Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10 Brambleclaw scarcely slept that night, and when he did, his dreams were full of Firestar's anger, and images of his leader driving him away from the camp. When he pushed his way out of the warriors" den the next morning, he still felt exhausted—even more so when he reflected that this was his last day in camp before his journey would begin. A gray dawn light was filtering through the camp, and the wind was chilly. Tasting the air, Brambleclaw thought he could make out the first scent of approaching leaf-fall. Change was on the way, he realized, whatever he and the other chosen cats tried to do. Throughout the day he did not even bother trying to speak to Squirrelpaw. Though Firestar had not ordered them to stay apart, he obviously didn't like them to be together. There was no point in deliberately looking for trouble. Brambleclaw caught a glimpse of the young apprentice leaving the camp with Dustpelt; she looked oddly subdued, with her tail trailing

第十章 那天夜里，棘爪几乎没合眼，就算睡着了，梦里也全是火星的怒火，还有族长把他赶出营地的画面 第二天清晨，他钻出武士巢穴，依旧满身疲惫——等他反应过来，今天是出发前他留在营地的最后一天，他越发疲惫了 灰蒙蒙的曙光落进营地，风凉飕飕的 棘爪嗅了嗅空气，辨出了第一丝落叶季临近的气息 他意识到，不管他和其他被选中的猫怎么做，改变都要来了 整整一天，他都没特意去找松鼠爪说话 虽然火星没下令不许他们待在一起，但显然不喜欢他们凑在一块儿 没必要故意去找不痛快 棘爪瞥见这位年轻学徒跟着尘爪离开了营地； 她尾巴拖在地上，状态异常消沉

against the earth and her ears flat. "You look as if you've lost a rabbit and found a shrew," a brisk voice spoke beside him. Brambleclaw looked up; it was Mousefur. "Do you want to come hunting with me and Spiderpaw?" the she-cat meowed. For once Brambleclaw felt he hardly had the energy for hunting or anything else. With his journey due to start the next day, worries were crowding around him like cats at a Gathering. Was he really meant to lead four other cats out into the unknown, to face dangers they could not even imagine? Mousefur was still waiting for Brambleclaw to answer. He couldn't help wondering if her suggestion of hunting together was another of Firestar's orders to keep him busy. But the brown she-cat blinked at him in a friendly way, and he realized that he would be better off hunting than hanging about the camp worrying. Perhaps if he brought back plenty of prey he would start to regain Firestar's good opinion. But the hunt didn't go well. Spiderpaw was too easily distracted, as playful as a kit on its first

贴在地面，耳朵平贴着头 "你那模样活像丢了兔子捡了只鼩鼱，"一个轻快的声音在他身旁响起 棘爪抬头一看，说话的是鼠毛 "你要不要跟我和蜘蛛爪一起打猎呀？" 这只母猫轻声说道 这一回，棘爪觉得自己连打猎和做其他事的力气都没有 明天就要出发，无数烦恼像森林大会上挤在一起的猫那样缠得他心慌 他真的要带领另外四只猫踏入未知，去面对想都想不到的危险吗？ 鼠毛还在等棘爪回答 他忍不住猜测，她邀自己一起打猎，会不会又是火星的命令，就是为了让他忙起来 可这只棕色母猫友善地冲他眨了眨眼，他也想通了，出去打猎总比在营地晃悠瞎担心强 说不定他带回去好多猎物，就能重新得到火星的好感了 可这次打猎并不顺利 蜘蛛爪太容易分心了，像第一次出门的幼崽一样顽皮

outing. Once, as he was creeping up on a mouse, a leaf spiraled down past his nose, and he lifted one paw to bat at it. Startled by the clumsy movement, the mouse vanished under a root. "Honestly!" Mousefur sighed. "Do you expect the prey to come and jump into your mouth?" "Sorry," Spiderpaw mewed, looking abashed. He made more of an effort after that. When the patrol came upon a squirrel nibbling an acorn in the middle of a clearing, Spiderpaw began stalking it, moving each long black leg stealthily. He was almost ready to pounce when the wind changed and carried his scent to his prey. The squirrel started, tail flicking up, and bounded toward the edge of the clearing. "Bad luck!" Brambleclaw called. Instead of answering, Spiderpaw raced after the squirrel and disappeared into the undergrowth. "Hey!" Mousefur shouted after him. "You'll never catch a squirrel like that." Spiderpaw did not reappear, and his mentor bared her teeth in a resigned growl. "One day he'll learn." She padded off into the undergrowth to find him.

出猎 有一回，他正悄悄靠近一只老鼠，一片叶子打着旋儿飘过他鼻尖，他还抬起一只爪子去拍 这个笨拙的动作惊跑了老鼠，老鼠一下钻到树根底下不见了 "真是的！" 鼠毛叹了口气 "你还指望猎物自己跳进你嘴里吗？" "对不起，"蜘蛛爪小声说，一脸羞愧 在这之后，他卖力多了 巡逻队发现空地中央有只松鼠在啃橡子，蜘蛛爪立刻悄悄上前，每只修长的黑腿都放轻了动作 他都快要扑上去了，风向突然变了，把他的气味传到了猎物那里 松鼠受了惊，尾巴一下子竖起来，蹦向了空地的边缘 "运气真差！" 棘爪喊道 蜘蛛爪没应声，径直追着松鼠冲进灌木丛不见了 "喂！" 鼠毛在他身后喊 "你那样永远抓不到松鼠的" 蜘蛛爪没回来，他的导师认命地龇了龇牙，低低吼了一声 "总有一天他能学会的" 她迈步走进灌木丛去找他了

Left to himself, Brambleclaw stood still, listening for the sound of prey. There was a faint rustling in the leaves under the nearest tree. A mouse appeared, scuffling after seeds. Brambleclaw dropped into a hunting crouch and crept up on it, trying to make his paws float over the ground. Then he sprang, and killed his prey with one swift snap. He scraped earth over it so that he could collect it later, half wishing that Mousefur had been there to see his success. At least she could have told Firestar that he was still hunting well for his Clan—whatever the leader's complaint was, it couldn't be about that. Listening for more prey, promising himself one last good hunt before he left, he pricked up his ears instead at the sound of something bigger rustling among the bushes a little way off, in the opposite direction from where Spiderpaw and Mousefur had disappeared. Brambleclaw drew the air into his mouth, but could scent nothing except ThunderClan cats. He began to pad forward, only to quicken his pace as the rustling grew louder and was followed by a furious yowl. He ran

只剩下棘爪一个人，他站在原地，聆听猎物的动静 最近的那棵树下，叶子传来一阵细碎的沙沙声 一只老鼠钻了出来，扒拉着找种子吃 棘爪伏低身子摆出捕猎姿势，悄悄靠近，尽量让爪子轻悄地落在地面上 接着他猛扑上去，一口就咬死了猎物 他用土盖住猎物打算之后再来取，心里真希望鼠毛刚才看见了他漂亮的身手 至少她能告诉火星，他还在为族群好好打猎——不管族长有什么不满，总不会挑这件事的错 他打算离开前再好好打一次猎，于是竖起耳朵听猎物的动静，却反倒听见不远处，蜘蛛爪和鼠毛消失方向的对面，灌木丛传来大个头东西的沙沙声 棘爪吸嗅了空气，除了雷族猫的气味什么都没闻出来 他慢慢朝前走，沙沙声越来越大，接着传来一声愤怒的吼叫，他不由得加快了脚步 他拔腿跑去

around the edge of a bramble thicket and stopped dead. There was a gorse bush in front of him, and Squirrelpaw was struggling madly among its thick, spiky branches. Her front paws were off the ground and her fur was tangled in the thorns. Brambleclaw couldn't suppress a mrrow of laughter. "Having fun?" Instantly Squirrelpaw's head whipped around and her green eyes flashed fury at him. "That's right, have a good laugh, you stupid furball!" she snapped. "Then maybe you'll have time to get me out of here!" She sounded so much like the old Squirrelpaw rather than the dejected creature that had left the camp that morning that Brambleclaw felt better at once. Tail waving, he strolled toward her. "How did you manage to get so stuck?" "I was chasing a vole." Squirrelpaw sounded exasperated. "Dappletail said she fancied one, so I thought I'd better oblige, seeing that Firestar seems to want me to feed the elders, like, forever. It ran under here, and I thought there was room

沿着荆棘丛边缘走到头，猛地停住了脚步。 他面前有一丛金雀花，松鼠爪正粗壮尖刺的枝桠间拼命挣扎。 她的两只前爪悬在空中，皮毛缠在了尖刺上。 黑莓掌忍不住喵呜一声笑了出来。 “玩得开心吗？” 松鼠爪立刻猛地转过头，绿眼睛冒着怒火瞪着他。 “对呀，尽管笑吧，你这个笨毛球！” 她厉声吼道。 “笑完总该把我从这里弄出去吧！” 她的语气和从前那个松鼠爪一模一样，根本不是早上垂头丧气离开营地的样子，黑莓掌瞬间心情好多了。 他晃着尾巴，慢悠悠朝她走去。 “你怎么会卡得这么紧呀？” “我刚才在追一只田鼠。” 松鼠爪的语气满是气恼。 “斑毛说她想吃田鼠，我就想着帮忙抓一只，谁叫火星好像打算让我一辈子都给长老们找吃的呢。 田鼠跑到这下面来了，我以为这里挤得下

for me to run after it." "There isn't," Brambleclaw pointed out helpfully. "I know that now, mouse-brain Do something!" "Keep still, then." Approaching the bush, Brambleclaw saw where the worst tangles were, and began to tease out her fur, carefully using his teeth and claws. Some of the thorns pierced his nose, making his eyes water, but he kept on without complaining. "Hang on," Squirrelpaw muttered after a while. "I think I'm loose." Brambleclaw jumped out of the way as the apprentice plunged forward, forepaws scrabbling the earth as she dragged her hindquarters clear of the branches. A moment later she was free, shaking herself irritably while she stared at the tufts of ginger fur she had left behind. "Thanks, Brambleclaw," she meowed. "Are you hurt at all?" he asked. "Maybe you ought to let Cinderpelt have a look at—" "Squirrelpaw!" Brambleclaw froze and his heart sank. He

让我追进去呀。” “这里根本挤不下，”黑莓掌好心提醒道。 “我现在知道了，蠢货！快想办法救我！” “那你别动。” 黑莓掌走近金雀花，看清缠得最紧的位置，小心地用牙齿和爪子把她的毛一点点分开。 有些尖刺扎进了他的鼻子，刺得他眼睛发酸，可他还是一声不吭地继续着。 “撑住，”过了一会儿松鼠爪低声说道。 “我好像松开来了。” 这位学徒猛地往前一冲，黑莓掌连忙跳到一边，她前爪扒着泥土，把后半身从枝桠里拖了出来。 没多久她就脱困了，气呼呼地抖着身子，盯着留在刺上的几撮姜黄色猫毛。 “谢谢你，黑莓掌。”她喵声道。 “你有没有受伤呀？”他问道。 “要不你让炭毛看看——”“松鼠爪！” 黑莓掌僵住了，心一下子沉了下去。 他