Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26 By the time the three littermates stumbled back into the hollow, Jayfeather was so exhausted he could hardly feel his paws, and the rain had plastered his pelt to his sides. He felt as if he were struggling in a vast cobweb woven of lies and shadows, with an unseen spider waiting to pounce. Back in the old Twoleg nest, he had been certain that they were right to abandon Sol, but now he wasn't so sure. What if the loner really was the only way to the truth? And what are we going to say when Firestar asks us where we've been? He'll claw us to pieces and toss us on the fresh-kill pile! But as he staggered into the clearing, he heard a buzz of excitement rising from his Clanmates, who were clustered together near the nursery. No cat was paying any attention to Jayfeather or his littermates. "What's going on?" Lionblaze asked. A sudden rush of paw steps answered him as

第26章 当三个同窝兄弟跌跌撞撞回到营地洞穴时，松鸦羽累得爪子都快没知觉了，雨水把他的毛紧紧贴在了身子两侧。 他觉得自己好像困在一张用谎言和阴影织成的巨大蜘蛛网里，看不见的蜘蛛正等着扑过来。 刚才在旧两脚兽巢穴的时候，他很确定他们丢下索尔是对的，可现在他不那么确定了。 如果那个独行者真的是找到真相的唯一办法呢？ 等火星问我们去了哪里的时候，我们该怎么说啊？ 他会把我们撕成碎块，丢到新鲜猎物堆上去的！ 可当他摇摇晃晃走进空地的时候，却听见族猫们兴奋地小声议论，他们都聚在育婴室附近。 没有猫注意到松鸦羽和他的同窝兄弟。 "出什么事了？" 狮焰问道。 突然一阵脚步声涌来，回答他的是

Foxpaw raced up to them. "It's Whitewing!" he burst out. "She's having her kits." At the same moment, Jayfeather heard Brightheart calling from the nursery. "Jayfeather! Come quick—Leafpool needs you!" Jayfeather stifled a sigh. He would far rather have crept into his nest to dry off his pelt and sleep. Instead he headed for the nursery, brushing past Birchfall, who was tearing up grass in his anxiety. Inside, Daisy and Millie had drawn their own kits into their nests to give Whitewing and Leafpool space. The young white she-cat was lying on one side, her breath coming fast and shallow. "You're doing fine," Leafpool reassured her. "And so are your kits. They'll be born before you know it." "I hope so," Whitewing panted. Even though Leafpool sounded calm, Jayfeather could sense her fear. Leaning over, she whispered in his ear, "She's exhausted. I'm afraid she won't have enough strength left to deliver the kits."

狐爪朝他们跑了过来。 "是白翅！" 他脱口喊道。 "她要生幼崽了。" 与此同时，松鸦羽听见育婴室里亮心在喊他。 "松鸦羽！快来——叶池需要你！" 松鸦羽压下了一声叹息。 他其实更想钻回自己的窝里擦干毛睡一觉。 但他还是朝育婴室走去，擦过桦落身边，桦落正焦虑得不停地扒草。 育婴室里，黛西和米莉把自己的幼崽拢到窝里，给白翅和叶池腾出地方。 这年轻的白色母猫侧躺着，呼吸又快又浅。 "你做得很好，"叶池安慰她。 "你的幼崽也很平安。 他们很快就能出来和大家见面了。" "希望如此，"白翅喘着气说。 虽然叶池听起来很平静，松鸦羽还是感觉到了她的不安。 她俯过身，在他耳边轻声说："她已经筋疲力尽了。 我担心她没有足够的力气生下幼崽了。"

Jayfeather rested one paw lightly on Whitewing's distended belly and concentrated. He could feel a double heartbeat inside her, frail but steady. "She's having two kits," he announced. "Come on, Whitewing! You can do it." It's okay, little kits, he thought as he crouched over the laboring she-cat, murmuring encouragement. You're nearly safe. Just a little farther. Suddenly his mind slid into Whitewing's. He heard a vicious snarling and saw a vision of gaping fangs and lolling tongues, as if the young white queen was imagining her kits savaged by dogs, just as her mother Brightheart had been. He heard the screech of battle with other Clans and saw blood welling in deep claw marks, scarlet against pale fur. He felt the grip of hunger in his belly as he looked out across a forest deep under the snow. Jayfeather started back, his mind reeling. Does a mother really imagine her kits" whole lives before they're born? He sensed Whitewing's terror as she lay silently begging him for help. Recovering, he bent close to the young she-cat. "Don't worry," he whispered. "Your daughters will

松鸦羽把一只爪子轻轻放在白翅隆起的肚子上，集中精神感知。 他能感觉到肚子里有两个心跳，微弱却平稳。 "她怀了两只幼崽，"他宣布。 "加油啊，白翅！ 你可以的。" 没关系，小家伙们，他蹲在努力分娩的母猫旁边，一边小声鼓励一边想。 你们马上就安全了。 再努力一点点。 突然，他的意识滑进了白翅的思想里。 他听见凶狠的咆哮，还看见一张露出尖牙、舌头耷拉着的恐怖幻象，就好像这位年轻的白色母猫预感到她的幼崽会像她母亲亮心当年那样被狗撕碎一样。 他听见其他族群打仗的嘶喊，看见深深的爪印里涌出鲜血，鲜红的血衬着苍白的皮毛。 当他望过大雪覆盖的森林，他还感觉到了肚子里饥饿的绞痛。 松鸦羽猛地退出来，脑子里天旋地转。 一个母亲真的会在孩子出生前就预想到他们整个人生吗？ 他感觉到白翅躺在那里，默默向他求助，满心都是恐惧。 他定了定神，凑到这年轻母猫身边。 "别担心，"他轻声说。 "你的女儿们会

be fine. They will be loved and protected by their Clanmates." He stroked one paw gently across Whitewing's belly. "It's time now." "Yes," Whitewing gasped. Jayfeather felt a strong ripple pass through her belly. She let out a screech, and a tiny wet bundle slithered out onto the moss. "Is she all right?" Whitewing panted. "She's fine," Jayfeather assured her. "Now the next one." Whitewing lay still for a moment; then her back arched as another ripple passed across her belly, and a second tiny bundle slid into the nest. "Well done!" Leafpool exclaimed. "Greetings, little kits. Welcome to ThunderClan." The first kit squeaked loudly, and Leafpool uttered a soft mrrow of laughter. "This one's tiny, but she's strong. There, little ones, go to your mother." "They're beautiful!" Whitewing purred. "Thank you, Jayfeather. And you, Leafpool." With one paw, she drew the tiny kits toward her and started to lick them vigorously. A wave of triumph swept through Jayfeather

一切平安。 她们会得到族猫们的爱和保护。" 他用一只爪子轻轻抚摸白翅的肚子。 "现在，该出来了。" "好的，"白翅喘着气说。 松鸦羽感觉到她的肚子一阵强烈的收缩。 她尖叫一声，一个湿乎乎的小团子滑出来落在苔藓上。 "她没事吧？" 白翅喘着气问。 "她很好，"松鸦羽让她放心。 "现在来第二个。" 白翅静静躺了一会儿； 接着她弓起背，肚子又一阵收缩，第二个小团子滑进了窝里。 "做得好！" 叶池欢呼道。 "你们好呀，小家伙们。 欢迎来到雷族。" 第一只幼崽大声叫了一声，叶池发出轻轻的愉悦笑声。 "这只虽然小，但是很强壮。 好了呀，小家伙们，到你们妈妈那儿去吧。" "她们真漂亮！" 白翅满足地呼噜着说。 "谢谢你，松鸦羽。 还有你，叶池。" 她伸出一只爪子把小团子拢到身边，开始用力舔舐他们。 一阵喜悦的浪潮涌过松鸦羽

as he headed for the entrance to the nursery. "Birchfall!" he called. "Come and meet your daughters." Birchfall brushed past Jayfeather as he stumbled inside. Jayfeather almost staggered under the wave of his relief and joy. "Whitewing, are you okay?" he choked out. "Oh, thank StarClan! What beautiful kits!" Crouching beside Leafpool as she tended to Whitewing, Jayfeather wondered whether she had felt the same when he and her other kits were born. Did our father share that joy? More than anything, he wanted to talk to Leafpool, to hear her side of the story and learn the truth. In the closeness of working together, he felt for a few heartbeats that it might be possible. "Leafpool...," he began. Leafpool turned to him. "She'll be fine now," the medicine cat meowed, cutting off what Jayfeather meant to say. "Go and fetch me some strengthening herbs, and a few leaves of borage to help her milk come." The moment was gone. "Sure," Jayfeather replied, and slipped out of the nursery.

他正朝着育婴室的入口走去。 "桦落！" 他喊道。 "快来见见你的女儿们呀。" 桦落跌跌撞撞闯进来的时候，擦过了松鸦羽身旁。 松鸦羽几乎被他满溢的释然与喜悦冲得一个趔趄。 "白翅，你没事吧？" 他哽咽着问道。 "哦，感谢星族！ 多么漂亮的幼崽呀！" 松鸦羽蹲在照料白翅的叶池身旁，忍不住好奇，当初他和叶池其他幼崽出生时，她是不是也有同样的感受。 我们的父亲也分享过这份喜悦吗？ 他比任何时候都想和叶池谈谈，听听她的说法，弄清真相。 在并肩协作的亲密氛围里，有那么几秒，他觉得这事说不定能成。 "叶池……，" 他开口道。 叶池转过身看向他。 "她已经没事了，" 这名巫医开口道，打断了松鸦羽要说的话。 "去给我摘点补身子的药草，再摘几片琉璃苣叶，帮她催奶。" 倾诉的机会就这样溜走了。 "好的，" 松鸦羽应声后，悄悄走出了育婴室。

By the time he had delivered the herbs, the rain was easing off. Jayfeather padded over to the fresh-kill pile for a bite to eat before he went back to his den. Several cats were clustered around it, sharing prey; their delight washed over Jayfeather as he crouched to gulp down his vole. "It's hard to give birth to kits in leaf-bare," Ferncloud mewed. "Whitewing has done really well." "She'll raise them well, too." That was Mousefur, sounding less crotchety than usual. "Whitewing is one of the best cats in this Clan. When she was an apprentice she always made sure we had fresh moss, and it was dry, too." "We'll all have to watch our tails when these kits are old enough to leave the nursery." Dustpelt's voice held a hint of amusement. "They have your blood, Cloudtail, and we all know what a hard time you gave Firestar when you were a kit." Cloudtail snorted. "They'll be fine warriors, Dustpelt, and I'll claw any cat who says different." Jayfeather, who was eating his prey, paused for a heartbeat as Hollyleaf and Lionblaze padded up

等他把药草送回去的时候，雨已经慢慢变小了。 松鸦羽踱到新鲜猎物堆旁，打算吃点东西再回自己的巢穴。 好几只猫聚在猎物堆旁分享食物； 当他蹲下身啃咬田鼠的时候，猫咪们的喜悦阵阵涌来包裹着他。 "在秃叶季生幼崽可太不容易了，" 香薇云说道。 "白翅做得真的很棒。" "她也一定会把孩子们养得很好的。" 这话是鼠毛说的，她的语气比平时温和多了。 "白翅是我们族群里最优秀的猫之一， 她当学徒的时候，总是给我们换新鲜苔藓，而且换的都是干苔藓呢。" "等这些幼崽长大离开育婴室，我们都得小心点哦。" 尘毛的声音里带着几分笑意。 "她们身上流着你的血呀，云尾，我们都知道你小时候给火星添了多少麻烦。" 云尾哼了一声。 "她们一定会成为优秀的武士的，尘毛，谁敢说不对我就挠他。" 正吃着东西的松鸦羽顿了一下，这时冬青叶和狮焰走了过来