Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5 The ThunderClan leader had reached the top of the ravine by the time Fireheart caught up with her. She paused to sniff the air before padding into the forest. Fireheart noticed with relief how relaxed she seemed now that they were out of the camp, nosing her way through the undergrowth toward the RiverClan border. Fireheart glanced in surprise at the she-cat. This wasn't the quickest route to Fourtrees and the uplands beyond, but he didn't question her. He couldn't help feeling excited at the thought that he might catch a glimpse of Graystripe across the river. The two cats met the RiverClan border above Sunningrocks and followed the scent markers upriver. A warm breeze carried the faint heather scent of the moor down to them. Fireheart could hear the river flowing past on the other side of the ferns. He craned his neck and saw the water glimmering in the dappled light under the trees. Above his head the leaves glowed green and flashed at the edges where the sunlight pierced the thick roof of the forest. Even in the shade,

当火心追上雷霆氏族首领时，她已经到达了峡谷的顶端。 她停下来嗅了嗅空气，然后冲进了森林。 火心如释重负地发现，他们已经出了营地，在灌木丛中摸索着向河族边境走去，她显得多么轻松。 火心惊讶地看了一眼母猫。 这不是去四树村和更远的高地的最快路线，但他没有问她。 一想到也许能瞥见河对岸的格雷斯特，他不禁感到兴奋。 两只猫在桑宁岩上方与河族边界相遇，循着气味标记逆流而上。 一阵暖风把沼地里微弱的石南花的气味吹到了他们身上。 火心听得见河从蕨类植物的另一边流过。 他伸长脖子，看见水在树下斑驳的灯光下闪闪发光。 在他的头顶上，树叶发出绿色的光，在阳光穿透森林厚厚的屋顶的边缘闪闪发光。 即使在树荫下，

Fireheart felt hot. He wished he could plunge into the water like a RiverClan cat, to cool himself down. Finally the river bent away, deeper into RiverClan territory, and Bluestar carried straight on, following the markers along the border between ThunderClan and RiverClan. Fireheart couldn't stop glancing across the scentline, searching the woods beyond for any sign of RiverClan cats, wary of being spotted by a patrol but ever hopeful of seeing his old friend. Bluestar was leading them recklessly close to the border, even crossing it occasionally as they weaved through the undergrowth. Fireheart had no idea how RiverClan would react if they found them here. The two Clans had nearly come to conflict over Silverstream's kits, and battle was averted only when Graystripe took his kits back to their mother's Clan. Suddenly Bluestar stopped and lifted her muzzle, opening her mouth to taste the air. She dropped into a crouch, and Fireheart, trusting Bluestar's warrior instincts, flattened himself too, ducking behind a patch of nettles.

火心觉得很热。他真希望自己能像河族的猫一样跳进水里，凉快凉快。 最后，河流弯了弯，深入河族的领地，蓝星沿着雷霆族和河族之间的边界标记继续前进。 火心不停地扫视着中心线，在远处的树林里寻找河族猫的踪迹，他小心翼翼地提防着被巡逻队发现，但又希望能见到他的老朋友。 蓝星不顾一切地领着他们接近边界，甚至在他们穿过矮树丛时偶尔也会穿过边界。 火心不知道如果河族发现他们在这里会有什么反应。 这两个部落差点因为Silverstream的装备而发生冲突，直到Graystripe把他的装备带回他们母亲的部落时，战斗才得以避免。 突然，蓝星停了下来，抬起她的嘴，张开嘴去品尝空气。 她蹲了下来，火心相信了蓝星的战士本能，也把自己压扁了，躲到一片荨麻后面。

"RiverClan warriors," Bluestar warned in a whisper. Fireheart could smell them now. He felt his hackles rising as the scent grew stronger and he heard the swish of fur disturbing the undergrowth ahead of them. He raised his head very slowly and peered through the trees, his heart thumping as he searched for a familiar gray pelt. Beside him, Bluestar's eyes were wide and her flanks barely moved as she took silent, shallow breaths. Was she hoping to see Graystripe too? Fireheart wondered. It hadn't occurred to him before now that Bluestar might also want to run into some RiverClan cats. It would certainly explain why she had come this way. But Fireheart couldn't believe that it was Graystripe she wanted to see. Yesterday, in her confusion, she'd forgotten that the gray warrior had left the Clan, and Fireheart sensed that Bluestar's mind was spinning with other thoughts. Then it hit him like a fledgling dropping into his paws: her kits. Many moons ago, the ThunderClan leader had given birth to two kits that had been raised in RiverClan. She'd entrusted them to their

“河族战士。”蓝星低声警告。 火心现在可以闻到了。 随着气味越来越浓，他感到自己的汗毛都竖起来了，他听到前面的灌木丛中有皮毛发出的沙沙声。 他慢慢地抬起头，透过树林向外张望，心怦怦直跳，寻找着那张熟悉的灰色毛皮。 在他身旁，蓝星的眼睛睁得大大的，侧身几乎不动，她静静地、浅浅地呼吸着。 她也希望见到格雷斯特吗？ Fireheart很好奇。他之前没有想到，蓝星可能也想碰上河族的猫。 这当然可以解释她为什么走这条路。 但火心不敢相信她想见到的竟然是灰条纹。 昨天，在她的困惑中，她忘记了灰衣战士已经离开氏族，而火心觉察到蓝星的脑海里萦绕着其他的想法。 然后，它击中了他，就像一个初出茅庐的雏鸟落入他的爪子：她的孩子。 许多个月以前，雷霆氏族的首领生下了两个在河氏族长大的幼崽。 她把他们托付给他们的

RiverClan father when they were barely old enough to leave their nest. Bluestar's ambition and loyalty to her Clan had made it impossible for her to raise the kits herself. Now they lived as RiverClan warriors, unaware that their real mother came from ThunderClan. But Bluestar had never forgotten them, although only Fireheart knew her secret. It must be Stonefur and Mistyfoot that Bluestar was scanning the undergrowth for. A glimpse of tawny mottled fur in the distance made Fireheart duck down again. That wasn't Graystripe, or either of Bluestar's offspring. A vaguely familiar scent confirmed to Fireheart the identity of the warrior. It was Leopardfur, the RiverClan deputy. Fireheart glanced at Bluestar; she still had her head up, peering through the trees. The rustling of ferns warned Fireheart that Leopardfur was getting nearer. He felt his breath quicken. What would happen if she saw the ThunderClan leader so close to the RiverClan border? Fireheart froze as the rustling in the bushes grew louder. He heard the RiverClan deputy stop,

大河氏族的父亲，那时他们还不到离开他们的巢穴的年龄。 蓝星的野心和对她部落的忠诚使她不可能自己抚养装备。 现在他们以河族战士的身份生活，却不知道他们真正的母亲来自雷霆族。 但蓝星从未忘记他们，尽管只有火心知道她的秘密。 蓝星在灌木丛中搜寻的一定是石弗和雾脚。 火心瞥了一眼远处茶色斑驳的皮毛，又趴下了。 那不是灰条纹，也不是蓝星的后代。 一股似曾相识的气味向火心证实了战士的身份。 是河族的代表利奥帕福。 火心瞥了蓝星一眼；她仍然昂着头，透过树林向外张望。 蕨类植物的沙沙声提醒火心，豹皮正在靠近。 他感到呼吸急促。 如果她在河族边界附近看到雷霆族首领会发生什么？ 当灌木丛里的沙沙声越来越响时，火心僵住了。 他听见河族的副手停了下来，

and her silence told him she had detected something. Staring desperately at Bluestar he was about to signal to her with his tail when she dropped her head and hissed in his ear, "Come on; we'd better head deeper into our own territory." Fireheart sighed with relief as the ThunderClan leader crept silently away. Keeping his ears flat and his belly to the ground, Fireheart followed her away from the scent markers and into the safety of ThunderClan's woods. "That Leopardfur moves so loudly, I should think even ShadowClan heard her coming," remarked Bluestar once they were away from the border. Fireheart's whiskers quivered with surprise. He had begun to wonder if Bluestar had forgotten how fiercely the Clans defended their boundaries, especially in these difficult times. "She's a good warrior, but too easily distracted," Bluestar went on calmly. "She was more interested in that rabbit upwind than looking for enemy warriors." Fireheart couldn't help feeling cheered by his leader's confidence. Now that he thought about it, there had been the scent of rabbit on the breeze,

她的沉默告诉他她察觉到了什么。 他绝望地盯着蓝星，正要用尾巴向她示意，蓝星低下头，在他耳边嘶嘶地说：“走吧；我们最好深入自己的地盘。” 火心如释重负地叹了口气，雷霆氏族的首领悄悄地走开了。 火心把耳朵平着，把肚子贴在地上，跟着她离开了气味标记，进入了安全的雷族森林。 “那只豹子移动的声音那么大，我想连影族都听到了。”他们离开边境后，蓝星评论道。 火心的胡须惊讶地颤抖着。 他开始怀疑蓝星是否已经忘记了氏族是如何激烈地捍卫他们的边界，尤其是在这个困难时期。 “她是个好战士，就是太容易分心了。”蓝星平静地说。 “她更感兴趣的是迎风的那只兔子，而不是寻找敌人的战士。” 火心不由地为他的领袖的信心感到高兴。 现在他想起来了，微风中有兔子的气味，

but he'd been too worried about Leopardfur to take any notice of it. "This reminds me of the days I used to take you for training," purred Bluestar as she padded through the sun-dappled woods. Fireheart ran to catch up with her. "Me too," he replied. "You were a fast learner. I chose well when I invited you into my Clan," Bluestar murmured. She looked back over her shoulder at Fireheart, and he saw pride in her eyes. He blinked gratefully at her. "All the Clans have much to thank you for," Bluestar continued. "You drove Brokentail out of ShadowClan, brought WindClan home from exile, helped RiverClan when they were flooded, and saved ThunderClan from Tigerclaw." Fireheart began to feel a little overwhelmed by her praise as she went on: "No other warrior has your sense of fairness or loyalty or courage…." Fireheart's fur pricked uneasily. "But all the ThunderClan cats respect the warrior code as I do," he pointed out. "Every one of them would sacrifice themselves to protect you and the Clan."

但他太担心利奥帕德了，没有注意到这一点。 “这让我想起了以前带你去训练的日子，”蓝星轻轻地穿过阳光斑纹的树林。 火心跑去追她。 他回答说：“我也是。”“你学得很快。 当我邀请你加入我的部落时，我选择得很好。”蓝星喃喃地说。 她回过头看着火心，他看到她眼中的骄傲。 他感激地朝她眨了眨眼睛。 “所有部落都要感谢你，”蓝星继续说道。 “你把布罗肯泰尔赶出了暗影氏族，把风氏族从流放中带回来，在河流氏族被洪水淹没时帮助他们，从虎爪手中拯救了雷霆氏族。” 火心开始对她的赞美感到有些激动，她继续说：“没有其他战士有你的公平、忠诚和勇气....” 火心的毛不安地刺痛。 “但是所有的雷霆家族的猫都像我一样尊重战士的准则。”他指出。 “他们每个人都愿意牺牲自己来保护你和氏族。”