Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22 The sun woke Lionpaw. He blinked open his eyes, his pelt hot from the rays streaming through the den roof. Flinching from the brightness, he rolled over in his nest. His muscles were stiff. Ashfur had kept him out hunting all day, and when he'd finally reached camp, already weary from the battle and the hunt for Sol, he had sunk into his nest, too tired to do anything but close his eyes. Hollypaw was still sleeping. She had been stumbling with exhaustion by the time they'd got back. He checked his pelt for scratches. The only trace of the battle was the blood and fur still wedged in his claws. "Hollypaw!" Cinderpaw was calling into the den. Lionpaw scrambled from his nest and slid out of the entrance. "What is it?" he whispered. "Brackenfur wants her to help me clean out the nursery," Cinderpaw mewed. "Let her sleep." Lionpaw glanced at

第二十二章 阳光叫醒了狮爪。 他睁开眼睛，巢穴顶透进来的阳光晒得他皮毛发烫。 他被亮光照得一缩，在窝里翻了个身。 他浑身肌肉都僵硬了。 桦毛带他外出捕猎了一整天，等他终于回到营地，经历过战斗又找了索尔一路，早就累坏了，一头栽进窝里，累得什么都做不了，倒头就睡。 冬青爪还在睡着。 他们回到营地的时候，她已经累得走不动路了。 他检查自己皮毛上的抓痕。 战斗留下的唯一痕迹，就是还卡在爪缝里的血和猫毛。 “冬青爪！” 炭爪在巢穴门口喊她。 狮爪连忙从窝里爬出来，溜到洞口。 “怎么了？”他轻声问。 “蕨毛让她来帮我清理育婴室，”炭爪说道。 “让她睡吧。” 狮爪看向

Hollypaw's mentor sitting beside Ashfur, sharing a piece of the fresh-kill they'd caught last night. "I'll talk to him." He padded across the clearing. "I'll help Cinderpaw with the nursery," he offered. Brackenfur looked up, swallowing. "Is Hollypaw okay?" "Just tired after the battle." Lionpaw felt his pelt growing hot. No one knew that, after the battle, they'd trekked through half of ThunderClan territory, not to mention ShadowClan's. "Has Leafpool checked her injuries?" Brackenfur's eyes darkened with worry. "It's just a few scratches." Lionpaw groped for an excuse for Hollypaw's tiredness. "But she didn't sleep well because she was worried about Squirrelflight." Brackenfur nodded. "Well, let her sleep now. You can help Cinderpaw instead." Ashfur twitched his tail. "But don't dawdle. We're going on the next border patrol." "Okay." Lionpaw hurried back to Cinderpaw. "You go and find fresh moss," he mewed. "I'll start

冬青爪的导师正坐在桦毛身边，分吃昨夜刚捕到的猎物。 “我去跟他说。” 他缓步穿过营地空地。 “我来帮炭爪清理育婴室，”他主动说道。 蕨毛抬起头，咽下嘴里的食物。 “冬青爪没事吧？” “战斗之后太累了而已。” 狮爪感觉自己浑身燥热起来。 没人知道，战斗结束后，他们穿行了半个雷族领地，更别说还去过影族的领地。 “叶池检查过她的伤口了吗？” 蕨毛的眼神里满是担忧。 “只是几道小抓痕而已。” 狮爪赶紧给冬青爪的疲惫找借口。 “不过她没睡好，因为她担心松鼠飞。” 蕨毛点了点头。 “那行，就让她睡吧， 换你来帮炭爪干活。” 桦毛抖了抖尾巴。 “不过别磨磨蹭蹭的， 我们接下来要去边境巡逻。” “好的。” 狮爪赶紧跑回炭爪身边。 “你去找新鲜苔藓，”他说道。 我先来

clearing out the old bedding." He glanced at her injured leg. "Can you manage by yourself?" Cinderpaw rolled her eyes. "Of course." She turned to the entrance, muttering under her breath. "I wish everyone would stop treating me like a three-legged cat." Foxpaw was outside the nursery showing Icepaw a battle move. He rolled onto his back and kicked out with his hind legs. "Then a RiverClan warrior tried to leap on top of me, but I rolled out of the way." He jumped to his paws. "And I gave him a real nip on his hind leg. I bet he can still feel it." Icepaw looked impressed. "I wish I'd been in the battle." "Someone had to guard the camp," Foxpaw mewed kindly. Lionpaw squeezed through the nursery entrance, the prickers scraping his pelt. Daisy looked up, her eyes flashing with worry. "It's only you." She sighed as she recognized Lionpaw. Toadkit and Rosekit tumbled toward him. "Will you teach us some battle moves?"

清理旧窝垫。” 他看向她受伤的腿。 “你一个人行吗？” 炭爪翻了个白眼。 “当然可以。” 她转身朝门口走去，嘴里小声嘟囔着。 “真希望大家别总把我当成三脚猫看待。” 狐爪正在育婴室外面教冰爪战斗技巧。 他翻过身仰躺着，抬起后腿蹬了出去。 “刚才有个河族武士想扑到我身上，但是我滚着躲开了。” 他一下跳起来站稳。 “然后我狠狠咬了他的后腿一口， 我打赌他现在还能感觉到疼呢。” 冰爪看起来佩服极了。 “我真希望我也参加了那场战斗。” “总得有人守营地呀，”狐爪温和地说道。 狮爪挤着进了育婴室，荆棘勾到了他的皮毛。 黛西抬起头，眼里满是担忧。 “原来是你呀。” 认出是狮爪，她松了口气。 蟾崽和玫瑰崽朝他滚了过来。 “你能教我们一些战斗技巧吗？”

Toadkit begged. Rosekit churned her paws as though she were fighting off an enemy. "We need to be ready if WindClan invades again." Daisy's fur bushed out. "They won't, will they? Not after the sun vanished like that." "I doubt it." Millie was lying on her side while her kits fed. A cough shook her body, startling the kits away. Briarkit mewled angrily and squirmed back for more milk. Bumblekit sat up and yawned, his eyes hardly open, while Blossomkit snuggled into the moss and fell asleep. "You should see Leafpool," Daisy advised. "You've been coughing all night." "It's just something tickling my throat," Millie meowed. "I probably swallowed a feather." Daisy leaned forward and sniffed at Millie's muzzle. "You feel a bit feverish." "I'll fetch Leafpool once I've cleaned out your bedding," Lionpaw offered. Toadkit looked crestfallen. "I thought you were going to teach us battle moves." "Sorry, Toadkit. I've got to go on patrol after I've finished here."

蟾崽恳求道。 玫瑰崽扒动爪子，好像正在打退敌人一样。 “如果风族再来入侵，我们得做好准备。” 黛西一下子炸毛了。 “他们不会再来了，对不对？ 太阳消失成那样，他们肯定不会来了。” “我也觉得不会。” 米莉侧躺着，她的幼崽正在吃奶。 一阵咳嗽震得她浑身发抖，把幼崽都吓跑了。 荆崽生气地叫了一声，扭着身子挤回来吃奶。 蜂崽坐起来打哈欠，眼睛都还没睁开，花崽则蜷进苔藓里睡着了。 “你应该去找叶池看看，”黛西劝道。 “你都咳了一整夜了。” “只是有东西挠喉咙罢了，”米莉说道。 “我大概是吞了一根羽毛。” 黛西凑过去，闻了闻米莉的口鼻。 “你有点发烧了。” “等我清理完窝垫，我就去叫叶池来，”狮爪主动说道。 蟾崽一下子垂头丧气起来。 “我还以为你要教我们战斗技巧呢。” “对不起啦，蟾崽， 我干完这儿的活还要去巡逻呢。”

"It's not fair," Rosekit complained. "You get to do all the fun things, while we're stuck in here." Lionpaw sighed. Cleaning out dens and patrolling borders wasn't fun. He wished he were back in the battle, fighting for his Clan with the power of the stars pulsing in his paws. "Why don't you ask Foxpaw to teach you?" He glanced at Daisy. "I need to clean out your bedding anyway." Daisy got to her paws slowly, as though reluctant to leave the nursery. "I suppose we all need some fresh air." She glanced at Millie, who was coughing again. "You should stay inside." Millie nodded. "I am rather tired." She curled around her kits and closed her eyes. As Daisy followed Toadkit and Rosekit out of the den, Lionpaw began picking through her bedding, pulling out stale scraps of moss. Millie's breathing was hoarse, and the air around her smelled sour. Lionpaw pawed together the dirty moss and gathered it in his jaws. Then he wriggled backward out of the nursery and dropped it outside. Cinderpaw was trotting through the thorn tunnel, fresh moss dangling from her jaws.

“这不公平，”小玫瑰抱怨道。 “所有好玩的事都轮你去做，我们却只能困在这儿。” 狮爪叹了口气。 清理巢穴、巡逻边界一点都不好玩。 他多希望自己还在战场上，脚掌涌动着星辰的力量，为族群而战。 “你怎么不找狐爪教你呀？” 他瞥了黛西一眼。 “反正我本来也要清理你们的垫窝草。” 黛西慢慢站起身，好像不太愿意离开育婴室。 “我想我们都该出去透透气了。” 她扫了一眼又开始咳嗽的米莉。 “你就留在屋里吧。” 米莉点了点头。 “我确实有点累了。” 她蜷起身子护住幼崽，闭上了眼睛。 黛西跟着小蟾蜍和小玫瑰走出巢穴后，狮爪开始翻捡垫窝草，把干硬的旧苔藓扯出来。 米莉的呼吸粗哑，她身边的空气都带着酸臭味。 狮爪把脏苔藓扒到一起，叼在嘴里。 接着他扭着身子退出育婴室，把脏苔藓丢在外面。 炭爪正跑过荆棘隧道，嘴里叼着新鲜苔藓晃来晃去。

"I haven't done Millie's nest yet," Lionpaw called. "I think she's sick." Graystripe, sunning himself beneath Highledge, scrambled to his paws. "What's wrong?" "She has a cough," Lionpaw mewed. "I was just going to fetch Leafpool." Graystripe was already hurrying toward the nursery. "Be quick," he ordered, his tail bushing out. Lionpaw padded to the medicine cats" den. A strong smell of herbs drifted through the brambles. He nosed his way in, blinking to adjust his eyes to the gloom. "Leafpool?" The medicine cat was crouching beside Spiderleg, her paws green with ointment. "What is it?" "I think Millie's sick." Leafpool rubbed her paws on the moss of Spiderleg's nest. "I'll put some more on later," she promised the warrior. "I'm feeling much better," Spiderleg assured her.

“我还没整理米莉的窝呢，”狮爪喊道。 “我觉得她生病了。” 正躺在高岩底下晒太阳的灰条一下子蹦起身。 “出什么事了？” “她一直在咳嗽，”狮爪喵呜道。 “我正准备去找叶池。” 灰条已经急匆匆往育婴室赶了。 “快点去，”他下令，尾巴蓬了起来。 狮爪缓步走向巫医巢穴。 一股浓浓的药草香从荆棘丛里飘出来。 他挤着身子钻进去，眨着眼睛适应洞里的昏暗。 “叶池？” 巫医正蹲在蜘蛛足旁边，爪子上沾着绿色的药膏。 “怎么了？” “米莉好像生病了。” 叶池在蜘蛛足窝的苔藓上蹭了蹭爪子。 “我晚点再来给你涂药，”她向武士保证道。 “我已经感觉好多了，”蜘蛛足让她放心。