Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24 Squirrelpaw hurried after Stormfur along a rocky trail that only days ago had been buried beneath a tail-length of snow. He seemed determined to cross most of the mountains in search of prey. The rocks echoed with the drip, drip, drip of melting ice. Even the deepest snowdrifts were thawing. Dark gray rainclouds rolled toward the mountains, carried on a milder wind that was releasing the peaks from the grip of the snow and ice. Not for the first time, Squirrelpaw wondered why the RiverClan warrior had asked her to go hunting when back in the cave the Clans were getting ready to leave. They wouldn't be able to carry any fresh-kill with them; perhaps Stormfur wanted to catch some prey to say thank you to the Tribe for their hospitality. "Why isn't Brook coming hunting with us?" she panted. The prey-hunter had seemed like Stormfur's shadow in the past few days. Stormfur concentrated on jumping onto a boulder, and didn't reply.

第24章 松鼠爪沿着多岩石的小径匆匆跟在暴风毛身后，就在几天前，这里还埋在一条尾巴深的积雪下。 他看样子铁了心要翻过大半个山脉寻找猎物。 岩石间回荡着融冰滴答、滴答、滴答的声响。 就连最深的雪堆也在慢慢融化。 深灰色雨云顺着暖风飘向群山，暖风正将山峰从冰雪的禁锢中解放出来。 这已经不是松鼠爪第一次纳闷，全族都在洞穴里准备动身离开，这位河族武士为什么还要邀她出来打猎。 他们根本没法把新鲜猎物带在身上； 说不定暴风毛是想抓些猎物，答谢部落的热情招待。 “为什么小溪不来和我们一起打猎？” 她喘着气说道。 过去几天，这位猎食猫简直就像暴风毛的影子，寸步不离。 暴风毛只顾着往巨石上跳，没有回答她。

"Have you had an argument with her?" The RiverClan warrior was clearly troubled by something. His shoulders were hunched, and he had hardly spoken since they left the cave. She scrabbled awkwardly onto the boulder next to him, her mind racing. Had Stormfur asked Brook to join the Clans, and travel with them to their new home? The thought made Squirrelpaw's tail quiver. It wouldn't be the first time an outsider had joined the Clans. Her own father had been raised as a kittypet. But at least Firestar had been born near the forest. Brook was a mountain cat, and Squirrelpaw knew that wherever the Clans settled, it would be nothing like this barren place. She spotted a mouse on the ridge ahead, tiptoeing out from a crevice to find food. She hissed a warning to Stormfur, who stopped and crouched down, waiting until the mouse had wandered farther onto the trail. Though she longed to make the catch, Squirrelpaw knew Stormfur's coat would be more easily camouflaged here, and she pressed her orange belly as close to the ground as she could, hoping that stillness would keep her hidden.

“你是不是和她吵架了？” 这位河族武士显然心事重重。 他耷拉着肩膀，从离开洞穴到现在几乎没说过几句话。 松鼠爪磕磕绊绊爬上他身边的巨石，脑子里飞快地思索着。 会不会暴风毛已经邀请小溪加入族群，和他们一起前往新家了？ 这个念头让松鼠爪的尾巴都轻轻颤了一下。 外来猫加入族群，这可不是头一回了。 她自己的父亲原本就是一只宠物猫。 但至少火星从小就生长在森林附近啊。 小溪是山地猫，松鼠爪清楚，不管族群最终在哪里定居，都绝不会和这片荒芜山地一样。 她瞥见前方山脊有一只老鼠，正从石缝里偷偷溜出来找食物。 她向暴风毛发出嘶声警告，暴风毛立刻停下蹲伏，等老鼠走到小径更远的地方。 尽管松鼠爪很想拿下这只猎物，但她清楚暴风毛的皮毛在这里更容易伪装，于是她把橙红色的肚子尽量贴紧地面，希望靠静止不动藏住自己。

Stormfur held still for another moment, then pounced. He snapped the mouse's spine and turned back to face Squirrelpaw, the fresh-kill hanging in his jaws. "Is that a parting gift for Brook?" Squirrelpaw prompted gently. Stormfur blinked. "Look, what's wrong?" Squirrelpaw asked, unable to bear seeing her friend so troubled. Stormfur dropped the mouse, suddenly looking exhausted. When he lifted his head, his eyes were shadowed with uncertainty. "I've decided to stay with the Tribe." "What?" "I've lost Feathertail and Graystripe, and I never knew Silverstream. I have no kin left in the Clans. Even my mentor, Stonefur, is dead. Apart from Feathertail, he was the closest thing to kin that I had in RiverClan. I don't even have a home anymore. It feels as though everything has been stolen from me, one thing after another." "But what about your Clan?" Squirrelpaw protested. "RiverClan needs you." "RiverClan has good, strong warriors." He

暴风毛一动不动又等了片刻，随即猛扑了上去。 他咬断老鼠的脊椎，转身面向松鼠爪，新鲜猎物叼在他的嘴边。 “这是你送给小溪的离别礼物吗？” 松鼠爪轻声试探道。 暴风毛眨了眨眼。 “我说，到底出什么事了？” 松鼠爪开口问道，她实在不忍心看着朋友这么苦恼。 暴风毛丢下老鼠，瞬间露出满脸疲惫。 他抬起头时，眼底蒙着一层不安的阴影。 “我决定留下来，留在部落里。” “什么？” “我已经失去了羽尾和灰条，我也从来没见过银溪。” 我在族群里已经没有亲人了。 就连我的导师石毛也已经死了。 在河族，除了羽尾，他就是我最亲的亲人了。 我连家都没有了。 感觉所有东西都一件接一件地从我身边被夺走了。 “那你的族群怎么办？” 松鼠爪抗议道。 “河族需要你。” “河族已经有很多强壮优秀的武士了。” 他

looked into Squirrelpaw's eyes and must have seen the wary look there. "Even Hawkfrost," he meowed as if he could read her mind. "RiverClan will be safe without me." "But this is such a different place," Squirrelpaw argued. "Once we've found our new home, you can start again..." "Oh, Squirrelpaw, can't you understand? I love Brook, and I want to stay with her." "I thought you might ask her to join the Clans!" Squirrelpaw blurted out. Stormfur shook his head. "She would be lost without the mountains. But I know that I can live here. There's water here—noisier than the river— but it's still water. There's plenty of fresh-kill, now that I know how to hunt like the Tribe. And my sister's spirit is here..." He let out a long sigh. "All the Clans have lost their homes, but I feel like I have lost more than any cat. This is the first time in many moons that I feel as if I have actually found something." "There's no need to say any more," Squirrelpaw whispered sadly. "I understand." As they walked back to the cave, her mind

望向松鼠爪的眼睛，肯定看出了她眼中的警惕。 “哪怕是鹰霜，”他说道，仿佛能读懂她的心思。 “没有我，河族也会安然无事。” “可是这里和你的故乡差太多了，”松鼠爪争辩道。 “等我们找到新家，你可以重新开始……” “唉，松鼠爪，你怎么就不明白呢？ 我爱小溪，我想留下来和她在一起。” “我还以为你会邀请她加入族群呢！” 松鼠爪脱口而出。 暴风毛摇了摇头。 “离开了群山，她会茫然无措。 但我知道我能在这里生活下去。 这里也有水——虽然比河流要喧闹，但终归还是水。 现在我学会了部落的捕猎方法，这里也有足够多的猎物。 而且我妹妹的灵魂也在这里……” 他长长地叹了一口气。 “所有族群都失去了家园，但我觉得我失去的比任何猫都多。 这是这么多月来，我第一次觉得我真的找到了属于自己的东西。” “不用说了，”松鼠爪难过地轻声说道。 “我明白了。” 在他们走回洞穴的路上，她的思绪

whirled. Once again, everything had changed, just when she thought there was nothing left to lose. They slipped behind the waterfall, and Stormfur carried the mouse to the fresh-kill pile, while Squirrelpaw stood at the cave entrance feeling dazed. "Squirrelpaw!" Leafpaw rushed up to her. "Stoneteller has given us strengthening herbs to share with the Clans." Squirrelpaw stared at her. "Th-that's great," she mewed. "Are you okay?" "Leafpaw!" Cinderpelt was calling to her across the cave. "I have to go," Leafpaw breathed, turning away. "WindClan is waiting for the herbs." Squirrelpaw watched her go, her eyes slowly adjusting to the gloom. Another shape loomed toward her from the shadows, and her heart sank as she recognized the massive tabby shoulders. What did Hawkfrost want with her? "Squirrelpaw?" She blinked. It was Brambleclaw. He was looking at her quizzically. "Are you coming in?"

天旋地转。 就在她以为自己已经一无所有，一切却再度变了模样。 他们溜到瀑布后方，暴毛把老鼠放到鲜猎物堆上，松鼠爪站在洞穴门口，只觉得头昏眼花。 "松鼠爪！" 叶爪急忙冲到她身边。 "石言者给了我们补身的草药，要带给各族群分享。" 松鼠爪怔怔地看着她。 "那……那太好了。"她轻声说。 "你没事吧？" "叶爪！" 炭毛在洞穴那头喊她。 "我得走了。"叶爪轻声说完，转身离开了。 "风族还在等这些草药呢。" 松鼠爪望着她离去，眼睛慢慢适应了洞里的昏暗。 另一个身影从阴影里朝她走来，认出那宽大的虎斑肩膀时，她的心猛地沉了下去。 鹰霜找她有什么事？ "松鼠爪？" 她眨了眨眼睛。 原来是黑莓掌。 他正疑惑地看着她。 "你进来吗？"

he meowed. "We have to make sure everyone's eaten." Squirrelpaw felt dizzy. "Is something wrong?" Brambleclaw stared at her. Squirrelpaw shook her head helplessly. Across the cave, she could see Stormfur murmuring something to Brook. Brambleclaw followed her gaze. "Stormfur's staying, isn't he?" "He wants to stay with Brook," Squirrelpaw whispered. There was a long pause. "You'll miss him, won't you?" "Of course I will!" Squirrelpaw replied, surprised. She turned to look up at Brambleclaw and saw a flicker of something in his amber eyes. Was he feeling jealous? "Oh, Brambleclaw," she breathed. "My heart is with ThunderClan; don't you know that?" She lightly brushed her tail along his flank. "My heart is with you." His eyes closed, and Squirrelpaw suddenly hoped she hadn't said the wrong thing. Then he blinked them open again and looked at her so

他喵声问道。 "我们得确认大伙都吃过东西了。" 松鼠爪只觉得一阵头晕目眩。 "出什么事了吗？" 黑莓掌盯着她问。 松鼠爪无助地摇了摇头。 洞穴那头，她看见暴毛正低声对溪儿说着什么。 黑莓掌顺着她的目光看去。 "暴毛要留下来，对不对？" "他想留在这里和溪儿在一起。"松鼠爪轻声说。 现场陷入了长长的沉默。 "你会想他的，对不对？" "那当然了！" 松鼠爪惊讶地回答道。 她抬头看向黑莓掌，看见他琥珀色的眼睛里闪过一丝异样的情绪。 他是在吃醋吗？ "哦，黑莓掌。"她轻声叹道。 "我的心属于雷族，你难道不知道吗？" 她轻轻将尾巴扫过他的身侧。 "我的心属于你。" 他闭上了眼睛，松鼠爪突然慌了，怕自己说错了话。 接着他重新睁开眼睛看向她，那般