It was a cold, gray morning. Fireheartdragged himself reluctantly out of his warm nest, and padded over to nudge Graystripe.
“Wha…?” Graystripe twitched1 and settled down again with his tail wrapped over his nose. “Go away, Fireheart.”
Fireheart lowered his head and butted2 the broad gray shoulder. “Come on, Graystripe,” he whispered into his friend’s ear. “We’ve got to hunt for RiverClan.”
At that, Graystripe levered himself upright and parted his jaws4 in an enormous yawn. Fireheart felt just as tired as his friend; supplying RiverClan with fresh-kill as well as keeping up with their duties in ThunderClan was taking up all their time and energy. They had crossed the river with prey6 several times, and so far their luck had held. No ThunderClan cat had found out what they were doing.
Stretching, Fireheart glanced cautiously around the den7. Most of the warriors8 were curled among the moss10, too sound asleep to ask awkward questions. Tigerclaw was just a mound11 of dark tabby fur in his nest.
Fireheart slipped out between the branches of the den. At first he thought that all the other cats were asleep; then he saw Brindleface appear at the entrance to the nursery and lift her face to sniff12 the air. As if she didn’t like the raw, damp wind that greeted her, she retreated almost at once.
Fireheart looked back at Graystripe, who was shaking scraps13 of moss off his coat. “Okay,” he meowed. “We can go now.”
The two cats bounded across the clearing toward the gorse tunnel. Just as they reached it, a familiar voice behind them called out, “Fireheart! Fireheart!”
Fireheart froze and turned around. Cloudkit was scampering14 toward him, yowling, “Fireheart! Wait for me!”
“Fireheart,” growled15 Graystripe, “why does your kin5 always turn up at the most awkward moment?”
“StarClan knows.” Fireheart sighed.
“Where are you going?” Cloudkit panted excitedly as he skidded16 to a stop in front of the warriors. “Can I come with you?”
“No,” Graystripe told him. “Only apprentices18 can go out with warriors.”
Cloudkit shot Graystripe a look of dislike. “But I’ll be an apprentice17 soon. Won’t I, Fireheart?”
“‘Soon’ isn’t ‘now,’” Fireheart reminded him, struggling to keep calm. If they hung around much longer, the whole Clan3 would be awake and wanting to know where they were going. “You can’t come this time, Cloudkit. We’re going out on a special warrior9 mission.”
Cloudkit’s blue eyes grew round with wonder. “Is it a secret?”
“Yes,” hissed19 Graystripe. “Especially from nosey kits20.”
“I wouldn’t tell any cat,” Cloudkit promised eagerly. “Fireheart, please let me come.”
“No.” Fireheart exchanged an exasperated21 glance with Graystripe. “Look, Cloudkit, go back to the nursery now, and maybe I’ll take you out later for some hunting practice. Okay?”
“Okay…I suppose.” Cloudkit looked sulky, but he turned around and trailed off in the direction of the nursery.
Fireheart watched him until he reached the entrance, and then slipped into the mouth of the tunnel. Moments later he was racing22 up the ravine with Graystripe at his side.
“I just hope Cloudkit doesn’t tell the whole Clan we went out early on a special mission,” puffed23 Graystripe.
“We’ll worry about that later,” Fireheart panted.
The two warriors headed for the stepping-stones. The fallen tree was still there to help them cross the river, and hunting close by meant they had less distance to carry the fresh-kill, and were less likely to be spotted24.
By the time they reached the edge of the forest, the daylight had grown stronger, but the sunrise was hidden behind a mass of gray cloud. There was a spatter of rain in the wind. Fireheart couldn’t help feeling that all sensible prey would be curled up in their holes. He raised his head and sniffed26. The breeze carried the scent27 of squirrel, fresh and not far away. Cautiously he began to stalk through the trees. Soon he caught sight of his prey searching among the debris28 at the foot of an oak tree. As he watched, it sat up and began to nibble29 on an acorn30 held between its front paws.
“If it knows we’re here,” Graystripe breathed in his ear, “it’ll be up that tree in a flash.”
Fireheart nodded. “Circle around,” he murmured. “Come at it from that side.”
Graystripe slid away from him, a silent gray shape in the shadows of the trees. Fireheart flattened31 himself into the hunter’s crouch32 with the ease of long practice, and began to creep up on the squirrel. He saw its ears prick33, and its head swiveled around as if something had alarmed it; perhaps it had seen a flicker34 of movement from Graystripe, or caught his scent.
While it was distracted, Fireheart hurled35 himself across the open ground. His claws pinned the squirrel to the forest floor, and Graystripe ran forward to finish the struggle.
“Well done,” Fireheart grunted36.
Graystripe spat25 out a mouthful of fur. “It’s a bit old and stringy, but it’ll do.”
The two warriors continued their hunt until they had killed a rabbit and a couple of mice. By then, although he could not see the sun, Fireheart knew it must be near sunhigh. “We’d better take this to RiverClan,” he meowed. “They’re bound to miss us back at the camp soon.”
Stumbling slightly under the weight of the squirrel and one of the mice, he led the way to the fallen tree. To his relief, the water was no higher, and the crossing seemed easier now that he had done it several times. All the same, Fireheart felt uneasy as he scrambled37 through the branches, knowing that he was in full view of any ThunderClan cat who happened to be patrolling the forest’s edge.
He and Graystripe swam the last couple of fox-lengths and pulled themselves out of the river on the RiverClan side. When they had shaken the water out of their fur they slunk quickly toward the bushes where RiverClan had made their temporary camp.
A cat must have been on watch, because as they approached, Leopardfur emerged from the bushes. “Welcome,” she meowed, sounding a lot friendlier than she had when she first came upon them with the two kits they had rescued.
Fireheart followed her into the shelter of the hawthorn38 branches, remembering how he and Graystripe had hidden there to wait for Silverstream. The RiverClan cats had worked hard since the floods forced them out of their camp, bringing moss for bedding and scraping out a place beside the roots of a large bush where fresh-kill could be stored. Today this was little more than a pitiful collection of a few mice and a couple of blackbirds, which made the ThunderClan warriors’ contribution all the more necessary. Fireheart dropped his prey onto the pile, and Graystripe did the same.
“Is that more fresh-kill?” Stonefur appeared with Silverstream just behind him. “Great!”
“We have to feed the elders and the nursing queens first,” Leopardfur reminded him.
“I’ll take something for the elders,” Silverstream offered. She turned a long look on Graystripe and meowed, “You can help me. Fetch that rabbit, will you?”
Fireheart felt a sudden jolt39 of alarm. Surely Silverstream wouldn’t risk spending time alone with Graystripe in the middle of her own camp? On their earlier visits, she had kept her distance
Graystripe didn’t need another invitation. “Sure,” he mewed, grabbing the rabbit and following Silverstream out of the bushes.
“They’ve got the right idea,” meowed Stonefur. “Fireheart, do you want to bring the squirrel to the nursing queens? Then they can thank you themselves.”
Feeling somewhat dazed, Fireheart agreed. Following Stonefur, he reflected again on how strange it was to look at the RiverClan warrior and know that he was half ThunderClan, especially since Stonefur himself didn’t share that knowledge.
In the makeshift nursery, Fireheart was pleased to see Mistyfoot again, stretched out on her side while her kits suckled contentedly40. But he couldn’t help worrying about Graystripe. Once he had greeted the queens, and helped them divide up the squirrel, he murmured to Stonefur, “Can you show me where Graystripe went? We ought to be getting back, before any cat notices we’re missing.”
“Sure, this way,” meowed Stonefur. He led Fireheart to a spot farther along the ridge41 where three or four elders were crouched42 on a bed of heather and bracken, tucking into the fresh-kill. Already not much was left of the rabbit except a few scraps of fur.
Graystripe and Silverstream were watching in silence, sitting side by side but not quite touching43, with their tails wrapped around their paws. As soon as they saw Fireheart they sprang up and padded over to him.
Graystripe’s yellow eyes blazed with a mixture of excitement and fear. “Fireheart!” he blurted44 out. “You won’t believe what Silverstream’s just told me!”
Fireheart glanced behind him, but Stonefur was already disappearing off into the bushes. The elders, having just eaten, looked sleepy, and none of them was paying any attention to Graystripe.
“Okay, what?” Fireheart mewed, his fur starting to prickle with unease. “But keep your voice down.”
Graystripe looked ready to burst out of his skin. “Fireheart,” he whispered, “Silverstream is going to have my kits!”
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1
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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butted
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| 对接的 | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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7
den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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8
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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12
sniff
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| vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视 | |
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13
scraps
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| 油渣 | |
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scampering
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的现在分词 ) | |
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15
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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16
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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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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apprentices
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| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 ) | |
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19
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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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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21
exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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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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23
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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24
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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26
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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27
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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28
debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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29
nibble
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| n.轻咬，啃；v.一点点地咬，慢慢啃，吹毛求疵 | |
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30
acorn
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| n.橡实，橡子 | |
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31
flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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32
crouch
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| v.蹲伏，蜷缩，低头弯腰；n.蹲伏 | |
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33
prick
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| v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛 | |
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34
flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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35
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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36
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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37
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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38
hawthorn
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| 山楂 | |
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39
jolt
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| v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸 | |
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40
contentedly
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| adv.心满意足地 | |
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41
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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42
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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44
blurted
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| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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