Chapter 0 Prologue

PROLOGUE Stars glittered coldly on a forest stripped bare by a bitter leaf-fall. Shadows moved through the undergrowth—thin shapes, fur flattened by the chilly evening dew, slipping between the stems like water through reeds. The cats" pelts did not ripple with muscle as they once had; instead, their fur clung to the bones beneath their thin frames. The flame-colored tom leading the silent procession lifted his head and tasted the air. Even though nightfall had silenced the Twoleg monsters, their stench clung to every dying leaf and branch. The cat took comfort from the scent of his mate beside him; her familiar scent mingled with the hateful Twoleg odor and softened its cruel tang. She matched his pace stubbornly, even though her faltering stride betrayed her long- empty belly and wakeful nights. "Firestar," she panted as they padded onward. "Do you think our daughters will find us when they come home?"

序章 寒叶落尽的树林里，星星冷冷地闪烁着。 矮树丛里有影子在移动——几个纤细的身影，冰凉夜露把皮毛压得贴在身上，像水流过芦苇般从茎杆间悄悄溜过。 这些猫的皮毛下，已经不像从前那样鼓着结实的肌肉了； 反而紧紧贴在他们瘦削身形下的骨架上。 走在这支沉默队伍最前方的姜黄色公猫抬起头，嗅了嗅空气中的气味。 虽然夜幕降临后，两脚兽的怪物都安静了，可它们的臭味还是沾在每一片枯萎的枝叶上。 身旁伴侣的气味给了这只猫安慰； 她熟悉的气息混在讨厌的两脚兽臭味里，冲淡了那刺鼻的味道。 她固执地跟着他的步伐，可踉跄的脚步早就暴露了她空腹已久、彻夜难眠的处境。 “火星，”他们继续往前走时，她喘着气唤道。 “你觉得我们的女儿们回家后，能找到我们吗？”

The flame-colored cat flinched as though he had trodden on a thorn. "We can only pray that they will, Sandstorm," he said softly. "But how will they know where to look?" Sandstorm glanced back at a broad-shouldered gray tom. "Graystripe, do you think they'll know where we've gone?" "Oh, they'll find us," Graystripe promised. "How can you be so sure?" growled Firestar. "We should have sent another patrol to search for Leafpaw." "And risk losing more cats?" Graystripe meowed. Firestar's eyes clouded with pain and he hurried ahead along the shadowy path. Sandstorm twitched her tail. "This was the hardest decision he's ever had to make," she whispered to Graystripe. "He had to put the Clan first," Graystripe hissed back. Sandstorm closed her eyes for a moment. "We have lost so many cats this past moon," she mewed. The wind must have carried her voice,

这只姜黄色猫身子一缩，就好像刚踩到了刺一样。 “我们只能祈祷她们能找到，沙风。”他轻声说。 “可是她们怎么知道该往哪儿找呢？” 沙风回头望向一只宽肩膀的灰色公猫。 “灰条，你觉得她们会知道我们去了哪儿吗？” “哦，她们肯定能找到我们的。”灰条向她保证。 “你怎么这么肯定？”火星低吼着问。 “我们本应该派另一支巡逻队去找叶爪的。” “还要再冒损失更多猫的风险吗？” 灰条喵声说道。 火星的双眼蒙上痛苦的阴云，他加快脚步，沿着阴影中的小路走到了前面。 沙风甩了甩尾巴。 “这是他做过的最艰难的决定了。”她轻声对灰条说。 “他必须把族群放在第一位。”灰条低声回应。 沙风闭了一会儿眼睛。 “过去这一个月，我们已经失去太多猫了。”她轻声说道。 风一定带走了她的话音，

because Firestar turned his head, his gaze hardening. "Then perhaps, at this Gathering, the other Clans will finally agree that we must join together to face this threat," he growled. "Join together?" A defiant mew sounded from a tabby tom. "Have you forgotten how the Clans reacted last time you said that? WindClan was half-starved, but you might as well have suggested they eat their kits. They are too proud to admit they need help from any cat." "Things are even worse now, Dustpelt," Sandstorm argued. "How can any Clan stay strong when its kits are dying?" Her voice trailed away as she realized what she had said. "Dustpelt, I'm sorry," she murmured. "Larchkit may be dead," snarled Dustpelt. "But that doesn't mean I will let ThunderClan be ordered around by another Clan!" "No Clan is going to give us orders," Firestar insisted. "But I still believe we can help each other. Leaf-bare is almost here. The Twolegs and their monsters have driven most of our prey farther and farther away, and they have poisoned what remains so that it's not safe to eat. We

因为火星转过头，眼神变得冷硬起来。 “那说不定，这次集会，其他族群终于会同意我们必须联合起来面对这场威胁。”他低吼道。 “联合起来？” 一只虎斑公猫发出不服气的叫声。 “你忘了上次你说这话时，其他族群是什么反应吗？ 风族都快饿扁了，你这提议简直就像让他们吃掉自己的幼崽。 他们太骄傲，绝不会承认自己需要别的猫帮忙。” “现在情况更糟了，尘毛。”沙风反驳道。 “哪个族群能在幼崽不断死去的时候还保持强大呢？” 她意识到自己说错了话，话音渐渐低了下去。 “尘毛，对不起。”她低声说。 “落叶爪已经死了，”尘毛吼道， “但这不代表我会让雷族任由其他族群呼来喝去！” “没有哪个族群会对我们发号施令，”火星坚持道。 “但我仍然相信我们可以互相帮助。 秃叶季马上就要到了。 两脚兽和他们的怪物把大部分猎物赶得越来越远，剩下的也被他们下了毒，根本不安全没法吃。 我们

cannot fight alone." Suddenly the whispering of the wind through the branches grew to a roar, and Firestar slowed his step, pricking his ears. "What is it?" Sandstorm whispered, her eyes stretched wide. "Something's happening at Fourtrees!" Graystripe yowled. He broke into a run, and Firestar rushed after him, closely followed by their Clanmates. All the cats skidded to a halt at the top of a slope, looking down into a steep-sided hollow. Bright, unnatural lights, sharper than moonshine, blazed against the trunks of the four giant oaks that had guarded this sacred place since the time of the Great Clans. More lights shone from the eyes of huge monsters squatting at the edge of the clearing. The Great Rock—the vast, smooth gray stone where Clan leaders stood to address the Gathering each full moon—looked small and exposed, like a kit crouched on a Thunderpath. Twolegs scurried around the hollow, shouting at one another. A new sound sliced through the

没法单独作战。” 突然，风穿树枝的沙沙声变成轰鸣，火星放慢脚步，竖起了耳朵。 “怎么了？” 沙风轻声问，眼睛睁得大大的。 “四棵树那边出事了！” 灰条高声嗥叫。 他奔跑起来，火星紧跟着冲上去，身后紧紧跟着族群的同伴们。 所有猫都在斜坡顶猛地停住脚，向下望向那陡壁围成的山谷。 明亮怪异的光比月光还要刺眼，照着四棵大橡树的树干——从远古大族群时代起，这四棵树就守护着这块圣地。 更多光从蹲在空地边缘的巨大怪物的眼睛里透出来。 巨岩——那块每个满月集会时，族群领袖站在上面讲话的巨大光滑灰石——此刻看起来渺小又突兀，就像缩在雷鬼路上的幼崽。 两脚兽在山谷里跑来跑去，互相叫嚷着。 一阵新的声响划破了

air, a screeching, high-pitched whine, and one Twoleg raised a massive shiny forepaw that flashed in the brilliant lights. The Twoleg pressed it against the trunk of the nearest oak, and dust flew out from the tree like blood spraying from a wound. The shiny forepaw howled as it bit viciously into the ancient bark, pushing deeper into the tree's heart until the Twoleg cried out a warning and the hollow rang with a crack so loud that it drowned the rumbling monsters. The great oak began to lean over, slowly at first, then faster, faster, until it fell crashing to the ground. Its leafless branches clattered as they struck the cold earth, then stilled into deathly silence. "StarClan, stop them!" mewed Sandstorm. There was no sign that their warrior ancestors had seen what was happening at Fourtrees. The stars glittered coldly in the indigo sky as the Twoleg moved on to the next oak, his forepaw screaming for another kill. The cats watched in horror as the Twoleg worked its way around the clearing until the last oak had been felled. Fourtrees, the place where the four Clans had met for many, many

空气中传来一阵尖锐刺耳的呼啸，一只两脚兽抬起硕大发亮的前爪，它在耀眼的灯光下闪着光。 两脚兽把它按在最近那棵橡树的树干上，木屑从树身飞出，就像鲜血从伤口喷涌而出。 那发亮的爪子狠狠啃咬老树皮时发出呼啸，它越扎越深探进树心，直到两脚兽发出警示，空地回荡着震耳的开裂声，声响大得盖过了怪物的隆隆轰鸣。 这棵高大的橡树开始倾斜，起初很慢，接着越来越快、越来越快，最终轰隆一声栽倒在地。 它光秃秃的枝条撞上冰冷的土地时发出咔啦声响，随后便陷入一片死寂。 “星族，快阻止他们！” 沙风咪呜叫道。 没有任何迹象表明，他们的武士祖先看见了四棵树正在发生的这一切。 星星在靛蓝色的夜空中冷冷闪烁，那只两脚兽走向下一棵橡树，他的前爪呼啸着要再夺一条性命。 猫们满心恐惧地看着，两脚兽砍遍了整片空地，直到最后一棵橡树也轰然倒下。 四棵树，这座四大族群已经相聚了无数无数