CHAPTER 2
“Well?” hissed1 Bluestar,her face only a mouse-length from his now. Lionheart remained silent as he towered over Rusty2.
He flattened3 his ears and crouched4 under the golden warrior5’s cold stare. His fur prickled uncomfortably. “I am no threat to your Clan6,” he mewed, looking down at his trembling paws.
“You threaten our Clan when you take our food,” yowled Bluestar. “You have plenty of food in your Twoleg nest already. You come here only to hunt for sport. But we hunt to survive.”
The truth of the warrior queen’s words pierced Rusty like a blackthorn, and suddenly he understood her anger. He stopped trembling, sat up, and straightened his ears. He raised his eyes to meet hers. “I had not thought of it that way before. I am sorry,” he meowed solemnly. “I will not hunt here again.”
Bluestar let her hackles fall and signaled to Lionheart to step back. “You are an unusual kittypet, Rusty,” she meowed.
Graypaw’s sigh of relief made Rusty’s ears twitch8. He heard the approval in Bluestar’s voice and noticed as she swapped9 a meaningful glance with Lionheart. The look made him curious. What flashed between the two warriors10? Quietly he asked, “Is survival here really so hard?”
“Our territory covers only part of the forest,” answered Bluestar. “We compete with other Clans11 for what we have. And this year, late newleaf means prey12 is scarce.”
“Is your Clan very big?” Rusty meowed, his eyes wide.
“Big enough,” replied Bluestar. “Our territory can support us, but there is no prey left over.”
“Are you all warriors, then?” Rusty mewed. Bluestar’s guarded answers were just making him more and more curious.
Lionheart answered him. “Some are warriors. Some are too young or too old or too busy caring for kits13 to hunt.”
“And you all live and share prey together?” Rusty murmured in awe14, thinking a little guiltily of his own easy, selfish life.
Bluestar looked again at Lionheart. The golden tabby stared back at her steadily15. At last she returned her gaze to Rusty and meowed, “Perhaps you should find out these things for yourself. Would you like to join ThunderClan?”
Rusty was so surprised, he couldn’t speak.
Bluestar went on: “If you did, you would train with Graypaw to become a Clan warrior.”
A sad look clouded Bluestar’s eyes. “Warrior blood,” she echoed with a sigh. “Too much of that has been spilled lately.”
Bluestar fell silent and Lionheart meowed, “Bluestar is only offering you training, young kit7. There is no guarantee you would become a full warrior. It might prove too difficult for you. After all, you are used to a comfortable life.”
Rusty was stung by Lionheart’s words. He swung his head around to face the golden tabby. “Why offer me the chance, then?”
But it was Bluestar who answered. “You are right to question our motives17, young one. The fact is, ThunderClan needs more warriors.”
“Understand that Bluestar does not make this offer lightly,” warned Lionheart. “If you wish to train with us, we will have to take you into our Clan. You must either live with us and respect our ways, or return to your Twolegplace and never come back. You cannot live with a paw in each world.”
A cool breeze stirred the undergrowth, ruffling18 Rusty’s fur. He shivered, not with the cold, but with excitement at the incredible possibilities opening up in front of him.
“Are you wondering if it’s worth giving up your comfortable kittypet life?” asked Bluestar gently. “But do you realize the price you will pay for your warmth and food?”
Rusty looked at her, puzzled. Surely his encounter with these cats had proved to him just how easy and luxurious19 his life was.
“I can tell that you are still a tom,” Bluestar added, “despite the Twoleg stench that clings to your fur.”
“What do you mean—stilla tom?”
“You haven’t yet been taken by the Twolegs to see the Cutter,” meowed Bluestar gravely. “You would be very different then. Not quite so keen to fight a Clan cat, I suspect!”
Rusty was confused. He suddenly thought of Henry, who had become fat and lazy since his visit to the vet20. Was that what Bluestar meant by the Cutter?
“The Clan may not be able to offer you such easy food or warmth,” continued Bluestar. “In the season of leaf-bare, nights in the forest can be cruel. The Clan will demand great loyalty21 and hard work. You will be expected to protect the Clan with your life if necessary. And there are many mouths to feed. But the rewards are great. You will remain a tom. You will be trained in the ways of the wild. You will learn what it is to be a real cat. The strength and the fellowship of the Clan will always be with you, even when you hunt alone.”
Rusty’s head reeled. Bluestar seemed to be offering him the life he had lived so many times, and so tantalizingly22, in his dreams, but could he live like that for real?
Lionheart interrupted his thoughts. “Come, Bluestar, let’s not waste any more time here. We must be ready to join the other patrol at moonhigh. Tigerclaw will wonder what has become of us.” He stood up and flicked23 his tail expectantly.
“Wait,” Rusty meowed. “Can I think about your offer?”
Bluestar looked at him for a long moment and nodded. “Lionheart will be here tomorrow at sunhigh,” she told him. “Give him your answer then.”
Bluestar murmured a low signal, and in a single movement the three cats turned and disappeared into the undergrowth.
Rusty blinked. He stared—excited, uncertain—up past the ferns that encircled him, through the canopy24 of leaves, to the stars that glittered in the clear sky. The scent25 of the Clan cats still hung heavy in the evening air. And as Rusty turned and headed for home, he felt a strange sensation inside him, tugging26 him back into the depths of the forest. His fur prickled deliciously in the light wind, and the rustling27 leaves seemed to whisper his name into the shadows.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
hissed
|
|
| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
rusty
|
|
| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
flattened
|
|
| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
crouched
|
|
| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
warrior
|
|
| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
clan
|
|
| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
kit
|
|
| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
twitch
|
|
| v.急拉，抽动，痉挛，抽搐；n.扯，阵痛，痉挛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
swapped
|
|
| 交换（工作）( swap的过去式和过去分词 )； 用…替换，把…换成，掉换（过来） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
warriors
|
|
| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
clans
|
|
| 宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
prey
|
|
| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
kits
|
|
| 衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
awe
|
|
| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
steadily
|
|
| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
blurted
|
|
| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
motives
|
|
| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
ruffling
|
|
| 弄皱( ruffle的现在分词 )； 弄乱； 激怒； 扰乱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
luxurious
|
|
| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
vet
|
|
| n.兽医，退役军人；vt.检查 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
loyalty
|
|
| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
tantalizingly
|
|
| adv.…得令人着急，…到令人着急的程度 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
flicked
|
|
| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
canopy
|
|
| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
scent
|
|
| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
tugging
|
|
| n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
rustling
|
|
| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |