Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15 Fireheart carried the ball of wet moss gently between his teeth. Some of the moisture had dripped out on the journey home, soaking his chest and cooling his forepaws, but there would be enough to quench Goldenflower's and Willowpelt's thirst until a patrol could collect more after sunset. The Clan lay in small groups around the clearing while the sun slowly slid toward the treetops. Most of them had eaten and were quietly sharing tongues in the customary grooming session, pausing briefly between licks to greet Fireheart as he emerged from the gorse tunnel. He nodded to Runningwind, Mousefur, and Thornpaw, who were about to go out on the evening patrol. Brindleface was getting ready to lead another group of elders to fetch water. She was gathering them together at the fallen oak, and Fireheart heard Smallear's determined mew as he passed. "We'll need to keep our ears pricked and our eyes sharp while we're traveling." The old gray tom went on: "You see that nick in my ear? I got that

第十五章火心轻轻地衔着那团湿漉漉的青苔。 在回家的路上，雨水滴了下来，浸湿了他的胸膛，冷却了他的前爪，但在日落之后巡逻队收集到更多的水之前，这些水足够黄金花和柳树皮解渴了。 当太阳慢慢地向树梢滑落时，氏族三五成群地躺在空地上。 他们大多数都吃过东西，在按惯例梳理毛发的过程中安静地互相舔着舌头，当火心从金雀花隧道里出来时，他们会在舔火心的间隙短暂地停下来向他打招呼。 他向跑风、鼠毛和刺爪点点头，他们正要出去做夜间巡逻。 斑脸正准备带领另一群长者去打水。 她把他们聚集在倒下的橡树旁，火心听到了斯莫勒经过时坚定的声音。 “我们在旅行的时候需要竖起耳朵，保持敏锐。” 灰色的老汤姆接着说：“你看到我耳朵上的那个伤口了吗？ 我明白了

when I was an apprentice. An owl swooped out of nowhere. But I'll bet my claws left a bigger scar than his!" Fireheart felt his fur relax on his shoulders, soothed by the familiar murmurings of Clan life. The ShadowClan cats were gone, just as Cinderpelt had promised, and he had seen Graystripe. He slipped into the nursery and placed the moss gently beside Willowpelt and Goldenflower. "Thanks, Fireheart," meowed Willowpelt. "There'll be more after supper," Fireheart promised as the two queens began to lick the precious drops of water from the clump of moss. He tried to ignore the eyes of Tigerclaw's kit gleaming hungrily from the shadows as Goldenflower pressed the moss with her muzzle to squeeze out another mouthful. "Brindleface is going to lead the other elders to the river once the sun has set and the woods are clear of Twolegs," Fireheart explained. Goldenflower licked her lips. "It's been a while since some of them have been out in the forest after dark," she commented.

当我还是学徒的时候。一只猫头鹰不知从哪里飞了出来。 但我敢打赌我的爪子留下的伤疤比他的更大！”火心感到他的皮毛在肩膀上放松下来，氏族生活中熟悉的低语抚慰着他。 影子家族的猫走了，正如灰姑娘承诺的那样，他看到了灰条。 他溜进苗圃，轻轻地把青苔放在柳树和金花旁边。 “谢谢你，火心。”柳树叫道。 “晚饭后会有更多的。”火心答应道，这时两位王后开始舔苔藓上珍贵的水珠。 当“金花”用嘴部压着青苔，想再挤出一口来的时候，他试图不去注意虎爪的玩具在阴影里饥饿地闪烁着的眼睛。 “等太阳落山，特沃勒格人从树林里消失后，斑脸就会带领其他长老到河边去。” 金花舔了舔她的嘴唇。 “他们中的一些人已经有一段时间没有在天黑后到森林里去了，”她评论道。

"I think Smallear is looking forward to it," purred Fireheart. "He was telling stories about the owl that used to hunt near Sunningrocks. Poor Halftail looked a bit nervous." "A little excitement will do him good," Willowpelt remarked. "I wish I could go with them. A scrap with an owl would be just the thing to stretch my legs!" "Do you miss being a warrior?" Fireheart asked, surprised. Willowpelt looked so comfortable lying in the nursery while her fast- growing kits scrambled over her. It hadn't occurred to him she might hanker after her old life. "Wouldn't you?" Willowpelt challenged him. "Well, yes," stammered Fireheart. "But you have your kits." Willowpelt twisted her head to pick up a tiny tortoiseshell-and-white she-kit that had tumbled off her flank. She dropped it between her forepaws and gave it a lick. "Oh, yes, I have my kits," she agreed. "But I miss running through the forest, hunting for my own prey, and patrolling our borders." She licked the kit again and added,

“我想斯马尔一定很期待。”火心咕噜着。 “他在讲猫头鹰的故事，猫头鹰过去常在桑宁岩附近打猎。 可怜的半尾巴看上去有点紧张。” “稍微刺激一下对他有好处，”威洛佩尔特说。 “我希望我能和他们一起去。 跟猫头鹰打一架正好可以让我伸伸腿！”“你怀念当战士的日子吗？”火心惊讶地问。 威洛佩尔特躺在育儿室里看起来很舒服，而她快速成长的幼崽们在她身上爬来爬去。 他没有想到她可能会怀念她过去的生活。 “你不会?”威洛佩尔特向他挑战。 “嗯，是的。”火心结结巴巴地说。 “但你有你的装备。”威洛佩尔特扭头捡起了从她侧面掉下来的一个小小的玳瑁白相间的母套。 她把它放在前爪之间，舔了舔。 “哦，是的，我有我的工具包，”她同意道。 “但我想念在森林里奔跑，寻找猎物，在边境巡逻。” 她又舔了舔工具箱，补充道：

"I'm looking forward to taking these three out into the forest for the first time." "They look like they'll make fine warriors," Fireheart meowed. The bittersweet memory of Cloudpaw's first expedition, when he went into the snowbound forest and came back with a vole, rose in Fireheart's mind, and he blinked. He dipped his head to the queens and turned to leave, glancing furtively at Tigerclaw's kit. He couldn't help wondering what sort of warrior it would be. "Bye," he mumbled as he squeezed out of the nursery. He could smell the tempting scents of the fresh-kill pile wafting from nearby, but there was one more thing he had to do before he could settle down for his evening meal. He padded across the clearing to Yellowfang's den. The elderly medicine cat was resting in the evening sun, her fur dull and unkempt as usual. She lifted her muzzle to greet him. "Hello, Fireheart," she rasped. "What are you doing here?" "Looking for Cinderpelt," answered Fireheart. "Why? What do you want now?" Cinderpelt's mew sounded from inside her fern nest, and her

“我期待着第一次带这三个人到森林里去。” “他们看起来会成为很好的战士。”火心叫道。 云爪第一次远征的苦乐参半的记忆在火心的脑海里浮现出来，他走进被雪覆盖的森林，带着一只田鼠回来了。 他朝王后们低下头，转身离开，偷偷瞥了一眼虎爪的工具箱。 他不禁想知道这将是一个什么样的战士。 “再见。”他挤出育儿室时喃喃地说。 他能闻到从附近飘来的一堆新鲜猎物的诱人气味，但在他安顿下来吃晚饭之前，还有一件事要做。 他蹑手蹑脚地穿过空地，来到黄牙的巢穴。 那只年老的药猫在夕阳下休息，她的毛像往常一样又暗又乱。 她抬起嘴向他打招呼。 “你好，火心。”她粗声说。 “你在这儿干什么？”“找灰姑娘。”火心回答。 “为什么?你现在想要什么？”灰姑娘的新歌从她的蕨窝里响起，而她

gray head popped out. "Is that any way to greet your deputy?" Yellowfang scolded, her eyes glinting with amusement. "It is when he disturbs my sleep," retorted Cinderpelt, clambering out. "He seems determined I shouldn't get any rest these days!" Yellowfang narrowed her eyes at Fireheart. "Have you two been up to something I should know about?" "Are you questioning your deputy?" Cinderpelt teased. Yellowfang purred. "I know you've been up to something," she meowed. "But I won't pry. All I know is that my apprentice seems back to her old self again. Which is good, because she was no use to any cat while she was moping around like a damp mushroom!" Fireheart was very relieved to see the two cats sparring with each other as they had done when Cinderpelt was first apprenticed to the medicine cat, before Silverstream had died. He shifted his paws awkwardly on the sun-baked ground. He had come to tell Cinderpelt that the ShadowClan

灰色的脑袋探了出来。“你就是这样招呼你的副手的吗？”黄芳骂了一顿，眼里闪着笑意。 “当他打扰了我的睡眠时，我就生气了。”灰姑娘反驳道，爬了出来。 “他似乎决定这些天不让我休息！”黄牙眯起眼睛看着火心。 “你们俩在搞什么应该让我知道的事吗？”“你在审问你的副手吗？”Cinderpelt嘲笑。 Yellowfang呼噜。“我知道你在密谋什么。”她喵喵地叫道。 “但我不会去打听。我只知道我的徒弟好像又变回原来的样子了。 这很好，因为她像一只潮湿的蘑菇一样闷闷不乐，对任何猫都没用！”看到这两只猫像银溪死前灰姑娘第一次当药猫的学徒时那样互相打斗，火心松了一口气。 他笨拙地在晒得焦黑的地面上挪动着爪子。 他是来告诉灰姑娘影族的

cats had gone, but with Yellowfang here it was not easy. "It's strange," Yellowfang growled, looking pointedly at Fireheart. "I suddenly feel like fetching another mouse from the fresh-kill pile." Fireheart blinked gratefully at the old medicine cat. "Anything you want, Cinderpelt?" she called over her shoulder as she padded toward the tunnel. Cinderpelt shook her head. "Okay, I'll be back in a moment," Yellowfang rasped. "Or maybe two." When she had disappeared, Fireheart meowed quietly, "I checked on the ShadowClan cats. They've gone." "I told you they would," replied Cinderpelt. "But they didn't go until a couple of days ago," Fireheart added. "It would haven't done them any good to travel any sooner," mewed Cinderpelt. "And I had to make sure they'd learned how to make the herb mixture before they went." Fireheart twitched his tail at Cinderpelt's stubbornness, but he couldn't bring himself to argue with her. He knew she believed with all her

猫已经走了，但黄牙在这里，这并不容易。 “真奇怪。”黄牙怒吼道，目光直指火心。 “我突然想从刚宰杀的老鼠堆里再拿一只。” 火心感激地眨着眼睛看着那只老药猫。 “你想要什么，灰姑娘？”她一边朝隧道走去，一边回过头来叫道。 灰姑娘摇了摇头。 “好吧，我马上就回来。”黄牙粗声说。 “或者两个。”等她消失后，火心轻声叫道：“我查看了影族的猫。 他们走了。”“我告诉过你他们会的，”灰姑娘回答说。 “但他们直到几天前才走，”火心补充道。 “再早点走对他们没有任何好处，”灰姑娘叫道。 “在他们离开之前，我必须确保他们学会了如何制作草药混合物。” 火心对灰姑娘的固执抽动着尾巴，但他无法说服自己和她争论。 他知道她全心全意地相信