大救援 The Biggest Catch

作者：Rayla Heide

我的约德尔主人诺拉趴在我的朋友——魔典的书页上轻轻打鼾。我的尾巴翘起又落下。一群皎月蛾像天灯一样从窗外飘了进来，我欢快地跳到空中。无所谓抓不抓得到啦。我越跳越高，皎月蛾就飘在我身边，让我左拍右打。

My yordle Norra snores into the pages of my friend, Book. My tail twitches as dozens of moon-moths sail in through the open window like floating lanterns, and I leap joyfully into the air, not caring if I catch one. I bounce higher and higher, batting at the moon-moths as they drift all around me.

一只皎月蛾开始弯曲，不断向内卷曲，扭动挣扎，最后变成了马鲛鱼的形状。在我周围，其他皎月蛾也都开始在半空中旋转，全都变成了浮在空中的小鱼。好吃——突然全世界上下颠倒了。书架上的书全都散落下来，噗通噗通地落在天花板上。我的诺拉向上飘浮，依然沉浸在睡梦中。小鱼们向四面八方挣扎，我们不断向上坠落，坠落，坠落——

One of them bends and turns inside itself, lashing about until it twists into the shape of a mackerel. Around me, the other moon-moths spin in mid-air, all transforming into floating fish. Delicious—until the whole world turns upside down. Books cascade up from the shelves, landing on the ceiling with a dozen thuds. My Norra floats upward, still asleep. The fish flounder in every direction as we all fall up, up, up—

我醒了，在木头盒子里眨眨眼睛，月光正透过木板的缝隙照进来。哪只臭老鼠来告诉我，我是怎么到这里的？哦，对了。鲜香的鱼腥味填满了我的鼻子，我想起自己在比尔吉沃特的街巷中徘徊，找到了一箱鱼干，吃饱以后就趴在圆滚滚的肚子上睡着了。

I wake up, blinking sleepily in a wooden box as moonlight shines through the slats. How in a mouse’s house did I get here? Oh yes. The tasty stink of fish fills my nose and I remember prowling the streets of Bilgewater, finding a crate of dried fish, then eating my fill before falling into a deep, belly-full sleep.

还没等到我重新找到舒服的姿势，我感觉肚子下面突然倾斜，我倒向了一边。好几十条小鱼干落到了我身上——就像我梦里一样！——然后我的肚子发出了咕噜声。

Before I can get comfy again, my stomach lurches and I’m knocked onto my side. Dozens of dried fish fall on top of me—just like my dream!—and my stomach purrs.

魔典在角落里拍打着翅膀般的书页，想要尽量躲开掉落的小鱼干。它总是表现出一副食物对它的书页有害的样子。我倒是觉得，身为一堆被烘干的树皮，加上一些鱼腥味岂不是很好么。但魔典明显更了解干树皮，所以我就不和它争了。

Book flutters in the corner as it tries to edge away from the falling fish. It’s always hinting that food is bad for its pages. I think dried-up-trees would be much improved with the smell of fish, but Book knows much more about dried-up-trees than I do, so I don’t argue.

我从木板的缝隙向外窥探。我们下面的地板嘎吱作响，远处的月光摇曳地照在……海面上！

I peek through the cracks between the slats. The floor beneath us creaks and shifts while, in the distance, moonlight flickers on the surface of the… ocean!

“魔典，为什么？！”我哭喊道，“打盹从来都不会打出坏事！”

“Book, whyyy?!” I cry. “Naps never lead to bad things!”

魔典愤怒地开合。我不会水，魔典也不会。

Book opens and closes in exasperation. I don’t do water, and neither does Book.

我开始慌乱。魔典发出悉悉索索的声音，提醒我不要担心——但已经晚了。我绝望地冲着木板又抓又挠，不小心撕碎了一些小鱼干。这片大海让我毁掉了我最喜欢的零食——这是最坏的一种水！我用爪子抓开魔典的封面，翻到了一页结霜的传送门，它能让我们远离这湿漉漉的噩梦。我们必须逃到别的地方，哪都可以。冷也没关系。

I start to panic. Book rustles, reminding me not to worry—but it’s too late. I scratch and scramble at the wood in desperation, and I shred some of the dried fish by accident. This ocean is making me destroy my yummiest snack—it’s the worst type of water! I paw at Book’s cover, opening it to a frost-tinged portal that will take us far away from this watery nightmare. We have to escape somewhere, anywhere. Even somewhere cold.

就在我要跳进魔典的传送门的时候，我听到了一声尖叫，就像是银铃和最明亮的彩虹的声音。这声尖叫让我的绒毛直立。这是约德尔人的尖叫。

I’m about to jump into Book’s portal when I hear a scream that sounds like tinkling bells and the brightest rainbows. A scream that makes my fur stand on end. A yordle scream.

我通过木板的缝隙向外瞥，看到两个人类水手拖着一个蓝毛的约德尔人来到凌乱的船甲板的边缘。其中一个人留着黑色的络腮胡子，另一个人圆滚滚的，两个人都在坏笑。他们踩在一捆捆鱼叉、鱼竿、长矛，以及一圈圈粗渔线上。肯定是猎杀深海海怪的人。

I peek through the slats in the crate and watch as two human sailors drag a blue-furred yordle to the edge of the bustling ship’s deck. One of them has black chin-whiskers and the other is chubby, and both are smirking. They step over roped stacks of harpoons, fishing poles, spears, and coils of thick fishing wire. Must be deep-sea monster hunters.

“这个小玩意能帮咱逮着值钱的囊喉鱼，是吗？”第一个水手说。

“This little ’un is gonna fetch us a prize gulperfish, eh?” the first sailor says.

“我听说最大的鱼都爱吃约德尔肉，”那个胖水手说，“我之前从没试过。毕竟，比尔吉沃特也没多少约德尔人。”

“I hear the biggest fish love yordle meat,” says the chubbier sailor. “Never tried it before, myself. Not a lot of yordles ’round Bilgewater.”

那个蓝毛的约德尔人细声尖叫着，在他们手中挣扎。“我不是鱼饵！”他大声叫喊，每个字都喊破了音。“求求你们，放了我吧！”但水手们不依不饶。

The blue-furred yordle squeals and struggles against them. “I’m not bait!” he exclaims, squeaking with each word. “I beg you, please release me!” The sailors don’t budge.

一阵巨大的摇晃撼动了装我的木箱，整条船都倾斜了。“啊，是鱼来了。要把我们的船装满囊喉鱼喽！”第一个水手呲着牙说道。我不喜欢他的牙。

The whole ship tilts as a particularly large bump shakes my crate. “Ah, that’ll be the fish now. Time to fill our boat with gulperflesh!” says the first sailor, grinning. I don’t like his grin.

一支巨大的背鳍绕着这条船转圈，狮子那么大的尾流撞上船舷。魔典在轻轻拽我。我知道它想让我们通过传送门逃走，马上就离开这坏透的水，不让任何人看到我们，但我听到那个约德尔人在哭喊。我用一只爪子伸出木箱外面，打开了插栓。我不会放任一个约德尔人死掉。我已经失去我的诺拉了。

An enormous fin circles our boat, making lion-sized waves that bash the side of our ship. I feel Book tugging at me. I know it wants us to escape through a portal, to get away from the bad water right now before anyone sees us, but I hear the yordle cry out. I stick my paw through the slats in the crate and open the crate’s latch. I won’t leave a yordle alone to die. Not after losing my Norra.

水手们看着那支背鳍在水里猛烈摇摆。他们没有注意到我从木箱中跳出，就像最安静的老虎从他们背后接近。

The sailors watch the fin thrash around in the water. They don’t notice me as I leap from my crate like the quietest tiger and stalk them from behind.

那个可怜的约德尔人被绑在了一根长长的鱼竿末端，而水手们正在把鱼竿伸出船舷吊在海面上。他身体下方的海面正在不断冒出泡沫。为什么水的样子总是这么难看？！我跳过了那堆鱼叉，魔典跟了上来，紧张地拍打着书页，悬停在我身边半空中。他们看到我们了。

The poor yordle is tied to a long fishing pole, which the sailors are dangling over the ocean. The water beneath him is bubbling and frothing. How does water always move in the worst ways?! I jump over the pile of harpoons and Book follows, flying next to me and nervously flapping its pages as it hovers in the air. They see us.

“那是一只紫色的浣熊吗？——还有一本会飞的书？”一个水手问道。

“Is that a purple raccoon—with a flying book?” one of the sailors asks.

“我觉得是一只小熊和一本图志，”另一个水手说。

“I think it’s a baby bear with a journal,” says another.

“你们两个蠢货，那就是只猫。”第三个人说。“逮住它！”

“No, you idiots, it’s just a cat,” says a third. “Get it!”

水手们向我冲来，但我灵活地在他们脚下穿梭。我展开魔法的线团，在他们腿上绕来绕去。他们像茶杯被打翻在桌子上一样绊倒了。

The sailors rush at me, but I dart swiftly between their feet. I unfurl a coil of magic that twists and tangles around their legs. They trip and topple like cups on a table.

我趴在鱼竿旁边的围栏上，不知道接下来该怎么办。海浪在我们下方翻滚，我的狩猎本能发动了——猎手要猛扑了。

I perch on the ship’s railing next to the fishing pole, unsure what to do next. The waves swirl below us, and my hunting instincts kick in—something’s gonna pounce.

“放开我！”那个约德尔人抓着鱼竿大喊。“我不是鱼饵。太奇怪了，好尴尬！”

“Untie me!” shouts the yordle as he clings to the fishing rod. “I am not a piece of bait. This is quite strange and embarrassing!”

他很幸运，我并不害怕鱼。虽然我不喜欢水。

Luckily for him, I am not afraid of fish. Even if I don’t like water.

我跳上鱼竿。在猫咪跳向半空的时候，时间可能会变慢。我尽力张开双爪，就像展开两块小馅饼一样。水上的风拂过我的绒毛，我决心用尽浑身解数拯救这个约德尔人。再说，跳到半空中以后，就没有回头路了。

I bound onto the fishing pole. In the midst of a cat’s leap, sometimes time slows. With my paws splayed out like pancakes and wind rushing through my fur over the terrible water, I am determined to save this yordle with everything I’ve got. Besides, mid-leap, there’s no going back.

“别担心，小蓝约德尔人！”我大喊道。“我来救你了！”

“Don’t worry, small blue yordle!” I shout. “I got you!”

那个约德尔人和我的命运交织在了一起，我落在了他的肩膀上，魔典就在我身后。

The yordle’s fate and mine intertwine as I land on its shoulder, with Book right behind.

鱼竿被我们压得摇摇晃晃。这是我见过的最大的鱼——尺寸是这条船的三分之一。一张血盆大口从海里钻了出来，好几百颗尖牙在月光下森森闪烁。它的大嘴几乎可以同时吞下两头牛，都不用嚼的。即使在黑夜里，我也可以借助我的亮光看清它的体表覆盖着尖锐且锋利的鱼鳞，有银色的也有紫色的。

The fishing pole wobbles under our weight. The biggest fish I’ve ever seen—a third the size of the boat—bursts from the sea with its mouth gaping open, hundreds of teeth glistening in the moonlight. Its jaws open so wide it could swallow a pair of cows, without even chewing them up. Even in the dark, with my shinylight I can see its skin is made up of pointed razor-sharp scales of silver and violet.

巨大的囊喉鱼把我们一口吞下——约德尔人、魔典、和我，再加上一截鱼竿，空间还很宽敞。

The giant gulperfish swallows us whole—the yordle, Book, me, and even a bit of the fishing pole, with room to spare.

我们撞到了大鱼的上颚，它肯定是落回了水里。周围一片漆黑，闻起来像是臭了的海鲜！不过还不等它把我们吞进去，我就吹出了魔法盾的气球把我们包裹起来，让我们卡在鱼的喉咙口。约德尔人见状失声尖叫。那条鱼猛烈地拍打，我们三个被甩到各个方向，但始终都在密不透风的泡泡的保护之中。

We jostle against the roof of the fish’s mouth as it falls back into the water. It’s pitch-black, and smells like old seafood! Before it can gulp us down, though, I balloon open a magical shield that bubbles around us, lodging us in the fish’s leathery gullet. I blink on my shinylight again, illuminating some seriously rotten teeth that explain the awful smell. The yordle squeals at the sight. The fish lashes about, and the three of us are thrown in every direction, protected by the impermeable bubble.

用这样的方式结交新朋友可真是够奇怪！

What a strange way to make new friends!

我想要打开魔典，让我们三个逃脱，但那条囊喉鱼又跳了起来，我们在泡泡里被弹到空中。然后噗通一声落下来——大鱼肯定是跳到了船甲板上。我听到水手们的吼叫，巨大的囊喉鱼来回冲撞，用尾巴抽打他们。

I try to open Book so the three of us can escape, but the gulperfish leaps into the air once more, and we are tossed into a heap inside the bubble. We fall with a thud—the fish must have landed on the ship’s deck. I hear the sailors shouting as the enormous gulper thrashes back and forth, slapping them with its tail.

我听到了落水声，又一声，然后又是一声。几个人类肯定被打到了水里。我们依然卡在囊喉鱼的喉咙口。我翻开了魔典，打开了一道传送门，闪烁着班德尔城特有的昏暗绿色，是家乡的绿色。

I hear a splash, and another, and another. The humans must have been knocked into the water. Still stuck in the throat of the gulperfish, I flip Book open to a portal that shimmers with the dusky green of Bandle City, the green of home.

我叼住那个约德尔人的衬衫冲进书页。传送门徐徐展开，我们旋转着进入了精神领域，在眩晕中陷入色彩的旋涡。

I grab the small yordle’s shirt with my teeth and dive into the page. The portal widens and we spin into the spirit realm, dizzy and whirling into a jumble of colors.

我们咳嗽着在一条小溪的岸边出现。我吸了一口班德尔城甜美的空气，和我梦中感觉的一样浓重丰富。蓝玉蟋蟀在暮光中鸣叫，小溪温和地冒着气泡，里面全是鱼——小鱼。

We emerge, coughing, on the banks of a shallow creek. My lungs fill with the sweet air of Bandle City, thick and lush as in my dream. Sapphire-blue crickets chirp in the twilight as the brook babbles gently, full of fish—normal-sized fish.

魔典拍打书页甩干水。蓝毛的约德尔人站起来，浑身湿透，瑟瑟发抖。“刚才是？我们怎么……逃走的？”他问，“最近的比尔吉沃特传送门不是应该在码头上吗？”

Book flaps its pages to dry off. The blue-furred yordle stands up, dripping and shaking. “What was that? How did we… escape?” he asks. “Wasn’t the nearest Bilgewater portal back on the docks?”

“我们很幸运，魔典随身带着我们的传送门。”我说。魔典转了一圈，展示它用干瘪大树做成的纸页，每张纸上都用墨水和颜料勾画着一道门扉。

“Lucky for us, Book carries our portals around wherever we go,” I say. Book twirls, showing off its dried-up-tree pages, each inscribed with a magical gateway outlined in ink and paint.

“谢谢你们救了我，”约德尔人说着，好奇地看着魔典，“你们也住在这吗？”

“Well, thank you for saving me, both of you,” says the yordle. He looks at Book curiously. “Is this where you’re from, too?”

“以前是，但现在已经不住在这了。”我说完，看了看魔典，伤心地想起了主人。

“Yes, but we don’t live here anymore,” I say. I look at Book, sadly, thinking of master.

魔典拍打着书页。我知道它是觉得应该上路了。

Book flutters. I know it thinks it’s time to move on.

“你从这里能找到家吗？”我问那个约德尔人。

“You know how to get home from here?” I ask the yordle.

“是，能，过了烟袋洞以后再上坡就到了。我很熟悉这片牧场。衷心希望你能找到你的约德尔人。”说完，他便走开了。

“Yes, yes, just up the hill past the bowl-moles. I know this meadow well. And I do hope you find your yordle,” he says, before wandering off.

我在原地停了一会，看着暮色变成破晓。我瞥到地平线上有一只皎月娥在飞，好想去扑它喔，但我又想到，诺拉依然还在不知道什么地方，可能现在正在等着我们去救她。

I stay for a moment, watching as the gloaming turns to daybreak. I catch a glimpse of a moon-moth hovering on the horizon and I long to pounce on it, but I remember that Norra is still lost somewhere, perhaps waiting for us to rescue her this very minute.

我轻轻地用爪子拍了下魔典——我知道它也在想念她。

I pat Book as gently as I can with my paw—I know it misses her too.

然后我翻开新的一页，跳了进去。

Then I open it to a new page, and dive in.