CHAPTER 23
Firepaw could tell there were several cats in the patrol,traveling fast. He couldn’t recognize the individual scents1 of the cats through the earthy bog3 odors, but he knew it was ThunderClan. He held his breath as the pawsteps raced past and away.
Yellowfang answered him first. “I might be able to find us some help from inside ShadowClan. Not all the cats support Brokenstar.”
“When he became leader,” Yellowfang explained, “Brokenstar forced the elders to leave the security of the inner camp. They had to live on the boundary and hunt for themselves. These are cats who have grown up with the warrior9 code. Some of them might help us.”
Firepaw stared into her old eyes, thinking quickly. “And I might be able to persuade the ThunderClan hunting party to help us too,” he meowed. “If I can speak to them before they see Yellowfang, I might be able to make them believe her story. Graypaw, you wait at the dead ash, where we smelled the kit6 blood, till one of us returns.”
Graypaw looked worried. “But do you really trust Yellowfang to bring back help?” he murmured to Firepaw.
Graypaw looked at Firepaw, who nodded.
Without another word Yellowfang sprang past the two apprentices11 and disappeared into the bushes.
“Have we done the right thing?” asked Graypaw.
“I don’t know,” Firepaw admitted. “If we have, we are heroes and the kits are safe. If we are wrong, then we are as good as dead.”
Firepaw sprinted12 after the patrol, around brambles, past gorse, and through nettles13. The trail was easy to follow. The angry ThunderClan cats weren’t trying to disguise their presence in ShadowClan’s territory.
Overhead, the thick layer of cloud had finally rolled away. Beyond the treetops, Silverpelt glittered across the night sky. The moon was just rising, but its cold light couldn’t pierce the mist that clung to the shadowy undergrowth.
Firepaw concentrated on the scent2 from up ahead. He could smell Whitestorm. He sniffed14 again. Tigerclaw wasn’t with them. He raced to catch up and skidded15 to a halt behind the band of ThunderClan cats.
The warriors16 turned and glared at him, fur bristling17, ears flattened18 aggressively. Darkstripe was with them and the young she-cat Mousefur, as well as the tabby warrior Runningwind. Mousefur wasn’t the only she-cat in the patrol—Willowpelt was there too.
“Firepaw!” growled Whitestorm. “What are you doing here?”
Firepaw gasped19 for breath. “Bluestar sent me!” he panted. “She wanted me to find Yellowfang before—”
Whitestorm interrupted him. “Ah!” he meowed. “Bluestar told me I might find a friend out here. Now I understand what she meant.” He looked thoughtfully at Firepaw.
Whitestorm looked at him curiously21. “Bluestar insisted she needed him to remain at camp, to protect the remaining kits.”
Firepaw nodded quickly, relieved. He meowed urgently, “Whitestorm, I need your help. I can lead you to the kits. Graypaw is waiting for me. We plan to rescue them tonight. Will you come?”
“Of course we’ll come!” The warriors flicked their tails with excitement.
“It will mean raiding the ShadowClan camp,” Firepaw warned.
“Can you lead us there?” asked Runningwind eagerly.
“No, but Yellowfang can. And she has promised to bring help from her old allies in the camp.”
“I don’t understand,” meowed Whitestorm, puzzled. “The traitor23 is going to help rescue the kits she stole?”
Firepaw took a deep breath to calm himself, then looked steadily24 into Whitestorm’s eyes. “Yellowfang didn’t take them,” he meowed. “Nor did she murder Spottedleaf. She wants to help us rescue our kits.”
Whitestorm stared back at him, then blinked slowly. “Lead the way, Firepaw,” he ordered.
Graypaw was waiting by the ash tree, pacing restlessly around its rotten trunk. He stopped as soon as he saw the patrol emerge from the mist and twitched25 his whiskers in greeting.
“Any sign of Yellowfang?” Firepaw asked.
“Not yet,” answered Graypaw.
“We don’t know how far it is to the ShadowClan camp,” Firepaw pointed26 out quickly, feeling Whitestorm stiffen27 beside him. “She may be on her way back right now.”
“Or she might be happily sharing tongues with her ShadowClan comrades while we sit here like fools waiting to be ambushed28!” meowed Graypaw.
Whitestorm watched the two apprentices. His ears flicked uneasily. “Firepaw?” he prompted.
“She will come back,” Firepaw promised.
“Well said, young Firepaw.” Yellowfang stalked out from behind the ash tree and sat down. “You’re not the only one who can sneak29 up on someone,” she meowed at Firepaw. “Remember the day we met? You were looking in the wrong direction that time too.”
Three other ShadowClan cats appeared from behind the tree and settled themselves calmly on either side of Yellowfang. The ThunderClan cats bristled30, alert and suspicious.
Both Clans31 stared silently at each other. Firepaw fidgeted uncomfortably, unsure what to do now. Eventually one of the ShadowClan cats, a gray tom, spoke32. His long body was skinny, and his fur looked dull. “We have come to help you, not to harm you. You have come for your kits; we will help you rescue them.”
“We want your help to get rid of Brokenstar. He has broken the warrior code, and ShadowClan is suffering.”
“So it’s that simple, is it?” growled Runningwind. “We just drop into your camp, snatch the kits, kill your leader, and go home.”
“You will not meet as much resistance as you think,” murmured the gray tom.
Yellowfang stood up. “Let me introduce my old friends,” she meowed, weaving her way around the ShadowClan cats. She brushed past the gray tom. “This is Ashfur; he is one of the Clan4 elders.
“And this is Nightpelt, a senior warrior before Raggedstar was killed.” She circled a battered34 black tom, who nodded at them.
“And this is one of our elder queens, Dawncloud. Two of her kits died driving out WindClan.”
Dawncloud, a small tabby, meowed in greeting. “I do not wish to lose any more of my kits,” she told them.
Whitestorm gave his chest a quick lick to smooth down his fur. “You are clearly skilled warriors if you managed to creep up on us like that. But are there enough of you? We need to know what we’ll face when we raid the ShadowClan camp.”
“The old and sick of ShadowClan are slowly starving,” meowed Ashfur. “The casualties among our kits are more than we can cope with.”
“But if ShadowClan is a mess,” burst out Darkstripe, “how come you have shown so much strength lately? And why is Brokenstar still your leader?”
“Brokenstar is surrounded by a small group of elite35 warriors,” answered Ashfur. “They are the ones to fear, because they would die for him without question. The other warriors obey his orders only because they are frightened. They will fight by his side as long as they think Brokenstar is going to win. If they thought he would lose…”
“They would fight against him, not forhim!” Darkstripe finished the elder’s words in disgust. “What sort of loyalty36 is that?”
The hackles of the ShadowClan cats began to rise.
“Our Clan was not always like this,” Yellowfang interrupted. “When Raggedstar led ShadowClan, we were feared for our strength. But in those days our strength came from the warrior code and Clan loyalty, not from fear and bloodlust.” The old medicine cat sighed. “If only Raggedstar had lived longer.”
“How did Raggedstar die?” asked Whitestorm curiously. “There were so many rumors37 at the Gatherings38, but no one seemed to know for sure.”
Yellowfang’s eyes clouded with sorrow. “He was ambushed by a warrior patrol from another Clan.”
Whitestorm nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, that is what most cats seemed to think. These are bad times indeed, when leaders are picked off in the dark, instead of open and honorable battle.”
Firepaw frowned, his mind racing39 over different battle plans. “Is there any way of taking the kits without alerting the whole Clan?” he asked.
Dawncloud answered him. “They are very closely guarded. Brokenstar will be expecting ThunderClan to try to take them. You won’t be able to steal them in secret. Open attack is your only hope.”
“Then we must concentrate our attack on Brokenstar and his inner guard,” meowed Whitestorm.
Yellowfang had a suggestion. “The ShadowClan warriors should lead me into the ShadowClan camp. They could say they had captured me. We have to make sure Brokenstar and his warriors are out of their dens40. News of my capture will bring them into the clearing. Once they’re all out in the open, I’ll give the signal for you to attack.”
Whitestorm was silent for a moment. Then he nodded, his face grave as he committed his warriors to the attack. “Very well, Yellowfang,” he meowed. “Please lead the way to the ShadowClan camp.”
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1
scents
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| n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉 | |
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scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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bog
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| n.沼泽；室...陷入泥淖 | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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kits
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| 衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件 | |
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kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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flicked
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| （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） | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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growled
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| 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 | |
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apprentices
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| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 ) | |
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sprinted
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| v.短距离疾跑( sprint的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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nettles
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| n.荨麻( nettle的名词复数 ) | |
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sniffed
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| 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 | |
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skidded
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| v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的过去式和过去分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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tingle
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| vi.感到刺痛，感到激动；n.刺痛，激动 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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stiffen
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| v.(使)硬，(使)变挺，(使)变僵硬 | |
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ambushed
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| v.埋伏( ambush的过去式和过去分词 )；埋伏着 | |
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sneak
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| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
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bristled
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| adj. 直立的，多刺毛的 动词bristle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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clans
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| 宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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warily
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| adv.留心地 | |
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battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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elite
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| n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的 | |
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loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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rumors
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| n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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gatherings
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| 聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集 | |
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racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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dens
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| n.牙齿，齿状部分；兽窝( den的名词复数 )；窝点；休息室；书斋 | |
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