Chapter 44: The Choice in the Canyon （峡谷中的抉择）

　　The silence in the canyon was absolute, broken only by the faint, skittering sound of the satyrs' hooves on the stone. They moved with an unnatural, fluid grace, their forms shimmering as if seen through heat haze. Their eyes, glowing with a sickly green light, were fixed on the solitary tauren druid. The air grew thick with a palpable, ancient malice that made it hard to breathe.

　　峡谷中的寂静是彻底的，只有萨特蹄子在石头上发出的微弱、细碎的声响打破了它。它们以不自然的、流畅的优雅移动着，身形闪烁着，仿佛透过热霾看到。它们闪烁着病态绿光的眼睛紧盯着孤身一人的牛头人德鲁伊。空气中弥漫着一种可感知的、古老的恶意，变得浓重，令人呼吸困难。

　　Leon's hand instinctively went to the hunting knife at his belt, his knuckles white. It was a pathetic weapon against such foes. Iris was frozen beside him, her face pale. "Satyrs," she whispered again, the word a curse. "Their magic corrupts the land. They are drawn to places of natural power, to twist and defile it."

　　里昂的手本能地摸向腰间的猎刀，指关节发白。面对这样的敌人，这武器太可怜了。艾莉丝在他身边僵住了，脸色苍白。“萨特，”她又低语道，这个词如同诅咒。“它们的魔法会腐化土地。它们被自然力量之地吸引，去扭曲和亵渎它。”

　　The tauren druid raised its head, its deep voice rumbling through the canyon, a challenge spoken in a language Leon did not understand but whose meaning was clear: defiance. It gripped its staff, and the carvings on the wood began to glow with a soft, earthen light.

　　牛头人德鲁伊抬起头，它低沉的声音在峡谷中回荡，是一种挑战，用里昂听不懂的语言说出，但其含义很清楚：反抗。它握紧法杖，木杖上的雕刻开始发出柔和、泥土般的光芒。

　　"They will overwhelm him," Iris said, her voice tight with urgency. "Their numbers are too great. His power is rooted in the land, and this land is poisoned."

　　“它们会压倒他的，”艾莉丝说，声音因紧迫而绷紧。“它们数量太多了。他的力量植根于土地，而这片土地已被毒害。”

　　Leon looked at her, his own fear a cold knot in his stomach. "What can we do?"

　　Iris's eyes met his, filled with a conflict he had never seen before. This was not a simple fight for survival. This was a battle against a primordial evil. To intervene was to invite a death far more terrible than a worg's teeth.

　　里昂看着她，自己的恐惧在胃里结成冰冷的疙瘩。“我们能做什么？”

　　艾莉丝的眼睛对上他的，充满了前所未有的矛盾。这不是一场简单的生存之战。这是一场对抗原始邪恶的战斗。干预就是招致比座狼利齿更可怕的死亡。

　　"We run," she said, the words tasting like ash in her mouth. "It is the only sane choice. We are no match for them."

　　But as she spoke, her gaze drifted back to the druid, to the defiant set of its broad shoulders. She saw not just an ally of the Horde, but a guardian of the natural world, a kindred spirit fighting a battle that was her battle too. To abandon him was to abandon a part of her own calling.

　　“我们跑，”她说，话语在她口中如同灰烬。“这是唯一理智的选择。我们不是它们的对手。”

　　但当她说话时，她的目光又飘回德鲁伊身上，飘向他宽阔肩膀上的反抗姿态。她看到的不仅是一个部落的盟友，更是一个自然世界的守护者，一个同类的灵魂，在打一场也是她自己的战斗。抛弃他就是抛弃她部分的天职。

　　Leon saw the struggle on her face. He saw the memory of their own flight through the woods, of the times they had saved each other. He thought of the antler in his pocket, a symbol of their bond forged in helping one another. He thought of the dwarves who had helped him, strangers who had shown kindness. He thought of his father's lessons about courage, not as the absence of fear, but as action in spite of it.

　　里昂看到了她脸上的挣扎。他看到了他们自己在森林中逃亡的记忆，那些互相拯救的时刻。他想到了口袋里的鹿角，一个在互相帮助中铸就的纽带象征。他想到了帮助过他的矮人，那些表现出善意的陌生人。他想起了父亲关于勇气的教导，不是没有恐惧，而是尽管恐惧仍采取行动。

　　"We can't just leave him," Leon said, his voice quieter but firmer than he expected. He wasn't a hero. He was a scared boy from Goldshire. But he was also the boy who had dragged a guardsman through gnoll country. "There has to be something. A distraction."

　　“我们不能就这么丢下他，”里昂说，声音比他预期的更轻但更坚定。他不是英雄。他是来自闪金镇的一个害怕的男孩。但他也是那个拖着卫兵穿过豺狼人地盘的男孩。“一定有办法。制造点干扰。”

　　Iris stared at him, shocked by his words. Then, a slow, grim smile touched her lips. The fear in her eyes was replaced by a fierce, determined light. "You are right," she said. "We are not warriors. But we are survivors. And we are clever." Her mind was racing, her eyes scanning the canyon. "The satyrs are creatures of shadow and corruption. They hate pure, natural light. Fire is a crude imitation of the sun, but it is something."

　　艾莉丝盯着他，被他的话震惊了。然后，一丝缓慢、冷酷的微笑触动了她的嘴唇。她眼中的恐惧被一种凶猛、坚定的光芒取代。“你说得对，”她说。“我们不是战士。但我们是幸存者。而且我们很聪明。”她的脑子飞快地转着，眼睛扫视着峡谷。“萨特是阴影和腐化的生物。它们憎恨纯净的自然之光。火是太阳的粗糙模仿品，但总比没有强。”

　　She pointed to a cluster of dry, brittle shrubs growing in a crack in the canyon wall, not far from the closest satyrs. "If we can create a fire there, a sudden burst of flame... it might startle them. Break their concentration. Give the druid an opening."

　　她指向峡谷壁裂缝中生长的一丛干燥易碎的灌木，离最近的萨特不远。“如果我们在那里生火，突然爆出火焰……可能会吓到它们。打破它们的专注。给德鲁伊一个机会。”

　　It was a desperate, risky plan. It would reveal their position. It could easily backfire. But it was all they had.

　　"Okay," Leon said, his heart pounding. "How?"

　　Iris reached into her pack and pulled out a small, clay pot sealed with wax. "Pitch," she explained. "For waterproofing. It burns hot and fast." She handed him her flint and steel. "You are quicker with this than I am. I will create a diversion from the other side. When you see them look away, light the pitch and throw it into the shrubs. Then run. Do not look back."

　　这是一个绝望、冒险的计划。这会暴露他们的位置。很容易适得其反。但这是他们唯一的机会。

　　“好，”里昂说，心脏怦怦直跳。“怎么做？”

　　艾莉丝伸手从包里拿出一个小陶罐，用蜡封着。“沥青，”她解释道。“用来防水的。烧起来又热又快。”她把燧石和火镰递给他。“你用它比我快。我从另一边制造干扰。当你看到它们转开视线，点燃沥青扔进灌木丛。然后跑。别回头。”

　　Leon took the flint and steel, his hands trembling but his resolve firm. He nodded.

　　Iris gave his arm a quick, reassuring squeeze. Then, like a shadow, she melted away along the canyon wall, moving with an elven stealth that was breathtaking to behold.

　　里昂接过燧石和火镰，手在颤抖但决心坚定。他点点头。

　　艾莉丝快速、安慰地捏了一下他的手臂。然后，像影子一样，她沿着峡谷壁溜走了，以精灵的潜行移动着，看起来令人惊叹。

　　Leon crouched behind a large boulder, his eyes fixed on the dry shrubs. He could hear the satyrs' low, guttural chanting now, a sound that grated on the soul. The tauren druid was surrounded, the green glow of the satyrs' magic beginning to swirl around him. Time was running out.

　　里昂蹲在一块大石头后面，眼睛紧盯着干灌木。他现在能听到萨特低沉、粗哑的吟唱，一种折磨灵魂的声音。牛头人德鲁伊被包围了，萨特魔法的绿光开始在他周围旋转。时间不多了。

　　A moment later, from the opposite side of the canyon, a sharp, high-pitched whistle cut through the air—the sound of a night elf hunting call. The satyrs' heads snapped around in unison, their attention diverted for a crucial second.

　　片刻之后，从峡谷对面传来一声尖锐、高亢的口哨划破空气——是暗夜精灵狩猎的呼哨声。萨特们齐刷刷地转过头，注意力被转移了关键的一秒。

　　Now!

　　Leon struck the flint. Sparks flew. He willed his hands to be steady. One spark, two, then a third caught on the pitch-soaked rag Iris had left with the pot. A small flame sputtered to life. He grabbed the pot, its heat already searing his palm, and hurled it with all his strength towards the dry shrubs.

　　就是现在！

　　里昂敲击燧石。火花飞溅。他努力让手稳住。一个火花，两个，然后第三个点燃了艾莉丝留在罐子旁的浸了沥青的布条。一小簇火焰噼啪燃起。他抓起罐子，热量已经灼痛他的手掌，用尽全力扔向干灌木。

　　The pot shattered. A wave of intense heat and light erupted, engulfing the shrubs in a roaring fire. The sudden blaze was blinding in the dim canyon. The satyrs recoiled with shrieks of surprise and rage, their forms flickering violently as if the pure fire threatened to unmade them.

　　罐子碎了。一股强烈的热浪和光芒爆发出来，咆哮的火焰吞没了灌木丛。突然的火焰在昏暗的峡谷中令人目眩。萨特们惊叫后退，带着惊讶和愤怒，它们的形体剧烈闪烁，仿佛纯净的火焰威胁要瓦解它们。

　　The tauren druid seized the moment. With a roar that shook the very stones, it brought its staff down on the ground. A shockwave of pure, earthen energy pulsed outwards, throwing the closest satyrs off their feet. The druid's form began to shift, to grow, its shape blurring into something massive and powerful.

　　牛头人德鲁伊抓住了这一刻。随着一声震动岩石的咆哮，它将法杖砸向地面。一股纯净的土系能量冲击波向外扩散，掀翻了最近的萨特。德鲁伊的形态开始变化、增长，身形模糊成某种巨大而强大的东西。

　　Leon didn't wait to see more. He turned and ran, scrambling back up the narrow gorge the way they had come. He heard Iris's footsteps behind him, light and swift. They didn't stop until they were clear of the canyon, collapsing behind a ridge, gasping for air, the sounds of battle echoing behind them.

　　里昂没有等着看更多。他转身就跑，沿着他们来的狭窄峡谷攀爬回去。他听到身后艾莉丝轻快迅速的脚步声。他们直到离开峡谷才停下，瘫倒在一道山脊后，喘着粗气，战斗的声音在他们身后回荡。

　　They had done it. They had thrown a stone into the pond. They had no idea what ripples it would cause. But they had chosen to fight, not for themselves, but for another. And in that choice, something had shifted between them once more. They were no longer just survivors. They were allies. They were a pack.

　　他们做到了。他们向池塘投下了一颗石子。他们不知道会引起什么涟漪。但他们选择了战斗，不是为了自己，而是为了他人。而在那个选择中，他们之间的某些东西再次改变了。他们不再只是幸存者。他们是盟友。他们是一个群体。