Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20 Hollypaw stared at Sol, suddenly aware of how untidy she and her littermates looked. Their pelts were ruffled, with crumbs of leaf and scraps of moss sticking out, and she and Lionpaw were bloodstained around their claws. Sol gazed at them, his elegant tricolored head tilted, the white patches on his pelt tinged pink by the late- afternoon sun. His eyes shone, amber as sunlit sap. Would he be angry they'd tracked him down? He didn't look angry. He didn't even look surprised, just blinked calmly at them and dipped his head in greeting. "I thought you would come." His mew was as rich and smooth as high-season honey. He was looking at Jaypaw. "I knew you'd be curious after the great darkness came." Jaypaw padded forward. "How did you know it was coming?" Sol's whiskers twitched. "Did it frighten you?" "Of course!" "Even though I told you it would happen?"

第20章 冬青爪盯着索尔，突然发觉自己和同窝手足看起来有多邋遢 他们的皮毛乱糟糟的，沾着树叶渣和苔藓碎，她和狮爪的爪子周围还沾着血渍 索尔望着他们，优雅的三色脑袋歪向一边，午后夕阳把他皮毛上的白斑染成了淡粉色 他的眼睛闪闪发亮，琥珀色就像被阳光照亮的树液 他会因为他们找到这儿来生气吗 他看起来一点儿都不生气 他甚至都不惊讶，只是平静地眨眨眼，点头向他们问好 "我就知道你们会来。" 他的叫声醇厚顺滑，就像应季的上好蜂蜜 他正看着松鸦爪 "大黑暗降临之后，我就知道你们会好奇。" 松鸦爪走上前去 "你怎么知道它会来？" 索尔的胡须轻轻抖了一下 "它吓到你们了吗？" "那当然！" "哪怕我早就告诉过你们这事会发生？"

His gaze was unwavering, and so intense that Hollypaw found her sight glazing until the forest blurred around her and all she could see was Sol's eyes. She blinked, shivering. She was just tired. Jaypaw lifted his chin challengingly toward Sol. "Is that why you came to ThunderClan? To warn us?" The tip of Sol's tail twitched. "It's not my business to give warnings." He padded onto the unkempt grass at the side of the pebbly path, flattening a patch with his paws before sitting down. He swept his thick brown-and-white tail over the grass and rested it in front of him. "Come." He tipped his head to one side, indicating that they should sit down too. "If we are going to talk, we may as well be comfortable." Jaypaw padded forward, feeling for the grass. Hollypaw followed a little self-consciously. Sol was watching them closely. The grass was long but soft, and she flattened a spot to sit on, as Sol had done. Lionpaw hung back in the doorway, his fur bristling.

他的目光坚定不移，强烈得让冬青爪视线发花，周围的森林都变模糊了，她只能看见索尔的眼睛 她眨了眨眼，浑身打了个哆嗦 她只是太累了 松鸦爪抬起下巴，挑衅地看向索尔 "你就是为了这个才来雷族的？ 给我们预警？" 索尔的尾尖轻轻抖了一下 "发出警告可不是我的事。" 他走到石子小径旁杂乱的草地上，用爪子压出一块地方才坐下 他把自己浓密的棕白尾巴扫过草地，放在身前 "过来。" 他歪了歪头，示意他们也坐下 "既然要谈话，不如舒舒服服的。" 松鸦爪往前走去，摸索着草地 冬青爪有点不自在地跟了上去 索尔正紧紧盯着他们 草很长但很柔软，她像索尔那样压出一块地方坐下 狮爪缩在门口不肯过来，浑身毛发都炸了起来

"Come on," Hollypaw called, smoothing a space next to her with her tail. Lionpaw padded forward with his eyes fixed on the stranger and sat down beside her. "Your brother looks as if he doesn't trust me," Sol observed. "You're not a Clan cat," Lionpaw answered. Sol blinked. "Do you trust every Clan cat?" "Of course not!" Lionpaw snapped. "But I can make a pretty good guess at what they're thinking." "You came looking for me, don't forget," Sol chided. "Is it fair to disturb me, then reproach me because you can't read my thoughts?" Lionpaw narrowed his eyes. "I guess not." Hollypaw felt Jaypaw fidgeting beside her, running his forepaws over the grass. Sol must have noticed too. "You have something you want to ask me, yes?" he prompted. "Do you know about the prophecy?" Jaypaw burst out. Hollypaw stretched her eyes wide. No cat knew about the prophecy except Firestar—and he

"快来呀，" 冬青爪喊道，用尾巴在自己身边扫出一块空地 狮爪眼睛紧紧盯着这个陌生人，走过来坐在了她身边 "你弟弟看起来好像不信任我，" 索尔说道 "你不是族群猫，" 狮爪回答 索尔眨了眨眼睛 "你信任所有的族群猫吗？" "那当然不！" 狮爪吼道 "但我差不多能猜出他们在想什么。" "是你们来找我的，别忘了，" 索尔说道 "打扰了我，又因为读不懂我的心思指责我，这样公平吗？" 狮爪眯起了眼睛 "好像是不公平。" 冬青爪感觉到身边的松鸦爪坐立不安，前爪在草上来回蹭 索尔肯定也注意到了 "你有话要问我，对不对？" 他提醒道 "你知道那个预言吗？" 松鸦爪脱口而出 冬青爪一下子睁大了眼睛 除了火星，没有猫知道这个预言——而他

didn't know that they knew. Beside her, Lionpaw's ears were twitching. Why was Jaypaw sharing their deepest secret with a complete stranger? But he had known the sun would vanish. Sol flicked the tip of his tail. "It concerns all three of you, doesn't it?" Jaypaw nodded. "'There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws.'" "And you are the kin," Sol murmured. He dipped his head with respect. Jaypaw was trembling like an excited kit. Hollypaw glanced at him in surprise. He really believed that this cat held answers StarClan would not give him. Or could not give him. A shiver rippled down Hollypaw's spine. Maybe the prophecy did lie beyond anything StarClan could predict. She felt sick, and pushed away the thought as her heart began to race. There was nothing beyond StarClan! Nothing beyond the warrior code! Sol interrupted her thoughts. "The prophecy is

不知道他们已经知道了这件事 她身边狮爪的耳朵轻轻动了动 松鸦爪为什么要把他们藏得最深的秘密告诉一个完全陌生的猫呢 可他本来就知道太阳会消失啊 索尔弹了弹自己的尾尖 "这件事和你们三个都有关，对不对？" 松鸦爪点了点头 "‘将有三只猫，你至亲的至亲，掌中握有群星的力量。’" "而你们就是那三只，" 索尔低声说 他带着敬重点了点头 松鸦爪抖得像只兴奋的幼崽 冬青爪惊讶地瞥了他一眼 他真的相信这只猫握有星族不肯给他的答案 或是星族根本给不了的答案 一阵颤栗顺着冬青爪的脊椎滑下去 也许这个预言真的超出了星族所能预知的范围 她感到一阵恶心，连忙推开这个念头，心跳也开始加速 星族之外不存在任何东西！ 武士守则之外不存在任何东西！ 索尔打断了她的思绪 "这个预言就是

a grave responsibility for three such young cats to bear." His amber eyes were round with sympathy. Jaypaw clawed at the grass. "I can walk in other cats" dreams, and in their memories." But Sol was staring at Lionpaw. "And you? I can see something burns within." Lionpaw's tail quivered. Sol's voice softened. "Something that maybe frightens you a little?" "I can fight in battles without getting hurt," Lionpaw confessed, sounding very young and small. Hollypaw stared at her paws. What was her special power? She knew it was there. She could feel it inside her. But the only thing she felt certain of—so certain it felt like a thorn-sharp stab in her side—was the need to defend the warrior code, the absolute faith that it was vital for the Clans" existence. Would Sol understand? He was a loner. How could he appreciate the importance of something that held the four Clans together? She looked up at him, expecting to see his amber gaze on her, but Sol had tipped his head to one side again and

对这么年幼的三只小猫来说，这可是份沉重的责任啊。” 他琥珀色的眼睛睁得圆圆的，满是同情。 松鸦爪扒挠着脚下的青草。 “我能进入其他猫的梦境，也能进入他们的回忆。” 但索尔正盯着狮爪看。 “那你呢？ 我能看见你心底燃着不寻常的火。” 狮爪的尾巴轻轻颤了颤。 索尔的语气软了下来。 “这件事是不是也让你有点害怕呢？” “我打仗的时候从来不会受伤。”狮爪小声承认，语气稚嫩又不安。 冬青爪低头盯着自己的爪子。 我的特殊能力到底是什么呢？ 她明明知道它就在那里。 她能感觉到它就在自己身体里。 但她唯一能确定的事——这份确定尖锐得像荆棘扎在腰上——就是她必须捍卫武士守则，她深信守则对族群的生存至关重要。 索尔会理解吗？ 他只是一只独行猫。 维系四大族群的东西有多重要，他怎么会懂呢？ 她抬头看向他，本以为索尔琥珀色的目光正落在自己身上，可索尔却又一次歪过了脑袋，

closed his eyes. "Of course, you must nurture these powers." His mew was light, as though this were a small matter to him. "Listen to your inner voices, to the instinct that in every other cat would merely help them find food or shelter. Who's to say that in you, these instincts won't help you achieve more?" Jaypaw flicked a mosquito from his nose. "Did the vanishing sun have anything to do with us?" Hollypaw blinked. It hadn't occurred to her that the prophecy and the sun's terrifying disappearance might be connected. She leaned forward, paws prickling. "Maybe it did." Sol swept his tail over the grass. Hollypaw felt Lionpaw stiffen beside her. "How?" "Maybe you are like the shadow covering the sun, and one day you will cover the stars in the sky, so that the cats see you instead of StarClan." Hollypaw gasped. "Does that mean we'll be dead?" Sol shook his head. "Of course not," he

闭上了眼睛。 “当然了，你们一定要好好培养这些能力。” 他的声音轻描淡写，好像这对他来说只是件小事。 “倾听你内心的声音，这些本能在别的猫那里，不过只是帮他们寻找食物和住处而已。 谁能说这些本能在你们身上，不会帮你们成就更大的事业呢？” 松鸦爪挥走了鼻子上的一只蚊子。 “太阳消失这件事，和我们有关系吗？” 冬青爪眨了眨眼睛。 她从来没想到过，预言和这次可怕的日食居然会有联系。 她往前探了探身，爪子绷得微微发紧。 “也许真的有关系。” 索尔的尾巴扫过草地。 冬青爪感觉到身旁的狮爪绷紧了身体。 “怎么说？” “也许你们就像遮住太阳的影子，总有一天你们会遮住天上的星辰，让猫咪们只看得见你们，不再看得见星族。” 冬青爪倒吸了一口凉气。 “那是不是说我们会死？” 索尔摇了摇头。 “当然不会，”他