CHAPTER 14
The cold air chilled Firepaw’s bonesas blackness wrapped itself around him. He could hear nothing, and his nostrils1 were filled with the musty scent2 of damp earth.
Out of nowhere, a brilliant ball of light flared3 in front of him. Firepaw ducked his head, screwing up his eyes against the glare. The light shone, dazzling coldly like a star; then it blinked out, disappearing as quickly as it had come. The darkness fell away, and Firepaw found himself in the forest. He felt comforted by the familiar smells of the woods. He breathed in the moist green scents4, and calmness flowed through his body.
Without warning, a dreadful noise burst from the trees. Firepaw’s fur bristled5. It was the screeching6 of terrified cats racing7 out from the bushes up ahead. Firepaw recognized their ThunderClan pelts9 as they fled past him. He stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. Then came great cats, huge dark warriors11, their eyes glittering cruelly. They thundered toward him, pounding the earth with massive paws, their claws unsheathed. And out of the shadows, Firepaw heard a high, desperate cry filled with grief and rage. Graypaw!
Firepaw woke, horrified12. His dream vanished, leaving his ears ringing and his fur standing13 on end. As he opened his eyes, he saw the face of Tigerclaw peering into the den14. Firepaw leaped to his feet, instantly alert.
“Something wrong, Firepaw?” asked Tigerclaw.
Outside the den, the sky glowed with a new dawn, and dew sparkled on the ferns. It would be a warm day once the sun was up, but the early-morning dampness reminded Firepaw that the time of leaf-fall was not far off.
Firepaw, Graypaw, and Ravenpaw quickly gulped17 down the herbs that Spottedleaf had given them. Tigerclaw and Bluestar sat watching them, ready to leave. The rest of the camp was still asleep.
“Ugh!” complained Graypaw. “I knew they’d be bitter. Why couldn’t we eat a fat, juicy mouse instead?”
“These herbs will keep your hunger at bay longer,” answered Bluestar. “And they will make you strong. We have a long journey ahead of us.”
“Have you eaten yours already?” Firepaw asked.
“I cannot eat if I’m going to share dreams with StarClan at the Moonstone tonight,” replied Bluestar.
Firepaw felt his paws tingle18 when he heard these words. He was itching19 to begin the journey. With the dawn’s light and the familiar voices, the terror of his dream had left him. All that remained was the memory of the brilliant light, and Bluestar’s words sent a renewed thrill of excitement through him.
The five cats made their way through the gorse tunnel and out of the camp.
Lionheart was just returning with a patrol. “Safe journey,” he meowed.
Bluestar nodded. “I know I can trust you to keep the camp safe,” she answered.
Lionheart looked at Graypaw and dipped his head. “Remember,” he meowed, “you are almost a warrior10. Don’t forget what I have taught you.”
Graypaw looked back at Lionheart with affection. “I will always remember, Lionheart,” he mewed, nudging his head against the tabby’s broad golden flank.
They retraced20 their route to Fourtrees. This was the quickest way to pass into WindClan territory. HighStones lay beyond.
As Firepaw bounded down the side of the glade21 toward the Great Rock, he could still smell the scents of last night’s Gathering22. He followed the others through the grassy23 clearing and up the slope on the other side, into WindClan territory. The bushy slope became steeper as they climbed, and rockier, until the cats had to leap from boulder24 to boulder up the side of a craggy cliff face.
Firepaw paused when they reached the top. Ahead of them, the ground flattened25 out into a wide plateau. The wind blew in a steady gust26 that rippled27 the grass and bent28 the trees. The soil was stony29, and outcroppings of bare rock dotted the landscape here and there.
The air still carried the scents of WindClan, but they were stale. Much fresher, and more alarming, were the pungent30 markings of ShadowClan warriors.
“All Clans31 are entitled to safe passage to the Moonstone, but ShadowClan seems to have no respect for the warrior code anymore, so be alert,” warned Bluestar. “We mustn’t hunt outside our territory, though. We’ll follow the warrior code, even if ShadowClan doesn’t.”
They set off across the plateau as the sun rose into the sky, following the tracks through the heather. Firepaw had grown used to living under a canopy32 of trees. Without their shade, his flame-colored pelt8 felt heavy and hot, and his back seemed to burn. He was thankful for the steady breeze blowing from the forests behind.
Firepaw and the others lifted their noses, and sure enough, the scent of ShadowClan warriors traveled on the wind.
“They are upwind. They won’t know we are here if we keep moving,” meowed Bluestar. “But we must hurry. If they move ahead they’ll detect us. It’s not far to the edge of WindClan territory now.”
They moved on quickly, leaping over the rocks, pushing their way through the sweet-smelling heather. Every few steps, Firepaw sniffed35 the air and glanced over his shoulder, on the lookout36 for the ShadowClan patrol. But gradually the odor grew fainter and fainter. They must have turned back, he thought with relief.
Finally they reached the edge of the uplands. The landscape changed dramatically, shaped and altered beyond recognition by Twolegs. Wide earth tracks crisscrossed green and golden meadows, small woods dotted the land, and Twoleg nests were scattered37 here and there among the fields. In the distance Firepaw saw a familiar wide, gray path, and an acid tang that stung his throat drifted on the breeze.
“Is that the Thunderpath?” he asked Graypaw.
“Yes,” replied Graypaw. “It runs up from ShadowClan territory. Can you see HighStones behind it?”
Firepaw looked at the distant horizon. The land rose sharply up to a point, jagged and barren. “Do we have to cross the Thunderpath then?”
“Yep,” mewed Graypaw. His voice was strong and confident, almost cheerful, as he faced the difficult journey.
“Come on!” Bluestar meowed. She bounded forward. “We can be there by moonrise as long as we keep up the pace.”
Firepaw followed her with the others, down the hill, away from the bleak38 hunting grounds of WindClan and into the lush Twoleg territory.
Keeping near the hedges, the cats walked on. Once or twice Firepaw could smell prey-scent from the bushes, but Spottedleaf’s herbs had succeeded in taking the edge off his hunger. The sun was still hot on his back, even in the shadows of the hedgerows.
They skirted a Twoleg nest. It stood on a wide expanse of hard white stone, with smaller nests round the edges. Keeping low, the cats crept past the fence that surrounded the white stone. A sudden barrage39 of barking and snarling40 made them spin around.
Tigerclaw peered through the fence. “It’s all right. They’re tied up!” he hissed.
Firepaw looked at the two dogs scrabbling on the stone barely ten tail-lengths away. They were nothing like the pampered42 pets that lived in the gardens of the Twolegplace. These creatures stared at him with wild, killing43 eyes. They strained at their ties and reared up on their hind33 legs. They growled and barked, their lips drawn44 back to reveal huge teeth, until the shout of an unseen Twoleg silenced them. The cats moved on.
The sun was beginning to sink by the time they reached the Thunderpath. Bluestar signaled to them to stop and wait beneath a hedge. His eyes and throat stinging from the fumes45, Firepaw watched as the great monsters flashed to and fro in front of him.
“We’ll go one at a time,” meowed Tigerclaw. “Ravenpaw, you first.”
“No, Tigerclaw,” Bluestar interrupted. “I shall go first. Don’t forget, this will be the first time of crossing for the apprentices46. Let them see how it is done.”
Firepaw stared at his leader as she padded to the edge of the Thunderpath and looked up and down. She waited calmly as one monster after another flew past her, ruffling47 her fur. Then, when the earsplitting roar paused for a moment, she raced across to the other side.
“Off you go, Ravenpaw; now you’ve seen how it’s done,” meowed Tigerclaw.
Firepaw saw Ravenpaw’s eyes widen with fear. He knew just how his friend felt. He could smell his own fear-scent. The small black cat crept forward to the edge of the road. It was quiet, but Ravenpaw hesitated.
“Go!” hissed Tigerclaw from the hedge. Firepaw saw Ravenpaw’s muscles tighten48 as he prepared to run. Then the ground began to tremble beneath his paws. A monster sped out of the distance and hurtled past. The black cat shrank back for a moment, then pelted49 over to join Bluestar. A monster coming in the other direction threw dust up where his paws had been just a heartbeat before. Firepaw felt his fur shiver and he took a deep breath to calm himself.
“Go on, then,” growled Tigerclaw. Firepaw looked from Tigerclaw to the Thunderpath, and then walked out from beneath the hedge. He waited at the edge, as Bluestar had done. A monster was rushing toward him. Firepaw looked at the approaching monster. After this one, he thought, and waited for it to pass. Suddenly his heart lurched as he realized the monster had veered51 off the Thunderpath and was bumping along the grass. It was heading straight for him! A Twoleg was jeering52 from an opening in its side. Firepaw leaped backward, claws out, battered53 by the storm of wind from the Twoleg monster as it roared past him only a whisker away. He crouched54, trembling, in the dirt and stared as it swerved55 back onto the path and disappeared into the distance. Through the roaring of blood in his ears, Firepaw realized the Thunderpath was quiet again, and he raced across, running faster than he had ever done in his life.
“I thought you were fresh-kill!” cried Graypaw as Firepaw cannoned56 into him, almost knocking him over.
“Me too!” Firepaw gasped57. He was trying to stop shaking. He turned back to watch Tigerclaw dart58 over the path toward them.
“Do you want to rest before we go on?” Bluestar asked Firepaw.
Firepaw looked up. The sun was low in the sky. “No,” he answered. “I’m okay.” But he had leaped so frantically60 out of the monster’s way that his claws felt frayed61 and tender.
The cats carried on, with Bluestar in the lead. The earth was darker on this side of the Thunderpath and the grass felt coarser underpaw. As they approached the foot of HighStones, the grass gave way to bare, rocky soil, dotted with patches of heather. The land sloped up now, toward the sky. Craggy rocks topped the slope, blazing orange in the sun.
Bluestar stopped once more. She chose a sun-warmed rock to sit upon, flat and wide enough for all five cats to rest side by side.
Firepaw peered upward. The glare of the setting sun blinded him, and the slope was engulfed63 in shadow.
The cats waited in silence. Gradually, as the sun dropped down behind HighStones, Firepaw began to make out the cave entrance, a square black hole that yawned darkly beneath a stone archway.
“We’ll wait here until the moon is higher,” meowed Bluestar. “You should hunt if you are hungry and then get some rest.”
Firepaw was pleased to have a chance to find food. He was starving now. Graypaw clearly felt the same and leaped away into a clump64 of heather, following the prey-scent that was thick in the air. Firepaw and Ravenpaw followed him. Tigerclaw set off in the opposite direction, but Bluestar remained where she was. She sat still and silent, gazing unblinkingly at Mothermouth.
The three apprentices gathered plenty of fresh-kill. With Tigerclaw they crouched on the stony hillside and feasted. But in spite of their easy hunt, no cat said much, and the air still felt thick with tension and anticipation65.
Afterward66, the cats rested beside their leader until the warmth had seeped67 out of the rock on which they lay and cold black shadows reached up on all sides. Only then did Bluestar call out, “Come. It is time.”
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
nostrils
|
|
| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
scent
|
|
| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
Flared
|
|
| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
scents
|
|
| n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
bristled
|
|
| adj. 直立的，多刺毛的 动词bristle的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
screeching
|
|
| v.发出尖叫声( screech的现在分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
racing
|
|
| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
pelt
|
|
| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
pelts
|
|
| n. 皮毛，投掷, 疾行 vt. 剥去皮毛，（连续）投掷 vi. 猛击，大步走 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
warrior
|
|
| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
warriors
|
|
| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
horrified
|
|
| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
den
|
|
| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
mumbled
|
|
| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
growled
|
|
| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
gulped
|
|
| v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
tingle
|
|
| vi.感到刺痛，感到激动；n.刺痛，激动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
itching
|
|
| adj.贪得的，痒的，渴望的v.发痒( itch的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
retraced
|
|
| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
glade
|
|
| n.林间空地，一片表面有草的沼泽低地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
gathering
|
|
| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
grassy
|
|
| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
boulder
|
|
| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
flattened
|
|
| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
gust
|
|
| n.阵风，突然一阵（雨、烟等），（感情的）迸发 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
rippled
|
|
| 使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
stony
|
|
| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
pungent
|
|
| adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
clans
|
|
| 宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
canopy
|
|
| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
hind
|
|
| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
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： |
|
|
|
|
35
sniffed
|
|
| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
lookout
|
|
| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
scattered
|
|
| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
bleak
|
|
| adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
barrage
|
|
| n.火力网，弹幕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
snarling
|
|
| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
bristling
|
|
| a.竖立的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
pampered
|
|
| adj.饮食过量的，饮食奢侈的v.纵容，宠，娇养( pamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
killing
|
|
| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
fumes
|
|
| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
apprentices
|
|
| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
ruffling
|
|
| 弄皱( ruffle的现在分词 )； 弄乱； 激怒； 扰乱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
tighten
|
|
| v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
pelted
|
|
| （连续地）投掷( pelt的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续抨击； 攻击； 剥去…的皮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
lull
|
|
| v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
veered
|
|
| v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
jeering
|
|
| adj.嘲弄的，揶揄的v.嘲笑( jeer的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
battered
|
|
| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
crouched
|
|
| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
swerved
|
|
| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
cannoned
|
|
| vi.与…猛撞（cannon的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
gasped
|
|
| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
dart
|
|
| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
spat
|
|
| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
frantically
|
|
| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
frayed
|
|
| adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
tilting
|
|
| 倾斜，倾卸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
engulfed
|
|
| v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
clump
|
|
| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
anticipation
|
|
| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
afterward
|
|
| adv.后来；以后 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
seeped
|
|
| v.（液体）渗( seep的过去式和过去分词 )；渗透；渗出；漏出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |