Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24 "No! Help them!" A wail of sorrow and fear broke from Leafpaw. She opened her eyes with a jump and saw that she was in her nest outside Cinderpelt's den. The morning sunlight was pale and cold. The rumble of monsters from her nightmare had reached the camp in the waking world, too, and their stench hung in the air. Shuddering, Leafpaw curled deeper into the moss, trying to find comfort in its warmth while the last wisps of her dream hung in her mind like mist. She had been standing near the Thunderpath, watching the Twoleg monsters as they roared through the forest, crushing cats under their huge black paws. Blood had run like a river across the forest floor. Spottedleaf had stood beside her, and Leafpaw had turned to her with a desperate plea. "Save them! Please! Why don't you save them?" Spottedleaf's eyes had rested sadly on Leafpaw's dying friends. "There is nothing more StarClan can do to help," she murmured. "I'm so sorry."

第二十四章 "不！救救它们！" 叶爪发出一声充满悲伤与恐惧的哭号。 她猛地惊醒睁开眼，发现自己正躺在炭皮巢穴外的窝中。 清晨的阳光清冷又苍白。 她噩梦里怪物的轰隆声也传到了现实的营地，空气中弥漫着它们的恶臭。 叶爪浑身发颤，往苔藓里缩得更深，想汲取一丝暖意，残存的梦影像薄雾一样萦绕在她脑海。 方才她梦到自己站在雷鬼路边，看着两脚兽的怪物嘶吼着冲过森林，用巨大的黑爪把猫压碎。 鲜血像河流一样漫过森林的地面。 斑叶站在她身边，叶爪绝望地向她哀求。 "救救它们！ 求你了！ 你为什么不救它们？" 斑叶悲伤地望着叶爪那些垂死的伙伴。 "星族已经帮不了它们了"，她轻声说道。 "我真的很抱歉。"

Then she had faded away, and Leafpaw had woken up. She rose to her paws, staggering, and padded across to Cinderpelt's den. The medicine cat was not there; Leafpaw could see an empty heap of bedding at the back of the cleft and wondered if some emergency had called her away, and whether there was yet another disaster they would have to face. A whimper rose at the back of her throat, and she firmly closed her jaws on it. Whatever fate was coming, even if their warrior ancestors were helpless, she would go on helping her Clan while she had the strength. A rustle behind her made her turn to see Cinderpelt brushing her way through the fern tunnel. The medicine cat's tail was drooping, though she tried to brighten up when she saw Leafpaw. "What's happened?" Leafpaw asked, bracing herself. "I've been to see Frostfur," the medicine cat replied. "Don't look like that; she isn't dead. In fact she's a little better. I'm pretty sure she hasn't got greencough."

说完斑叶就渐渐消失了，叶爪也醒了过来。 她摇摇晃晃站起身，缓步走向炭皮的巢穴。 这位巫医并不在这里； 叶爪能看见岩壁凹处那堆空窝垫，不禁猜想是不是有紧急情况把炭皮叫走了，是不是又一场灾难要她们面对。 一声呜咽涌到喉咙口，她紧紧闭上嘴把它压了下去。 不管接下来要面对什么命运，就算武士祖先都无能为力，只要她还有力气，就会一直帮助自己的族群。 身后传来一阵沙沙声，她转过身，看见炭皮正穿过蕨类隧道走进来。 这位巫医的尾巴耷拉着，可看到叶爪后，她还是努力打起了精神。 "出什么事了？" 叶爪做好心理准备，开口问道。 "我刚去看过霜毛了"，巫医回答道。 "别露出那副样子；她还没死。 实际上她已经好一些了。 我很确定她没有得绿咳症。"

"That's good." Leafpaw tried to sound pleased, but she couldn't help adding, "It's hunger, not greencough, that will be our real enemy this leaf-bare." Cinderpelt nodded. "True. And if more cats disappear, there won't be enough warriors to provide food for the kits and elders, even if they could find prey." She let out a discouraged sigh. "Shall I try to catch something for Frostfur?" Leafpaw offered. "I could join a hunting patrol, unless you want more herbs." "No, we're pretty well stocked now. That's a good idea, Leafpaw—though I'm not sure you'll find much out there." Leafpaw didn't argue. She padded through the ferns into the main clearing, and for a moment she felt as if she had stepped into the camp as it used to be. Sandstorm and Rainwhisker had just appeared at the mouth of the gorse tunnel, both with fresh-kill in their jaws. Spiderpaw and Shrewpaw were lying in a patch of sunlight outside the apprentices" den, while Dustpelt and Ferncloud shared tongues at the entrance to the nursery. Firestar and

"那就好。" 叶爪努力让自己听上去很高兴，可还是忍不住补充道："这片秃季，我们真正的敌人是饥饿，不是绿咳症。" 炭皮点了点头。 "没错。 如果更多猫失踪，就算能找到猎物，也没有足够的武士给幼崽和长老提供食物了。" 她失望地叹了一口气。 "要我去给霜毛捕点猎物吗？" 叶爪主动提议。 "我可以加入狩猎巡逻队，除非你还需要更多草药。" "不用了，我们的草药现在储备得很充足。 这是个好主意，叶爪——不过我不确定你能在外头找到多少猎物。" 叶爪没有反驳。 她穿过蕨类丛走到营地主空地，有那么一瞬间，她觉得自己仿佛回到了过去的营地。 沙风和雨须刚从金雀花隧道口走出来，俩猫嘴里都叼着刚猎杀的新鲜猎物。 蜘蛛爪和鼩爪躺在学徒巢穴外的阳光下，尘毛和蕨尾在育婴室门口互相舔毛。 火星和

Brackenfur were talking together at the base of the Highrock. Then Leafpaw realized what she was really seeing. Her father and Brackenfur both looked worried. The two apprentices lay still, instead of scuffling playfully as they used to. The fresh-kill pile where her mother and Rainwhisker dropped their prey was pitifully small. As Leafpaw padded past the nursery, she watched Dustpelt push a mouse toward Ferncloud. The she-cat's appearance horrified Leafpaw; she was little more than a skeleton, every bone visible under her dull fur. "You must eat," Dustpelt meowed. "Hollykit and Birchkit still need you." The reek of monsters hung over the clearing, and their roar sounded even louder to Leafpaw. Her eyes filled with a vision of them breaking through the wall of thorns that surrounded the camp, the sun glittering on their bright pelts as they crushed the terrified Clan. She blinked, forcing the images away. She could not stop the Twolegs from doing what they wanted, but she could do something small to help her starving

桦毛一同坐在高岩脚下交谈。 很快叶爪就看清了眼前真实的景象。 她的父亲和桦毛都满脸愁容。 那两个学徒静静躺着，不像往常那样打闹嬉戏。 沙风和雨须放下猎物的新鲜猎物堆，小得可怜。 叶爪走过育婴室的时候，看到尘毛把一只老鼠推到蕨尾面前。 这只母猫的模样让叶爪惊骇不已； 她瘦得只剩一副骨架，每根骨头都从黯淡的皮毛下清晰可见。 "你一定要吃点东西，"尘毛说道。 "冬青崽和桦崽还需要你。" 怪物的恶臭笼罩着空地，轰隆声在叶爪耳中变得更响亮了。 她眼前浮现出幻象：怪物冲破营地周围的荆刺围墙，阳光在它们亮闪闪的皮毛上闪烁，它们碾过惊慌失措的族群。 她眨了眨眼，把这些可怕的幻象赶走。 她没法阻止两脚兽为所欲为，但她总能做一点小事，帮助她饥肠辘辘的

Clan. As she headed toward Firestar and Brackenfur, she remembered her encounter with Hawkfrost the day before. So far she had not told any cat about his plans to take over ThunderClan's territory, and she had asked Sorreltail not to say anything either. She hardly knew how to load more trouble onto Firestar's shoulders, when he had so much to bear already. How could she tell him that his greatest enemy, Tigerstar, lived on in Tigerstar's son Hawkfrost, in a Clan not weakened by hunger or ravaged by Twolegs? She knew she had to find the words, but she wanted more time to think. Drawing closer to her father, she heard him meow to Brackenfur, "You could try a hunting patrol near Twolegplace. That's about as far as you can get from the monsters." The anguished cry of a cat in pain interrupted him. Leafpaw spun around to see Graystripe and Mousefur stumbling out of the gorse tunnel. Graystripe looked anxious, and Mousefur was limping along on only three legs, one of her forelimbs hanging useless. Her brown fur was

族群。 当她走向火星和白蕨时，想起了前一天遇到鹰霜的事。 至今她还没把鹰霜抢占雷族领地的计划告诉任何猫，也叮嘱过栗尾不要声张。 火星已经承受了太多重担，她实在不知道该怎么再给他添新麻烦。 她该怎么告诉他，他最大的仇人虎星，还活在虎星的儿子鹰霜身上，而那个族群既没有被饥荒削弱，也没有被两脚兽摧残？ 她知道自己必须把话说出来，但她还想多留点时间想想。 她走到父亲身边，听见他对白蕨说：“你可以去两脚兽地盘附近出狩猎巡逻队。 那里是离怪兽最远的地方了。” 一声痛苦的猫叫打断了他的话。 叶爪猛转过身，看见灰条和鼠毛跌跌撞撞从金雀花通道走出来。 灰条一脸焦急，鼠毛只能靠三条腿一瘸一拐地走，一只前爪耷拉着完全用不上。 她棕色的皮毛

sticking up as if she had been in a fight, though Leafpaw could not see or scent any blood. Firestar bounded across to her, and Leafpaw followed. "What happened?" Firestar demanded. "Who did this?" Mousefur was in too much pain to answer. Her teeth were gritted, and she let out a wordless moan of agony. "Twolegs," Graystripe spat, terror stark in his eyes. "We went too close to the monsters, and a Twoleg grabbed her." Firestar stared in astonishment. "Come and see Cinderpelt," Leafpaw meowed before her father could delay them by asking more questions. She padded close to the injured she-cat on the way to Cinderpelt's den. Mousefur's eyes were glazed with pain; though she struggled along bravely, the effort of making it back to camp had obviously exhausted her. Leafpaw tried to help by letting her lean on her shoulder. Behind them, Graystripe walked beside Firestar. "The Twolegs usually stay inside their

根根炸开，就像刚打过一架，不过叶爪既没看见血也没闻见血腥味。 火星立刻朝她奔过去，叶爪跟在身后。 “出什么事了？” 火星厉声问道。 “是谁干的？” 鼠毛疼得根本说不出话。 她紧咬着牙，发出痛苦无助的呻吟。 “是两脚兽，”灰条咬牙说道，眼里满是恐惧。 我们离怪兽太近，一只两脚兽抓住了她。” 火星惊讶地瞪大了眼睛。 “快去找炭毛，”没等父亲多问耽误时间，叶爪就开口说道。 前往炭毛巢穴的路上，她紧紧挨着这只受伤的母猫往前走。 鼠毛的眼睛被疼痛蒙上了一层呆滞； 尽管她拼咬牙坚持走回来，这段路显然已经把她耗尽了。 叶爪让她靠在自己肩上，帮她前行。 他们身后，灰条和火星走在一起。 “两脚兽平时都待在他们的