Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11 The rain grew heavier as Firestar led the patrol back to camp. Squirrelpaw was disappointed with how little prey they had caught. Brambleclaw had managed to scramble up an oak and catch a squirrel dozing in the crook of a branch, but the effort had left him breathless, and Squirrelpaw realized that the hungry days since they had returned to the Clan were beginning to have an effect on them both. "I think it's best if we don't tell the others what we learned about Hawkfrost," Firestar decided as they trekked through the dripping trees. "But shouldn't the Clan be prepared in case"—Squirrelpaw faltered—"in case anything happens?" she finished lamely. Brambleclaw dropped the squirrel he held in his jaws. Rainwater streamed from his whiskers. "I think Firestar's right," he agreed. "It would be better for the Clan if they didn't know." Squirrelpaw narrowed her eyes. Was it the Clan Brambleclaw was interested in protecting,

第十一章 火星带领巡逻队回营地时，雨越下越大了。 捕猎到的猎物太少，松鼠爪觉得很失望。 黑莓掌好不容易爬上橡树，抓住了一只在树杈上打盹的松鼠，可这番折腾累得他气喘吁吁，松鼠爪这才意识到，回到族群后这么多天忍饥挨饿，已经开始影响他俩的身体了。 "我觉得咱们最好别把知道的鹰霜的事告诉其他猫，"他们在滴水的树林里跋涉时，火星做出了决定。 "可是万一……万一出意外，族群不应该提前做好准备吗？"松鼠爪结结巴巴地说。 她有气无力地说完了这句话。 黑莓掌松开嘴，放下了叼在嘴里的松鼠。 雨水顺着他的胡须往下流。 "我觉得火星说得对，"他赞同道。 "不让他们知道，对族群更好。" 松鼠爪眯起了眼睛。 黑莓掌一心想要保护的，到底是族群

or himself? Was he afraid of what the other cats would say? He had struggled long enough already to prove his loyalty, and yet no cat could forget his father's efforts to destroy ThunderClan. "There's no point stirring up unnecessary hostility," Firestar went on. Ashfur gave a low growl. "But what if Hawkfrost shares his father's ambition to take over the whole forest?" He clearly shared Squirrelpaw's secret fear. "We mustn't jump to conclusions," Firestar warned. "It's clear that Hawkfrost's first loyalty is to his Clan. He said he would fight to defend them. Does that sound like Tigerstar to you?" Reluctantly, Ashfur shook his head, and Firestar went on. "Hawkfrost is no threat to us." "Yet," Ashfur mewed pointedly. "Until he proves he is, there's no need to worry the rest of the Clan," Firestar continued. "We might need RiverClan's help before this is over." Ashfur swished his tail in frustration, but did not argue. "Don't worry, Ashfur," Squirrelpaw reassured

还是他自己？ 他是不是害怕其他猫说闲话？ 他已经努力了很久来证明自己的忠诚，可没有猫会忘记，他父亲曾经想要毁灭雷族。 "没必要挑起不必要的敌意，"火星继续说道。 灰毛发出一声低沉的吼叫。 "可如果鹰霜和他父亲一样，野心勃勃想要霸占整片森林呢？" 显然，他和松鼠爪有着同样的隐忧。 "我们不能贸然下结论，"火星提醒道。 "很明显，鹰霜最先效忠的是他自己的族群。 他说过会奋力保卫自己的族群。 你们觉得这听着像是虎星会做的事吗？" 灰毛不情愿地摇了摇头，火星接着往下说。 "鹰霜对我们没有威胁。" "目前还没有，"灰毛话里有话地说道。 "在他证明自己有威胁之前，没必要让族里其他猫担心，"火星继续说。 "这件事结束前，我们说不定还需要河族的帮忙。" 灰毛懊恼地甩了甩尾巴，但没有反驳。 "别担心，灰毛，"松鼠爪安慰

him. She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. "Hawkfrost is just Hawkfrost. Tigerstar has left nothing bad in the forest except memories." Brambleclaw picked up the squirrel without commenting and padded away toward Sunningrocks. Squirrelpaw cast an anxious glance at her father. "He'll be okay," he meowed quietly as he brushed past her. By the time the cats reached Sunningrocks, rain was battering the exposed rock, and water ran down in rivulets, turning the earth around the rocks to mud. But instead of finding shelter, the cats were gathered halfway up the slope, huddled in a circle. Moans of sorrow mingled with the rattling of the rain on the stone. With a startled mew, Firestar bounded up the rock, and Squirrelpaw followed, pushing through the cats with her heart beating in her throat. A small dark brown shape lay in the center, pelted by rain which turned pale red as it streamed away down the stone. Squirrelpaw stared down at the limp, sodden body, too shocked to speak as she

他。 她希望自己的语气听上去比实际感受更有信心。 "鹰霜就是鹰霜而已。 虎星在森林里除了坏回忆，什么都没留下。" 黑莓掌没多说什么，叼起松鼠，轻步朝太阳石走去。 松鼠爪不安地瞥了父亲一眼。 "他会没事的，"父亲擦过她身边时轻声说道。 等猫群抵达太阳石时，雨点狠狠砸在裸露的岩石上，雨水汇成细流往下淌，把岩石周边的泥土泡成了烂泥。 可猫们没有躲雨，反而挤成一圈，聚在半山坡上。 悲伤的呜咽声混着雨点敲打岩石的声响。 火星惊讶地叫了一声，纵身跳上岩石，松鼠爪跟在后面，挤过猫群，心都提到了嗓子眼。 岩石中央躺着一个深棕色的小小身影，雨点打在它身上，顺着岩石流走的雨水变成了淡红色。 松鼠爪低头看着那瘫软湿透的身体，震惊得说不出话，当她

recognized the narrow muzzle. It was Shrewpaw. Cinderpelt and Leafpaw crouched beside the apprentice. "His neck is broken," Cinderpelt murmured. "He must have died as soon as the Twoleg monster hit him. He would have felt no pain." Squirrelpaw closed her eyes. StarClan, what are you doing? she yowled silently. A desolate cry sounded from the nursery hollow, and Ferncloud hurtled down the slope. Shrewpaw had been one of her first litter. The cats parted to let her see her dead kit. "What have I done to StarClan that they would steal so much from me?" she wailed. "Don't blame StarClan," Leafpaw mewed gently. "It is the Twolegs that have done this." "Why didn't StarClan stop them?" Ferncloud sobbed. "They are powerless against the Twolegs, just like we are," Leafpaw whispered. She gave herself a shake, then straightened up and called, "Cody?" Squirrelpaw watched the kittypet weave her way through the gathered cats. Her ribs were beginning to show through her flanks, but she

认出了那窄窄的口鼻。 那是鼩鼱爪。 炭毛和叶爪蹲在这位学徒的身边。 "他的脖子断了，"炭毛低声说道。 "两脚兽的怪物一撞到他，他肯定就立刻死了。 他根本不会感觉到疼。" 松鼠爪闭上了眼睛。 星族啊，你们到底在做什么？ 她在心里无声地呐喊。 育婴谷传来一声凄惨的哭喊，蕨云猛地冲下山坡。 鼩鼱爪是她第一窝幼崽中的一个。 猫群分开，让她看看自己死去的孩子。 "我到底对星族做了什么，他们要从我这儿夺走这么多？"她哀嚎道。 "别怪星族，"叶爪温柔地说道。 "这件事是两脚兽干的。" "星族为什么不阻止他们？" 蕨云抽泣着说。 "他们和我们一样，对两脚兽无能为力，"叶爪轻声说。 她抖了抖身子，直起身喊道："蔻蒂？" 松鼠爪看着这只宠物猫从聚集的猫群里穿了过来。 她的腰已经瘦得能看见肋骨了，可她

hadn't tried to insist that any warriors be spared from hunting patrols to take her home. "I think Ferncloud should go back to the nursery," Leafpaw meowed. "It's flooded with rain," Cody told her. "I've put Birchkit in the warriors" den beneath the overhang. I'll take Ferncloud to join him." "Good idea," Leafpaw mewed. "Do you still have the poppy seeds?" Cody nodded. She looked at Ferncloud, who was distraught with grief. "Birchkit is hungry and crying for food," she murmured. "But I think he can manage solid food if I chew it up first. Ferncloud isn't going to be able to feed him herself for a while, poor thing." "Brambleclaw caught a squirrel. He could have that," Squirrelpaw suggested. "I'll bring it to the den," Ashfur offered. Cody nudged Ferncloud with her nose, and with Leafpaw's help they managed to lead her away from her dead kit and back to the shelter of the warriors" den. "How did this happen?" Firestar demanded when they had gone.

也没有强求留出狩猎巡逻的武士送她回家。 “我觉得蕨云应该回育婴室去，”叶爪轻声说。 “育婴室被雨水淹了，”科迪对她说。 “我已经把桦崽安置在悬岩下的武士窝里了。 我这就带蕨云过去找他。” “好主意，”叶爪喵声道。 “你还带着罂粟籽吗？” 科迪点了点头。 她望向蕨云，蕨云已经悲痛得几乎崩溃。 “桦崽饿了，一直哭着要吃的，”她低声说。 “不过我先嚼烂的话，他能吃固体食物了。 蕨云这阵子没法自己喂他了，可怜的小家伙。” “黑莓掌抓到了一只松鼠。 就给他吃这个吧，”松鼠爪提议道。 “我把松鼠送过去，”灰毛主动说道。 科迪用鼻子碰碰蕨云，在叶爪的帮忙下，她们总算领着她离开死去的幼崽，回到武士窝的避难处。 “这到底是怎么回事？” 她们走后，火星厉声问道。

"He was with me," began Thornclaw, Shrewpaw's mentor. His fur stood on end, and his eyes were huge with despair. "He was chasing a pheasant." "Why didn't he see the Twoleg monster?" "He was chasing a pheasant," Thornclaw repeated. "It would have fed half the Clan. He forgot to be careful." "Didn't you hear or smell the monster and warn him?" Firestar's question was filled more with sorrow than accusation. Thornclaw miserably shook his head. "With prey so scarce, the hunting is better if we split up. I wasn't close enough to see what was going on." Firestar dipped his head, understanding. "I'll sit with him." Whitepaw's young voice sounded over the beating of the rain. Shrewpaw had been her denmate since kithood, and the sorrow of losing him glistened in her green eyes. "I don't care if we've been driven out of our camp. We can still hold a vigil." "I'll join you," Thornclaw croaked. He leaned down and pressed his nose against Shrewpaw's

“他当时跟我在一起，”鼩爪的导师荆爪开口说。 他毛发倒竖，眼睛里满是绝望，睁得大大的。 “他在追一只野鸡。” “他为什么没看见两脚兽的怪物？” “他当时在追那只野鸡，”荆爪重复道。 “那只鸡够半个族群吃了。 他忘记小心了。” “你没闻到听到怪物的动静，提醒他吗？” 火星的问题里，难过远多过指责。 荆爪难过地摇了摇头。 “猎物这么少，分开打猎效率更高。 我离得不够近，没看清发生了什么。” 火星点了点头，表示理解。 “我来给他守夜。” 白爪年轻的声音盖过雨声传了过来。 鼩爪从小就是她的同窝伙伴，失去他的悲伤在她绿眼睛里闪闪发亮。 “就算我们被赶出营地我也不在乎。 我们依然可以为他守夜。” “我跟你一起，”荆爪哑着嗓子说。 他俯下身，把鼻子贴在鼩爪的