Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22 This was madness, sheer madness. The words echoed to the thud of Stormfur's paws as he allowed Crag and another cave-guard to escort him back into the cave behind the waterfall. The other forest cats were ushered in close behind him, with more guards on either side, while Talon and his fellow outlaws brought up the rear. A patrol had spotted them as soon as they reached the river; Stormfur was pretty sure they were prisoners now rather than guests, and he did not know what the Tribe cats would do to them. They had fought their way out two nights before, so it was reasonable to expect hostility. Talon and his friends were taking an even bigger risk, because they had been ordered not to come back until Sharptooth was dead. The first rays of glimmering moonlight were creeping through the sheet of water at the cave entrance, and soon Sharptooth would be on the prowl. Stormfur was not even sure that he could make the Tribe listen to Squirrelpaw's plan. As he sought inside himself for courage,

第22章 这太疯狂了，简直是疯了。 当暴毛任由裂石和另一名洞穴守卫押着走回瀑布后的洞穴时，这个念头随着他爪子踏地的砰砰声反复回响。 其他森林猫被簇拥着跟在他身后，两侧都布了更多守卫，利爪和他被放逐的同伴们走在队尾。 他们刚到河边就被巡逻队发现了； 暴毛很确定，他们现在不是客人，而是囚犯了，他完全猜不到急水部落的猫会怎么对待他们。 他们两天前才拼死逃出来，对方心怀敌意也很正常。 利爪和他的朋友们冒的风险更大，因为他们本来接到命令：不杀掉尖牙就不准回来。 第一道朦胧月光顺着洞口的水幕渗进洞穴，尖牙很快就要出来游荡觅食了。 暴毛甚至不确定能不能让部落听进去松鼠爪的计划。 他在心底给自己寻找勇气的时候，

Silverstream's scent drifted faintly around him. Stormfur glanced back, wondering if Feathertail could sense it, too. His sister was just behind him, her blue eyes troubled. But none of them had flinched when the cave-guards swarmed out from behind the rocks, as well hidden as ever by their mud-streaked fur. Stormfur felt humbled by his friends" bravery, by their loyalty to him and to the warrior code even this far away from the forest. He knew they would do whatever it took to help the Tribe, or die trying. Stoneteller had clearly been warned of their arrival, and was waiting for them in the middle of the main cave. Under his coating of mud, Stormfur could see that a slice of his fur had been torn away in the fight against Sharptooth, and he had a raw wound across one ear. Stormfur strode over to him and laid at his feet the piece of prey he had carried all the way through the mountains: a mountain hare, its pelt just beginning to turn white for leaf-bare. "What's this?" Stoneteller's voice was cold, and his eyes were hostile. "Why have you come back?"

银溪的气味淡淡地萦绕在他身边。 暴毛回头望去，想知道羽尾是不是也闻到了这个气味。 他妹妹就在他身后，蓝色的眼睛里满是不安。 可洞穴守卫们从岩石后一拥而出时，没有一只猫退缩，沾着泥点的皮毛一如既往把他们藏得很好。 朋友们这么勇敢，哪怕离森林这么远，依旧对他、对武士守则忠心耿耿，暴毛心中又敬又愧。 他知道，他们会拼尽全力帮助急水部落，哪怕战死也不会退缩。 尖石巫师显然早就接到他们到来的消息，正在主洞的中央等着他们。 暴毛能看到，泥层下面，尖石巫师和尖牙打斗时被撕掉了一块毛，一只耳朵上还横着一道新鲜的伤口。 暴毛大步走到他面前，把一路翻山越岭带来的猎物放在他脚边：那是一只山兔，它的皮毛正开始为叶枯季转成白色。 “这是什么？” 尖石巫师语气冰冷，眼神充满敌意。 “你们为什么回来？”

"To help you defeat Sharptooth," Stormfur replied. His heart began to pound even faster when he saw neither welcome nor relief in the Healer's expression. "And just what do you think you can do?" His gaze swept around the cavern; following it, Stormfur saw the Tribe creeping out of the shadows. They looked curious but wary. The friendship they had begun to show toward the cats had been scorched by the shock of Sharptooth's attack, and Stormfur's failure to save them in spite of their warrior ancestors" promise. Like Stoneteller, many of them bore raw scars or limped heavily from fresh wounds. Stormfur searched for Brook, but could not see her. "Sharptooth took Star yesterday," Stoneteller growled. "Many cats were injured as we tried to drive him out. One has already died, and two others lie on the border of the Tribe of Endless Hunting. You didn't help us then. You ran away." His contempt struck Stormfur like a claw. Even worse was the murmur of agreement from

“我来帮你们打败尖牙。”暴毛回答。 他看到这位巫医脸上既没有欢迎也没有宽慰，心跳跳得更快了。 “你觉得你能做成什么？” 尖石巫师的目光扫过洞穴，暴毛顺着他的目光看去，看到部落的猫纷纷从阴影里走出来。 他们看起来好奇，却又十分警惕。 原本他们对这群外来猫的好感，已经被尖牙袭击的冲击消磨殆尽，哪怕武士祖先许下诺言，暴毛还是没能救下他们，这让大家满心芥蒂。 和尖石巫师一样，很多猫都带着新伤疤，不少猫因为新伤走路一瘸一拐。 暴毛找了半天小溪，却没看到她的身影。 “尖牙昨天抓走了星辰。”尖石巫师低吼道。 “我们赶他走的时候，好多猫都受伤了。 已经有一只猫死掉，另外两只正徘徊在无尽狩猎部落地界边。 那时候你们根本没帮我们。 你们逃跑了。” 他的轻蔑像爪子一样狠狠划在暴毛心上。 更糟糕的是，已经响起了赞同的低语声，来自

the gathering Tribe, as if they had felt betrayed by his flight, just as he had felt betrayed when they made him a prisoner. He heard a hostile hiss from one of the Clan cats—he guessed it was Crowpaw—and hoped that the apprentice would keep quiet. "I didn't believe I was the promised cat," he meowed honestly. "And I didn't like being trapped in the Cave of Pointed Stones. But since I escaped, I've been thinking... and I've come back freely. Even if I'm not the cat who was named in the prophecy, I'll do all I can to help." "We all will," Brambleclaw added, coming to stand at Stormfur's shoulder. The Tribe's Healer began to relax. There were more murmurs from the cats around him, and some at least sounded approving. Then he heard Brook's voice behind him. "Stormfur! I knew you would come back." Stormfur turned to see her slipping through the crowd. A shiver ran through his pelt as he looked at her shining eyes and heard the welcome in her voice. "We should listen to him," she urged

聚集在此的所有部落猫，就像当初暴毛觉得被他们囚禁背叛一样，他们也觉得被暴毛的逃跑背叛了。 他听到族群里有一只猫发出充满敌意的嘶声——他猜是鸦爪——他希望这个学徒能保持安静。 “我那时候不相信我就是预言里的那只猫。”他坦诚地说。 “我也不想被困在尖石洞穴里。 可我逃走之后，一直在想…… 我这次是自愿回来的。 就算我不是预言里提到的那只猫，我也会拼尽全力帮忙。” “我们所有人都会帮忙。”黑莓掌补充道，说完走到暴毛身边站定。 部落的这位巫医神情慢慢放松下来。 他周围的猫发出更多低语声，至少有一些声音听上去是赞同的。 接着，他听到身后传来小溪的声音。 “暴毛！ 我就知道你会回来的。” 暴毛转过身，看到小溪从猫群里挤了出来。 看着她亮晶晶的眼睛，听着她语气里的欢迎，暴毛浑身轻轻颤了一下。 “我们应该听听他说的话。”她催促道

Stoneteller. "The Tribe of Endless Hunting has sent him to help us. Why else would he come back, after seeing what Sharptooth can do?" Stoneteller looked as if he lacked energy to believe anything anymore, but he bowed his head. "Very well," he said. "But what are you going to do that we haven't tried before? Sharptooth has killed the best fighters in my Tribe as if they were puny kits." Stormfur flicked his ears to beckon Squirrelpaw forward. She carried a wad of leaves in her jaws. "Show Stoneteller what you have," he mewed, and added into her ear, "I hope you haven't swallowed any." Squirrelpaw dropped the leaves. "I'm not mouse-brained!" she muttered indignantly. Turning back to Stoneteller, Stormfur prodded the hare with one paw. "This prey is for Sharptooth," he meowed. "And inside it, we'll put these." Delicately he unwrapped the leaves to reveal a small heap of glossy red berries. A kit who was crouched with its mother at the front of the tribe took a step forward to sniff them curiously; Squirrelpaw thrust her tail in its

石先知。 “无尽狩猎部落派他来帮我们的。 见过尖牙的厉害之后，他还敢回来，除了帮忙还能为什么？” 石先知看起来已经没力气相信任何事了，但他还是低下了头。 “好吧，”他说。 “但你能想出什么我们没试过的新办法？ 尖牙杀了我部落里最勇猛的战士，就像碾死弱小幼崽一样轻松。” 暴毛晃了晃耳朵，示意松鼠爪上前。 她嘴里叼着一大团叶子。 “让石先知看看你带的东西，”他说道，又凑到她耳边补充，“我希望你没吞下去。” 松鼠爪把叶子放了下来。 “我才没那么蠢！” 她愤愤地咕哝道。 暴毛转回头面向石先知，用一只爪子碰了碰野兔。 “这猎物是给尖牙准备的，”他说道。 “我们要把这些东西放进它肚子里。” 他小心地展开叶子，露出一小堆亮闪闪的红浆果。 一只蹲在母亲身边、挤在部落最前面的幼崽上前一步，好奇地嗅着浆果； 松鼠爪猛地甩出尾巴挡在它的

way and guided it back to its mother. "Don't touch," she mewed. "Even one of those would give you the worst bellyache you've ever had—if you survived." The kit stared at her with huge eyes and said nothing. Gazing at the berries, the Tribe's healer let out a faint hiss and took a step back. "Night- seeds?" "You know them?" Stormfur asked. "In our Clans, we call them deathberries." "I know all the herbs and berries that grow in these mountains," Stoneteller responded. For a moment a gleam of interest showed in his eyes; then he bent his head again and when he spoke his voice was defeated. "And none of that knowledge is any use to protect my Tribe. Sharptooth is too strong. Not even your deathberries will defeat him." "Three will kill the strongest warrior." Squirrelpaw spoke up boldly. "I think what we have here would be enough even for Sharptooth." Stoneteller looked surprised. "Are you sure?" "Even if they don't," Stormfur added, they'll

路上，把它领回了母亲身边。 “别碰，”她说道。 哪怕只吃一颗，都会让你疼得死去活来——能不能活下来还不一定呢。” 幼崽睁着大大的眼睛盯着她，一句话也没说。 看着这些浆果，部落的医者轻轻发出一声嘶气，往后退了一步。 “夜籽？” “你认识它们？” 暴毛问道。 “在我们族群里，我们叫它们死浆果。” “这些山里长的所有药草和浆果，我都认识，”石先知回答。 有那么一瞬间，他眼里闪过一丝感兴趣的光芒； 接着他又低下头，说话的语气满是绝望。 “可这些知识根本保护不了我的部落。 尖牙太强了。 就算是你的死浆果也杀不了它。” “三颗就能杀死最强壮的武士。” 松鼠爪大胆地开口说道。 “我觉得我们带的分量，就算是尖牙也足够了。” 石先知看起来很惊讶。 “你确定？” “就算没能毒死它，”暴毛补充道，它们也能