Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 A scarlet leaf spiraled lazily down from a branch above Lionblaze's head. He sprang up, batting at it with his forepaws, then dropped to the ground again, his pelt hot with embarrassment. Had any cat seen him behaving like a kit? The dawn patrol was heading back to the stone hollow. The sun had climbed above the trees, but in the shadows the leaves and grasses were still rimmed with frost. Leaf-fall was creeping over the forest, and the harsh days of leaf-bare were not far away. Ashfur was leading the patrol; he had drawn a few fox-lengths ahead with Thornclaw and Brightheart. Lionblaze drew a breath of relief as he realized none of them had been watching him. He stood still for a couple of heartbeats, jaws parted and ears pricked for any sign of WindClan trespassers. But the faint traces of their scent all came from their own side of the border. "Lionblaze!" Ashfur had halted, looking back over his shoulder. "Are you going to stand there until you take root?"

第三章 一片猩红的叶子打着旋，慢悠悠从狮焰头顶的树枝飘落下来。 他猛地跳起来，伸爪去拍，然后又落回地面，臊得皮毛都发烫了。 有没有猫看到他像幼崽一样胡闹？ 黎明巡逻队正往石山谷返回。 太阳已经爬到树梢，可阴影里的草叶边缘还挂着霜。 落叶季悄悄降临森林，秃叶季寒冷难熬的日子已经不远了。 灰纹带队，他领着荆棘爪和亮心先走了几个狐步远。 狮焰松了口气，他发现他们谁都没注意到刚才的举动。 他静静站了几下心跳的功夫，张着嘴，竖耳留意风族越界者的动静。 但边界这边只有本族猫淡淡的气味，没有风族的痕迹。 “狮焰！” 灰纹停下脚步，回头望向他。 “你是打算站在这里生根吗？”

"Coming!" Lionblaze called back, bounding forward to catch up with his former mentor. "I was just checking for WindClan." Ashfur gave him an approving nod. "That's good, but I don't think we have anything to worry about." "We can't be too careful," Lionblaze meowed, falling in beside the older warrior as they set off again. Brightheart and Thornclaw had disappeared through the thick clumps of bracken; Lionblaze realized he had the chance he had been waiting for, to talk to Ashfur alone. Giving him a sidelong glance, he began, "Can I ask you something?" Ashfur's whiskers twitched. "Sure." "I feel like I need some extra battle training. Will you work with me?" His former mentor stopped and faced him, his blue eyes stretched wide in surprise. "You're a warrior now, Lionblaze," he reminded him. "And one of the best fighters in the Clan. Do you really think you have any more to learn?" Ashfur's praise warmed Lionblaze like a ray of sunlight; sometimes, when he was an apprentice,

“来了！” 狮焰应声，赶紧跑上前追上自己曾经的导师。 “我刚才只是在查看风族的动静。” 灰纹赞许地点了点头。 “做得好，但我觉得我们没什么可担心的。” “再小心都不为过，”狮焰边说，边走到这位年长武士身边，和他一起出发。 亮心和荆棘爪已经穿过浓密的蕨丛走远了； 狮焰意识到，他一直等待的、和灰纹单独谈话的机会来了。 他斜眼瞥了一下灰纹，开口问道：“我能问你一件事吗？” 灰纹的胡须抖了抖。 “当然可以。” “我觉得我需要额外的战斗训练。 你愿意陪我一起训练吗？” 他曾经的导师停下来，转身面对他，蓝眼睛因为惊讶睁得大大的。 “你现在已经是正式武士了，狮焰，”他提醒道。 “而且你是族群里最能打的武士之一。 你真觉得还有什么需要学的吗？” 灰纹的夸奖像一缕阳光暖了狮焰的心；还记得当初自己还是学徒的时候，

he had despaired of ever pleasing the gray warrior. "There's always something more to learn," he declared. "I want to stay as strong and fit as I can, so I'll be ready for the next battle." Ashfur blinked thoughtfully. "I'm not sure there'll be another battle. Not for a while, anyway." "WindClan might cause more trouble. And anyway, I still need the practice," Lionblaze insisted. He flexed his claws, ready to tear frustratedly at the grass, then stopped himself. He didn't want Ashfur to know how much this meant to him. "Please." "Okay." Ashfur still looked unconvinced, but to Lionblaze's relief he didn't object anymore. "We could have a session now. I'll just catch up to Brightheart and tell her to report to Firestar. Meet you at the training hollow." He bounded off, leaving Lionblaze to head to the training hollow by himself. The sunlight suddenly seemed brighter, and he relished the cool touch of the breeze in his fur and the dew on his pads. He knew that he had to keep

他曾经觉得自己永远都没法让这只灰毛武士满意。 “总还有新东西可以学，”他说道。 “我想尽可能保持强壮健康，这样下次战斗来临的时候我就能做好准备。” 灰纹若有所思地眨了眨眼。 “我不确定还会有另一场战斗。 至少短时间内不会有。” “风族说不定还会惹麻烦。 而且不管怎样，我还是需要练习，”狮焰坚持道。 他绷紧爪子，本来准备挫败地去抓草地，又硬生生停住了。 他不想让灰纹知道这件事对自己有多重要。 “求你了。” “好吧。” 灰纹看起来还是不太相信，但让狮焰松口气的是，他没有再反对。 “我们现在就可以训练一次。 我去追上亮心，告诉她向火星汇报情况。 我们在训练山谷见。” 他快步跑走了，留下狮焰一个人前往训练山谷。 阳光突然好像变得更明亮了，狮焰尽情享受凉风吹过皮毛、露珠沾在爪垫的触感。 他知道自己必须坚持

training, to make the best use of his powers that he could, but he didn't want Tigerstar to act as his mentor anymore. Lionblaze shivered, as if thinking of the dark warrior could summon him; he glanced around but there was no sign of the striped shadow and burning amber eyes. At first he had felt special, honored to be chosen by Tigerstar for extra training, and delighted to be able to beat the other apprentices with a move the dark warrior had shown him. But in the last few moons Tigerstar had changed, showing a hostile side and trying to control Lionblaze. Or maybe he hasn't changed. Maybe I'm just seeing what Tigerstar has been like all along. He remembered Ferncloud scolding Foxkit and Icekit before they became apprentices: "If you don't behave, Tigerstar will come and get you!" The two kits had squeaked in terror, and burrowed close to their mother's belly. Was I completely mouse-brained? Lionblaze wondered. Did I think he was helping me when

训练，尽可能把自己的能力发挥到最好，但他不想再让虎星做自己的导师了。 狮焰打了个寒颤，就好像一想到那个深色武士就能把他招来似的； 他环顾四周，那带条纹的影子和燃烧的琥珀色眼睛一点踪迹都没有。 一开始他觉得自己特别了不起，能被虎星选中做额外训练是多么荣幸，还开心能用黑武士教的招式打败其他学徒。 但最近几个月虎星变了，露出了充满敌意的一面，还想要控制狮焰。 或者，也许他根本没变。 也许我现在才看清虎星本来的样子。 他想起蕨云在狐崽和冰崽成为学徒之前骂他们：“你们再不乖，虎星就来抓你们啦！” 两只幼崽吓得吱吱叫，紧紧钻到妈妈肚子底下。 我之前是不是笨得像只呆老鼠？ 狮焰心想。 我当初居然以为他是在帮我，

all the time he was using me? If he practiced with Ashfur, he wouldn't need Tigerstar anymore. And if Tigerstar kept visiting him, he would be strong enough to fight him off. Maybe he'll leave me alone if I can prove I'm a good enough warrior without him. The training hollow was empty this early in the day, with a few wisps of mist still clinging to the grass. Lionblaze padded into the center and began practicing his battle moves, leaping and twisting in the air, imagining how he would land on Tigerstar's broad shoulders and dig his claws into the dark tabby pelt. "Pretty good." Ashfur's voice came from the other side of the hollow. "Thanks," Lionblaze panted. He was turning to face his former mentor when Ashfur crashed into his side, knocking him off his paws. Furious that he hadn't been ready, Lionblaze let out a screech. He battered at Ashfur with his hind paws, while Ashfur tried to sink his teeth into his neck fur. The gray warrior's heavier weight pinned Lionblaze down, driving all the breath out of him.

难道他一直都在利用我吗？ 如果他和灰蕨一起练习，就再也不需要虎星了。 要是虎星还来找他，他也足够强壮，能把虎星赶走了。 要是我能证明不靠他也能当出色的武士，他说不定就不会再来烦我了。 这天这么早，训练洞空荡荡的，只有几缕薄雾还缠在草地上。 狮焰走到空地中央，开始练习格斗动作，他在空中腾跃转身，想象着自己扑到虎星宽阔的肩膀上，把爪子扎进这只深虎斑猫的皮毛里。 "练得不错嘛。" 灰蕨的声音从空地另一边传了过来。 "谢谢，"狮焰喘着气说。 他正转身要面对这位前导师，灰蕨就猛地撞在他身侧，把他撞翻在地。 狮焰因为自己没做好准备怒不可遏，发出一声尖嘶。 他用后爪猛蹬灰蕨，而灰蕨则想一口咬住他脖子上的毛。 这只灰色武士体重更重，一下子把狮焰按在地上，压得他喘不过气来。

"Still want to fight?" Ashfur taunted him. With a tremendous effort, Lionblaze rolled over, thrusting Ashfur away. He scrambled to his paws, breathing heavily, and sprang on top of Ashfur before his opponent could recover. He gave the gray warrior two quick blows from his forepaws, then tried to leap away. But Ashfur was too quick for him. Flashing out a paw, he hooked Lionblaze's hind legs from under him, and the two cats wrestled together on the ground. Lionblaze's ear stung as Ashfur cuffed him. He pummeled his opponent with his forepaws, finding it hard to keep his claws sheathed as the red haze of battle threatened to engulf him. "Stop!" Lionblaze hardly heard the yowl, but Ashfur rolled off him right away and sprang to his paws. Lionblaze was left scrabbling on the ground, shaking his head to clear it. "What in StarClan's name are you doing?" Now Lionblaze recognized Firestar's voice. He struggled to stand, blinking grit from his eyes, and spotted Firestar on the edge of the hollow with Whitewing, Icepaw, and Birchfall just

"还想接着打吗？" 灰蕨嘲讽他道。 狮焰拼尽全身力气滚到一边，猛地把灰蕨推开。 他连滚带爬站起身，大口喘着气，趁对手还没反应过来，一下子扑到了灰蕨身上。 他用前爪飞快拍了灰蕨两下，接着就想跳开。 可灰蕨的动作比他快得多。 他猛地伸出爪子，勾掉了狮焰后腿的支撑，两只猫一起在地上扭打起来。 灰蕨一巴掌拍过来，狮焰的耳朵刺痛不已。 他用前爪狠狠揍向对手，战斗的怒潮快要吞噬他，他很难做到把爪子收起来。 "住手！" 狮焰几乎没听见这声吼叫，可灰蕨立刻滚到一边，一下子站起身来。 只剩狮焰在地上扒拉，他晃了晃脑袋，让自己清醒过来。 "你当着星族的面说，你们到底在干什么？" 这下狮焰听出来了，这是火星的声音。 他挣扎着站起来，眨掉眼睛里的沙粒，看见火星站在空地边缘，白翅、冰爪和桦落就