hearing it and doing nothing." Ferncloud crouched in the clearing beside Jaypaw. Distant wails and screeches echoed from the forest. "We need you here in case the camp is attacked again," Jaypaw pointed out. "Waiting is worse than fighting," Ferncloud growled. "Concentrate on noises inside the camp." "What noises?" Ferncloud stiffened beside him as she strained to listen. Couldn't she hear the murmuring and shuffling from inside Firestar's den? Longtail and Mousefur were sheltering there with Millie, Daisy, and the kits. From the sound of it, they were having trouble finding room. "Where am I supposed to sit?" Longtail complained. "Just stay where you are," Mousefur croaked. "If you move, you might tread on another kit." Another bout of mewling started, followed by

第十四章 “我受不了只听着动静，什么都不做。” 蕨云蹲在空地，挨着松鸦爪。 森林远方不断传来哀嚎与尖叫的回声。 "要是营地再遭到袭击，我们需要你留在这里，"松鸦爪指出。 "等着比打仗还难熬，"蕨云低吼道。 "集中注意力听营地里的动静。" "什么动静？" 蕨云在他身旁绷紧身子，努力侧耳倾听。 她难道没听见火星巢穴里传来的低语和挪步声吗？ 长尾和鼠毛正和米莉、黛西还有幼崽们躲在那里。 听这动静，他们连找个落脚的地方都费劲。 "我该坐在哪里啊？" 长尾抱怨道。 "好好待在你那儿别动，"鼠毛哑着嗓子说。 "你一动，说不定就踩到哪只幼崽了。" 又一阵幼崽的软叫响起，随后是

Millie's soothing mew. "It's all right, little ones. Isn't it fun to be in the leader's den?" "I want to be outside fighting!" Toadkit squeaked. "Not stuck in this hole." "You'll turn your mother's fur white with talk like that," Mousefur scolded. "You're too young to fight. Stop complaining and make yourself useful, like Rosekit." Rosekit was mewling softly to the younger kits, helping to quiet them. "Do you think they'll attack the camp again?" Daisy fretted. "Whatever happens, no cat's going to harm our kits," Millie growled. But Jaypaw could hear fear in her mew. There was nothing she could do to help her Clanmates fighting out in the forest. Graystripe, Whitewing, and Icepaw paced outside the barrier, guarding the entrance. They were too busy listening for danger to speak. Icepaw's fur scuffed against the forest floor from time to time, and her paws scrabbled on the fallen leaves. She must be practicing battle moves. Inside the hollow, Brightheart restlessly circled the camp. Occasionally she stopped, and Jaypaw

米莉温柔的安抚声。 "没事的，小家伙们。 待在族长巢穴里不好玩吗？" "我要出去打仗！" 蟾蜍爪尖声喊道。 才不要闷在这个洞里。 "说这种话，都要把你妈妈的毛愁白了，"鼠毛斥责道。 "你还太小，不能去打仗。 别抱怨了，找点事做，就像玫瑰爪那样。" 玫瑰爪正轻声给更小的幼崽哼唱，帮着安抚他们。 "你觉得他们会再攻打营地吗？" 黛西焦虑地问道。 "不管发生什么，谁都别想伤到我们的幼崽，"米莉低吼道。 可松鸦爪从她的声音里听出了恐惧。 她什么都做不了，没法帮在森林里战斗的族伴。 灰条、白翅和冰爪在围墙外踱步，把守着入口。 他们忙着留神危险，没工夫说话。 冰爪的皮毛不时蹭过林间地面，爪子抓挠着地上的落叶。 她肯定是在练习格斗招式。 山谷里，亮心正不安地在营地里绕圈子。 她偶尔会停下脚步，松鸦爪

guessed she was scanning the ledges along the steep rock walls in case any WindClan warriors were trying to sneak down in a stealth attack. Jaypaw trusted her senses; her one eye made her hearing and sense of smell almost as good as his own. No cat could steal past her. And even if they did, Cinderpaw was prowling the clearing, every hair on her pelt bristling. "Are you sure your leg's okay?" Jaypaw was worried she'd been pacing on it too long. "It's much stronger with all the swimming," Cinderpaw promised. "Just rest awhile," Jaypaw advised. "I'll rest on Highledge." Jaypaw wondered whether to stop her from struggling up the tumble of rocks, but there was such determination in her voice that it seemed pointless to argue. Leafpool's memory of the badger flashed in his mind, part of his own memories now—black-and-white fur crashing through bramble walls, snapping jaws, the stench of blood, kits mewling in terror. Cinderpelt had died to protect them. Was Cinderpaw's mind echoing with that memory now? If it was, then

猜她正在查看陡峭岩壁上的岩架，以防风族武士偷偷摸下来发动突袭。 松鸦爪相信她的感官； 她虽然只剩一只眼睛，听觉和嗅觉却几乎和他一样敏锐。 没有猫能偷偷从她身边溜过去。 就算真的有人溜进来，炭爪也正在空地上巡逻，浑身的毛都绷得竖了起来。 "你的腿真的没事吗？" 松鸦爪担心她靠这条腿走太久了。 "游了这么久泳，它结实多了，"炭爪保证道。 "休息一会儿吧，"松鸦爪劝道。 "我去高岩上休息。" 松鸦爪犹豫着要不要阻止她爬上乱石堆，可她语气里满是决心，争论似乎毫无意义。 叶池关于那只獾的记忆闪现在他脑海，如今这段记忆也成了他的——黑白皮毛撞破荆丛围墙，利齿大张，血腥味弥漫，幼崽们恐惧地喵喵叫。 炭皮为了保护他们牺牲了。 炭爪现在心里也回荡着这段记忆吗？ 如果真是这样，那

nothing he could say would stop her from guarding the kits. He listened to her scrabbling up to Highledge, praying her leg wouldn't slip on the loose rocks, relieved when she mounted the ledge and settled at the mouth of Firestar's cave. Leafpool was in her den, sifting through leaves and sorting herbs. Jaypaw could smell their pungent aromas mingle as she mixed poultices and ointments, ready for the wounded. "We've got everything covered," Jaypaw comforted Ferncloud. "ThunderClan won't be taken as easily as Onestar thinks." Ferncloud shifted on her paws. "Now tell me what you really think." "What do you mean?" It wasn't like Ferncloud to be skeptical. "It's your duty to encourage your Clanmates, but what has StarClan told you about this battle?" Jaypaw shook his head. How could he tell her that they'd had no warning? Yet he wouldn't lie to defend his ancestors. Why had they let ThunderClan down? "StarClan didn't tell us anything," he murmured.

他说什么都拦不住她去守护幼崽。 他听着她抓挠着爬上高岩，祈祷她的腿不会在松动的岩石上打滑，直到她登上岩架，在火星巢穴洞口安顿好，他才松了口气。 叶池待在自己的巢穴里，翻拣整理药草。 松鸦爪能闻到她调制药糊和药膏时，各种药草浓烈的气味混在一起，一切都为收治伤员准备好了。 "我们都准备妥当了，"松鸦爪安慰蕨云。 "雷族不会像一星想的那样轻易被打败。" 蕨云挪了挪爪子。 "现在告诉我你真正的想法。" "你这话是什么意思？" 蕨云可不像是会这么多疑的猫。 "鼓励族伴是你的责任，但星族对这场战事说了什么？" 松鸦爪摇了摇头。 他怎么能告诉她，星族根本没有给过任何警告？ 可他不会为了维护先祖就撒谎。 为什么他们要让雷族失望？ "星族什么都没告诉我们，"他低声说道。

"Nothing at all?" "No." Ferncloud huddled into a tighter crouch, her whiskers trembling. Was StarClan as surprised as ThunderClan by this attack? Or were they simply on WindClan's side? Brambles swished. "How did Cinderpaw get up there?" Leafpool's mew was taut with worry. "She climbed up," Jaypaw replied. Leafpool bristled. "I told her to rest her leg," Jaypaw explained. "It was the only place she would settle." Hadn't he proved already that he knew what was best for Cinderpaw? Why couldn't Leafpool believe that Cinderpaw's leg was healing? Leafpool called up to Cinderpaw, "Don't try to climb down without help!" "I don't need help!" Cinderpaw mewed. "My leg's fine!" "She's smart enough to be careful," Jaypaw pointed out. "She's worked hard to recover, and she knows better than both of us what she can

“啥都没发现？” “没有。” 蕨云缩得更紧了，胡须都在发抖。 星族难道也和雷族一样，对这次袭击很意外吗？ 还是说他们本来就站在风族那边？ 荆枝沙沙晃动。 “炭爪怎么爬上去的？” 叶池的声音绷得紧紧的，满是担忧。 “她自己爬上去的。”松鸦爪回答。 叶池一下子炸毛了。 “我嘱咐过她让她养腿伤。”松鸦爪解释道。 “那是唯一能让她安心待着的地方。” 他难道还没证明，自己清楚怎么做对炭爪最好吗？ 为什么叶池就是不相信炭爪的腿在好转呢？ 叶池朝上对炭爪喊道：“没人帮忙千万别往下爬！” “我才不需要帮忙！” 炭爪叫着说。 “我的腿好得很！” “她很聪明，会小心的。”松鸦爪指出。 她一直努力养伤，比我俩都清楚自己能

and can't manage." He pressed on. "Don't forget that she wants to become a warrior. She's not going to do anything that will threaten that." Leafpool didn't reply. "Just trust her," Jaypaw urged. And trust me! Leafpool sighed. "Can you tell what's going on in the forest?" Relieved to change the subject, Jaypaw cast his hearing beyond the confines of the hollow, concentrating on the faraway shrieking, and gradually began to recognize yowls and screeches. "Dustpelt's patrol is fighting by the lakeside," he told her. "Firestar's patrol has been ambushed near the WindClan border. Brambleclaw's patrol is under attack near the Twoleg nest." He wished she hadn't asked him. Now his mind swirled with images of cat fighting cat, of blood-soaked pelts, of flesh ripping between teeth. He shivered. "Let me go out there," he begged. Leafpool stiffened. "No way!" "Our Clanmates are getting injured," he protested. "I could bring them back to the hollow." He had to do something to help his Clan. He was no use here, even if WindClan attacked.

做不了什么。” 他接着往下说。 “别忘了她还想成为武士呢。 她才不会做任何危害这件事的举动。” 叶池没有回答。 “就相信她吧。”松鸦爪催促道。 也相信我！ 叶池叹了口气。 “你能察觉森林里现在是什么情况吗？” 能换个话题，松鸦爪很高兴，他把听力伸展到凹地之外，集中注意力听远处的嘶喊，渐渐分辨出不同的怒吼和尖叫。 “尘皮的巡逻队在湖边交战。”他告诉叶池。 “火星的巡逻队在风族边界附近中了埋伏。 黑莓掌的巡逻队在两脚兽巢穴附近遭到袭击了。” 他真希望叶池没问他这个。 此刻他脑子里满是猫互相厮杀的画面：鲜血浸湿皮毛，牙齿撕开皮肉。 他打了个寒颤。 “让我去那边吧。”他恳求道。 叶池一下子绷紧了身子。 “绝对不行！” “我们的族友都受伤了。”他抗议道。 “我能把他们接回凹地来。” 他必须做点什么来帮助自己的族。 就算风族打过来，我待在这儿也一点用都没有。