Chapter 4

4 Best-laid Plans Nan was a clever sort. Florence was indeed in good shape, and to keep Rosa's mind off the wolf cub she'd suggested a quick tour of the lake to see if any trees had fallen. They set off across the water, only to find Florence was quickly encircled by bubbles. 'Here we go,' said Nan, rolling her eyes.

最周密的计划南是个聪明的人。 弗洛伦斯的状态确实很好，为了让罗莎不去想小狼崽，她建议去湖边转转，看看有没有树倒了。 他们出发穿过水面，却发现弗洛伦斯很快就被泡泡包围了。 “我们走吧，”南翻着白眼说。

Rosa slowed the canoe by holding the paddle firmly in the water, and three fish poked their heads out. 'You're still letting her paddle?' said April. 'Not you again, said Rosa. Rosa had only met the fish in the lake once, and they had been nothing but rude to her. 'She seems a bit better this time,' said May. 'Maybe a bit better,' agreed June, the third fish. 'I'll take that as a compliment,' said Rosa. 'What a storm that was!' said Nan, playing her hand through the water. 'All good down there on the bottom?'

罗莎把桨牢牢地握在水里，使独木舟慢了下来，三条鱼探出头来。 “你还让她划水？”爱普丽尔说。 “又不是你，”罗莎说。 罗莎只在湖里见过一次鱼，它们对她很粗鲁。 “这次她似乎好些了，”梅说。 “也许会好一点，”第三条鱼琼同意道。 “我就当这是恭维的话，”罗莎说。 “多么大的风暴啊！”南边说边把手伸进水里玩。 “下面还好吗？”

'Bit shook up actually,' said April. 'Shaken to my bones!' said May. 'Those waves!' said June. Storms and high waves affected the lake bed as much as the open ground, and Nan knew it wouldn't have been much fun underwater. 'Stay safe then,' she said, urging Rosa to paddle on. 'If you need anything, you know where to find me.' 'I'd have to grow some legs first!' said April. 'Oh yes, four legs!' said May. 'Does she know we can't walk?' said June. 'Don't listen to them,' said Nan to Rosa as they moved on. 'You can paddle

“实际上有点摇晃，”爱普丽尔说。 “吓得我骨头都发抖了！”梅说。 “这些波!琼说。风暴和大浪对湖床的影响和对开阔地面的影响一样大，南知道在水下不会有多大乐趣。 “那就注意安全，”她说，催促罗莎继续划下去。 “如果你需要什么，你知道在哪里可以找到我。“我得先长出腿来！”爱普丽尔说。 “哦，是的，四条腿！”梅说。 “她知道我们不能走路吗？”琼说。 “别听他们的，”南对罗莎说，他们继续往前走。 你可以划桨

this canoe almost as well as me now!' Rosa was pleased to hear it. For the next few hours, they scouted the edge of the furthest shore, making a note of all the fallen trees. They counted seven or eight, which shocked Rosa. 'So many are down,' she said. 'Can we do anything?' 'Nothing, really,' said Nan, 'but it's not all bad news. As they die, their wood will give homes to lots of insects. There are always benefits.' 'I'd never thought about the insects,' said Rosa. 'Few people do,' said Nan. 'But without them we'd be lost. Nothing would rot down, and lots of birds and animals would starve!'

这只独木舟现在几乎和我一样好了！”罗莎听了很高兴。 在接下来的几个小时里，他们在最远的海岸边缘侦察，记下所有倒下的树木。 他们数了七八个，这使罗莎大吃一惊。 她说，很多人都在走下坡路。 “我们能做点什么吗？”“没什么，真的，”南说，“但也不全是坏消息。” 当它们死去时，它们的木头会为许多昆虫提供家园。 好处总是有的。“我从没想过昆虫，”罗莎说。 “很少有人这样做，”南说。 “但是没有他们，我们就会迷路。 什么都不会腐烂，很多鸟兽都会饿死！”

Eventually they finished their tour and headed back home. Inside the cabin they found the young wolf curled on Rosa's pillow, having gone nowhere. Its ears pricked up as they entered. Nan sighed. This was exactly not what she wanted to find. 'She can stay with us tonight,' said Nan, 'but tomorrow we're going to find her family.' 'Can't we be her family?' 'Life doesn't work quite like that,' said Nan. 'But you let me stay,' said Rosa. Nan laughed warmly. 'You're very different to a wolf. There are things her parents can teach her that we just don't understand. This little wolf needs her pack.'

最后，他们结束了他们的旅行，回家了。 进屋后，他们发现小狼蜷缩在罗莎的枕头上，哪儿也没去。 他们进来时，它竖起了耳朵。 南叹了口气。这可不是她想要的。 “她今晚可以和我们呆在一起，”南说，“但明天我们要去找她的家人。“我们不能做她的家人吗？”“生活不是这样的，”南说。 “但你让我留下来了，”罗莎说。 南热情地笑了。“你和狼很不一样。 她的父母可以教给她一些我们无法理解的东西。 这只小狼需要她的狼群。