The Last Guardian｜最後的守護者
國立東華大學英美語文學系
112學年度曾珍珍教授紀念獎學金—英文短文獎得獎作品｜
112 Academic Year Award-winning English Essay of Prof. Chen-chen Tseng Memorial Scholarship,
Department of English, National Dong Hwa University
The storm had raged for three weeks before giving way to a fragile calm. A small figure against the vast white expanse, Lily threaded her way through the frozen forest. Her blond hair caught the occasional glint of sunlight; her blue eyes darted warily among the shadows cast by snow-laden branches.
暴風雪肆虐了三個星期後，終於迎來了一片狼藉中吹彈可破的短暫寧靜。在漫山遍野的白茫茫裡，莉莉穿梭在冰雪森林裡的身影顯得格外渺小。陽光偶爾灑落在她的金髮上，顯得閃閃發亮，她的藍眼睛在積雪的樹枝陰影間小心翼翼地來回掃視。
The wind whipped around her, its icy fingers whispering, “Coming into the woods again, huh?”
風像冰冷的手指從她身旁呼嘯低語而過：「又來樹林了，嗯？」
Lily shivered but made herself gaze up at the sun, its light fighting to penetrate the thick blanket of snow. Just then, a wolf with a bushy tail sprang into her path and turned into a tall, stern-looking man with furrowed brows.
莉莉打了個寒顫，但還是勉強抬起頭仰望太陽，看見陽光正奮力地穿透厚厚的雪被。就在這時，一隻尾巴毛茸茸的狼竄到了她的面前，變成一名身材高大、表情嚴肅、眉頭緊鎖的男人。
“What are you doing here?” Wilson’s voice was a low growl laced with concern. “It is still cold and dangerous enough for you.”
「你在這裡做什麼？」威爾森低沉的嗓音夾雜著擔憂。「這裡對妳來說還是太冷太危險了。」
“I’m looking for that little fairy I found before the snowstorm,” Lily uttered. She brushed past him without another word deeper into the forest, and Wilson trailed after her.
「我正在尋找暴風雪前發現的小精靈。」莉莉說道。接著她便不願多說，逕自從威爾森身旁走過，繼續朝森林深處走去，威爾森只能緊隨其後。
Soon they reached a small, lively meadow amidst an otherwise white forest. It was then that Lily’s eyes widened, as she spotted the small fairy glowing softly atop a sunflower, which stood out starkly against the snowy backdrop. As Lily stepped into the field, she felt that, indeed, it seemed to warm up just a bit here. The fairy remained curled and not moving.
很快他們便來到一片生氣蓬勃的小草地，周圍都是白雪皚皚的森林。這時，莉莉突然睜大雙眼，因為她看見了那位小精靈在一朵向日葵上微微發亮，在一片雪白背景下顯得格外醒目。當莉莉走進草地時，她感覺到這裡的確更加暖和些。小精靈依舊蜷縮著，一動也不動。
“He’s still hibernating,” Wilson said now with a softer voice. “This used to be a haven for fairies. However, one day, humans learned their powers, hunters started to come, and the last leader of this colony sacrificed his last miracle to protect this place, leaving his only son to remain.”
「他還在冬眠。」威爾森用更溫柔的語氣說道。「這裡曾經是精靈們的避難所，但是當人類知道了他們的能力，獵人就開始來了，末代精靈領袖犧牲他最後的奇蹟保全了此地，只留下他唯一的兒子。」
The petals of the sunflower opened up, and once more, the fairy came into view. Lily stared at him—with hope and sadness in her eyes. The warmth surrounded her, and soon enough, she dozed off. Feeling that she was falling asleep, Wilson transformed into a wolf and got down next to her, providing a place for her head. At dusk's arrival, the first snowflake started falling again. Every faint sound was heard through the ears of Wilson.
隨著向日葵的花瓣綻放，精靈再次映入眼簾。莉莉凝視著他，眼底充滿著希望與悲傷。不一會兒，周圍的暖意讓她昏昏欲睡。威爾森發覺莉莉快睡著了，變身為狼趴在她的身旁，讓她的頭枕在自己身上。黃昏來臨，第一片雪花再次飄落。每一個細小微弱的聲音，威爾森都聽得一清二楚。
“Time to head back home now. You should leave before the snow becomes heavier or else your grandma would be worried,” Wilson said as he gently woke Lily up. With the little girl rubbing her eyes, Wilson lowered his body, inviting the girl to mount his back.
「該回家了，妳該在雪變大之前離開，不然妳的奶奶會擔心的。」威爾森一邊說著，一邊輕輕地喚醒莉莉。小女孩揉著眼睛，威爾森低下身讓女孩爬上他的背。
Lily tidied herself up and walked past Wilson. “No thanks, I know the way back home. I don’t need your help.” She kept the death of her grandma a secret.
莉莉整理好自己，從威爾森身邊走過。「不用了，我知道回家的路。我不需要你的幫助。」她對奶奶的死守口如瓶。
Yet Wilson followed silently behind her and guarded her back to her wooden shack. Upon seeing her walking into the shack, Wilson felt a load of weight off his mind but that didn’t last long.
但威爾森依舊默默地跟在她身後，守護著她回到小木屋。威爾森看到莉莉走進小屋後覺得如釋重負，但這種感覺並沒有持續太久。
“Where’s the intruder?” Wilson’s voice growled, straining his senses to their height.
「入侵者在哪裡？」威爾森低聲咆哮，竭力提升他所有的感知能力。
“From the south, your highness,” the wind whispered back.
「從南方來的，陛下。」風輕聲回答。
Wilson bounded across to the southern rim of the forest. He was smacked with a weird giddy smell and before he could even process his thoughts, he fell into the snow.
威爾森朝著森林的南邊奔躍而去，但是他被一股怪異的氣味薰得暈頭轉向，還未來得及反應就摔進了雪地裡。
When Wilson recovered, he was once again in the warm meadow. This time, the fairy hovered around him, its small wings gleaming.
當威爾森恢復神智時，他又回到了那片溫暖的草地上。這一次，精靈在他身邊盤旋，小翅膀閃閃發光。
“Ah, Noah. How was your ‘hibernation’?” Wilson stood up, a mix of relief and frustration in his voice.
「啊，諾亞。你『冬眠』得怎麼樣？」威爾森站起身，聲音裡參雜釋然和挫折。
“Didn’t you tell me to stay asleep whenever Lily came?” Noah responded with an amused hint in his tone.
「你不是告訴我每次莉莉來時，我都要保持沉睡嗎？」諾亞的語氣中帶著一絲愉悅。
“Yeah, because it seems like she cares about you more than she does about me,” Wilson shot back.
「是啊，因為比起我，她似乎更在乎你。」威爾森反駁道。
“No surprise there,” Noah said as he sneered. “I can grant miracles. You’re just a werewolf who can offer company.”
「這沒什麼好驚訝的。」諾亞冷笑著說。「我能賜予奇蹟，而你是一個只能提供陪伴的狼人。」
For centuries, Noah, the ancient guardian of the forest, had seen everything that transpired in his forest. Wilson was a much more recent arrival who became co-guardian after most of Noah’s fairies fell to hunters. With Noah unable to leave, protector and scout duties fell to Wilson’s shoulders. Today, however, something in his gut told him that fairy hunters were prowling once more around the forest.
幾個世紀以來，諾亞作為古老的森林守護者，見證了在這片森林裡發生的一切。而威爾森是在大部分的精靈被獵人捕獲後，最近才來到這裡成為共同守護者。由於諾亞無法離開，保護和巡邏的任務就落在了威爾森的肩上。但是，今天威爾森的直覺告訴他，精靈獵人又在森林周圍徘徊了。
Days later, Wilson detected that smell again and waded closer, holding his breath. He spotted a shadow—a child, he’d say, with a shotgun and aimed directly at him. The shot rang out before he could evade.
幾天後，威爾森再次嗅到了那股氣味，他屏住呼吸涉水靠近。他看到了一個陰影—是一個孩子，手中握著一把獵槍，正對準他。槍聲在他來不及閃避前響起。
As the child approached the fallen wolf, she removed her hood, revealing shining blond hair and piercing blue eyes. She glanced toward the heart of the forest as she began to reload her weapon, leaving an empty glass jar in her pocket.
當那孩子走近倒下的狼時，她脫下了兜帽，露出了閃亮的金髮和銳利的藍眼睛。她朝森林深處瞥了一眼，開始重新裝填武器，口袋裡留著一個空玻璃罐。
英文作者｜Author：英美語文學系 許芷涵｜Chih-Han (Kelly) Hsu, Department of English
中文譯者｜Translator：英美語文學系 柯景翎｜Wendy Ke, Department of English