Chapter 4: The Weight of Dawn （黎明的重量）

　　The fire had dwindled to a bed of glowing embers when Leon awoke with a start. A sliver of pale, grey light filtered through the crevice in the roof, illuminating the dusty air of the den. For a disorienting moment, he couldn't remember where he was. The hard ground, the smell of cold ashes and earth, and the faint, fir-and-moonlight scent beside him—it all rushed back. Iris was already awake, sitting near the entrance, peering out through the ivy curtain. She was as still as the ancient trees outside.

　　当里昂猛然惊醒时，火堆已经熄灭，只剩下一堆发光的余烬。一缕灰白的微光从屋顶的裂缝透下，照亮了洞穴中布满尘埃的空气。有那么一瞬间，他恍惚不知自己身在何处。坚硬的地面、冷灰与泥土的气味，以及身边那淡淡的冷杉与月光般的气息——一切记忆都涌了回来。艾莉丝已经醒了，坐在靠近入口的地方，正透过常春藤帷幕向外窥视。她像外面的古树一样静止不动。

　　"Are they gone?" he whispered, his voice rough with sleep. He pushed himself up, his muscles protesting from the previous day's exertions and a night on the cold, hard ground.

　　Iris didn't turn. "The immediate danger is. The forest is quiet again." She paused, her head tilted as if listening to something beyond human hearing. "But the silence is different. Cautious. The gnoll's passing has put every creature on edge."

　　“它们走了吗？”他低声问道，声音因睡眠而沙哑。他撑起身子，前一天的劳累加上在冰冷坚硬地面睡了一晚，让他的肌肉酸痛不已。

　　艾莉丝没有回头。“眼前的危险过去了。森林又恢复了安静。”她顿了顿，歪着头，仿佛在倾听某种人类听不见的东西。“但这寂静不同了。带着谨慎。那只豺狼人的经过让所有生物都紧张起来了。”

　　Leon crawled over to her side, careful to stay in the shadows. He pushed a few leaves aside and looked out. The Whispering Woods in the dim dawn light was a monochrome world of grey trunks and deep shadows. The air was cold and heavy with moisture. It was beautiful in a stark, unforgiving way, a world away from the sun-dappled, friendly edges of Elwynn he knew. This was a place that demanded respect.

　　"We should move," Iris said, finally turning to him. Her eyes, even in the weak light, seemed to see right through him. "The scent of our fire and our presence here will not stay hidden for long."

　　里昂爬到她身边，小心地待在阴影里。他拨开几片叶子向外望去。昏暗晨光中的低语森林是一个由灰色树干和深沉阴影组成的单色世界。空气寒冷，带着厚重的水汽。这是一种严酷、不带一丝宽恕的美，与他所熟悉的、阳光斑驳、友善的艾尔文森林边缘截然不同。这是一个要求你心怀敬意的地方。

　　“我们该走了，”艾莉丝说道，终于转向他。她的眼睛，即使在微弱的光线下，也仿佛能看透他。“我们生火的气味和我们的存在，不会隐藏太久的。”

　　Leon nodded, a knot of anxiety tightening in his stomach. The adventure had lost some of its romantic sheen, replaced by the practical, gritty reality of survival. "Which way?" he asked, his voice barely audible.

　　Iris pointed not back the way they had come, but on a tangent, deeper into the woods. "East, then south. To skirt the gnoll's territory. We will need to find water. And more food than journey-bread."

　　里昂点点头，一阵焦虑在他胃里拧成了结。冒险已经失去了一些浪漫的光泽，被生存的务实而严酷的现实所取代。“往哪边走？”他问道，声音轻得几乎听不见。

　　艾莉丝指的不是他们来的方向，而是一个切线方向，更深入森林。“向东，然后向南。绕过豺狼人的领地。我们需要找到水。还有比旅行面包更多的食物。”

　　The "we" in her sentence did not escape him. It was a decision, unspoken but clear. They were in this together, for now. He felt a surge of gratitude mixed with fear. He wouldn't last a day out here alone.

　　They quickly packed. Leon shouldered his pack, the weight of it feeling more substantial now, filled with the weight of the unknown. Iris led the way out of the den, and they slipped back into the silent, watchful forest.

　　她话中的“我们”没有被他忽略。这是一个决定，未曾言明但很清楚。至少现在，他们是在一起的。他心中涌起一股夹杂着恐惧的感激。他一个人在这里连一天都撑不下去。

　　他们迅速收拾好东西。里昂背起背包，它的重量此刻感觉更实在了，充满了未知的分量。艾莉丝带头走出洞穴，他们再次悄无声息地滑入那片寂静而警觉的森林。

　　The walking was slower now. Iris was hunting as they moved, her eyes scanning the ground and the undergrowth with intense focus. Leon tried to mimic her, his own eyes searching for anything edible—berries, nuts, mushrooms, though he knew enough to be terrified of picking the wrong kind. After an hour, Iris stopped abruptly, holding up a hand. She pointed to a cluster of low-growing bushes bearing small, dark blue berries. "Shadowberries," she whispered. "Sour, but safe. They will quench thirst a little." They picked them quickly, the tart juice staining their fingers purple.

　　现在的行进速度更慢了。艾莉丝一边走一边搜寻，她的眼睛高度专注地扫视着地面和灌木丛。里昂试图模仿她，自己的眼睛也在搜寻任何可食用的东西——浆果、坚果、蘑菇，尽管他足够清楚，乱采错误的种类是可怕的。一小时后，艾莉丝突然停下，举起一只手。她指向一丛低矮的灌木，上面结着深蓝色的小浆果。“影莓，”她低声道。“酸，但安全。能稍微解渴。”他们迅速采摘，酸涩的汁液把他们的手指染成了紫色。

　　The forest began to slope downwards, and the sound of running water reached them—a gentle, gurgling promise. Soon, they found a small, fast-moving stream cutting through a rocky bed. The water was clear and icy cold. They drank greedily, filling their waterskins. For a few precious minutes, kneeling side-by-side on the mossy bank, the world felt peaceful.

　　森林开始向下倾斜，流水声传入他们耳中——一种轻柔、汩汩的希望。很快，他们发现一条湍急的小溪穿过石床。溪水清澈冰冷。他们贪婪地喝着，灌满自己的水袋。有宝贵的几分钟，他们并肩跪在长满青苔的岸上，世界仿佛一片宁静。

　　It was as Leon was screwing the cap back on his waterskin that he saw it. Partially buried in the mud near the water's edge was a shape that made his blood run cold. It was a pauldron—a shoulder plate—made of crudely hammered steel, etched with a vicious, angular symbol he didn't recognize. But it wasn't the pauldron itself that was terrifying. It was the color of the leather strap still attached to it: a deep, unmistakable red. The color of the Blackrock clan. His father's stories flashed in his mind—tales of orcs, fierce and ruthless, who had poured through the Dark Portal.

　　就在里昂拧紧水袋盖子的时候，他看到了它。半埋在溪边泥泞中的一样东西让他的血液瞬间冰冷。那是一块肩甲，用粗糙锻造的钢铁制成，上面刻着一个他不认识的恶毒的、有棱角的符号。但可怕的不是肩甲本身。而是仍然附着在上面的皮带颜色：一种深深的、不会认错的红色。黑石氏族的颜色。他父亲的故事在他脑海中闪现——关于兽人，凶猛无情，曾经通过黑暗之门涌来的故事。

　　He reached out and touched the cold, wet metal. "Iris," he said, his voice tight.

　　She was at his side in an instant. She looked at the pauldron, then her eyes scanned the opposite bank, the trees beyond. Her face, usually so serene, was a mask of sharp alarm.

　　"This is new," she breathed. "A day, maybe two. They are pushing far from their mountains." She looked at Leon, and the unspoken words hung heavy between them. Their journey had just become infinitely more dangerous. The wilderness was one thing. The organized, territorial presence of orcs was something else entirely. The weight of the dawn had just become the weight of the entire continent of Azeroth, pressing down on their young shoulders.

　　他伸出手，触摸那冰冷潮湿的金属。“艾莉丝，”他说，声音紧绷。

　　她瞬间来到他身边。她看了看肩甲，然后目光扫向对岸，更远处的树林。她通常平静的脸上露出了尖锐的警觉。

　　“这是新的，”她低语道。“一天，也许两天。他们正在远离自己的山脉活动。”她看着里昂，未说出口的话沉重地悬在他们之间。他们的旅程刚刚变得无比危险。荒野是一回事。兽人有组织、有领土意识的存在则是另一回事。黎明的重量刚刚变成了整个艾泽拉斯大陆的重量，压在他们年轻的肩膀上。