Chapter 6

6 A Sharp Surprise The ball of spines unfurled slowly, like a flower opening to greet the sun. Among the sharp spikes there was a pointy nose, two bright little eyes and four shivering paws. 'Higgs!' said Nan. 'Prickles on fire!' cried the rosy- cheeked hedgehog. He rolled on to his feet and threw his arms round Nan.

这团刺慢慢展开，就像一朵迎着太阳开放的花。 尖锐的尖刺中有一个尖尖的鼻子，两只明亮的小眼睛和四只颤抖的爪子。 “希格斯!南说。“皮刺着火了！”红脸的刺猬叫道。 他翻身站了起来，伸出双臂搂住了楠。

'What a relief! I thought I was a goner.' 'Scared of a baby wolf, Higgs?' said Nan. 'Baby to you, but not to me,' said Higgs. 'Wolves have taken over the forest. Dusty Woods aren't like they used to be! We shouldn't be out here any longer than we have to be!' He stopped briefly, noticing Rosa. 'Hang on, who are you?' he asked. 'This is my granddaughter, Rosa,' said Nan. 'Another Wild!' 'And this is our friend, Stick,' said Rosa. Higgs shuffled with unease. 'Is she friendly?' he asked inquisitively. 'Very,' said Rosa. Higgs's spines bristled. 'She might

“真是松了口气！”我以为我要完蛋了。“怕小狼吗，希格斯？”南说。 “对你来说是孩子，但对我来说不是，”希格斯说。 狼已经占领了森林。 达斯迪森林和以前不一样了！我们不应该在这里待太久！”他停了一会儿，注意到罗莎。 “等等，你是谁？”他问。 “这是我的孙女罗莎，”南说。 “另外一个不确定!“这是我们的朋友，斯蒂克，”罗莎说。 希格斯不安地拖着脚。 “她友好吗？”他好奇地问。 “很好，”罗莎说。希格斯的刺都竖起来了。 “她可能

have got prickled when she bumped into me,' he said, his cheeks blushing. 'I'm sorry. I don't really have much control over these things. When I get spooked I just curl straight up.' Rosa stroked the cub's back. She responded with a happy grunting noise. 'Stick looks OK to me,' said Rosa. 'Now then,' said Nan. 'We have a lot to talk about, my friend.' 'How about tea first?' said Higgs. 'Sounds perfect,' said Nan. The little hedgehog scurried away. 'This way!' he said. 'And hurry! Wolves are EVERYWHERE!' The little house that was Higgs's home resembled a fortress. lfllac. The walls were

“当她撞到我的时候，我被她刺痛了，”他说，他的脸颊涨红了。 “我很抱歉。我真的无法控制这些事情。 当我受到惊吓时，我就直接蜷缩起来。”罗莎抚摸着幼崽的后背。 她愉快地哼了一声。 “我看棍子还行，”罗莎说。 “好了，”南说。“我们有很多话要谈，我的朋友。“先喝茶怎么样？”希格斯说。 “听起来很完美，”南说。 小刺猬赶紧跑开了。 “这种方式!他说。”,快点!到处都是狼！”希格斯的小房子就像一座堡垒。 墙壁是

metres thick, with thin slits for windows, and its door was made of iron, with a host of gigantic locks at its edge. 'This used to be a lovely little cottages,' said Nan, 'with flowers and a pond and... What is going on?' 'Nowhere is safe any more,' said Higgs, as he struggled to unlock the door. With a heavy ring of keys he proceeded to open each lock until the door swung open. Three little balls of spikes hurtled out of the house and leapt on to Higgs's back. Their spines stuck together like Velcro. 'DADDA!' they cheered, their arms and legs waving in the air. 'My hoglets!' he laughed. 'You have a family?!' said Nan. 'I do,' he said.

有几米厚，有几条细缝，用来开窗户，门是铁制的，门边装着一排巨大的锁。 “这曾经是一个可爱的小别墅，”南说，“有花，有池塘，还有…… 发生了什么事？“再也没有什么地方是安全的了，”希格斯一边说，一边费力地打开了门。 他用一串沉重的钥匙打开每把锁，直到门被打开。 三个小尖刺球冲出屋子，跳到希格斯的背上。 它们的脊椎像魔术贴一样粘在一起。 “DADDA !他们欢呼着，胳膊和腿在空中挥舞着。 “我hoglets !他笑着说。“你有家人吗？”南说。 “是的，”他说。