Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24 Lionpaw was dreaming. Blood flooded over him, around him, washing through his fur, thick and warm, filling his nostrils, tumbling him onward until he was buffeted against rough stone walls. Help! He fought the crimson tide, churning his paws, his muscles screaming as he struggled against the weight of the flood. His lungs were bursting, and the iron tang of blood filled his mouth. The wave dragged him across jagged rocks, then swept on without him, leaving him soaked and gasping for breath. He blinked open his eyes and saw a stone roof arching high above him. Silvery light filtered through a crack, dimly lighting the stone walls of the cave. Lionpaw struggled to his paws, his sodden pelt heavy. He stared at the blood pooled in the cracks and crevices of the wide stone floor and glimpsed a shape—a body—lying awkwardly on the stone floor, paws twisted, tail limp, head thrown back,

第二十四章 狮爪正在做梦。 鲜血淹没了他，将他团团包裹，浸透了他的皮毛，浓稠温热的血灌满了他的鼻腔，推着他不断往前，直到他狠狠撞在粗糙的石壁上。 救命！ 他在这片猩红潮水间挣扎，不停划动爪子，对抗洪水的重量时，肌肉酸疼得几乎要撕裂。 他的肺快要炸开，血液带着铁锈般的腥气灌满了他的嘴巴。 浪涛拽着他划过尖利的岩石，随后便撇下他涌走了，只留下浑身湿透的他大口喘着气。 他眨了眨眼睛睁开眼，看见石拱屋顶高高悬在他头顶。 银色光线透过裂缝透进来，朦朦胧胧照亮了洞穴的石壁。 狮爪挣扎着站起来，湿透的皮毛沉得厉害。 他盯着宽石地缝隙凹处积着的血，隐约看见一个影子——一具身体——别扭地躺在石地上，爪子扭曲，尾巴耷拉，头向后仰着

blood dripping from its whiskers. Heatherpaw! Lionpaw stumbled toward her, rage surging beneath his pelt. Growling, he pawed at her, but she lay heavy and motionless. She was already dead. He glared at her, satisfaction welling in his belly. You deserve it! She had caused the battle that had made the sun vanish. And now the Clans were falling apart, turning away from StarClan as StarClan turned away from them. His claws slid out, curling from his paws, longer and sharper than blackthorns. They scraped the cave floor, gouging furrows in the stone. Blood pounded in his ears, heat surging through him as though he were in battle. No enemy could beat him; no foe could spill his blood. Let the battles come. Nothing can harm me. I am more powerful than StarClan! "Get off!" Foxpaw's indignant mew woke him. "You're digging your claws into my back!" Lionpaw rolled away and stumbled out of his

血正从它的胡须往下滴落。 石楠爪！ 狮爪跌跌撞撞朝她跑去，怒火在他皮毛下汹涌翻涌。 他低吼着伸爪碰她，可她沉甸甸地躺在那儿一动不动。 她已经死了。 他盯着她，满足感在自己的肚子里慢慢涌了上来。 你活该！ 是她挑起的战斗，才害得太阳消失不见。 如今族群已经四分五裂，星族抛弃了他们，他们也背离了星族。 他亮出爪子，爪子从爪垫伸出来，比黑刺李还要更长更锋利。 爪子刮擦着洞穴地面，在石头上挖出一道道沟痕。 血液在他耳边轰轰直响，热浪涌遍全身，就像他正身处战场。 没有敌人能打败我，没有仇敌能让我流血。 就让战争来吧。 谁都伤不了我。 我比星族还要更强大！ "走开！" 狐爪生气的叫声吵醒了他。 "你的爪子戳到我背了！" 狮爪滚到一旁，跌跌撞撞爬出他的

nest. "Sorry." His mind was fuzzy with sleep, but the dream still haunted him. He staggered out of the den, feeling sick. I was glad she was dead! Horrified, he padded into the clearing. I loved her once. The morning sun streamed onto his pelt, but he shivered. Fear spread like ice through his bones. He licked at his chest, relieved to find it didn't taste of blood and his fur wasn't stained red. "Good morning, sleepyhead!" Hollypaw was carrying moss to the elders" den. Lionpaw didn't reply. He kept washing. He felt his dream had tainted him. Did he really want to become more powerful than StarClan if it meant spilling so much blood? Cloudtail was putting Cinderpaw through her paces below Highledge. "Jump, duck, and roll," he ordered. She practiced the battle move, landing perfectly on all four paws. "How did your leg feel?" Cloudtail prompted. Cinderpaw purred. "Like all my other legs!"

窝。 "抱歉。" 他脑子睡得昏沉，可那个梦依旧缠着他不放。 他摇摇晃晃走出巢穴，胃里翻江倒海很不舒服。 我居然高兴她死了！ 他满心恐惧，一步步走进营地空地。 我曾经爱过她啊。 清晨的阳光晒在他的皮毛上，可他还是忍不住发抖。 恐惧像寒冰一样冻透了他的骨头。 他舔了舔自己的胸口，松了口气——胸口没有血腥味，皮毛也没沾染上红色。 "早上好，小懒虫！" 冬青爪正往长老巢穴运送苔藓。 狮爪没有回应。 他一直不停舔洗着皮毛。 他觉得这个梦把他给弄脏了。 如果要流这么多血才能变得比星族强大，他真的想变成那样吗？ 云尾正在高岩下训练炭爪。 "跳，低头，滚翻。" 他命令道。 她练习了这个战斗动作，四爪稳稳落地。 "你的腿感觉怎么样？" 云尾提醒道。 炭爪发出满足的呼噜声。 "和我其他的腿一模一样！"

She trotted around her mentor with her tail in the air. "Absolutely fine." Millie was coughing in the nursery, her kits mewling while Daisy tried to soothe them. "It's all right, my sweets. Try feeding again." Sandstorm began rattling the branches of the apprentices" den. "Wake up, Foxpaw, you dormouse!" The thorn barrier shivered as Graystripe pounded into camp. Cloudtail looked up. "Any sign of WindClan?" "No," Graystripe answered. "The borders are freshly marked, but no cat's crossed them." Dustpelt and Whitewing followed him in and padded to the fresh-kill pile. Whitewing picked through the prey left from last night. "Has the hunting patrol left?" "Not yet," Sandstorm called. "We're heading out shortly." She rattled the apprentices" den once more. "Once I can get Foxpaw out of his nest. He thinks he's allowed to miss all his duties while Squirrelflight's sick." She looked at Lionpaw. "Do you want to come hunting?" Lionpaw paused in his washing. "Yes." Perhaps

她翘着尾巴，小步绕着导师转圈。 "完全没问题。" 米莉在育婴室咳嗽，她的幼崽不停喵喵叫，黛西正忙着安抚他们。 "没事的，我的小宝贝。 再试着喂一次哦。" 沙风开始哗啦哗啦晃学徒巢穴的树枝。 "醒醒，狐爪，你这个睡鼠！" 灰章冲进营地的时候，荆棘篱笆都跟着晃了起来。 云尾抬起头。 "有风族的踪迹吗？" "没有，" 灰条回答。 "边界刚重新标记完，但没有猫越界。" 尘毛和白翅跟着他走进营地，慢慢走到新鲜猎物堆旁。 白翅翻拣着昨晚剩下的猎物。 "狩猎巡逻队出发了吗？" "还没，" 沙风大声回应。 "我们很快就出发。" 她又晃了晃学徒巢穴的树枝。 "等我把狐爪从他窝里拽出来再说， 他觉得松鼠飞生病，就能偷懒躲过所有任务了。" 她看向狮爪。 "你想一起来打猎吗？" 狮爪停下了舔洗的动作。 "好。" 说不定

a run in the woods would clear his mind. He could pretend he was like any other apprentice— for a short time, at least. Leafpool slid out of her den. Jaypaw padded after her, yawning. "We need more marigold," she mewed. "Squirrelflight's wound is healing nicely, but I want to be ready for any late infections. We can't risk taking anything for granted." She glanced nervously up at the sun, rising over the trees at the rim of the hollow. "I'll fetch some this morning," Jaypaw offered. He stretched, his tail quivering with the effort. "There's a patch beside the shore." "It'll be the last of the season, I expect." Leafpool sighed. "Then I'll get as much as I can." Grit sprinkled down from Highledge. Firestar was sitting outside his cave, washing. His orange pelt turned to fire as the morning light caught it. He gave each ear a quick rub, then gazed down at the camp. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather together!" he called. Sandstorm looked up, surprised.

去林子里跑一跑能让他理清思绪。 他可以假装自己和其他学徒没什么两样——至少就这一会儿工夫。 叶池悄悄溜出了她的巢穴。 松鸦爪打着哈欠，跟在她身后慢慢走去。 “我们需要更多金盏花，”她轻声说。 “松鼠飞的伤口恢复得很不错，但我得做好准备，以防后期感染。 我们不能掉以轻心。” 她紧张地抬头望向太阳，太阳正从山谷边缘的树林后升了起来。 “我今天早上去摘，”松鸦爪主动提议。 他伸了个懒腰，尾巴因为用力微微颤抖着。 “岸边就长了一片金盏花。” “我猜这应该是今年最后一批了。” 叶池叹了口气。 “那我就尽可能多摘一些回来。” 沙粒从高岩上洒落下来。 火星正坐在洞穴外打理毛发。 清晨的阳光洒在他身上，橙色的皮毛像燃烧了起来。 他快速蹭了蹭两只耳朵，接着低头望向营地。 “所有能独立捕猎的猫，都到这里集合！” 他喊道。 沙风惊讶地抬起了头。

Lionpaw straightened. What about the hunt? The warriors" den shivered as Brackenfur and Birchfall padded out. Poppyfrost and Berrynose followed, their eyes bleary with sleep. Foxpaw stumbled dozily from the apprentices" den. "About time, too!" Sandstorm chided. "I was about to come in and drag you out by your tail." Icepaw trotted out after her brother. "Sorry," she apologized. "I kept him awake last night. We were trying to stay up till you got back from the Gathering." Sandstorm glanced at Firestar. "You'll hear about it soon enough." Lionpaw padded beneath Highledge as the Clan gathered. Dustpelt shook sleep from his whiskers, while Thornclaw sat beside him and picked moss from his pelt. Squirrelflight had padded to the edge of the clearing. From the stern looks Leafpool was flashing at her, she was meant to be in her nest. Hollypaw slid in beside Lionpaw. "What do you think he's going to tell them?" she whispered. Lionpaw guessed she was talking about the Gathering. How would Firestar break the news of

狮爪直起了身子。 那说好的狩猎怎么办？ 蕨毛和桦落走出武士巢穴时，巢穴轻轻晃了晃。 罂粟霜和莓鼻跟了出来，睡眼惺忪。 狐爪困蒙蒙地摇摇晃晃走出了学徒巢穴。 “你可总算出来了！” 沙风责备道。 “我都要进去揪着你尾巴把你拖出来了。” 冰爪跟在她哥哥身后小跑出来。 “对不起，”她道歉说。 “昨晚我让他一直没睡着。 我们本来想熬着不睡，等你从森林大会回来。” 沙风瞥了一眼火星。 “你们很快就会听到消息了。” 族猫集合的时候，狮爪慢慢走到了高岩下方。 尘毛抖掉胡须上的睡意，刺尾坐在他身旁，挑出皮毛里沾着的苔藓。 松鼠飞已经走到了空地边缘。 从叶池狠狠瞪她的眼神来看，她本来该待在窝里休息的。 冬青爪悄悄溜到狮爪身边。 “你觉得他要跟大家说什么？” 她低声问。 狮爪猜她在说森林大会的事。 火星该怎么宣布关于