Chapter 8

8 The Cloud Forest Rosa knew she had a long road ahead. She marched down the mountain, occasionally breaking into a run, which pleased Stick no end. They followed a natural path that had been formed over many years by mountain goats or hares or some similar creatures. It took her along a rocky spine, which was tricky underfoot, down into a wooded valley.

罗莎知道她前面还有很长的路要走。 她大步走下山去，偶尔跑一跑，这使木棍高兴极了。 他们沿着一条多年来由山羊、野兔或一些类似生物形成的自然道路前进。 它带着她沿着一条岩石脊椎骨，走到一个树木繁茂的山谷里，脚下很不舒服。

The path quickly dropped below the canopy, and the air turned damp and rich with smells. Finding her route became much trickier, as there were suddenly no direct paths. The trees, very different from those at Jewel Lake, had only just come into leaf and were a vivid acid green. Some trunks were so wide that it would have taken five people, arm in arm, to stretch around them. Stick stopped abruptly, her nose inhaling short sharp breaths. Then she howled and charged ahead. 'What is it?' asked Rosa, following keenly. As she reached a lone birch tree with luscious silvery bark, Rosa discovered what had got the cub so excited. 'It's Nan's

小路很快降到了树冠下，空气变得潮湿，充满了气味。 寻找她的路线变得更加棘手，因为突然没有直接的路径了。 这些树和宝石湖上的树大不相同，它们刚刚长出叶子，呈现出鲜艳的酸绿。 有些箱子太宽了，需要五个人挽着胳膊才能绕过去。 棒突然停了下来，她的鼻子吸了几口气。 然后她嚎叫着向前冲去。 “什么事？”罗莎紧跟着问道。 当罗莎走到一棵孤零零的白桦树前，她发现了是什么让幼崽如此兴奋。 这是奶奶的

scarf!' she said, unfurling a woollen scarf that had been knotted round its trunk. 'She never takes it off! Do you think it's a message she's left for us?'

围巾!她一边说，一边打开缠在马身上的一条羊毛围巾。 “她从来不摘下它！”你认为这是她给我们留下的口信吗？”

Stick howled again. She'd caught another scent. With a bounce in her step, she thundered downhill along the stream. Rosa tucked the scarf into her backpack and raced on. Very quickly they arrived at the charred site of a recent fire. 'She's definitely been here!' said Rosa. Stick started snuffling about on the ground, and Rosa looked for footprints. 'We've got to be close,' she said, her excitement building. Then the wolf cub growled a little and skipped onwards, following her nose. They trekked for more than an hour, going deeper into the forest, before they found another sign. Stick howled as they reached another tree and another clue.

棍子又叫了起来。她闻到了另一种气味。 她迈着轻快的步子，沿着小溪轰隆隆地下山。 罗莎把围巾塞进背包里，继续往前跑。 他们很快到达了最近发生火灾的烧焦地点。 “她肯定来过这里！”罗莎说。 棍子开始在地上嗅来嗅去，罗莎在寻找脚印。 她兴奋地说，我们必须接近对方。 然后小狼崽咆哮了一声，跟着她的鼻子往前跳。 他们跋涉了一个多小时，深入森林深处，才发现了另一个标志。 当他们走到另一棵树跟前，又发现了一条线索时，棍子嚎叫着。

'What's that?' asked Rosa. As she neared the tree, she realised that one of Nan's white enamel cups that always travelled with her was hanging on a stubby little branch. 'This is strange,' said Rosa, pulling the cup off the branch. 'Why would Nan leave this here?' Stick looked up at her and wagged her tail. 'Is she leaving us a trail?' Rosa looked around for other signs of Nan's route. The forest was so ancient that every part of it hummed with life, and it couldn't have been further from the worked

“那是什么?罗莎问。 当她走近那棵树时，她意识到南总是随身携带的一个白色搪瓷杯子挂在一根粗短的小树枝上。 “这真奇怪，”罗莎说着，把杯子从树枝上拉下来。 “南为什么要把这个留在这里？”棍子抬头看着她，摇了摇尾巴。 “她给我们留下线索了吗？”罗莎环顾四周，寻找南的路线的其他迹象。 这片森林是如此古老，每一个部分都充满了生命的气息，它离工作的地方再远不过了