Chapter 0 Prologue

WARRIORS RISING STORM ERIN HUNTER

勇士掀起风暴艾琳·亨特

PROLOGUE An agonized groan echoed across the moon- bleached floor of a forest clearing. Two cats crouched in the shadows under one of the bushes at the edge. One of them writhed in pain, lashing his long tail. The other cat raised himself to his paws and bowed his head. He had been a medicine cat for many long moons, and yet he could only watch helplessly as the leader of his Clan was overpowered by the sickness that had already claimed so many lives. He knew of no herb that would ease the cramps and fever this sickness brought, and his patchy gray fur bristled with frustration as the leader convulsed again and then fell exhausted into the moss-lined nest. Fearfully, the medicine cat leaned forward and sniffed. There was still breath in the leader's body, but it was foul and shallow, and the tom's thin flanks heaved with every gasp. A screech ripped through the woods. Not a cat this time, but an owl. The medicine cat stiffened. Owls brought death to the forest, stealing prey and even kits that had strayed too far from their mothers. The medicine cat raised beseeching eyes

一声痛苦的呻吟回荡在一片森林空地上被月光染白的地面上。 两只猫蹲在边缘灌木丛的阴影里。 其中一只痛苦地扭动着，甩着自己的长尾巴。 另一只猫站了起来，低下了头。 他已经当了好几个月的药猫了，但他只能无助地看着他的氏族领袖被已经夺走了许多生命的疾病所征服。 他不知道有什么草药能缓解这种病带来的痉挛和发烧，当这位领袖再次抽搐，然后精疲力竭地倒在长满苔藓的巢里时，他那斑驳的灰色皮毛沮丧地竖起来。 药猫害怕地向前倾着身子嗅了嗅。 首领的身体里还有气息，但又脏又浅，每喘一口气，汤姆瘦削的胁腹就起伏起来。 一声尖叫划破了树林。 这次不是猫，而是猫头鹰。 药猫僵硬了。 猫头鹰给森林带来了死亡，它们偷走了猎物，甚至偷走了离家太远的幼崽。 药猫抬起恳求的眼睛

to the sky, praying to the spirits of his warrior ancestors that the owl's call was not an ill omen. He stared through the branches that formed the roof of the den, searching the dark sky for Silverpelt. But the swathe of stars where StarClan lived was hidden by clouds, and the medicine cat shivered with fear. Had their warrior ancestors abandoned them to the sickness that ravaged the camp? Then the wind stirred the trees, rattling the brittle leaves. High above, the clouds shifted and a single star sent a frail beam of light through the roof of the den. In the shadows, the leader drew in a long, steady breath. Hope leaped like a fish in the medicine cat's heart. StarClan was with them after all. Weak with relief, the medicine cat lifted his chin, giving silent thanks to his warrior ancestors for sparing the life of his leader. As he narrowed his eyes against the shaft of starlight, he heard spirit-voices murmuring deep inside his head. They whispered of glorious battles to come, of new territories, and of a greater Clan rising from the ashes of the old. The medicine cat felt joy

向天空，向他的勇士祖先的灵魂祈祷猫头鹰的呼唤不是恶兆。 他透过构成洞穴屋顶的树枝凝视着，在黑暗的天空中寻找西尔弗皮。 但是星族居住的那片星星被云层遮住了，药猫吓得发抖。 难道他们的战士祖先抛弃了他们，任由疾病肆虐整个营地吗？ 接着，风吹动了树木，把脆弱的树叶吹得格格作响。 高高在上，云层在移动，一颗星星从洞穴的屋顶上射出一束微弱的光。 在阴影中，首领深深地吸了一口气。 希望像一条鱼一样跃上了医猫的心头。 StarClan终究还是和他们在一起的。 药猫松了口气，浑身无力，抬起下巴，默默地感谢他的勇士祖先救了他的首领一命。 当他眯起眼睛迎着星光时，他听到灵魂的声音在他的脑海深处喃喃自语。 他们窃窃私语着光荣的战斗即将到来，新的领土，一个更伟大的氏族将从旧氏族的灰烬中崛起。 药猫感到很高兴

surge in his chest and pulsate through his paws. This star carried much more than a message of survival. Suddenly, without warning, a wide gray wing swept across the ray of starlight, plunging the den into darkness. The medicine cat shrank back and pressed his belly to the floor as the owl screeched down and raked the roof of the den with its talons. It must have smelled the sickness that weakened the leader, and swooped in search of easy prey. But the branches were too thick for the owl to break through. The medicine cat listened to the slow beating of wings as the owl flew away into the forest, then sat up, heart hammering, and searched the night sky once more. Like the owl, the star was gone. In its place was only blackness. Dread crawled beneath the medicine cat's pelt and clutched at his heart. "Did you hear that?" a tom called through the entrance of the den, his voice high-pitched with alarm. The medicine cat squeezed quickly out into the clearing, knowing the Clan would be waiting for an interpretation of the omen. Warriors,

在他的胸膛里涌动，在他的爪子里搏动。 这颗恒星带来的不仅仅是生存的信息。 突然，毫无征兆地，一只灰色的大翅膀掠过那缕星光，使洞穴陷入黑暗之中。 那只药猫缩了回去，把肚子贴在地板上，猫头鹰尖叫着下来，用爪子耙着洞穴的屋顶。 它一定是嗅到了首领虚弱的气味，于是俯冲下来寻找容易的猎物。 但是树枝太粗了，猫头鹰无法突破。 药猫听着猫头鹰飞进森林时翅膀缓慢的拍打声，然后坐起来，心怦怦直跳，再次搜索夜空。 就像猫头鹰一样，星星不见了。 取而代之的只有黑暗。 恐惧从药猫的皮毛下爬了出来，紧紧抓住了他的心。 “你听到了吗？”一只汤姆从洞穴的入口喊道，他的声音尖利，充满了惊恐。 药猫急忙挤到空地上，知道氏族会等着对凶兆的解释。 勇士,

queens, and elders—those well enough to move from their nests—huddled in the shadows on the far side of the clearing. The medicine cat paused for a moment, listening to the Clan murmuring anxiously to one another. "What's an owl doing here?" hissed a mottled warrior, his eyes glinting in the darkness. "They never come so close to the camp," wailed an elder. "Did it take any kits?" demanded another warrior, turning his broad head to the cat beside him. "Not this time," replied the silver queen. She had lost three of her kits to the sickness, and her voice was dull with pain. "But it might come back. It must smell our weakness." "You'd think the stench of death would keep it away." A tabby warrior limped into the clearing. His paws were clotted with mud and his fur ruffled. He had been burying a Clan mate. There were more graves to be dug, but he was too weak to go on that night. "How's our leader?" he asked, his voice tight with fear. "We don't know," replied the mottled tom.

蚁后和老蜂——那些身体健康，可以离开巢穴的——挤在空地远处的阴影里。 药猫停了一会儿，听着氏族们焦虑地互相窃窃私语。 “猫头鹰在这里做什么？”一个斑驳的战士嘶嘶地说，他的眼睛在黑暗中闪闪发光。 “他们从来没有离营地这么近过，”一位长者哀号道。 “它带了什么工具包吗？”另一个战士问道，他把宽阔的头转向身边的猫。 “这次不会了，”银皇后回答。 她因病失去了三只幼崽，她的声音因痛苦而低沉。 “但它可能会卷土重来。它一定嗅到了我们的弱点。” “你以为死亡的恶臭会把它赶走。” 一只虎斑猫一瘸一拐地走进空地。 它的爪子上粘满了泥，皮毛皱巴巴的。 他一直在埋葬一个家族成员。 还有更多的坟墓要挖，但那天晚上他太虚弱了，走不动了。 “我们的领袖怎么样了？”他问，声音因恐惧而紧张。 “我们不知道，”斑驳的汤姆回答。

"Where's the medicine cat?" whined the queen. The cats peered around the clearing and the medicine cat saw their frightened eyes gleaming in the dark. He could hear the rising panic in their voices and knew they needed to be soothed, assured that StarClan had not abandoned them completely. Taking a deep breath, the cat forced the fur to lie flat on his shoulders and padded across the clearing. "We don't need a medicine cat to tell us the owl's screech spoke of death," whimpered an elder, his eyes brimming with fear. "How do you know?" spat the mottled warrior. "Yes," agreed the queen, glancing at the elder. "StarClan doesn't speak to you!" She turned as the medicine cat reached them. "Was the owl an omen?" she mewed anxiously. Shifting his paws uncomfortably, the medicine cat avoided a direct reply. "StarClan has spoken to me tonight," he announced. "Did you see the star shine between the clouds?" The queen nodded, and around her the other cats' eyes flickered with desperate hope. "What

“那只药猫在哪儿？”王后抱怨道。 猫在空地上四处张望，药猫看到它们惊恐的眼睛在黑暗中闪闪发光。 他可以从他们的声音中听到越来越多的恐慌，知道他们需要安慰，需要确信StarClan并没有完全抛弃他们。 猫深吸了一口气，把毛皮平铺在肩上，蹑手蹑脚地穿过空地。 “我们不需要一只药猫来告诉我们猫头鹰的尖叫声预示着死亡，”一位长者呜咽着说，他的眼睛里充满了恐惧。 “你怎么知道的？” “是的，”王后同意了，瞥了长者一眼。 “StarClan不会和你说话！”当那只药猫到达他们身边时，她转过身来。 “那只猫头鹰是个预兆吗？”她焦急地叫道。 药猫不安地挪动着爪子，避免直接回答。 他宣布：“StarClan今晚和我说话了。 “你看到那颗星星在云层间闪耀了吗？”王后点了点头，她周围其他猫的眼睛里闪烁着绝望的希望。 “什么