CHAPTER5
Fireheart waited until the only soundhe could hear was the pounding of blood in his ears. Then he padded to the edge of the Thunderpath. It stretched ahead of him, wide and foul-smelling, but silent. Fireheart darted1 out. The ground beneath his paws felt cold and smooth. He didn’t stop until he reached the grass on the other side.
The air here was tainted2 by the acrid3 smell of the Thunderpath and its monsters, so Fireheart headed toward the hedge. Still, there was no trace of the WindClan cats. His heart sank.
Suddenly a monster tore past, making Fireheart leap into the air with terror. He scrambled6 underneath7 the hedge and crouched8, trembling, frantically9 wondering what to do next.
Then he smelled it: the faintest trace carried on the wind that the monster had stirred up. WindClan had been here!
Fireheart called as loudly as he could to Graystripe. There was a pause, then the sound of paws pounding across the Thunderpath to join him.
“Not sure. I got a whiff, but I can’t pinpoint11 it.” Fireheart pushed his way through the hedge, Graystripe right behind him. He lifted his nose toward the open field ahead of them. “Have you any idea what’s over there?”
“Except WindClan,” muttered Fireheart darkly. Away from the confusing fumes12 of the Thunderpath, the trail was suddenly clear. WindClan had definitely come this way. The two cats struck out through the long grass, straight across the field.
“Fireheart!” Graystripe sounded alarmed.
“What is it?”
“Look!”
Fireheart stopped and lifted his head. He saw a Thunderpath ahead of them arching high into the air on massive stone legs, illuminated13 by the eyes of the monsters that moved along it. Another Thunderpath ran below, veering14 off into the darkness.
Graystripe nodded toward a tall thistle. “And smell this!”
“They must have settled somewhere near here!” Graystripe murmured in disbelief.
A pang17 of excitement twisted Fireheart’s stomach. Both cats looked silently at each other for a moment. Then, without a word, they moved on toward the stinking18 Thunderpaths.
“I guess not even Brokenstar would want to follow them here,” Fireheart answered grimly. He stopped. A thought was nagging21 at him.
Graystripe paused beside him. “What is it?”
“If WindClan is hiding so near the Thunderpaths,” Fireheart meowed slowly, “they must be fairly desperate not to be found. They’re more likely to trust us if we arrive in daylight than if we creep up on them in darkness.”
“Does that mean we can rest?” asked Graystripe, sitting down heavily.
“Just until it’s light,” meowed Fireheart. “We’ll find somewhere to hide and see if we can get some sleep. Are you hungry?” Graystripe shook his head. “Me neither,” Fireheart agreed. “I don’t know if it’s those herbs or because the stench from the Thunderpath is making me feel sick.”
“Where shall we sleep?” Graystripe looked around.
Fireheart had already noticed a dark shadow in the ground up ahead. “What’s that?”
“A burrow22?” Graystripe sounded puzzled. “It’s too big for a rabbit. Surely there can’t be a badger23 set here!”
“Let’s take a look,” Fireheart suggested.
The hole was larger than a badger set, smooth and lined with stone. Fireheart sniffed24 it, then put his front paws on its rim20 and peered cautiously inside. A stone tunnel sloped away, down into the ground. “I can feel air flowing through it,” he meowed, his voice echoing away into the shadows. “It must come up somewhere over there.” He ducked back out and pointed25 his nose toward the tangle26 of Thunderpaths.
“Is it empty?” Graystripe asked.
“Smells like it.”
“Come on then.” Graystripe led the way into the tunnel. After a few fox-lengths, the slope leveled out.
Fireheart halted and sniffed the damp air. He could smell nothing but the fumes of the Thunderpath. A roaring noise rumbled27 overhead. Fireheart’s paws trembled as the stone floor vibrated. Was the Thunderpath abovethem? He fluffed out his coat against the relentless28 draft and felt Graystripe’s fur brush against him—his friend was circling, preparing to settle down to sleep. Fireheart crouched down and huddled29 beside his friend. He closed his stinging eyes and thought of the gentle forest breezes and the rustling30 of the leaves. Exhaustion31 fought briefly32 with a pang of longing33 to be at home in his den5, before he gave in to the blackness that swam into his mind.
When Fireheart opened his eyes again, gray light was glowing at the end of the tunnel. Dawn must be near. Fireheart’s bones ached from the cold hard ground. He nudged Graystripe, who grunted34. “Morning already?”
“Almost,” Fireheart answered, getting to his paws. Graystripe stretched and stood up too.
“I think we should head that way,” Fireheart meowed, craning his neck away from the light. “I think this tunnel leads right under a Thunderpath. It might take us nearer to the . . .” His voice trailed off; he had no words to describe the tangle of Thunderpaths they had seen last night. Beside him Graystripe nodded, and together they began to pad wordlessly into the darkness.
Before long Fireheart spotted35 light ahead of them. They quickened their pace until they were racing36 up a short, steep slope that led them into a world filled with gray dawn light.
They had come up near the edge of a patch of barren, dirty grass. Thunderpaths enclosed it on two sides, and another arched overhead. A fire burned in the middle of the grass. A few Twolegs lay around it. One of them stretched and rolled over, and another grunted angrily in its sleep, but the noise and stench from the Thunderpaths didn’t seem to wake them.
Fireheart watched them warily37, then froze as something else caught his eye: dark outlines that flitted back and forth38 in front of the flames. Cats! Could it be WindClan? Fireheart looked at the fire and the cats, and his mind flooded with the memory of his dream—the noise of the Thunderpath, the sight of the flames and the cats, and Spottedleaf’s voice murmuring, “Fire will save the Clan.”
A surge of emotion made Fireheart’s legs feel weak. Did this mean that ThunderClan’s fate was bound up with the fate of WindClan?
“Fireheart? Fireheart!”
“We must find Tallstar and speak with him,” he meowed.
“Then you think it isWindClan?” asked Graystripe.
“You smelled their marker—who else could it be?” Fireheart replied.
Graystripe looked at him, his eyes shining with triumph. “We found them!”
Fireheart nodded. He didn’t point out that finding WindClan was only half their mission. They still had to convince them that it was safe to return home.
“Hang on,” Fireheart warned. “We don’t want to startle them.”
Just then, one of the Twolegs sat up with a jolt40 and began shouting at the ragged42 cats around the fire. The noise roused the other Twolegs, who joined in with rough, angry voices.
The WindClan cats scattered43. All caution forgotten, Fireheart and Graystripe raced after them. Fireheart could feel his fur prickle with fear as he and Graystripe ran straight toward the fire and the Twolegs. Every instinct told him to keep away, but he dared not lose sight of the fleeing WindClan cats.
One of the Twolegs staggered to its feet, looming44 up in front of him. Fireheart skidded45, sending up a spray of dust. Something exploded beside him, pelting46 him with hard-edged splinters, but nothing pierced his thick coat. He glanced backward, checking for Graystripe. He was relieved to see his friend right behind him, his eyes wide with alarm and his fur standing47 on end.
They charged into the safety of the shadows beneath the soaring Thunderpath. Ahead, Fireheart watched the WindClan cats stop close to one of the Thunderpath’s great stone legs. And then, one by one, the cats disappeared into the ground.
“Another tunnel?” Fireheart suggested. “Come on, let’s find out.”
Cautiously, the two friends approached the spot where the WindClan cats had vanished. As they neared, they saw a hole in the earth. Like their resting place on the previous night, the entrance was round and lined with stone, sloping away into utter blackness.
Fireheart led the way, all his senses alert for a WindClan patrol. The floor beneath his paws felt wet and slimy, and the sound of trickling49 water echoed around them. As the tunnel leveled out, Fireheart pricked50 his ears and opened his mouth. The damp air smelled rank and bitter—worse than the tunnel they had slept in. Here the Thunderpath fumes mingled51 with the fear-scent of WindClan cats
It was too dark to see anything, but after a few paces Fireheart’s whiskers sensed a turning in the tunnel. Fireheart flicked52 his tail, touching53 Graystripe lightly with its tip. He couldn’t see his friend in the blackness, but Graystripe must have felt the signal, because he stopped beside Fireheart and together they peered around the corner.
Ahead of them, the tunnel was lit by a narrow hole in the ceiling that led to the wasteland above. Fireheart could see many cats huddled together in the gray light—warriors54 and elders, queens and kits55, all pitifully thin. A cold breeze blew relentlessly56 through the hole in the roof, stirring the thin fur on the skinny bodies. Fireheart shuddered57, for the breeze carried to him the stench of sickness and crow-food.
Suddenly the tunnel shook as a monster roared overhead. Graystripe and Fireheart, already tense, jumped, but the WindClan cats didn’t react. They simply huddled with half-closed eyes, numb58 to their surroundings.
The noise died away. Fireheart took a deep breath and stepped around the corner, out into the thin light.
A gray WindClan tom spun59 around, his fur standing on end as he yowled an alarm to the rest of the Clan. In one smooth movement, the WindClan warriors formed a line across the tunnel in front of the queens and elders, their backs arched, hissing60 fiercely.
With a feeling of dread61, Fireheart saw the glint of unsheathed claws and thorn-sharp fangs62. These half-starved cats were about to attack.
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1
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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tainted
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| adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏 | |
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acrid
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| adj.辛辣的，尖刻的，刻薄的 | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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6
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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7
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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8
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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10
puffed
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| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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11
pinpoint
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| vt.准确地确定；用针标出…的精确位置 | |
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12
fumes
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| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
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13
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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14
veering
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| n.改变的；犹豫的；顺时针方向转向；特指使船尾转向上风来改变航向v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的现在分词 )；（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 | |
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15
inhaled
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| v.吸入( inhale的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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17
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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18
stinking
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| adj.臭的，烂醉的，讨厌的v.散发出恶臭( stink的现在分词 )；发臭味；名声臭；糟透 | |
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19
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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rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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21
nagging
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| adj.唠叨的，挑剔的；使人不得安宁的v.不断地挑剔或批评（某人）( nag的现在分词 )；不断地烦扰或伤害（某人）；无休止地抱怨；不断指责 | |
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22
burrow
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| vt.挖掘(洞穴)；钻进；vi.挖洞；翻寻；n.地洞 | |
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23
badger
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| v.一再烦扰，一再要求，纠缠 | |
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24
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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25
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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27
rumbled
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| 发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋） | |
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28
relentless
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| adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的 | |
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29
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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30
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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31
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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32
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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33
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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34
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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35
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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36
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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37
warily
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| adv.留心地 | |
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38
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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39
jolted
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| （使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
jolt
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| v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸 | |
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41
braced
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| adj.拉牢的v.支住( brace的过去式和过去分词 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
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42
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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43
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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44
looming
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| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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45
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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46
pelting
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| 微不足道的，无价值的，盛怒的 | |
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47
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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48
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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49
trickling
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| n.油画底色含油太多而成泡沫状突起v.滴( trickle的现在分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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50
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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51
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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52
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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53
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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54
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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55
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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56
relentlessly
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| adv.不屈不挠地；残酷地；不间断 | |
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57
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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58
numb
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| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
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59
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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60
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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61
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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62
fangs
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| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
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