Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 Leafpaw burst up through the surface of the water, gasping for air as she scrambled to find solid ground. Managing to stand in spite of the river flowing strongly around her legs, she shook icy drops of water from her pelt. The riverbank was only a couple of tail-lengths away. She shivered in the pale sun of leaf-fall as she looked up to see Mothwing peering down at her from an overhanging rock. The RiverClan cat's amber eyes were narrowed in amusement. "You don't fish by jumping in the river," she pointed out. "I know that!" Leafpaw retorted crossly. "I slipped, that's all." "I believe you," Mothwing purred, giving her golden chest fur a quick lick. "Now come out, and we'll have another go. I'll teach you to fish if it's the last thing I do." "I'm still not sure we should be doing this," Leafpaw meowed as she waded back to the bank. "Of course we should. The rabbits and squirrels are starting to disappear, thanks to the

第六章 叶爪冲出水面，大口喘着气，慌忙摸索着寻找可以站稳的地方。 湍急河水不断冲刷着她的四肢，她好不容易站稳，抖掉皮毛上冰凉的水珠。 河岸离她只有两三个尾巴长的距离。 叶落季的阳光淡淡泛凉，她冷得不停发抖，抬头看见蛾翅从一块凸出的岩石上低头望向她。 这只河族猫琥珀色的眼睛眯了起来，满是打趣的笑意。 "钓鱼可不用跳进河里哦，"她提醒道。 "我当然知道!" 叶爪气呼呼地反驳。 "我只是滑了一下而已。" "我相信你，"蛾翅柔声咕噜着，飞快舔了一下自己金色的胸毛。 "现在快上来，我们再试一次。 就算拼尽全力我也要教会你钓鱼。" "我还是不确定我们该不该这么做，"叶爪一边往岸边蹚水一边说道。 "我们当然该这么做。 都怪两脚兽，兔子和松鼠已经越来越少了

Twolegs, but there's still plenty of fish for every cat." "But I had to come onto RiverClan territory to get it," Leafpaw pointed out anxiously. "What would Leopardstar say if she knew?" Mothwing blinked. "We're both medicine cats, so Clan boundaries don't matter for us like they do for other cats." Leafpaw didn't think that was how the warrior code worked. Her friend had said much the same a couple of days earlier, when she had rescued Leafpaw and Sorreltail from the pursuing WindClan warriors. This morning she had called to Leafpaw while she was gathering herbs near Sunningrocks, and offered to give her a fishing lesson. Leafpaw had felt very nervous about crossing the Clan border, but her hunger had driven her on now that prey was becoming even scarcer in ThunderClan territory. All the same, her ears and nose were alert for the first signs of a RiverClan patrol. "Okay," Mothwing went on, "crouch here beside me, and look down into the water. When you see a fish, scoop it out with your paw. It's

两脚兽害得，不过河里还有好多鱼，够每只猫吃的。" "可我得进到河族领地里才能捕鱼呀，"叶爪不安地说道。 "要是豹星知道了，她会怎么说？" 蛾翅眨了眨眼睛。 "我们都是巫医，族群边界对我们来说不像对其他猫那样严格。" 叶爪可不觉得武士守则是这么规定的。 几天前，蛾翅从风族武士的追捕下救下她和蕨尾时，就说过差不多一样的话。 今天早上，叶爪在太阳石附近采药的时候，蛾翅叫住她，提出要教她钓鱼。 叶爪对跨族群边界这件事十分紧张，可雷族领地猎物越来越少，饥饿驱使着她来了。 尽管如此，她的耳朵和鼻子一直警觉着，防备河族巡逻队的任何动静。 "好了，"蛾翅接着说，"蹲在我身边，低头往水里看。 看到鱼之后，用爪子把它捞出来。 这很

easy." A couple of glittering fish lying on the bank showed just how easy it was for Mothwing. Leafpaw gave them a longing glance, wondering if she would ever learn. "Want some?" Mothwing offered, following her gaze. Leafpaw felt guilty at the thought of being full-fed while the rest of her Clan went hungry. But she had not tasted fresh-kill since the night before, and that had been only a stringy vole. "I shouldn't..." she murmured, trying to convince herself that it wouldn't help her Clan if she starved as well. "Of course you can. Where's the harm?" Leafpaw did not wait to be asked again. She crouched down in front of the fish, tucking her paws in, and sank her teeth into the cool flesh. "Delicious," she mumbled. Mothwing looked pleased. "Learn how to do it, and you can take lots more for your Clan." She took a few dainty bites, as if she were full-fed already and didn't care whether or not she ate. Gulping down the rest of the fish, Leafpaw

容易。" 河岸上摆着好几条银光闪闪的鱼，足以看出蛾翅捕鱼有多轻松。 叶爪渴盼地瞥了一眼，不知道自己什么时候才能学会。 "要不要来点？" 蛾翅顺着她的目光看去，开口问道。 一想到自己吃饱，同族的伙伴们却在挨饿，叶爪就满心愧疚。 可她从昨晚之后就没吃过新鲜猎物，上次那顿也只是一只干瘦的田鼠。 "我不该..."她喃喃着，一边劝自己：要是她也饿坏了，对族群一点帮助都没有。 "你当然可以吃。 这有什么坏处呢？" 叶爪没等她再邀请，就动嘴吃了起来。 她蹲在鱼面前，把爪子收在身下，一口咬进凉丝丝的鱼肉里。 "太好吃了，"她含混地说。 蛾翅看起来十分开心。 "学会了之后，你就能给你的族群带好多鱼回去了。" 蛾翅只小口咬了几口，好像她早就吃饱了，吃不吃都无所谓。 狼吞虎咽吃完剩下的鱼肉后，叶爪

told herself that she would find food for her Clan to make up for it. As soon as she had finished, she settled down on the rock beside Mothwing and concentrated on the water just below, to wait for a fish of her own. An unfamiliar scent swept over her at the same instant as Mothwing hissed, "Hawkfrost!" Leafpaw felt a paw jab hard into her ribs, tipping her over the edge of the rock and back into the river. She thrashed wildly, wondering why Mothwing was trying to drown her. Then as her head broke the surface she saw the huge tabby shape of Hawkfrost approaching the bank, and realized that Mothwing had done the only thing she could to hide her quickly. Her paws working gently to keep her nose just above the water, Leafpaw let herself drift downriver for a few tail-lengths until she came to a clump of reeds where she could crawl out on the ThunderClan side of the river and hide. Hawkfrost had stopped to talk to his sister, and Leafpaw realized that she would have to crouch where she was, soaked and shivering, until he went away and she could make a break across

告诉自己，她一定会给族群找到足够的食物，补上这一顿。 她一吃完，就坐到蛾翅身边的岩石上，盯着脚边的水面，专心等自己的猎物上钩。 一股陌生气味飘来，同时蛾翅嘶声喊道："鹰霜!" 叶爪感觉一只爪子狠狠戳在她的肋骨上，把她推下岩石边缘，重新掉回河里。 她拼命扑腾，想不通蛾翅为什么要把她推进水里。 等她头露出水面，看见大块头虎斑猫鹰霜正往岸边走来，才明白蛾翅只能这么做，才能快速把她藏起来。 叶爪轻轻划动爪子，让鼻子刚好露出水面，顺着河水漂了几个尾巴长的距离，来到一丛芦苇边，爬回河对岸雷族一侧藏了起来。 鹰霜停下来和妹妹说话，叶爪知道，她只能蹲在原地，浑身湿透不停发抖，直到鹰霜离开，她才能冲出去

open ground to the ThunderClan border. "...keeping my eyes open for WindClan," she heard him meow when her ears were clear of water. "I know very well they're stealing fish, and one day I'll catch them at it." "Not down here, surely?" Mothwing replied innocently. "WindClan would fish closer to Fourtrees—if they're fishing at all." "WindClan and ThunderClan," Hawkfrost growled. He added, "I can scent a ThunderClan cat now." Leafpaw shivered and shrank down in her clump of reeds. "So? The border's over there," Mothwing pointed out. "It would be odd if you didn't scent ThunderClan." Hawkfrost grunted. "There's something not right in the forest. Cats have gone missing from all the Clans, for one thing. Do you remember what the other leaders said at the last Gathering? That's four more cats, beside Stormfur and Feathertail. I don't know what's going on, but I'll find out." Leafpaw tensed. She had told Mothwing

穿过空地通往雷族边界。 “……我一直睁着眼睛留意风族，” 等她耳朵里的水流干净后，她听见他这么喵道。 “我很清楚他们在偷鱼，总有一天我会当场抓住他们。” “总不会跑到这儿来吧？” 蛾翅天真地回答。 “风族要钓鱼也会去四棵树附近——就算他们真的偷鱼的话。” “风族和雷族，” 鹰霜低吼道。 他补充道：“我现在就能闻到一只雷族猫的气味。” 叶爪打了个哆嗦，缩进了她藏身的芦苇丛里。 “那又怎样？ 边界在那边啊，” 蛾翅指出。 “闻得到雷族的气味才正常啊。” 鹰霜哼了一声。 “这片森林里有些不对劲， 首先各个族群都有猫失踪了。 你还记得上次集会其他族长说的话吗？ 除了暴毛和羽尾，还少了四只猫。 我不知道到底出了什么事，但我一定会查清楚。” 叶爪一下子绷紧了身体。 她之前已经告诉蛾翅

about the Twoleg monsters, but obviously Mothwing had not passed on the news to the rest of her Clan. Chilled by the hunger in Hawkfrost's voice, Leafpaw prayed to StarClan that she would say nothing about it now. To her relief, her friend meowed calmly, "There's nothing wrong in RiverClan, so why should we care?" "Have you got bees in your brain?" Hawkfrost snapped. "This could be our chance to make RiverClan great. If the other Clans are weak, we could rule over the whole forest." "What?" Mothwing sounded disgusted. "You're the one with bees in your brain. Who do you think you are—Tigerstar?" "There are worse cats to imitate," Hawkfrost meowed. Pure icy fear lanced through Leafpaw. Tigerstar had been prepared to kill any cat who opposed him in his quest for supreme power. And now another cat was preparing to follow in his pawsteps. Another thought sprang into her mind. This was what Mothwing must have meant when she talked about a cat with ambitions, on the day she

有关两脚兽怪兽的事，但显然蛾翅并没有把消息告诉她族群里的其他猫。 鹰霜话音里的欲望让叶爪浑身发冷，她向星族祈祷，希望自己现在千万别出声。 让她松了口气的是，她的朋友平静地喵道：“河族又没出事，我们为什么要操心？” “你脑子进蜜蜂了吗？” 鹰霜厉声呵斥。 “这可是我们让河族变强大的好机会。 如果其他族群都变弱了，整个森林都能由我们统治。” “你说什么？” 蛾翅的声音透着厌恶。 “你才是脑子进蜜蜂了。 你以为你是谁啊？虎星吗？” “模仿虎星也没什么不好，” 鹰霜喵道。 彻骨的恐惧刺穿了叶爪的全身。 当年虎星为了争夺至高权力，杀掉了所有反对他的猫。 现在居然又有猫准备沿着他的脚印走下去了。 一个念头突然浮现在叶爪的脑海里。 这一定就是蛾翅当初说有一只有野心的猫时想表达的意思，就在那天她