Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4 At Firestar's yowl of command, Brackenfur and the gray ShadowClan warrior broke apart. Graystripe looked up from the tabby, but still kept a paw firmly on his neck. "Let him go," Firestar ordered. "We're not here to fight." "It's hard to do anything else when they jump us like that," Graystripe hissed. He stepped back, and the skinny tabby scrambled to his paws and shook his ruffled fur. Leafpaw bounded across the marshy ground to stand beside Cinderpelt, half afraid that Russetfur might still attack the medicine cat. ShadowClan's deputy was not likely to take orders from the leader of a rival Clan. Russetfur flicked her tail toward the dark gray tom. "Cedarheart, get back to camp. Warn Blackstar that we have been invaded, and fetch more warriors." The gray warrior streaked off into the bushes. "There's no need for that," Firestar pointed out, keeping his voice mild. "We're not invading

第四章 听见火星一声令下，蕨毛和那只灰毛影族武士立刻分开了 灰条从那只虎斑猫身上抬起头，但爪子仍牢牢按在对方脖子上 “放他走，”火星命令道 “我们不是来打架的。” “他们都扑上来了，除了打还能怎么办，”灰条嘶声说 他退开一步，那只瘦虎斑猫连忙爬起身，抖了抖蓬乱的皮毛 叶爪蹦过湿软的沼地，跑到炭毛身边站定，她生怕褐皮会攻击这位巫医 影族副族长可不会听从敌对族群族长的命令 褐皮甩了甩尾巴，指向那只深灰色公猫 “杉心，回营地去 警告黑星有敌人入侵，再叫更多武士过来。” 那只灰毛武士一下子蹿进了灌木丛 “没必要这么做，”火星语气平和地说道 “我们不是来入侵

your territory, and we're not trying to steal prey." "Then what do you want?" Russetfur demanded bad-temperedly. "What are we supposed to think when you trespass on our territory?" "I'm sorry about that." Firestar leaped down from the tree trunk and padded across to her. "I... I know we shouldn't be here. It's just that I have to speak to Blackstar. Something has happened, something that's too urgent to wait for the next Gathering." Russetfur sniffed disbelievingly, but sheathed her claws. Leafpaw felt her racing heart begin to slow down. The ShadowClan deputy was too badly outnumbered to launch another attack, especially when she had sent away the gray tom, Cedarheart. "What's so urgent then?" she growled. Firestar gestured with his tail through the sparse trees, toward the swath of destruction that the Twoleg monster had left on this side of the Thunderpath. "Isn't that enough?" he asked desperately. Russetfur silenced him with a furious hiss. "If

你们的领地，我们也不是来偷猎物的。” “那你们想要干什么？” 褐皮怒气冲冲地问道 “你们私自闯进来，我们该怎么想？” “我为擅自闯入道歉 火星从树干上跳下，慢慢走到褐皮面前 “我…… 我知道我们不该来这儿 只是我必须见黑星，和他谈一谈 出大事了，情况紧急，等不到下一次森林大会了。” 褐皮不以为然地哼了一声，但还是收起了爪子 叶爪狂跳的心慢慢平缓了下来 这位影族副族长现在寡不敌众，没法再发动进攻，何况她已经把杉心派走了 “那到底是什么急事？” 她低吼道 火星摆尾指向稀疏树林外，那边是两脚兽怪物在雷鬼路这一侧留下的一片废墟 “这还不够紧急吗？” 他急切地问道 褐皮愤怒地嘶叫一声，打断了他的话 “如果

you think ShadowClan is weakened..." "I didn't say that," Firestar protested. "But you must have seen that we've had the same trouble in our territory. Now, are you going to drive us off, or are you going to let us talk to Blackstar?" Russetfur narrowed her eyes, then gave a curt nod. "Very well. Follow me." She led the way through the bushes. The ThunderClan cats bunched together behind her, and the tabby ShadowClan warrior brought up the rear. Leafpaw's heart began to pound again as the scents of the strange territory flowed around her. Even the day had grown darker, clouds covering the sun so that their path was shadowed. She tried to stop herself from jumping at every sound, or staring around as if there might be a ShadowClan warrior lurking behind every tree. Soon Leafpaw became aware of a stronger ShadowClan scent coming from up ahead. Russetfur led the way around a thick clump of hazel; following her, Leafpaw stopped dead in front of a long line of cats—lean warriors with their muscles tensed and the light of battle in

你觉得影族实力大减……” “我没这么说，”火星反驳道 “但你肯定也看到了，我们领地也遭遇了同样的麻烦 现在，你是要把我们赶走，还是让我们见黑星？” 褐皮眯起眼睛，随后简短地点了点头 “好吧 跟我来。” 她带头穿过灌木丛 雷族猫紧挨着跟在她身后，那只影族虎斑猫走在最后压阵 陌生领地的气味将叶爪包裹，她的心又开始砰砰狂跳 连天色都暗了下来，乌云遮住太阳，他们的前路笼罩在阴影里 她努力克制自己，不会一听见动静就受惊跳起来，也不会东张西望，好像每棵树后都藏着影族武士 很快，叶爪闻到前方飘来更浓郁的影族气味 褐皮领着他们绕过一丛浓密的榛树； 跟着她往前走，叶爪猛地停住脚——前方站着一长排猫，都是精瘦的武士，肌肉紧绷，战斗的光芒在

their eyes. Behind them rose a tangled wall of brambles. "That's the ShadowClan camp," Cinderpelt muttered close to Leafpaw's ear. "It doesn't look as if Blackstar is going to invite us in." The ShadowClan leader stood in the middle of his warriors. He was a huge white cat with black paws; his pelt showed the scars of many battles. As the ThunderClan cats appeared he stepped forward and faced Firestar with narrowed eyes. "What's this?" His voice was rough. "Does the great Firestar think he can go where he likes in the forest?" Firestar ignored the contempt in Blackstar's tone, simply dipping his head in the courteous greeting of one leader to another. "I have come to talk to you about what the Twolegs are doing," he began. "We have to decide what we're going to do if it carries on." "We? What do you mean, we? ShadowClan does not talk with ThunderClan," Blackstar retorted. "We make our own decisions." "But the forest is being destroyed!"

他们的眼中。 他们身后立着一道乱糟糟的荆棘墙 “这就是影族营地，”炭毛凑到叶爪耳边轻声说 “看样子黑星根本不打算邀请我们进去。” 影族族长站在他的武士们面前 他是一只大块头的白猫，长着黑爪子，皮毛上布满了历次战斗留下的伤疤 看见雷族猫走来，他上前一步，眯起眼睛盯着火星 “这是怎么回事？” 他的声音粗哑 “伟大的火星还以为，能在森林里想闯哪儿就闯哪儿吗？” 火星没理会黑星语气里的轻蔑，只是按照族长间的礼节，礼貌地点了点头问好 “我来是和你谈两脚兽的所作所为，”他开口说道 如果事情继续发展，我们得一起商量对策。” “我们？ 你说我们是什么意思？ 影族才不会和雷族谈判，”黑星反驳道 “我们自己做决定。” “可森林都要被毁掉了！”

Leafpaw heard the exasperation in her leader's tone, and knew how hard it was for Firestar to stay calm when the ShadowClan leader insisted on treating him like an enemy. The ShadowClan leader shrugged his powerful shoulders. "Firestar, you're panicking over nothing. Twolegs are mad. Even the smallest kit knows that. True, they knocked down a few trees—but now they've gone away again. Whatever was going on, it's over." Leafpaw wondered if Blackstar really believed that. Surely he couldn't be such a fool? Or was this just a show of bravado to convince Firestar that ShadowClan had nothing to worry about? "And if it's not over?" Firestar asked steadily. "If it gets worse? Prey has been frightened away from where the Twolegs have been. What if the Twolegs claw up more of our territories? What will you do in leaf-bare, Blackstar, if you can't feed your Clan?" One or two of the ShadowClan warriors looked uneasy, but their leader stared defiantly at Firestar. "We have no reason to fear leaf-bare," he

叶爪听出首领语气里的恼怒，她明白，当影族首领一直把火星当敌人对待时，火星要保持冷静有多不容易。 影族首领耸了耸他强壮的肩膀。 "火星，你这是无事自扰。 两脚兽本来就疯疯癫癫。 这点连最小的幼崽都知道。 没错，他们砍倒了几棵树——可现在他们已经走了。 不管之前出了什么事，都已经结束了。" 叶爪不禁好奇，黑星真的相信这话吗。 他总不可能这么蠢吧？ 还是说，这只是他装出来的硬气，好让火星相信影族根本没什么可担心的？ "要是这事还没结束呢？" 火星平静地问道。 "要是情况变得更糟怎么办？ 两脚兽去过的地方，猎物都吓跑了。 要是两脚兽再毁掉我们更多领地怎么办？ 黑星，要是到了秃叶季你喂不了你的族猫，你打算怎么办？" 有一两名影族武士露出了不安的神色，但他们的首领仍旧挑衅地盯着火星。 "我们根本没必要怕秃叶季，"他

meowed. "We can always eat rats from Carrionplace." Cinderpelt twitched her ears impatiently. "Have you forgotten what happened last time you tried that? Half your Clan died from sickness." "That's true." A small tabby tom, crouched at the end of the line, spoke up boldly. Leafpaw recognized Littlecloud, the ShadowClan medicine cat. "I was ill myself. I would have died if it hadn't been for you, Cinderpelt." "Be quiet, Littlecloud," Blackstar ordered. "The sickness was a punishment from StarClan because Nightstar was not a properly chosen leader. There's no danger in eating food from Carrionplace now." "There's danger if a leader silences his medicine cat," Cinderpelt retorted tartly. "Or pretends to know more than they do about the will of StarClan." Blackstar glared at her, but said nothing. "Listen to me," Firestar began again desperately. "I believe that great trouble is coming to the forest, trouble that we'll survive

喵声道。 "我们总还能吃垃圾堆的老鼠。" 炭毛不耐烦地抖了抖耳朵。 "你忘了上次你们这么干发生了什么吗？ 你们半个族群都死于瘟疫。" "That's true." 一只蹲在队伍末尾的小斑毛公猫大胆开了口。 叶爪认出这是影族巫医小云。 "我当初也病倒了。 要是没有你，炭毛，我早就死了。" "Be quiet, Littlecloud," Blackstar ordered. "那场病是星族对我们的惩罚，因为夜星不是正式选出的首领。 现在吃垃圾堆的食物根本不会有危险。" "There's danger if a leader silences his medicine cat," Cinderpelt retorted tartly. "Or pretends to know more than they do about the will of StarClan." Blackstar glared at her, but said nothing. "Listen to me," Firestar began again desperately. "I believe that great trouble is coming to the forest, trouble that we'll survive