Chapter 3: A Hearth of Roots and Moonlight （根须与月光筑就的庇护所）

　　Iris moved with an instinctual knowledge of the forest that Leon found both awe-inspiring and slightly unnerving. She didn't follow a visible path, but rather wove between trees, ducked under low-hanging branches, and stepped over gnarled roots as if she were part of the landscape itself. Leon followed, his senses heightened, every rustle of leaves or snap of a twig making his heart jump. The air grew colder, and the darkness beneath the canopy became almost absolute, broken only by the occasional patch of faint, phosphorescent moss.

　　艾莉丝在森林中穿行，带着一种本能般的了解，这让里昂既感到敬畏，又有些许不安。她并不沿着可见的小径走，而是在树木间穿梭，低头躲过低垂的枝桠，迈过盘结的树根，仿佛她自己就是这片景色的一部分。里昂紧跟其后，感官变得异常敏锐，每一片树叶的沙沙声或树枝的断裂声都让他的心猛地一跳。空气变得更冷，树冠下的黑暗几乎变得彻底，只有偶尔几片散发着微弱磷光的苔藓点缀其间。

　　After what felt like an hour of silent travel, Iris stopped before a thick curtain of ivy hanging down a steep, rocky incline. She pushed the vines aside, revealing a narrow crevice just wide enough for them to squeeze through. "In here," she whispered. The space beyond opened up surprisingly into a small, sheltered hollow, hidden behind the waterfall of ivy and the overhanging rock. The air inside was still and carried the rich, damp smell of earth and old stone. A faint sliver of moonlight found its way through a crack in the ceiling, illuminating the space enough to see. In the center lay the cold, blackened remnants of a very old fire pit.

　　在感觉像是无声地行进了一个小时后，艾莉丝在一面覆盖着陡峭石坡的厚密常春藤帷幕前停了下来。她拨开藤蔓，露出一个刚好够他们挤进去的狭窄裂缝。“在这里面，”她低语道。裂缝后面的空间豁然开朗，形成一个隐蔽的小洞穴，藏身于瀑布般的常春藤和悬垂的岩石之后。里面的空气是静止的，带着浓郁、潮湿的泥土和陈年石头的气味。一缕微弱的月光从顶部的裂缝透入，勉强照亮了内部。中央是一个古老火坑的遗迹，冰冷、漆黑。

　　"It's... a den," Leon said, his voice a hushed echo in the small space.

　　Iris nodded, already gathering a few dry twigs and leaves from a pile near the wall. "A safe place. Sometimes. Nothing large can enter." She arranged the tinder with practiced ease and then looked at him, her moonlit eyes expectant. "Do you have flint?"

　　Leon's chest swelled with a sudden, ridiculous pride. This was something he could do. He fumbled in his pack and pulled out his fire-starting kit—a piece of flint and a steel striker. Kneeling, it took him a few tries, his hands still slightly unsteady from the adrenaline, but soon a spark caught, and a tiny flame flickered to life, greedily consuming the dry leaves.

　　“这是个……兽穴，”里昂说，他的声音在小空间里带着压抑的回响。

　　艾莉丝点点头，已经开始从墙边的一堆东西里捡拾一些干枯的细枝和树叶。“一个安全的地方。有时候是。大的东西进不来。”她熟练地摆弄着引火物，然后看向他，月光般的眼睛里带着期待。“你有打火石吗？”

　　里昂的胸膛突然涌起一股可笑的自豪感。这是他擅长的事。他在背包里摸索着，掏出他的生火工具——一块燧石和一个钢片。他跪下来，试了几次，他的手因为肾上腺素的缘故还有些不稳，但很快一颗火星点燃了，一小簇火苗摇曳着诞生，贪婪地吞噬着干枯的树叶。

　　The fire grew, casting dancing shadows on the earthen walls, pushing back the oppressive darkness and the chill. The simple act of creating light and warmth felt like a monumental victory. Leon sat back on his heels, warming his hands. He pulled out a cloth-wrapped bundle from his pack—a half-loaf of dense, dark travel bread and a small wedge of hard cheese. He broke the bread in two, offering the larger piece to Iris. "It's not much," he said.

　　She accepted it carefully, as if it were a rare artifact. She sniffed it, then took a small, deliberate bite. She chewed slowly, her expression unreadable. "It is... sturdy," she pronounced after swallowing. A more genuine smile touched her lips. "Different from lembas."

　　火堆变大了，在土墙上投下舞动的影子，驱散了压抑的黑暗和寒冷。这创造光明与温暖的简单举动，感觉像是一场巨大的胜利。里昂蹲坐下来，烤着手。他从背包里拿出一个布包——半条硬实的黑色旅行面包和一小块硬奶酪。他把面包掰成两半，将大的一半递给艾莉丝。“东西不多，”他说。

　　她小心翼翼地接过去，仿佛那是一件罕见的古物。她闻了闻，然后刻意地咬了一小口。她慢慢地咀嚼着，表情难以解读。“很……扎实，”她咽下后评价道。一丝更真实的微笑触动了她的嘴角。“和兰巴斯不一样。”

　　Leon blinked. "Lembas?"

　　"Elven waybread," she explained softly, gazing into the flames. "It tastes of starlight and honey. A little sustains a long journey." She took another bite of the human bread, her pointed ears twitching slightly with the effort of chewing. "This tastes of... grain and smoke. It is honest."

　　He laughed, a short, relieved sound. "Honest? I suppose it is." He unwrapped the cheese and broke off a piece for her. "Here, this makes it better."

　　里昂眨了眨眼。“兰巴斯？”

　　“精灵的旅行面包，”她轻声解释，目光投向火焰。“尝起来有星光和蜂蜜的味道。一点点就能支撑很长的旅程。”她又咬了一口人类的面包，尖耳朵随着咀嚼的努力微微抽动。“这个尝起来有……谷物和烟熏味。很实在。”

　　他笑了，一声短促而宽慰的声音。“实在？我想是的。”他打开奶酪，掰了一小块给她。“给，配上这个好吃点。”

　　They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes, the crackling fire the only conversation. The shared meal and the warmth of the flames seemed to dissolve the last of the formal barriers between them. Leon felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. The fear, the running, the tension—it had all taken its toll.

　　“So,” he began, dusting crumbs from his tunic. “You live around here? In these woods?”

　　Iris shook her head, her gaze distant. “No. My home is… far from here. To the north, across the sea. A forest where the trees are so tall they drink the clouds. I am… wandering. Seeing the world before…” She trailed off, not finishing the thought.

　　他们舒适地沉默着吃了几分钟，只有噼啪作响的火堆在对话。共享的食物和火焰的温暖似乎融化了他们之间最后那点隔阂。里昂感到一阵疲惫感席卷而来。恐惧、奔跑、紧张——这一切都造成了影响。

　　“那么，”他开口，拍掉束腰外衣上的面包屑。“你住在这附近？在这片森林里？”

　　艾莉丝摇摇头，目光变得遥远。“不。我的家……离这里很远。在北边，海的对面。那里的树高到可以触碰云彩。我是在……游历。在……之前，看看这个世界。”她的声音渐弱，没有说完那句话。

　　“Before what?” Leon asked, his curiosity piqued.

　　She looked at him, and for a moment, her usual serene mask slipped, revealing a profound sadness that seemed far too old for her face. “Before things change too much.” She quickly changed the subject. “And you? Why were you so deep in the Whispering Woods? Truly.”

　　Leon sighed, a little embarrassed now. “I told you. Exploring. My da… he tells stories. About the old wars, about orcs and elves and… well, everything. I just wanted to see if it was all real.” He poked the fire with a stick. “Turns out, it might be too real.”

　　“在什么之前？”里昂问道，他的好奇心被勾起来了。

　　她看着他，刹那间，她通常那平静的面具滑落了，露出一种与她面容极不相称的、极为深沉的悲伤。“在一切都改变太多之前。”她迅速改变了话题。“你呢？你为什么到低语森林那么深的地方？说实话。”

　　里昂叹了口气，现在有点不好意思了。“我告诉过你了。探险。我爸爸……他讲的故事。关于古老的战争，关于兽人、精灵还有……嗯，所有一切。我只是想看看是不是真的。”他用一根小棍拨了拨火。“结果发现，可能有点太真实了。”

　　Iris nodded slowly. “The stories are real. The wars are real.” She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. “But sometimes, the spaces between the stories are real, too. Like this.” She gestured around the tiny, fire-lit den. “A human and an elf, sharing bread by a fire, hiding from the same darkness.”

　　Leon looked at her, truly looked at her. Not as a strange, pointy-eared creature from a story, but as a girl, far from home, just as he was, in a vast and dangerous world. A fierce, unexpected sense of camaraderie blossomed in his chest.

　　“Yeah,” he said softly, adding another piece of wood to the flames. “Like this.”

　　艾莉丝缓缓点头。“故事是真的。战争也是真的。”她把膝盖抱到胸前，用胳膊环住。“但有时候，故事之间的空隙也是真实的。就像这样。”她指了指周围这个被火光照亮的小小洞穴。“一个人类和一个精灵，在火边分享面包，躲避着同样的黑暗。”

　　里昂看着她，真正地看着她。不是作为一个故事里长着尖耳朵的奇怪生物，而是作为一个女孩，和他一样，远离家乡，身处一个广阔而危险的世界。一种强烈的、出乎意料的伙伴情谊在他心中绽放。

　　“是啊，”他轻声说，又往火焰里添了一根柴。“就像这样。”