Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20 Purdy led the forest cats along the edge of the wood. It was the day after their narrow escape from the dog, and Brambleclaw was still struggling with doubts about his decision to follow the old cat; he knew that Crowpaw and Tawnypelt were unhappy about it, too. But there seemed no other choice; more and more Twoleg nests filled the horizon, and clouds still covered the sky, so there was no sun to guide them to the sun-drown-place. "Is there any chance of more food?" he asked Purdy as they left the trees behind and began to cross a grassy space dotted with clumps of brightly colored flowers. "The fish yesterday weren't really enough, and Crowpaw didn't eat at all." "Sure, I can take you to a place," Purdy replied with a hostile glance at Crowpaw, who had been the most outspoken in voicing his distrust of the old cat. He led them to the other side of the grassy place, where there was yet another row of

第二十章 珀迪领着森林猫沿着树林边缘走 他们刚从狗口死里逃生，这是第二天了，棘爪还在纠结，怀疑自己跟着这只老猫的决定不对； 他也知道鸦爪和褐皮都对此满心不快。 可他们似乎没有别的选择； 越来越多的两脚兽巢穴填满了视野，乌云始终遮着天空，没有太阳指引他们前往太阳沉没之地。 “我们还能再找点吃的吗？” 他们走出树林，踏上一片开满簇簇鲜艳花朵的草地，他边走边问珀迪。 “昨天的鱼根本不够吃，鸦爪一口都没吃。” “当然，我能带你们去个地方，”珀迪回答，还狠狠瞥了鸦爪一眼，鸦爪是最直白说不信任他的。 他带着大家走到草地另一头，那里又是一排

Twoleg nests. Brambleclaw watched uneasily as the old cat flattened his belly to the ground and heaved himself under a wooden gate, grunting with the effort and shaking himself vigorously on the other side. "More Twolegs?" Crowpaw hissed. "I'm not going in there." "Suit yourself," Purdy meowed, beginning to pad up the path to the door with his tail held straight up. "We'd better all stay together," Brambleclaw murmured. "Remember what happened last time." Crowpaw snorted but said nothing, and none of the other cats disagreed. One by one they squeezed under the gate and followed Purdy up the path. Crowpaw came last, casting wary glances behind him. Purdy was waiting for them by the half-open door of the Twoleg nest. A harsh glow lit up the space inside it, which was full of strange shapes and scents that Brambleclaw had never encountered before. "In there?" he mewed to Purdy. "You're

两脚兽巢穴。 棘爪不安地看着，老猫把肚子贴紧地面，使劲挤过木门底下，费力地哼着，到了对岸之后使劲抖了抖身子。 “又有两脚兽？” 鸦爪低吼道。 “我才不进去。” “随你便，”珀迪喵了一声，尾巴竖得笔直，沿着小路朝门口走去。 “我们最好都待在一起，”棘爪低声说。 “别忘了上次发生的事。” 鸦爪哼了一声没说话，其他猫也都没反对。 他们一个接一个挤过门底，跟着珀迪沿路往前走。 鸦爪走在最后，警惕地不停回头张望。 珀迪在两脚兽巢穴半开的门口等着他们。 刺眼的亮光照着巢穴内部，到处都是棘爪从没见过的奇怪形状、从没闻过的陌生气味。 “进那里？”他问珀迪。 你这是

expecting us to go into an Upwalker nest?" Purdy twitched his tail impatiently. "That's where the food is. I know this place. I often come here." "This is wasting time," Tawnypelt meowed. Brambleclaw thought his sister sounded scared; her claws were flexing anxiously on the hard stuff of the path. "We can't go in there. We're not kittypets. Eating kittypet food is against the warrior code." "Oh, come on." Stormfur gave Tawnypelt's ear a friendly flick with his tail. "There's no harm in it. We're on a long journey, and if we can get food easily it saves time we would have to spend hunting—time we might need for something else. StarClan will understand." Tawnypelt shook her head, still unconvinced, but Feathertail looked reassured by her brother's reasoning, and both RiverClan cats ventured cautiously inside. "That's right," Purdy encouraged them. "There's the food, see, in bowls over there, all ready for us." Brambleclaw's stomach growled; the fish he

要我们进两脚兽的窝？” 珀迪不耐烦地甩了甩尾巴。 “吃的就在那儿。 我熟悉这地方。 我常来这儿。” “这就是在浪费时间，”褐皮说道。 棘爪听出姐姐声音里带着恐惧； 她的爪子在硬硬的路面上不安地一张一合。 “我们不能进去。 我们不是宠物猫。 吃宠物猫的食物违反武士守则。” “哎呀，别这样。” 暴毛用尾巴友好地弹了弹褐皮的耳朵。 “这又没什么坏处。 我们在赶远路，要是能轻松吃到东西，就能省下打猎的时间——这些时间我们还能用来做别的事。 星族会理解的。” 褐皮还是摇着头不相信，但羽尾听了哥哥的话放下心来，两只河族猫都小心翼翼地走了进去。 “这就对了，”珀迪鼓励他们。 “吃的就在那儿，看见了吗，那边的碗里，都给我们准备好了。” 棘爪的肚子咕噜噜叫了；他之前吃的

had eaten had been small, and it had been a long time ago. "Okay," he meowed. "I think Stormfur's right. Let's go, but make it quick." Squirrelpaw didn't wait for his decision, bounding inside hard on Purdy's paws. Brambleclaw followed her, but Crowpaw and Tawnypelt stayed outside. "We'll keep watch!" Tawnypelt called after him. Stormfur and Feathertail were already crouched beside the bowls, gulping eagerly. Brambleclaw peered suspiciously at the food; it was hard, round pellets like rabbit droppings, but the scent that came from it told him it would be safe to eat. Squirrelpaw thrust her muzzle into the other bowl; when she looked up her fur was plastered into spikes by something white, and her green eyes were glowing. "It's good!" she exclaimed. "Purdy, what is it?" "Milk," Purdy replied. "A bit like the milk you suck from your mother." "And kittypets drink this every day?" Squirrelpaw was astonished. "Wow! It's nearly

那点鱼本来就少，还是好久之前吃的了。 “好吧，”他说道。 “我觉得暴毛说得对。 我们进去，动作快点。” 松鼠爪不等他做决定，紧跟着珀迪就跳了进去。 棘爪跟了进去，鸦爪和褐皮留在外面。 “我们帮你们放哨！” 褐皮在他身后喊道。 暴毛和羽尾已经蹲在碗边，大口大口吃起来了。 棘爪满怀疑虑地盯着食物看； 这是硬硬圆圆的小颗粒，看着像兔粪，但气味告诉他吃这个没问题。 松鼠爪把脑袋扎进另一个碗里； 她抬头的时候，毛沾了白白的东西粘成了一撮撮，绿眼睛亮闪闪的。 “太好吃了！” 她惊喜地喊道。 “珀迪，这是什么呀？” “是牛奶，”珀迪回答。 “有点像你喝的妈妈的奶呀。” “宠物猫每天都能喝这个吗？” 松鼠爪惊讶极了。 “哇！ 这简直

worth being a kittypet." She plunged her muzzle back into the bowl. Brambleclaw crouched beside her and lapped up a few drops of the white liquid. Squirrelpaw was right—it was good, rich and full-tasting with hardly any tang of Twolegs about it. He settled down and tucked in. The first hint he had of trouble was the sound of a door opening and a high-pitched Twoleg voice crying out above his head. Brambleclaw sprang to his paws in time to see a Twoleg kit run through the door and scoop up Feathertail in her arms. Taken by surprise, Feathertail let out a startled yowl and began struggling, but the young Twoleg had her in a tight clasp. Stormfur stretched up with his forepaws, trying to reach his sister, but the Twoleg kit took no notice. Brambleclaw stared in dismay. Feathertail! He glanced around for Purdy, only to see the old cat padding calmly toward a full-grown Twoleg that stood in the doorway, waving his tail in welcome. Then Crowpaw appeared from the garden, a black whirlwind with glaring amber eyes. "See?"

配当一只宠物猫。” 她把脑袋扎回了碗里。 棘爪蹲在她身旁，舔了几口乳白色的液体。 松鼠爪说得没错——这东西真好，浓郁香醇，几乎没有两脚兽的怪味儿。 他安下心，大口吃了起来。 麻烦降临的第一个信号，是开门声，还有头顶上传来两脚兽尖尖的叫声。 棘爪一跃起身，正好看见一个两脚兽幼崽冲进门，一把将羽尾抱进怀里。 羽尾毫无防备，吓得嗷呜叫出声，拼命挣扎，可小两脚兽抱得紧紧的。 暴毛抬起前爪，想去够自己的妹妹，可小两脚兽根本没理会他。 棘爪惊愕地僵在原地。 羽尾！ 他四处张望找帕迪，只看见这只老猫从容走向门口站着的成年两脚兽，摇着尾巴表示欢迎。 接着鸦爪从花园冲了出来，活像一股黑旋风，琥珀双眼凶光毕露。 “看见了吧？”

he hissed at Brambleclaw. "This is your fault! You let that old mange bag bring us here." Brambleclaw gaped at the accusation, but Crowpaw did not wait for an answer. He spun around to face the Twoleg kit, lips drawn back in a snarl. "Let her go, or I'll claw you to shreds!" he spat. The little Twoleg, happily stroking Feathertail with loud squeaking noises, hadn't noticed Crowpaw, nor understood his threat. The black apprentice was ready to spring when Squirrelpaw slipped in front of him. "Wait, mouse-brain! It's only a kit. Do it this way." She padded up to the Twoleg. Raising her green eyes pleadingly, she let out a purr and rubbed herself against the Twoleg's legs. "Good idea!" Stormfur exclaimed, and crowded up to the Twoleg kit on the other side, purring. The little Twoleg's eyes gleamed. It let out a cry of delight and bent down to stroke Squirrelpaw; at the same instant Feathertail, feeling the grip on her slacken, managed to wriggle free and leap to the ground.

他冲着棘爪嘶声低吼。 “这全是你的错！ 是你让那个老废物带我们来这儿的。” 棘爪听到这番指责，惊愕地张大嘴，可鸦爪根本不等他回答。 他猛地转向小两脚兽，呲着牙发出低吼。 “放开她，不然我把你抓成碎片！” 他恶狠狠地啐道。 这小两脚兽正开心地摸着羽尾，叽叽喳喳叫个不停，没注意到鸦爪，也听不懂他的威胁。 这只黑色学徒正要扑上去，松鼠爪一下闪到了他面前。 “等等，笨老鼠！ 这只是个小幼崽而已。 看我这么办。” 她轻手轻脚走到两脚兽跟前。 她抬起绿眼睛，摆出恳求的模样，发出咕噜咕噜的呼噜声，蹭了蹭两脚兽的腿。 “好主意！” 暴毛惊呼，也挤到小两脚兽的另一边，呼噜噜蹭着。 小两脚兽的眼睛亮了起来。 它开心地叫了一声，弯下腰去摸松鼠爪； 就在这一刻，羽尾感觉抱自己的力气松了，赶紧扭身挣脱，跳到了地上。