Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9 In Yellowfang's den, Fireheart explained what had happened while Cinderpaw inspected the gash on Brackenpaw's leg and brought him a poultice to put on it. "You'd better rest here tonight," the gray she- cat told the apprentice. "But I'm pretty sure your leg will be good as new in a day or two." She spoke cheerfully, without any bitterness that her own leg would never recover so well. Turning to Fireheart, she added, "I just had Cloudkit in here. He told me he had to go over the elders' coats for ticks, so I gave him some mouse bile." "What's that for?" asked Brackenpaw. "If you put some on the ticks, they soon drop off," Cinderpaw told him. Her blue eyes glimmered with amusement. "But don't lick your paws afterward. It's foul stuff." "I'm sure Cloudkit will enjoy doing that." Fireheart grimaced. "It's a pity that Tigerclaw had to punish him, though, because I don't think it was his fault that the badger attacked him." Cinderpaw shrugged. "There's no arguing with Tigerclaw."

第九章在黄牙的窝里，火心解释了发生的事情，而灰爪检查了爪子腿上的伤口，给他拿来了一块药膏。 “今晚你最好在这里休息，”灰母猫对学徒说。 “不过我敢肯定，过一两天你的腿就会像新的一样好。” 她说得很愉快，丝毫没有为自己的腿再也不能恢复得这么好而感到痛苦。 她转向火心，补充道：“我刚把云工具包放在这里。 他告诉我他要检查长老们的衣服有没有虱子，所以我给了他一些老鼠胆汁。” “那是干什么用的？”蕨爪问。 “如果你给虱子涂上一些，它们很快就会掉下来，”灰姑娘告诉他。 她的蓝眼睛闪烁着欢乐的光芒。 “但是不要舔你的爪子。 这是肮脏的东西。”我相信Cloudkit会喜欢这样做的。” Fireheart扮了个鬼脸。“不过，很遗憾虎爪不得不惩罚他，因为我认为獾袭击他不是他的错。” Cinderpaw耸耸肩。“和虎爪是没有争议的。”

"That's true," Fireheart agreed. "Anyway, I think I'll go and make sure that Cloudkit's okay." As soon as he set paw in the elders' den, his nose wrinkled against the reek of the mouse bile. Smallear was lying on one side while Cloudkit searched his gray fur for ticks. The elder twitched as Cloudkit dabbed some of the bile inside his hind leg. "Watch it, young kit! Keep your claws sheathed." "They are sheathed," muttered Cloudkit, his face screwed up with disgust. "There, that's got it. You're done, Smallear." Dappletail, who had been watching intently, glanced around at Fireheart. "Your kin is very efficient, Fireheart," she rasped. "No, Cloudkit," she added as the kit started toward her, carrying the bile-soaked moss. "I'm sure I've no ticks. And I wouldn't wake One-eye if I were you." She nodded to where the old cat was sleeping, curled up beside the trunk of the fallen tree. "She won't thank you for disturbing her." Cloudkit looked around hopefully. None of the other elders was there. "Can I go then?" he asked.

“没错。”火心表示同意。 “不管怎样，我想我还是去看看Cloudkit是不是没事。” 他刚把爪子伸到老人家的窝里，鼻子就被老鼠胆汁的臭味弄皱了。 小矮人躺在一边，Cloudkit在他灰色的皮毛上搜寻虱子。 长者抽搐了一下，Cloudkit在他的后腿里抹了一些胆汁。 “小心点，小鬼！”把你的爪子收起来。” “他们是有护套的。”Cloudkit嘟囔着，他的脸因厌恶而扭曲。 “好了，我明白了。你完了，小家伙。” 小花尾巴一直在聚精会神地看着，他回头看了看火心。 “你的亲戚办事很有效率，火心。” “不，Cloudkit，”她补充道。这时，Cloudkit带着被胆汁浸透的苔藓朝她走来。 “我肯定我身上没有虱子。如果我是你，我就不会吵醒独眼。” 她朝那只老猫睡着的地方点了点头，那只老猫蜷缩在倒下的树干旁。 “她不会感谢你打扰她的。” Cloudkit满怀希望地环顾四周。 其他长老都不在场。 “那我能去吗？”他问。

"You can see to One-eye later," Fireheart meowed. "Meanwhile, you'd better get the dirty bedding out of here. Come on; I'll help you." "And make sure the new lot's dry!" growled Smallear. Together Fireheart and Cloudkit raked out the old moss and heather and made several trips to carry it out of the camp. Fireheart showed Cloudkit how to clean the mouse bile from his paws by rubbing them in the snow. "Now we'll go and fetch some fresh moss," he meowed. "Come on. I know a good place." "I'm tired," Cloudkit complained as he trailed after Fireheart. "I don't want to do this." "Well, too bad, you have to," Fireheart retorted. "Cheer up; it could be worse. Did I tell you that when I was an apprentice I had to look after Yellowfang all on my own?" "Yellowfang!" Cloudkit's eyes widened. "Phew, I bet she was a grump! Did she claw you?" "Only with her tongue," Fireheart replied. "And that's sharp enough!" Cloudkit let out a short purr of laughter. To Fireheart's relief, he stopped complaining, and

“你以后再看独眼吧。”火心叫道。 “与此同时，你最好把脏床上用品搬走。 来吧;我会帮你的。”“确保那块新地是干的！”小不点儿咆哮道。 火心和云kit一起耙出了老苔藓和石南，跑了好几趟才把它们带出营地。 火心教云kit如何在雪地里摩擦爪子上的老鼠胆汁。 “现在我们去取些新鲜的苔藓来，”他喵喵地说。 “来吧。我知道一个好地方。” “我累了。”云kit跟在火心后面抱怨道。 “我不想这么做。” “唉，太糟糕了，你必须这么做。”火心反驳道。 “振作起来;情况可能会更糟。 我有没有告诉过你，当我还是学徒的时候，我必须一个人照顾黄牙？”“Yellowfang !”Cloudkit睁大了眼睛。 “呸，我敢打赌她是个坏脾气！”她抓你了吗？”“只会用舌头。”火心回答。 “这就够犀利了！”Cloudkit发出一阵短促的咕噜声笑声。 让火心松了一口气的是，他不再抱怨了

when they came to the patch of deep moss he did his share of digging it out of the snow, and copied Fireheart as he showed him how to shake the worst of the moisture off. They were returning to the camp, their jaws laden with moss, when Fireheart saw a cat slip out of the gorse tunnel and bound up the side of the ravine. The massive body and striped pelt were unmistakable. It was Tigerclaw. Fireheart narrowed his eyes. The deputy had looked almost furtive, peering around before he left the tunnel and disappearing over the lip of the ravine as fast as possible. Fireheart felt uneasy. Something wasn't quite right. "Cloudkit," he meowed, dropping his wad of moss on the ground, "take your load of bedding in to the elders, and then come back for mine. There's something I've got to do." Cloudkit mewed in agreement through his mouthful of moss and carried on toward the tunnel. Fireheart turned and raced back up the slope to the place where Tigerclaw had disappeared. The Clan deputy was out of sight, but

当他们来到那块深苔藓的地方时，他也帮着把它从雪中挖出来，并模仿火心教他如何抖掉最潮湿的苔藓。 他们嘴里满是青苔，正往营地走，火心看到一只猫从金雀花隧道里溜了出来，被拴在峡谷边。 巨大的身体和条纹皮毛是毋庸置疑的。 是虎爪。火心眯起眼睛。 警官几乎是鬼鬼祟祟地打量着四周，然后离开隧道，以最快的速度消失在峡谷边缘。 火心感到不安。有些事情不太对。 “Cloudkit，”他喵喵地叫着，把他的一团苔藓扔在地上，“把你的被褥给长辈们带去，然后再回来拿我的。 我有件事要做。” Cloudkit嘴里叼着青苔，喵喵地表示同意，然后继续向隧道走去。 火心转过身，跑回山坡上虎爪消失的地方。 氏族代表不见了，但是

between his scent trail and the massive pawprints in the snow, Fireheart had no difficulty following him. He took care not to catch up, in case Tigerclaw saw or smelled him. The trail led unwaveringly through Tallpines, past Treecutplace. Fireheart realized with a jolt that Tigerclaw had to be heading for Twolegplace. His heart lurched with fear. Was the deputy on his way to find Princess, Fireheart's sister? Maybe he was so angry with Cloudkit that he wanted to hurt the kit's mother. Fireheart had never told the Clan exactly where Princess lived, but it wouldn't be impossible for Tigerclaw to pick up her scent from his knowledge of Cloudkit's. He kept low, careful to move silently. As the trail wound through a clump of gorse, movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. It was a mouse, scuffling under one of the bushes. Fireheart did not want to stop and hunt, but this mouse was practically begging to be caught. Instinctively his body dropped into a hunting crouch as he crept up on the prey. His pounce landed him squarely on top of it, and he took a moment longer to bury it in the snow before he

根据他的气味和雪地上巨大的爪印，火心毫不费力地追上了他。 他小心翼翼地不追上去，生怕虎爪看见或闻到他的气味。 这条小路毫不动摇地穿过了高林镇，经过了树地。 火心猛然意识到，虎爪一定是要去双栖了。 他的心因恐惧而剧烈跳动。 副警长是去找火心公主的妹妹吗？ 也许他太生Cloudkit的气了，想伤害Cloudkit的妈妈。 火心从来没有告诉氏族公主住在哪里，但虎爪从他对云kit的了解中闻到她的气味也不是不可能的。 他保持低姿态，小心翼翼地悄无声息地移动。 当小路蜿蜒穿过一丛金雀花时，他眼角的动作引起了他的注意。 那是一只老鼠，在灌木丛下挣扎着。 火心不想停下来打猎，但这只老鼠实际上是在乞求被抓住。 当他爬向猎物时，他本能地蹲下了狩猎的姿势。 他的猛扑正好落在了它的上面，他又花了一会儿时间把它埋在雪里，然后才动手

began to follow Tigerclaw again. Fireheart moved more quickly now, afraid of what the deputy might have done in the time he had delayed. As he rounded the stump of a fallen tree, he practically collided with Tigerclaw himself, loping along in the opposite direction. The deputy reared back in surprise. "Mouse- brain!" he hissed. "What are you doing here?" Fireheart's first reaction was one of relief. Tigerclaw hadn't possibly had time to reach Twolegplace and harm Princess already. Then he realized that the deputy was glaring at him with a look of deep suspicion in his amber eyes. He mustn't know I was following him, Fireheart thought desperately. "I…I came out to show Cloudkit a good place to find bedding," he stammered. "And then I thought I might as well hunt for a bit." "I don't see any prey," growled Tigerclaw. "It's buried just back there." Fireheart jerked his head in the direction he had come. The warrior narrowed his eyes. "Show me." Furious that Tigerclaw didn't believe him, but also deeply relieved at the luck that had led him

又开始跟着虎爪。 火心现在走得更快了，他担心副警长在他耽搁的时间里会做出什么事来。 当他绕过一棵倒下的树的树桩时，他差点撞上了虎爪，朝相反的方向飞奔而去。 警官吃惊地向后仰起身子。 “老鼠脑袋！”他嘶嘶地说。 “你在这儿干什么？”火心的第一反应是松了一口气。 虎爪不可能已经来得及到双地去伤害公主了。 然后他意识到警官正瞪着他，琥珀色的眼睛里流露出深深的怀疑。 一定不能让他知道我在跟踪他，火心绝望地想。 “我……我出来是给Cloudkit指一个找床上用品的好地方。”他结结巴巴地说。 “然后我想我还是去找点东西吧。” “我没看见什么猎物。”虎爪咆哮道。 “它就埋在后面。” 火心猛地朝他来的方向扭了扭头。 战士眯起眼睛。 “给我。”虎爪不相信他，他很生气，但也为自己的运气松了一口气