Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21 Hollyleaf blinked wearily in the misty dawn as the elders and Purdy carried Honeyfern's body out of the camp. The sun had vanished and the sky was covered with thick gray clouds. The breeze carried a tang of rain to come. All the Clan stood silently watching while their Clanmate went to her burial. When the elders had disappeared through the thorn tunnel, Brambleclaw began organizing the day's patrols. Hollyleaf spotted Sorreltail padding sorrowfully toward the warriors" den, her head bowed and her tail trailing in the dust. She bounded after her, catching up to her beside the outer branches of the thornbush. "I'm so sorry," she meowed. "I'm really going to miss Honeyfern." "We'll all miss her." Sorreltail's voice was choked with grief. "She was so gentle as a kit. And so quick to learn! She knew most of the hunting moves even before she was apprenticed." "She was always lots of fun to play with," Hollyleaf told her, touching her nose to

第二十一章 雾蒙蒙的黎明里，冬青叶疲惫地眨着眼，看着长老们和珀迪把蜜蕨的遗体抬出营地。 太阳消失无踪，天空布满了厚厚的灰云。 微风带来了即将下雨的湿冷气息。 整个族群都静静伫立，目送他们的族胞前往长眠之地。 长老们消失在荆棘通道后，黑莓掌开始安排当日的巡逻。 冬青叶看见栗尾垂着脑袋、尾巴拖在尘土里，满面悲伤地走向武士巢穴。 她连忙追上去，在荆棘丛的外侧枝桠旁追上了栗尾。 "我真难过，"她轻声说。 "我一定会非常想念蜜蕨的。" "我们都会想念她的。" 栗尾的声音被悲伤哽住了。 "她当幼崽的时候就那么温柔。 学东西也特别快！ 还没成为学徒，她就已经学会大部分捕猎动作了。" "和她一起玩总是特别开心，"冬青叶一边说，一边用鼻子碰碰

Sorreltail's shoulder. Sorreltail blinked. "She enjoyed being with you and your brothers. And she was always so worried that you wouldn't get enough milk, because Squirrelflight couldn't feed you." Hollyleaf began to bristle at the mention of the cat she had believed was her mother, and tried hard to make her fur lie flat again. She wouldn't think about that betrayal when it was more important to comfort Sorreltail. "It wasn't Squirrelflight's fault," the tortoiseshell queen went on, obviously misunderstanding what was bothering Hollyleaf. "And you were well looked after. Ferncloud and Daisy fed you, and I don't think Leafpool was ever out of the nursery, bringing them borage to make their milk come, and all the strengthening herbs she could find!" "Leafpool did all that?" Hollyleaf asked. "Oh, yes, she was always fussing over you! Maybe because you were her sister's kits, or maybe because she was with you when you first came to the hollow." "I didn't know that." Hollyleaf felt a prickling

栗尾的肩膀。 栗尾眨了眨眼睛。 "她特别喜欢和你还有你的兄弟们待在一起。 而且那时候她总担心你吃不饱奶，因为松鼠飞没法喂你们呀。" 一提到那只曾被她当成母亲的猫，冬青叶顿时怒发冲冠，她努力让自己的毛发平复下来。 现在最重要的是安慰栗尾，她不能去想那场背叛。 "这不是松鼠飞的错，"这只玳瑁母猫接着说，显然她误会了冬青叶为什么不高兴。 "而且你们也被照顾得很好。 蕨云和黛西喂了你们，我觉得叶池几乎就没出过育婴室，她给她们带来琉璃苣促进泌乳，还找来所有能补身子的药草！" "这些都是叶池做的？" 冬青叶问道。 "哦，是啊，她一直都对你们照顾得无微不至！ 也许因为你们是她姐姐的幼崽，也许因为你们刚来到山谷的时候就是她在照顾。" "我从来不知道这件事。" 冬青叶感到一阵发麻

in her fur. If Leafpool was with us, she must know who our real mother is! Sorreltail nodded, then arched her back in a long stretch. "I'm going to see if I can get some sleep," she murmured. "Maybe Honeyfern will walk in my dreams." As soon as Sorreltail had disappeared into the warriors" den, Hollyleaf looked around for the medicine cat. She had vowed never to ask Squirrelflight anything more about her real parents; she didn't want to speak to the cat who had lied to her ever again. But maybe Leafpool would tell her. She spotted Leafpool talking to Firestar near the entrance to the thorn tunnel, and padded across to them, hovering a couple of tail-lengths away as she waited for a chance to get the medicine cat alone. "You've been keeping vigil all night," Firestar was meowing. "You're exhausted. Why don't you go out into the forest and get some air? Stretch your legs and maybe find a quiet spot to have a sleep, without any cat to interrupt you." "I shouldn't leave the Clan...," Leafpool

从毛发传遍全身。 如果叶池当时在场，她肯定知道我们的亲生母亲是谁！ 栗尾点了点头，然后拱起背长长地伸了个懒腰。 "我去看看能不能睡一会儿，"她轻声说。 "说不定蜜蕨会走进我的梦里。" 栗尾刚走进武士巢穴，冬青叶就开始四处寻找这位巫医。 她发过誓，再也不问松鼠飞任何关于亲生父母的事； 她永远都不想再跟那只欺骗了她的猫说话。 不过说不定叶池愿意告诉她。 她看见叶池在荆棘通道入口附近和火星说话，便走了过去，在离他们两个尾巴远的地方徘徊，等着和巫医单独说话的机会。 "你已经守了一整夜了，"火星说道。 "你累坏了。 为什么不去森林里透透气？ 伸伸腿，找个安静的地方睡一觉，没人会打扰你。" "我不该离开族群的……"叶池

protested. "Jayfeather's back from the Moonpool," Firestar pointed out. "We can do without you for a little while." He stretched forward and touched noses affectionately with Leafpool. "I could make that an order." Leafpool yawned. "All right, Firestar, but I'll be back before sunhigh." "Take as long as you want." Firestar dipped his head and padded away. Hollyleaf waited until Leafpool had gone out through the thorn tunnel, then followed her into the forest. The medicine cat was out of sight, but Hollyleaf tracked her by her scent until she joined her at the top of a treeless rise overlooking the lake. Leafpool was sitting with her tail wrapped around her paws, gazing out across the water. She sprang to her paws as Hollyleaf bounded up beside her. "Hollyleaf! Were you looking for me?" "Yes, I—I wanted to ask you something." Now that the moment had come, Hollyleaf didn't feel so sure about what she was about to do. The answer would change her life forever. Was that

抗议道。 "松鸦羽已经从月池回来了，"火星提醒她。 "你离开一小会儿没问题的。" 他上前一步，温柔地和叶池碰了碰鼻子。 "我可以把这当成命令。" 叶池打了个哈欠。 "好吧，火星，不过我会在日中之前回来。" "你想待多久就待多久。" 火星点了点头，转身走开了。 冬青叶等叶池走出荆棘通道，便跟着她进了森林。 巫医已经走出了视线，但冬青叶顺着她的气味追踪，终于在一片俯瞰湖泊、没有树木的高坡上追上了她。 叶池把尾巴绕在爪子上坐着，眺望着湖面。 冬青叶跳着跑到她身边，叶池一下子站起身。 "冬青叶！你在找我吗？" "对，我——我想问你一件事。" 真的到了这一刻，冬青叶反而不确定自己该不该这么做了。 这个答案会永远改变她的人生。 这到底

what she wanted? I have to know the truth! Leafpool's eyes were wary as she mewed, "Go on, then." She knows we've found out about the lie! Hollyleaf guessed, her belly lurching. Squirrelflight must have told her what happened that day on the cliff. "Well?" Leafpool prompted. Hollyleaf took a deep breath. "Tell me what you know. All of it. I have to know the truth!" Leafpool's amber eyes brimmed with sorrow. She took a pace toward Hollyleaf, sweeping her tail around as if to lay it on the younger cat's shoulder, but left the gesture unfinished. "You don't have to worry," Leafpool meowed. "I will never tell any cat. But please tell me why you did it." Hollyleaf felt as if a massive piece of fresh-kill were stuck in her throat. This wasn't how she had intended their talk to go. "Did what?" she managed to choke out. Leafpool let out a long sigh, closing her eyes as if she had to nerve herself for what she was about to say. Then she faced Hollyleaf again.

她到底想要什么？ 我必须知道真相！ 叶池目光警惕，轻声说道：“那你继续说吧。” 她知道我们发现那个谎言了！ 冬青叶心头一紧，暗自猜想。 松鼠飞肯定把那天悬崖上发生的事告诉她了。 “说啊？” 叶池催促道。 冬青叶深吸了一口气。 “把你知道的都告诉我。 所有的一切。 我必须知道真相！” 叶池琥珀色的眸子里满是悲伤。 她朝冬青叶走近一步，尾巴扫过来，原本想搭在这只年轻猫儿的肩上，最终却没有放下去。 “你不用担心，”叶池轻声说。 “我永远不会告诉任何猫。 但请你告诉我，你为什么要那么做。” 冬青叶感觉喉咙里卡了一大块鲜猎物，发不出声。 这场谈话完全偏离了她原本预想的方向。 “做什么？”她好不容易才挤出这句话。 叶池长长地叹了一口气，闭上了眼睛，仿佛要给自己勇气才能说出接下来的话。 接着，她重新面向冬青叶。

"Why did you kill Ashfur?" No! Hollyleaf dug her claws hard into the ground. That wasn't what she had asked! Leafpool couldn't know! She opened her jaws to reply, but the words of denial wouldn't come. "I know, Hollyleaf," Leafpool mewed gently. "When I was preparing Ashfur's body for his vigil, I found a tuft of your fur caught in his claws. But I hid it away where no cat would find it. I think I wanted to hide it from myself." She paused, swallowed, and repeated, "Why?" "He had to die!" Fury made Hollyleaf hiss through gritted teeth. "You know why!" "No, I don't." Leafpool's eyes were genuinely mystified, and Hollyleaf realized that Squirrelflight had never told her about revealing the terrible secret to Ashfur. "He had to die because he knew!" Hollyleaf snarled. "That night, on the cliff in the storm, Squirrelflight told him that we weren't her kits. He was going to tell all the Clans, at the Gathering, and I couldn't let him do that! They think we're true Clan cats, forestborn like they

“你为什么要杀灰毛？” 不！冬青叶把爪子深深抠进地里。 这根本不是她想问的问题！ 叶池不可能知道这件事！ 她张开嘴想否认，可一个字都说不出来。 “我都知道，冬青叶，”叶池温柔地说。 “我给灰毛整理遗体守夜的时候，在他爪缝里发现了一撮你的毛。 但我把它藏起来了，没有猫能找到它。 我想，其实我连自己都想瞒着。” 她顿了顿，咽了口气，又问了一遍：“为什么？” “他必须死！” 愤怒让冬青叶咬紧牙关嘶声说道。 “你明明知道为什么！” “不，我不知道。” 叶池的目光确实满是疑惑，冬青叶这才反应过来：松鼠飞从来没告诉过她，灰毛已经知道那个可怕的秘密了。 “他必须死，因为他知道了真相！” 冬青叶怒吼道。 “那个暴风雨的夜晚，在悬崖上，松鼠飞告诉他，我们不是她的幼崽。 他要在森林大会上把秘密告诉所有族群，我绝不能让他这么做！ 他们都以为我们是正宗的族群猫，和他们一样出生在森林