Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22 Brambleclaw crouched in the bushes and watched the full moon suspended in the dark blue sky. Back at Fourtrees, the Clans would have met for their Gathering. The thought of the clearing thronged with cats, of gossip exchanged and stories told, made him feel lonelier than ever. For another endless day they had struggled through the Twolegplace, along Thunderpaths, through fences, over walls. At least they had left the worst of the hard ground behind them; now the Thunderpaths were edged with grass, and gardens surrounded the Twoleg nests. They had found shelter for the night beneath some shrubs, and had even managed to hunt. Yet the sharp teeth of his anxiety kept Brambleclaw awake. He still did not know if they were going the right way. Purdy led them on confidently, but the twisting route he took among the Twoleg nests took no account of the sun, and Brambleclaw felt as if the sun-drown-place were as far away as it had ever been. "I think we're farther away than ever."

第二十二章 黑莓掌蹲在灌木丛里，望着悬在深蓝色夜空中的满月。 此刻四棵树那里，四大族群已经开始集会了。 一想到空地上挤满了族猫，交换闲话、分享趣事，他就比之前更觉孤单。 又一个漫长难熬的日子，他们挣扎着穿过两脚兽地盘，沿着雷路，钻过栅栏，翻过围墙。 至少他们已经把最难走的硬地甩在了身后； 现在雷路边缘长出了青草，两脚兽巢穴四周也环绕着花园。 他们找到一丛灌木过夜，甚至还成功捕到了猎物。 可焦虑如同尖牙，让黑莓掌始终无法入眠。 他仍旧不确定他们走的路对不对。 珀迪自信地领着路，可他在两脚兽巢穴间绕来绕去，根本没参照太阳的方位，黑莓掌觉得太阳沉落之地还和从前一样遥远。 "我觉得我们比之前离得更远了。"

Crowpaw had scornfully echoed his thoughts before he settled down to sleep. Worst of all were his worries about Tawnypelt's shoulder. Though his sister was too proud to admit she was in pain, by the time they stopped for the night she could barely walk. The rat bite had stopped bleeding, but her shoulder was swollen and the flesh where her fur had been torn away was red and puffy. Brambleclaw didn't need to be a medicine cat to know that the bite was infected. Squirrelpaw and Feathertail had taken turns licking the wound while Tawnypelt slipped into an uneasy, shallow sleep, but every cat knew that it would take more than that to heal her. Brambleclaw jumped at a scrabbling sound close by in the bushes, then relaxed when Stormfur appeared and crouched down beside him. "I'll watch for a bit if you like," the gray warrior meowed. "Thanks." Brambleclaw arched his back and drove his claws into the ground in a stretch. "I'm not sure I can sleep, though."

鸦爪在睡下前，轻蔑地说出了他藏在心里的想法。 最让他忧心的是褐皮肩膀上的伤。 虽然他的妹妹好强，不肯承认自己疼，可等到停下过夜时，她几乎走不动路了。 老鼠咬伤的血已经止住，可她的肩膀肿了起来，皮毛被撕掉的那块皮肤又红又胀。 黑莓掌哪怕不是巫医，也知道伤口已经感染了。 褐皮陷入不安的浅眠时，松鼠爪和羽尾轮番舔舐伤口，可所有猫都清楚，只靠这样根本治不好。 灌木丛近处传来一阵扒挠声，黑莓掌吓了一跳，等暴毛现身蹲到他身边，他才放松下来。 "如果你想睡，我帮你放会儿哨，"这只灰色武士轻声说。 "谢谢。" 黑莓掌弓起背，爪子抠进地里伸了个懒腰。 "不过我不确定我睡得着。"

"Try," Stormfur advised him. "You'll need your strength for tomorrow." "I know." With another glance at the moon, he added, "I wish we were all safely back at Fourtrees." To his surprise Stormfur blinked at him sympathetically. "We will be soon. Don't worry. StarClan is with us here just as much as if we were at the Gathering with the rest of our Clans." Brambleclaw let out a sigh. Somehow, tangled as they were in Twolegplace, it was hard to imagine the starry warriors weaving among them. With a last look at the moon, he curled up and closed his eyes, and at last managed to sink into sleep. The barking of a dog woke him. He sprang up, quivering, only to realize with relief that it was too distant to be a threat; there was no dog scent close by. A gray light filtered through the bushes, and the leaves stirred in a chill breeze with a damp tang to it, as if rain was not far off. Brambleclaw's companions were sleeping around him, all except Stormfur, who was not in sight. Brambleclaw braced himself, preparing to

"试试吧，"暴毛劝他。 "明天赶路，你得保存力气。" "我知道。" 他又望了一眼月亮，补充道："真希望我们都平平安安回到四棵树。" 让他意外的是，暴毛同情地冲他眨了眨眼。 "我们很快就能回去的。 别担心。 星族会陪着我们，就像我们和其他族群一起参加集会时一样。" 黑莓掌长出了一口气。 不知道为什么，困在两脚兽地盘里的他们，很难想象这些星空武士会伴在自己左右。 他最后望了一眼月亮，蜷起身子闭上眼，终于渐渐睡着了。 一阵狗叫声吵醒了他。 他浑身发抖猛地跳起来，随即松了口气：那叫声很远，构不成威胁； 这附近根本没有狗的气味。 灰蒙蒙的晨光透进灌木丛，叶片在凉风中晃动，带着潮湿的气息，眼看就要下雨了。 同伴们都睡在黑莓掌四周，只有暴毛不见踪影。 黑莓掌绷紧身体，准备

wake them and get them moving again, when Crowpaw lifted his head and scrambled to his paws, shaking the leaf mold off his pelt. "Listen, Brambleclaw," he meowed, sounding less aggressive than usual. "We've got to get out of here today. Things would be better if we could find a forest, or even farmland. We might need to stop for a bit to let Tawnypelt rest, and we can't do that in the middle of all these Twolegs." Brambleclaw hoped he hid his surprise at how reasonable the younger cat sounded, especially at how concerned he was for Tawnypelt. "You're right," he agreed. "But I'm not sure. We've no choice but to trust Purdy to get us out of here." "It's a pity we ever let him come with us," Crowpaw growled. He padded across to where Purdy was sleeping, an untidy heap of tabby fur, snoring and twitching. Crowpaw prodded him hard in the ribs with one paw. "Wake up!" "Hey? Wha'?" Purdy blinked and then heaved himself up until he was sitting. "What's all the hurry?" "We need to get moving." Crowpaw's abrasive tone was back. "Or had you forgotten?"

叫醒大家继续赶路，这时鸦爪抬起头，爬起来站直身子，抖掉皮毛上的腐叶土。 "听我说，黑莓掌，"他开口道，语气比往常温和了些。 "我们今天必须离开这儿。 如果能找到一片森林，哪怕只是农田，情况都会好很多。 我们可能需要停下来让褐皮休息，总不能在这群两脚兽中间歇着吧。" 这只年轻猫说的话这么合理，还这么担心褐皮，黑莓掌赶紧掩饰住自己的惊讶。 "你说得对，"他赞同道。 "可我也没把握。 我们别无选择，只能相信珀迪能带我们出去。" "真后悔当初让他跟着我们，"鸦爪低吼道。 他轻步走到珀迪睡觉的地方，这只虎斑猫团成乱糟糟一团，正打着鼾抽动着。 鸦爪伸出一只爪子，狠狠戳了戳他的肋骨。 "醒醒！" "嗯？啥？" 珀迪眨了眨眼，费劲地爬起来坐好。 "这么着急干嘛？" "我们该出发了。" 鸦爪又变回了原本粗鲁的语气。 "你难道忘了吗？"

Leaving him to get some sense out of Purdy, too tired and anxious to go over and soothe the festering quarrel, Brambleclaw went to wake the others. He left Tawnypelt until last, bending over to sniff her wound and examine it closely. "It's no better," Feathertail murmured at his shoulder. "I'm not sure she'll be able to go far today." As she spoke, Tawnypelt opened her eyes. "Brambleclaw? Is it time to go?" She struggled to sit up, but Brambleclaw could see that her leg would barely support her. "Lie still for a bit," Feathertail told her. "Let me give that bite another lick." She crouched down and her tongue rasped in a comforting rhythm over the swollen flesh. Tawnypelt let her head drop onto her paws again. As Brambleclaw watched, Stormfur reappeared with a mouse in his jaws, which he dropped close to Tawnypelt's muzzle. "There you are," he mewed. "Fresh-kill." Tawnypelt blinked up at him. "Oh, Stormfur... thank you. But I should catch my own." Brambleclaw's belly clenched with pity. No

留下普尔迪理清头绪，荆爪又累又急，不想过去调解那场愈演愈烈的争吵，便去叫醒其他伙伴。 他最后才去叫褐皮，俯下身嗅闻、仔细检查了她的伤口。 "伤口没好转，" 羽尾在他身旁轻声说。 "我不确定她今天能不能走太远。" 她刚说完，褐皮就睁开了眼睛。 "荆爪？" "该出发了吗？" 她挣扎着坐起来，可荆爪看得出来，她的腿几乎撑不住身体。 "躺好休息会儿，" 羽尾对她说。 "让我再舔舔这个咬伤。" 她伏下身子，舌头按着舒缓的节奏，反复舔着红肿的伤口。 褐皮又把头垂回了爪垫上。 荆爪正看着，暴毛叼着一只老鼠回来了，他把老鼠放在褐皮的嘴边不远处。 "拿去吧，" 他喵呜着说。 "刚抓的新鲜猎物。" 褐皮眨眨眼，抬头望着他。 "哦，暴毛……谢谢你。" "可我该自己捕猎的。" 荆爪心头一紧，满是怜悯。 没

cat had ever looked less able to hunt. Stormfur just touched her ear with his nose. "You eat that one," he murmured. "You need to keep up your strength. I can catch more later." With a little nod of gratitude, Tawnypelt began to eat. Ignoring the argument that was developing between Purdy and Crowpaw, Brambleclaw went to see what Squirrelpaw was doing. The ginger apprentice was sitting up in the nest of leaves she had made the night before. She was muttering something under her breath, and she kept passing her tongue over her lips as if she could taste something foul. "What's the matter?" Brambleclaw asked. Trying to joke, he added, "Have you been eating your own fur?" For once Squirrelpaw did not react. "No," she replied, still licking her lips. "It's just this funny taste. I keep thinking I should remember what it is." "Not salt, I hope?" Brambleclaw suggested lightly. He had never thought he would miss Squirrelpaw's smart remarks, but this seriousness

有哪只猫看起来比她更不适合捕猎了。 暴毛只是用鼻子碰了碰她的耳朵。 "你把这只吃了，" 他轻声说。 "你得攒点力气。 我晚点再抓就好了。" 褐皮轻轻点头致谢，然后开始吃老鼠。 荆爪没管普尔迪和鸦爪之间越吵越凶的争执，过去看看松鼠爪在做什么。 这只姜黄色学徒正坐在她昨晚用树叶铺的窝里。 她低声嘀咕着什么，还不停舔嘴唇，好像嘴里有什么怪味道似的。 "怎么了?" 荆爪问道。 Trying to joke, he added, "Have you been eating your own fur?" 这回松鼠爪居然没顶嘴。 "No," she replied, still licking her lips. "It's just this funny taste. I keep thinking I should remember what it is." "Not salt, I hope?" 荆爪轻松地猜测道。 He had never thought he would miss Squirrelpaw's smart remarks, but this seriousness