Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 Leafpaw watched the monster pull away and opened her mouth to howl, but no sound came out. The forest spun around her and she blinked, fighting the urge to lie down and never get up again. Twolegs began to run toward the trees, shouting and waving their paws. They were not safe yet. Brambleclaw exploded from the undergrowth behind them. "Quick! Run!" He raced to Squirrelpaw's side and gave her a shove. Squirrelpaw dragged her horrified gaze from the clearing and stared at Brambleclaw. "What about Graystripe?" "There's nothing we can do for him right now," he hissed. "Hurry! We have to get out of here!" "Which way?" Cody yowled, staring into the trees. "Follow me," Brambleclaw ordered. Leafpaw hadn't seen Brambleclaw since he left the forest with Squirrelpaw. This was a very

第八章 叶爪看着怪物驶离，张开嘴想要嚎叫，却发不出一点声音 森林在她眼前天旋地转，她眨着眼，拼命忍住想要躺倒在地再也不起来的冲动 两脚兽一边大喊一边挥舞爪子，朝树林跑来 他们还没有脱离危险 棘爪从他们身后的灌木丛猛地冲了出来 "快！跑！" 他冲到松鼠爪身边，推了她一把 松鼠爪把惊骇的目光从空地上收回来，盯着棘爪 "灰条怎么办？" "我们现在帮不了他，"他嘶声说道 "快点！ 我们得离开这里！" "走哪条路？" 科迪盯着树林，大声叫道 "跟我来，"棘爪下令道 自从棘爪和松鼠爪离开森林后，叶爪就再也没见过他 这是一只非常

different cat that had returned—an experienced, confident warrior, calmly issuing commands in spite of the huge danger they were all in. This wasn't the time to find out exactly where they had been for the last moon. Pulling her paws free from the mud, she scrabbled through the undergrowth behind Squirrelpaw and Cody. Cloudtail passed her, with Brightheart so close to him that their fur touched. Relief flooded through Leafpaw when she saw the familiar pelts of Sorreltail and Rainwhisker flash through the trees up ahead. Mistyfoot was with them. All the trapped cats had been freed— but they had lost Graystripe. She heard the Twolegs crashing through the forest behind them. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched them blunder through the bushes, swerving clumsily around the trees and stumbling over trailing brambles. Leafpaw knew they would not catch her now. This was her domain; she could race through it as fast as any creature, her lithe body perfectly suited to slipping through the undergrowth like the wind. The cats scrambled down Snakerocks. The

与众不同的猫回来了——他经验丰富、自信满满，哪怕大家都身陷巨大危险，依然从容发号施令 现在不是追问他们这一个月都去了哪里的时候 她把爪子从泥里拔出来，跟在松鼠爪和科迪身后，磕磕绊绊穿过灌木丛 云尾从她身边跑过，亮心紧紧跟在他身旁，皮毛都蹭在了一起 看到栗尾和雨须熟悉的身影闪现在前方树林里，欣慰之情瞬间涌遍叶爪全身 雾脚也和他们在一起 所有被困的猫都得救了——可他们失去了灰条 她听到两脚兽在身后的森林里横冲直撞 她回头瞥了一眼，看见他们跌跌撞撞撞进灌木丛，笨手笨脚绕开树木，还被蔓生的黑莓绊倒 叶爪知道，他们现在追不上自己了 这里是她的领地； 她能跑得和任何动物一样快，柔韧的身体天生适合像风一样穿梭在灌木丛中 群猫连滚带爬跑下蛇岩 这

Twolegs were far behind now, and Leafpaw slowed her pace. Cody fell in beside her as they padded breathlessly into the leaf-strewn glade beside the Great Sycamore. The other cats were sprawled on the ground, exhausted. Cloudtail was licking Brightheart's ears as if he would never get them clean. Mistyfoot watched them, her pale gray flanks heaving. Cody looked nervously around the clearing. "Is it safe here?" "The Twolegs won't catch us now," Leafpaw assured her. "But what about foxes and badgers?" Cody's eyes were huge. "Aren't the woods full of all kinds of dreadful things?" "Like wildcats?" Leafpaw joked weakly. She collapsed onto the soft leaves next to the other ThunderClan cats. Rainwhisker struggled to sit up. His dark gray fur stood on end, and there was blood oozing between the claws on one of his front paws. "Are you sure they got Graystripe?" Squirrelpaw flattened her ears. "The monster carried him away. I saw him!"

两脚兽现在已经被远远甩在身后，叶爪放慢了脚步 科迪赶上来和她并排走，她们气喘吁吁地走进大梧桐旁那片落满树叶的空地 其他猫都累得瘫倒在地上 云尾舔着亮心的耳朵，好像怎么都舔不干净似的 雾脚看着他们，浅灰色的腹部不停起伏喘着气 科迪紧张地环顾着空地 "这里安全吗？" "两脚兽现在追不上我们了，"叶爪向她保证 "可是狐狸和獾呢？" 科迪的眼睛瞪得大大的 "树林里不是到处都是各种可怕的东西吗？" "比如野猫？" 叶爪虚弱地开了个玩笑 她瘫倒在其他雷族猫身旁柔软的落叶上 雨须挣扎着坐起身 他深灰色的毛发蓬乱炸开，一只前爪的趾缝里渗着血 "你确定他们抓走了灰条？" 松鼠爪耷拉下耳朵 "怪物把他带走了， 我亲眼看到的！"

"But he was fighting like a TigerClan cat!" Thornclaw protested. "They couldn't have caught him!" "There were too many Twolegs," Squirrelpaw explained. Mistyfoot dipped her head toward Squirrelpaw. "I owe him my life," she murmured. "I thought we would never escape." She stared intently at her. "You saved us." Squirrelpaw sat up. "It wasn't just me," she insisted. "We all risked our lives. Graystripe led the way." Leafpaw narrowed her eyes and studied her sister. That was the reply of a warrior, not an apprentice. She noticed how much leaner and stronger Squirrelpaw had become—much fitter than the scrawny ThunderClan warriors. Leafpaw bent her head to lick her own patchy, unkempt fur. For the first time, she felt awkward around her sister, unsure what to say when so much had happened since they had last seen each other. "What will the Twolegs do to him?" Sorreltail wailed, grief-stricken. Leafpaw wished she could offer comfort, but

"可他打架比虎族猫还要勇猛！" 荆爪抗议道 "他们不可能抓住他的！" "两脚兽太多了，"松鼠爪解释道 雾脚向松鼠爪低下头 "我这条命是他救的，"她轻声说道 "我原本以为我们根本逃不出去" 她定定地看着松鼠爪 "你救了我们" 松鼠爪坐起身 "这不只是我的功劳，"她坚持道 "我们全都冒了生命危险， 是灰条领的路" 叶爪眯起眼睛打量自己的姐姐 这是武士才会说的话，不是一个学徒该有的回答 她发现松鼠爪变得精壮结实了很多，比雷族那些瘦弱的武士还要健壮 叶爪低下头舔了舔自己蓬乱不齐的毛发 分开这么久发生了这么多事，这是她第一次在姐姐面前感到局促，不知道该说什么 "两脚兽会把他怎么样啊？" 栗尾悲痛地哀叫起来 叶爪也想给她安慰，可

she didn't know what to say. If it hadn't been for her brave Clanmates, she would be making that journey instead of Graystripe. "May StarClan help him," murmured Thornclaw. "StarClan is helpless against the Twolegs," Squirrelpaw spat. "StarClan was with us today," Leafpaw reminded her. "They gave you the strength to face the Twolegs. They will look after Graystripe." Sorreltail hauled herself to her paws and touched Leafpaw's muzzle with hers. "Thank StarClan the Twolegs didn't take you as well," she murmured. "Squirrelpaw saw you in a dream, trapped in that place. She insisted we rescue you." "It wasn't just me you saved," Leafpaw meowed, looking gratefully at her Clanmates. "You saved all of us," Cody agreed, padding over to Leafpaw's side. Sorreltail pulled away from Leafpaw and looked sharply at the kittypet. "Who are you?" she demanded. "You're not a forest cat, but you

她根本不知道该说什么。 要不是她勇敢的族伴，此刻走这一趟的就不是灰条，而是她了。 "愿星族保佑他。"棘爪低声呢喃。 "星族对两脚兽根本无能为力。"松鼠爪愤愤地说。 "星族今天一直和我们同在。"叶爪提醒她。 "他们给了你面对两脚兽的勇气。 他们一定会照顾好灰条的。" 蕨尾撑着站起身，用自己的口鼻碰了碰叶爪的口鼻。 "感谢星族，两脚兽没把你也抓走。"她低声说。 "松鼠爪梦到你被困在那个地方。 是她坚持一定要来救你出去。" "你们救的不只是我。"叶爪说着，感激地看向族伴们。 "你们救了我们所有人。"科迪附和道，轻步走到叶爪身边。 蕨尾从叶爪身边退开，警觉地看向这只宠物猫。 "你是谁？" 她追问道。 "你不是森林猫，可你

don't look like a rogue, either." "This is Cody," Leafpaw meowed. "She stopped me from feeling sorry for myself, and made me believe we might be able to escape." Sorreltail sniffed. "You're a kittypet?" Rainwhisker sat up and stared at the tabby she-cat. Thornclaw flattened his ears. "Yes, I'm a kittypet," Cody confirmed. Brambleclaw got to his paws and padded over to Cody. Leafpaw saw her friend try not to flinch away from the broad-shouldered warrior, whose coat was streaked with mud and blood. "Do you want us to show you the way back to Twolegplace?" he offered. "It's not safe enough to go that way yet," Leafpaw warned. "The Twolegs might be searching the woods." Brightheart sat up and stared nervously around the glade. "It's okay," Cloudtail reassured her. "We can outrun them from here." "We'll be even safer back at the camp," mewed Squirrelpaw. "Why doesn't Cody come with us for now?"

看起来也不像是泼皮猫。" "这是科迪。"叶爪说道。 "她不让我自怨自艾，还让我相信我们一定能逃出去。" 蕨尾嗅了嗅。 "你居然是宠物猫？" 雨须坐直身子，盯着这只虎斑母猫。 棘爪放平了耳朵。 "没错，我就是宠物猫。"科迪确认道。 黑莓掌站起身，轻步走到科迪面前。 叶爪看到科迪尽量不躲开这位宽肩武士，他的皮毛上沾满了泥污和血渍。 "要不要我们送你回两脚兽地盘？"他主动问道。 "现在走那条路还不安全。"叶爪提醒道。 "两脚兽说不定正在树林里搜查呢。" 亮心坐直身子，紧张地环顾着林间空地。 "没事的。"云尾安慰她。 "从这里出发，我们肯定跑得过他们。" "回营地会更安全的。"松鼠爪喵声道。 "不如科迪先跟我们一起走？"