Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26 It was the afternoon before the Gathering. Hollyleaf felt as if her whole world was crumbling around her. She had thought that once they got rid of Sol, life in the Clans would return to normal, but instead the terrible threat of Ashfur hung over them like a tree about to fall. He's going to ruin everything! Her paws itching with restlessness, Hollyleaf slipped out of the camp and wandered into the forest. She felt completely powerless, now that she knew she wasn't one of the three: Her belief in the prophecy had made her feel that she could do anything, but Ashfur had torn that belief away from her. A cat with the power of the stars in her paws would have been able to stop one cat from speaking words that would tear his Clan apart. But plain Hollyleaf, no longer Firestar's kin, could do nothing. A hot flood of fury swept through Hollyleaf and she paused, digging her claws into the sodden ground. More than anything, she wanted to be one of the three; she wanted to be special, to

第二十六章 那是集会前一天的下午 冬青叶感觉整个世界都在自己身边崩塌 她本以为除掉索日之后，族群生活就能恢复正常，可炭毛带来的可怕威胁，却像一棵即将倾倒的大树压在他们心头 他要毁掉一切！ 冬青叶坐立难安，悄悄溜出营地，走进了森林 得知自己不是预言三猫之一后，她只觉得浑身无力：对预言的信仰曾让她坚信自己无所不能，可炭毛把这份信仰彻底撕碎了 一只有星辰力量的猫，本可以阻止那只猫说出撕裂族群的话 可平凡的冬青叶，连火星的亲属都不是，什么也做不了 一股滚烫的怒火席卷了冬青叶，她停住脚，爪子深深扎进湿润的泥土里 她最渴望成为三力量之一；她想变得特别，想

have a destiny beyond that of any other cat. I deserve to! Her need tore at her belly like sharp pangs of hunger. I'd work harder than any cat to be a great leader, and leave my paw print on all the Clans. I can't let Ashfur destroy all my plans. Choking down her rage, Hollyleaf padded on. Since the storm, more rain had fallen, and she had to pick her way across boggy ground and leap over tiny new streams that scoured through the sodden earth. Bracken fronds released showers of raindrops onto her head and shoulders as she brushed by. Her fur became splashed and muddy, but she carried on, scarcely aware of where she was. The strong scent of a ThunderClan cat brought her to a halt. She jumped as Ashfur appeared around the trunk of a gnarled oak tree. "Don't creep up on me like that!" she snapped. "I'm not creeping," Ashfur retorted. "If you must know, I've been checking out the fox trail near the WindClan border. That fox Brackenfur scented is still around." Hollyleaf didn't reply. She and Ashfur faced each other; Ashfur's blue eyes were wide and

拥有比其他任何猫都更不凡的命运 我配得上！ 这份渴望像饥饿的剧痛一样，啃咬着她的肚子 我会比任何猫都努力，做个优秀的族长，在所有族群留下我的印记 我不能让炭毛毁掉我所有的计划 冬青叶压下怒火，继续往前走 暴风雨过后又下起了雨，她只能小心走过湿软的沼地，跳过冲刷泥土的细小新溪 她擦过蕨叶时，蕨叶落下一阵雨滴，打在她的头顶和肩膀上 她的皮毛溅满了泥点，可她还是继续走，几乎没留意自己走到了哪里 一股强烈的雷族猫气味让她停了下来 炭毛从一棵盘曲的橡树树干后走出来，吓了她一跳 "别那样偷偷靠近我！" 她厉声说道 "我才没偷偷摸摸，" 炭毛反驳道 跟你说实话，我一直在风族边界附近查看狐狸的踪迹 蜡毛闻到的那只狐狸还在附近。" 冬青叶没有回答 她和炭毛面对面站着，炭毛的蓝眼睛睁得大大的，

wary. "What do you want?" he demanded. "How do you know I want anything?" Hollyleaf replied. For a moment Ashfur looked disconcerted. "Aren't you going to try to make me change my mind, like Squirrelflight and your littermates?" "No." Hollyleaf felt a stab of satisfaction at the startled look in the gray warrior's eyes. "I know there's nothing I can do. It's your decision to betray your own Clan." "Betray?" Ashfur's neck fur bristled and his claws slid out. "I'm betraying no cat. Squirrelflight's the traitor, because she lied." "And it's not betrayal when you weaken ThunderClan in front of the other Clans, so soon after the Great Battle?" Hollyleaf spat in disgust. Ashfur stretched his neck toward her, his lips drawn back in a snarl. "If you're trying to scare me, it's not working." Hollyleaf stood her ground. "And you don't scare me, either," she declared. "Nothing scares me more than the thought that you're not afraid of what will happen after you've spoken out." Ashfur's eyes narrowed. "I'll purr over what

充满警惕 "你想干什么？" 他质问道 "你怎么知道我想做什么？" 冬青叶回答 一瞬间，炭毛露出了慌乱的神色 "你不打算像松鼠飞和你的同窝手足那样，劝我改变主意吗？" "不。" 看到这只灰色武士眼里惊愕的神情，冬青叶心中生出一丝满足 "我知道我什么也做不了 背叛你自己的族群，这是你的决定。" "背叛？" 炭毛颈毛竖起，爪子露了出来 "我谁也不背叛 松鼠飞才是叛徒，是她撒了谎。" "大战才刚结束，你就要在其他族群面前削弱雷族，这还不算背叛吗？" 冬青叶厌恶地啐了一口 炭毛伸长脖子凑近她，龇牙咧嘴地咆哮着 "你要是想吓我，这招没用的" 冬青叶稳稳站在原地 "你也吓不到我，" 她大声说 "你说出秘密后都不怕后果，这才是最让我害怕的" 炭毛眯起了眼睛 "我倒要好好看看

will happen after I've revealed the truth," he promised. Without waiting for a reply, he spun around and headed off through the forest. The sun was sinking behind a ragged band of cloud as Firestar called his cats together to go to the Gathering. Shadows crept into the clearing, and the first warriors of StarClan were beginning to emerge into a sky stained with scarlet. "Where's Ashfur?" Firestar asked, looking around. Hollyleaf exchanged a glance with Lionblaze. The other cats chosen for the Gathering— Brambleclaw, Dustpelt, Ferncloud, Graystripe, Cloudtail, and Cinderheart—were already clustered around their leader, while Leafpool and Jayfeather were padding across the clearing to join them. But there was no sign of the gray warrior. Firestar's tail twitched with annoyance. "He specifically asked to come tonight, and now he's not here. I asked Squirrelflight to come, too, and she's not here either." "We'll be late if we wait for them," Dustpelt pointed out.

等我说出真相后发生的事，" 他保证道 没等回话，他转身就走进森林离开了 火星召集族猫出发去集会时，太阳正沉到一片参差的云带后方 阴影爬进营地空地，星族的第一批武士已经开始出现在染成绯红色的天空中 "炭毛在哪儿？" 火星一边问一边环顾四周 冬青叶和狮焰交换了一个眼神 其他被选去参加集会的猫——黑莓掌、尘皮、蕨云、灰条、云尾和炭心——已经聚集在族长身边，叶池和松鸦羽正穿过空地赶来 可那只灰色武士还是不见踪影 火星的尾巴因为烦躁抽动了一下 "他明明主动要求今晚来的，现在却不见人影 我还叫了松鼠飞来，她也没来。" "再等下去我们就要迟到了，" 尘皮提醒道

Tension churned in Hollyleaf's belly. She didn't want to think about Ashfur, much less stand around waiting for him. If he didn't turn up at the Gathering, so much the better for every cat. As for Squirrelflight... Hollyleaf didn't care if she never saw her again. "Maybe Ashfur went on ahead," Graystripe suggested. "Well, if he did, he should have told one of us," Firestar replied. "Let's go." He led the way through the barrier of thorns. Hollyleaf brought up the rear with Lionblaze and Jayfeather. She knew that both her brothers would be desperate to know where Ashfur was. She could almost see their anxiety crackling off their fur like lightning. But none of them spoke his name. The cats had barely left the tunnel when Squirrelflight came bounding breathlessly up to them. Her pelt was clumped and soaking, and splashed with mud. "Sorry," she panted. "I didn't mean to keep you waiting." Brambleclaw gave her ear a quick lick. "What have you been doing?"

冬青叶的心揪得紧紧的。 她不愿意想起灰毛，更不愿意站在这儿等他。 如果他不来森林大会，对所有猫来说反倒更好。 至于松鼠飞…… 冬青叶巴不得永远都不要再见到她。 “说不定灰毛已经先走一步了，”灰条提议道。 “唔，要是他真走了，也该跟我们说一声啊，”火星回答。 “我们走吧。” 他带头穿过荆棘屏障。 冬青叶和狮焰、松鸦羽走在队伍最后。 她知道两个哥哥都急着想知道灰毛在哪儿。 她几乎都能感觉到他们的焦虑像闪电一样顺着毛发往外冒。 但没有一只猫提起他的名字。 族猫刚走出隧道，松鼠飞就气喘吁吁地跑了过来。 她的毛发缠成一团，浑身湿透，还溅满了泥。 “抱歉，”她喘着气说。 “我不是故意让你们等我的。” 黑莓掌轻轻舔了舔她的耳朵。 “你刚才干什么去了？”

"Looking for herbs for Leafpool, near the ShadowClan border," Squirrelflight explained. "The bank of the stream was muddy, and I slipped in." "Mouse-brain," Brambleclaw murmured affectionately. "You should be more careful. Are you okay? You don't have to come to the Gathering if you'd rather rest." "I'm fine," Squirrelflight insisted. "And I'm not going to miss this Gathering. I haven't been to one in moons." "Come on, we're wasting time," Firestar called from the front of the group. He set off toward the lake; the forest floor was still sodden from the recent rain, and the cats had to scramble through muddy hollows or over branches that fell in the storm. Hollyleaf barely noticed the mud or the small streams her paws splashed through. She felt as though she was looking down a long tunnel into a future dark with fear and betrayal. She asked herself how far a cat should go to preserve the warrior code. And what happens if the code was broken no matter what you did?

“我在影族边界帮叶池找药草，”松鼠飞解释说。 “小溪岸边太滑了，我不小心掉进去了。” “小笨蛋，”黑莓掌温柔地低声说。 “你可得小心点。 你没事吧？ 要是你想休息，就不用去森林大会了。” “我没事，”松鼠飞坚持说。 “我不会错过这次大会的， 我好几个月没去过了。” “快点吧，我们在浪费时间，”火星在队伍前头喊道。 他动身朝湖边走去； 刚下过雨，森林地面还浸得透湿，族猫们只能爬过泥坑，或是跨过暴风雨吹落的树枝。 冬青叶根本没在意脚下的泥，也没感觉到爪子溅起小水花。 她觉得自己正望向一条长长的隧道，尽头是被恐惧和背叛笼罩的黑暗未来。 她问自己，为了维护武士守则，一只猫到底要做到什么地步。 要是不管你怎么做，守则都会被打破，那又该怎么办？