Chapter 0 Prologue

SUNRISE ERIN HUNTER

《日出》 艾琳·亨特

PROLOGUE Moonlight washed over the stone hollow, bright as day, but beneath the bushes and at the edges under the cliffs, dark shadows seemed to uncoil like claws. Leafpool crouched over Ashfur's limp body. The pale light turned his gray fur to silver as she groomed it for his burial. Beside her, Jayfeather helped, smoothing Ashfur's tail and fluffing it up as it dried. Leafpool raised her head to gaze up at the icy glitter cast by her warrior ancestors. "May StarClan light your path, Ashfur." She let her voice fall softly into the cold air as she repeated the words used by medicine cats for more seasons than any cat could count, whenever a Clanmate died. "May you find good hunting, swift running, and shelter when you sleep." The words that should have comforted her, promising a long and happy life for the fallen warrior, instead hurt her, sharper than thorns. Her mind filled with the moment she had discovered the neat teethmarks in Ashfur's neck. Too small

序言 月光倾泻在石谷上，亮如白昼，可灌木丛下、悬崖边缘的黑影，却像利爪一般缓缓舒展。 叶池弓身伏在灰毛瘫软的身体旁。 清冷的月光把他的灰毛染成银白，叶池细细梳理，准备安葬他。 身旁的松鸦羽也来帮忙，理顺灰毛的尾巴，等毛干后把它打理蓬松。 叶池抬起头，凝望武士祖先洒下的冰冷星光。 “愿星族照亮你的道路，灰毛。” 她轻声念出这句话，声音散在冷风中，每当有族猫离世，巫医都会念诵这句，传承了无数个季节。 “愿你狩猎丰足，奔跑迅捷，安睡时有庇护。” 这些本该安抚她的话语，许诺陨落的武士会拥有安乐来生，却反而将她刺得生疼，比荆棘还要锋利。 她满脑子都是发现灰毛脖子上整齐齿痕的那个瞬间。 齿痕太小了

for a dog, too clean for a fox, too sharp for a badger. Only a cat could have left them. But which cat? Who hated Ashfur enough to kill him in cold blood, leaving no signs of a struggle? Had it been an honest clash over borders or stolen prey? Could it have been a WindClan cat, or a passing rogue? Please, StarClan, let it be that! The thought that a ThunderClan cat might have murdered Ashfur made Leafpool cold to her bones. Ashfur had been outspoken and strong- willed, yes, but a loyal and respected warrior as well. Surely none of his Clanmates had any reason to want him dead? Bending over his body again, Leafpool began to clean earth and grit out of the dead warrior's pads. Something soft and light fluttered against her muzzle; she drew back to see a tuft of fur snagged in Ashfur's claws. No! This can't be true! Leaning closer, Leafpool sniffed the fur. I know that scent! Desperately she tried to convince herself that the clump of fur had come from one of the cats who had carried Ashfur back to the camp from where he had been found, floating in the stream

不可能是狗的齿痕，太整齐不像是狐狸，太锋利也不可能是獾。 只有猫能留下这样的齿痕。 可到底是哪只猫？ 谁会这么恨灰毛，冷血地杀了他，还没留下半分打斗痕迹？ 难不成是争夺边界或是偷猎物引发的正常冲突？ 会不会是风族猫，或是路过的泼皮猫？ 求求星族，就让它是这样吧！ 一想到害死灰毛的可能是雷族猫，叶池就冷到了骨头里。 灰毛确实性子直、脾气倔，可他也是忠诚又受人敬重的武士啊。 他的族猫怎么会有理由想要他死呢？ 叶池再次弯下腰，清理死去武士爪垫上的泥土沙砾。 一团又轻又软的东西蹭过她的口鼻； 她后退一步，看见一撮毛挂在灰毛的爪间。 不！ 这不可能是真的！ 叶池凑得更近，嗅了嗅那撮毛。 我认得这个气味！ 她拼命说服自己，这撮毛是哪只猫把灰毛从发现地驮回营地时蹭上去的，灰毛被发现时正漂在小溪里

on the WindClan border. But the smell of river water was too strong to have come from a cat with dry fur, and besides, Ashfur's claws were soft and limp now. They would flex rather than pull out a tuft of hair if they brushed against another cat. The only cat this tuft of fur could have come from was Ashfur's killer. Breathless and shaking, Leafpool gently teased out the fur and carried it into her den. She forced her trembling paws to place the tuft on a leaf, which she folded into a tight wrap. Then she pushed it right to the back of her store, deep into the cleft in the rock, behind the last bundle of herbs. The truth about Ashfur's death must never come out. In more pain than she had ever imagined she could feel without dying, she asked herself: Was all this my fault? With a snarl, Yellowfang leaped on Bluestar, bowling her over and pinning her down in the lush grass of the forest where StarClan walked. "This is all your fault!" she spat. "None of this

就在风族的边界旁。 可河水的气味太浓了，不可能来自皮毛干燥的猫，更何况，灰毛现在的爪子松弛瘫软。 如果只是蹭过别的猫，爪子只会自然张开，不会勾下这撮毛。 这撮毛只能来自杀死灰毛的凶手。 叶池屏住呼吸，浑身发抖，她轻轻取出这撮毛，带回了自己的窝。 她勉强控制住打颤的爪子，把毛放在一片叶子上，折成紧实的小包。 接着她把小包推到草药储存处的最深处，塞在岩石缝里，藏到最后一束草药的后面。 灰毛之死的真相永远不能暴露。 她承受着几乎撑不下去的剧痛，不禁反问自己：这一切都是我的错吗？ 黄牙怒吼着扑向蓝星，把她撞倒，按在星族漫步的森林青草地上。 “这全都是你的错！” 她啐道。 这一切

would have happened if you hadn't left that wretched secret to fester in ThunderClan." Bluestar battered at Yellowfang's belly with her hind paws, but couldn't dislodge the former medicine cat's grip. "What's wrong with you?" she hissed. "Don't forget that I was your Clan leader." All the respect that Yellowfang had once felt for the former ThunderClan leader had vanished. Their shared history crumbled to dust in the face of the terrible future she foresaw for the Clan she had made her own. "Your secret has been like a maggot eating away inside an apple," Yellowfang growled, her bared fangs close to Bluestar's ear. "ThunderClan is rotten to the core—and more blood will be shed before the truth comes out." "You can't know that," Bluestar protested, straining to throw off her opponent. "A blind rabbit could see it! The truth will come out. Midnight told Sol everything. And we both know that Sol will return to ThunderClan." Summoning her trained warrior reflexes, Bluestar butted her head into Yellowfang's chest and managed to slip to one side. Suddenly giving

根本不会发生，要是你没把那个糟糕的秘密留在雷族任由它恶化腐烂。 蓝星用后爪撞向黄牙的肚子，却没法挣脱这位前巫医的束缚。 “你到底怎么了？”她嘶声喝道。 “别忘了我曾经是你的族长。” 黄牙曾经对这位前雷族族长抱有的所有敬意，已经消失得一干二净。 在她预见自己归属的雷族将迎来可怕未来面前，她们共享的过往都碎成了尘埃。 “你的秘密就像蛀进苹果里的蛆虫，”黄牙低吼着，露出的尖牙贴在蓝星耳边。 “雷族已经烂到根里了——真相浮出水面之前，还会有更多鲜血流淌。” “你不可能知道这种事，”蓝星反抗道，用力挣扎想要甩开对手。 “瞎兔子都能看出来！ 真相一定会大白。 午夜把一切都告诉了索尔。 我们都清楚索尔一定会回到雷族。” 蓝星唤起训练多年的武士本能，一头撞在黄牙胸口，成功侧身挣脱了出来。 突如其来的

up, Yellowfang sprang away. She stood shaking her ruffled gray pelt. Bluestar scrambled to her paws and stood, panting. "What's the point of fighting?" she rasped when she had caught her breath. "The damage has been done—and whatever you say, this is not my fault." Yellowfang grunted. "I still can't believe Midnight betrayed us," Bluestar went on. "I trusted her to watch over the Clans." "It's not Midnight who was the traitor," Yellowfang pointed out, her pelt bristling. "The betrayal began with the first lies, with the secret that you have kept for all these moons. ThunderClan has been living a lie! If these three cats are as powerful as the prophecy says they are, they would have been able to cope with the truth. Unless you think we've been wrong about them all along." "Never!" Bluestar retorted. "Who else could the Three be? I didn't want to lie!" she added, her voice rising to a wail. "But when could I have told them? They have been happy. Squirrelflight and

黄牙一跃跳开了。 她站定，抖了抖蓬乱的灰毛。 蓝星挣扎着站起身，不住喘气。 “打架有什么意义？” 她缓过气后，哑声说道。 “损失已经造成了——不管你怎么说，这都不是我的错。” 黄牙闷哼一声。 “我还是不敢相信午夜背叛了我们，”蓝星继续说道。 “我原本信任她会照看所有族群。” “叛徒根本不是午夜，”黄牙毛发倒竖，指出了这点。 “背叛从第一个谎言就开始了，从你藏了这么多个月的秘密开始。 雷族一直活在谎言里！ 如果这三只猫真像预言说的那般强大，他们肯定能承受真相。 除非你觉得我们从一开始就看错他们了。” “绝不可能！” 蓝星反驳道。 “那三只猫还能是谁？ 我根本不想撒谎！” 她补充道，声音越抬越高，变成了哀嚎。 “可我哪有机会告诉他们？ 他们一直过得很幸福。 松鼠飞和