Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4 All was darkness and cold. Fireheart had never been so cold. He felt as if every scrap of warmth and life were being sucked out of his body. His legs twitched as painful cramps clutched at them. He imagined that he was made of ice, and if he tried to move he would shatter into a thousand brittle fragments. But no dreams came. No sight or sound of StarClan. Only the cold and the darkness. Something must be wrong, Fireheart thought, beginning to panic. He dared to open his eyes a narrow slit. At once they flew wide with shock. Instead of the shining Moonstone in a cavern far below the ground, he saw short, well-trodden grass stretching away. Night scents flooded over him, of green, growing things moist with dew. A warm breeze ruffled his fur. Scrambling into a sitting position, Fireheart realized he was in the hollow at Fourtrees, near the base of the Great Rock. The towering oaks, in full leaf, rustled over his head, and Silverpelt glittered beyond them in the night sky.

四周又黑又冷。 火心从来没有这么冷漠过。 他觉得自己身上的每一丝温暖和生命都被吸走了。 他的腿因疼痛的痉挛而抽搐。 他想象自己是冰做的，如果他动一动，就会碎成一千块易碎的碎片。 但是没有梦想。没有看到或听到StarClan。 只有寒冷和黑暗。 一定是出了什么事，火心心想，开始惊慌起来。 他敢把眼睛睁开一条狭缝。 他们立刻吓得飞得很远。 他看到的不是远在地下洞穴里闪闪发光的月光石，而是长长的、践踏得很好的短草。 夜的气味弥漫在他的身上，那是被露水滋润的绿色植物的气味。 一阵暖风吹皱了他的毛。 火心慌忙坐了起来，意识到自己来到了四棵树的山谷里，靠近大岩石的底部。 高耸的橡树，枝叶茂盛，在他头顶上沙沙作响，西尔弗佩尔在它们后面的夜空中闪闪发光。

How did I come here? he wondered. Is this the dream that Cinderpelt promised? He raised his head and looked up at the sky. He could not remember its being so clear; Silverpelt looked closer than he had ever seen before, scarcely higher than the topmost branches of the oaks. As Fireheart gazed at it, he realized something that sent the blood thrilling through his veins like liquid fire. The stars were moving. They swirled before his disbelieving eyes and began to spiral downward, toward the forest, toward Fourtrees, toward him. Fireheart waited, his heart pounding. And the cats of StarClan came stalking down the sky. Frost sparkled at their paws and glittered in their eyes. Their pelts were white flame. They carried the scent of ice and fire and the wild places of the night. Fireheart crouched before them. He could scarcely bear to go on looking, and yet he could not bear to look away. He wanted to absorb this moment into every hair on his pelt so it would be his forever.

我是怎么来到这里的？他想知道。 这是灰姑娘承诺的梦吗？ 他抬起头，仰望天空。 他不记得有这么清楚；西尔弗佩尔特看得比以前更近了，比橡树的最顶端的树枝高不了多少。 当火心凝视着它的时候，他意识到有什么东西让他的血管里的血液像液体火焰一样激动。 星星在移动。它们在他难以置信的眼前旋转着，开始向下盘旋，朝着森林，朝着四树树，朝着他。 火心等待着，心怦怦直跳。 StarClan的猫在天空中尾随而来。 霜在他们的爪子上闪闪发光，在他们的眼睛里闪闪发光。 他们的皮毛是白色的火焰。 它们带着冰与火的气味，带着夜晚荒野的气息。 火心蹲在他们面前。 他几乎不忍心继续看下去，但又不忍心把目光移开。 他想把这一刻融入他皮毛上的每一根头发，这样它就永远属于他了。

After a time that might have lasted a hundred seasons or a single heartbeat, all the cats of StarClan had come down to earth. All around Fireheart the hollow of Fourtrees was lined with their shimmering bodies and blazing eyes. Fireheart crouched in the center, surrounded on all sides. He began to realize that some of the starry cats, those sitting closest to him, were achingly familiar. Bluestar! Joy pierced him like a thorn in his heart. And Yellowfang! Then he drew in a familiar, sweet scent, and turned his head to see the tortoiseshell fur and gentle face that he had dreamed of so often. Spottedleaf—oh, Spottedleaf! His beloved medicine cat had come back to him. Fireheart wanted to spring to his paws and yowl his joy to the whole forest, but awe kept him silent, still crouching. "Welcome, Fireheart." The sound seemed to belong to all the cats Fireheart had ever known, and yet at the same time it was one clear voice. "Are you ready to receive your nine lives?" Fireheart glanced around, but he couldn't see

在一段可能持续了100个季节或一次心跳的时间之后，《StarClan》的所有猫都来到了地球。 在火心周围的四棵树的山谷里，排列着它们闪闪发光的身体和炽热的眼睛。 火心蹲在中间，四面被包围。 他开始意识到，坐在离他最近的那些星星点点的猫，对他来说是那么熟悉。 蓝星!欢乐像一根刺扎进了他的心。 和Yellowfang !然后，他吸进了一股熟悉的、甜甜的气味，转过头来，看到了他经常梦见的玳瑁皮毛和温柔的脸。 Spottedleaf-oh, Spottedleaf !他心爱的药猫回到了他身边。 火心真想一跃而起，向整个森林哭喊他的喜悦，但敬畏使他保持沉默，仍然蜷缩着。 “欢迎,Fireheart。”这声音似乎属于火心所认识的所有猫，但同时又是一个清晰的声音。 “你准备好接受你的九条命了吗？”火心环顾四周，但看不见

any cat speaking. "Yes," he replied, forcing his voice not to shake. "I'm ready." A golden tabby cat rose to his paws and strode toward him, his head and tail high. Fireheart recognized Lionheart, who had become Bluestar's deputy when Fireheart was still an apprentice and who had died soon after in a battle with ShadowClan. He had been an old cat when Fireheart knew him, but now he looked young and strong again, his coat shining with pale fire. "Lionheart!" Fireheart gasped. "Is it really you?" Lionheart did not reply. When he was close enough, he stooped and touched his nose to Fireheart's head. It burned against him like the hottest flame and the coldest ice. Fireheart's instinct was to shrink away, but he could not move. "With this life I give you courage," Lionheart murmured. "Use it well in defense of your Clan." At once a bolt of energy seared through Fireheart like lightning, setting his fur on end and filling his senses with a deafening roar. His eyes grew dark, and his mind filled with a chaotic swirl

任何猫说话。“是的，”他回答，强忍着自己的声音不颤抖。 “我准备好了。”一只金色的虎斑猫站起来，昂首阔步地向他走来。 火心认出了狮心，它在火心还是学徒的时候就成了蓝星的副手，不久就在与暗影氏族的战斗中死去了。 火心认识它的时候，它已经是一只老猫了，但现在它看起来又年轻又强壮了，皮毛上闪烁着苍白的火焰。 “狮心王!”Fireheart气喘吁吁地说。 “真的是你吗？”狮心王没有回答。 当他走得够近时，他弯下腰，用鼻子碰了碰火心的头。 它像最热的火焰和最冷的冰一样在他身上燃烧。 火心本能地想要退缩，但他动弹不得。 “这辈子我给你勇气。”狮心喃喃地说。 “好好利用它来保卫你的氏族。” 立刻，一道能量像闪电一样穿过火心，把它的毛发竖起来，发出震耳欲聋的怒吼。 他的眼睛变黑了，脑子里充满了混乱的漩涡

of battles and hunts, the feeling of claws raking across fur and teeth meeting in the flesh of prey. The pain ebbed, leaving Fireheart weak and trembling. The darkness faded and he found himself in the unearthly clearing again. If that was one life received, he had eight more to go. How will I bear it? he thought in dismay. Lionheart was already turning away, moving back to his place in the ranks of StarClan. Another cat rose and came toward Fireheart. At first Fireheart did not recognize him, but then he glimpsed a dark, dappled coat and bushy red tail and realized this must be Redtail. Fireheart had never met the ThunderClan deputy, who was murdered by Tigerstar on the very day Fireheart came to the forest as a kittypet, but he had sought out the truth about his death and used it to prove Tigerstar's treachery. Like Lionheart, Redtail bowed his head and touched his nose to Fireheart's. "With this life I give you justice," he mewed. "Use it well as you judge the actions of others." Once more an agonizing spasm rushed through Fireheart, and he had to grit his teeth to stop

战斗和狩猎，爪子划过皮毛和牙齿在猎物身上相遇的感觉。 疼痛消退了，火心虚弱地颤抖着。 黑暗褪去，他发现自己又来到了那片神秘的空地上。 如果这是一条命，他还有八条命要走。 我怎么能忍受呢？他沮丧地想。 狮心已经转身离开，回到了他在星际战队中的位置。 另一只猫站起来，朝火心走来。 起初，火心没有认出他来，但后来他瞥见了一件深色的、有斑点的外套和毛茸茸的红色尾巴，意识到这一定是红尾巴。 火心从来没有见过霹雳族的副手，就在火心作为小猫来到森林的那天，他被虎星杀害了，但他已经找到了他死亡的真相，并用它来证明虎星的背叛。 红尾巴像狮心王一样，低下头，用鼻子碰了碰火心。 “这辈子我还你一个公道，”他叫道。 “在评判他人的行为时，要好好利用它。” 火心又一阵剧痛的痉挛，他不得不咬紧牙关才止住

himself from yowling. When he recovered, panting as if he had raced all the way back to camp, he saw Redtail watching him. "Thank you," the former deputy meowed solemnly. "You revealed the truth when no other cat could." Fireheart managed to nod in acknowledgment as Redtail went back to sit beside Lionheart again, and a third cat emerged from the ranks. This time Fireheart's jaws dropped open when he recognized the beautiful tabby, her coat glimmering with a silvery sheen. It was Graystripe's lost love Silverstream, the RiverClan queen who had died bearing his kits. Her paws scarcely skimmed the ground as she bent down to him. "With this life I give you loyalty to what you know to be right," she meowed. Fireheart wondered if she was referring to the way he had helped Graystripe to see his forbidden love, trusting to the strength of their relationship even though it went against the warrior code. "Use it well to guide your Clan in times of trouble," Silverstream urged him. Fireheart braced himself for another agonizing

自己从嚎叫。当他缓过神来，气喘吁吁地跑回营地时，他看见红尾巴在看着他。 “谢谢你，”前副警长严肃地喵喵叫道。 “你在别的猫都做不到的时候揭露了真相。” 火心勉强点头表示感谢，红尾巴又回到狮心身边坐下，第三只猫从队伍中走了出来。 这次火心认出了这只美丽的虎斑猫，吓得张大了嘴巴，她的皮毛闪着银色的光泽。 是灰条纹失去的爱人银溪，带着他的装备死去的河族女王。 她向他弯下腰时，爪子几乎没碰到地面。 “在这一生中，我让你忠诚于你认为正确的事情，”她喵喵地说。 火心不知道她指的是不是他帮助灰条纹看到自己禁忌之爱的方式，他相信他们之间的关系很牢固，尽管这违背了战士的准则。 “好好利用它，在困难时期指引你的氏族。”银溪劝他。 火心准备迎接另一场痛苦