Tigerclaw went on ahead, and bythe time Fireheart and Cinderpaw reached the camp with Silverstream’s kits1, the whole Clan2 knew what had happened. Warriors3 and apprentices5 had gathered outside their dens7, watching in silence. Fireheart could almost smell their shock and disbelief.
Bluestar stood at the entrance to the nursery as if she was waiting for them. Fireheart half expected her to turn them away, refusing to take care of a different Clan’s kits, but she only meowed quietly, “Come inside.”
In the heart of the bramble thicket8, all was dim and quiet. Brindleface was curled around her kits, asleep in a heap of gray and tawny9 fur with Cloudkit’s white coat shining among them like a patch of snow. Close by her, in a nest of moss10 lined with downy feathers, Goldenflower lay on her side, suckling her new kits. One was a pale ginger11 color like Goldenflower herself, and the other a dark tabby.
“Goldenflower,” murmured Bluestar, “I have something to ask you. Can you manage two more? Their mother has just died.”
Goldenflower raised her head, her startled look softening12 when she saw the two helpless scraps13 of fur dangling14 from Fireheart’s and Cinderpaw’s mouths. They had begun to wriggle15 feebly, giving out thin, high-pitched mews of fear and hunger.
“I suppose—” Goldenflower began.
“Wait,” Speckletail interrupted; she had padded into the nursery just behind Fireheart. “Before you agree to anything, Goldenflower, ask Bluestar to tell you whose kits these are.”
Fireheart felt a pang16 of anxiety. Though Speckletail was a good mother, she had a ferocious17 temper, and he guessed she would not look kindly18 on kits that were neither one Clan nor the other.
“I would not hide such a thing from her,” Bluestar meowed calmly. “Goldenflower, these are Graystripe’s kits. Their mother was Silverstream—a RiverClan cat.”
Goldenflower’s eyes widened in astonishment19, and Brindleface, roused from her doze20, pricked21 up her ears.
“Graystripe must have been slinking off for moons to see her,” Speckletail hissed22. “What loyal cat would do that? They both betrayed their Clans23. There’s bad blood in those kits.”
“Nonsense,” Bluestar spat24 back, her hackles suddenly raised. Fireheart winced—he had rarely seen his leader so angry. “Whatever we think about Graystripe and Silverstream, the kits are innocent. Will you take them, Goldenflower? They’ll die without a mother.”
Goldenflower hesitated, and then let out a long breath. “How can I say no? I have plenty of milk.”
Speckletail let out a snort of disapproval25 and pointedly27 turned her back as Fireheart and Cinderpaw gently laid the kits in Goldenflower’s nest. The pale ginger queen bent28 over to guide them toward her belly29, and their miserable30 squeaking31 died away as they burrowed32 into the warmth of her body and found a place to suckle.
“Thank you, Goldenflower,” purred Bluestar.
Fireheart realized that she was looking down at the young kits with an expression of longing33. He wondered if she was thinking about her own lost kits, and his doubts about what had really happened to them came flooding back. Could they possibly be Mistyfoot and Stonefur, alive and well in RiverClan? Did she have any idea?
His thoughts were interrupted when Cinderpaw turned abruptly34 and made her way out of the den6. Fireheart followed her, to find her crouching35 outside with her head bowed onto her front paws. “What’s the matter?” he asked.
“Silverstream died.” Fireheart could hardly hear her muffled36 reply. “I let her die.”
“That’s not true!”
Cinderpaw looked up, blinking. Her eyes were blue pools of misery37. “I’m supposed to be a medicine cat. I’m supposed to save lives.”
“You saved the two kits,” Fireheart reminded her, moving closer and pressing the side of his face against her cheek.
“But I didn’t save Silverstream.”
A wave of sympathy washed over Fireheart. He understood how Cinderpaw felt, and he wanted to tell her she was wrong to blame herself, but he didn’t have the words. Feeling useless and saddened, he began to lick her gently.
“What’s going on?” Fireheart looked up to see Yellowfang standing38 in front of them, a puzzled frown on her broad gray face. “What’s this I hear about Graystripe and a RiverClan queen?”
Cinderpaw didn’t even seem to notice that her mentor39 was there. It was left to Fireheart to explain.
“Cinderpaw was brilliant,” he told the elderly medicine cat. “Those kits would have died without her.”
Yellowfang nodded. “I’ve seen Tigerclaw,” she rasped. “Brackenfur was taking me to the Sunningrocks when we ran into him. He’s furious about the kits. But he’s not furious with you, Cinderpaw,” she added. “He knows you did your duty, just as any medicine cat would.”
Cinderpaw glanced up at that. “I’ll never be a medicine cat,” she spat bitterly. “I’m useless. I let Silverstream die.”
“What?” snarled40 Yellowfang angrily, arching her skinny gray body. “That’s the most mouse-brained thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Yellowfang—” Fireheart began to protest at her harsh tone, but the medicine cat ignored him.
“You did your best, Cinderpaw,” she growled41. “No cat can do more.”
“But it wasn’t good enough,” Cinderpaw pointed26 out dully. “If you’d been there, you would have saved her.”
“Oh? StarClan told you that, did they? Cinderpaw, sometimes cats die, and no cat can do anything about it.” She let out a rusty42 mew, half laughter, half scolding. “Not even me.”
“But I lost her, Yellowfang.”
“I know. And that’s a hard lesson.” Now there was rough sympathy in the old cat’s meow. “But I’ve lost cats before now—more cats than I care to count. Every medicine cat in the world has. You live with it. You go on.” She nudged Cinderpaw with her battle-scarred muzzle43, and went on nudging until the younger cat rose unsteadily to her paws. “Come on. There’s work to be done. Smallear’s complaining about his aching joints44 again.”
She herded45 Cinderpaw in the direction of her den and paused to glance over her shoulder at Fireheart. “Don’t worry,” she told him. “She’ll be fine.”
Fireheart watched the two cats cross the clearing and vanish into Yellowfang’s den.
“You can trust Yellowfang.” At the sound of the quiet meow, Fireheart turned to see Bluestar. “She’ll see Cinderpaw through this.”
The Clan leader was sitting just outside the nursery, her tail wrapped neatly46 over her paws. In spite of all the turmoil47 of Silverstream’s death and the discovery of Graystripe’s illicit48 relationship, she looked as calm as ever.
“Bluestar,” Fireheart meowed hesitantly, “what will happen to Graystripe now? Will he be punished?”
Bluestar looked thoughtful. “I can’t answer that yet, Fireheart,” she admitted. “I need to discuss it with Tigerclaw and the other warriors.”
“Graystripe couldn’t help himself,” Fireheart blurted49 out loyally.
“Not help himself—when he betrayed his Clan and the warrior4 code to be with Silverstream?” Bluestar’s eyes glinted, but her tone was not as angry as Fireheart would have expected. “I promise you one thing,” she added. “I’ll do nothing until the shock has died down. We need to consider the whole matter carefully.”
“You’re not really shocked, though, are you?” Fireheart dared to ask. “Had you guessed it was happening?” He half expected Bluestar not to answer. She held him motionless for several heartbeats with her penetrating50 blue gaze. There was wisdom in her eyes, he saw, and even pain.
“Yes, I suspected,” she mewed at last. “It’s a leader’s place to know things. And I’m not exactly blind at the Gatherings51.”
“Then…then why didn’t you stop it?”
“I hoped Graystripe would remember his loyalty52 to the Clan on his own,” Bluestar replied. “I knew that even if he didn’t, something would happen to end it, sooner or later. I only wish it had not ended so tragically53, for both of them. Though I don’t know how Graystripe would have coped with watching his own kits grow up in another Clan.”
“You understand about that, don’t you?” The words were out before Fireheart had a chance to think about what he was saying. “It happened to you.”
Bluestar stiffened54 and Fireheart flinched55 at the sudden blaze of anger in her eyes. Then she relaxed, and the anger was replaced by a distant look of memory and loss.
“You guessed,” she murmured. “I thought you might. Yes, Fireheart, Mistyfoot and Stonefur were once my kits.”
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
kits
|
|
| 衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
clan
|
|
| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
warriors
|
|
| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
warrior
|
|
| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
apprentices
|
|
| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
den
|
|
| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
dens
|
|
| n.牙齿，齿状部分；兽窝( den的名词复数 )；窝点；休息室；书斋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
thicket
|
|
| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
tawny
|
|
| adj.茶色的，黄褐色的；n.黄褐色 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
moss
|
|
| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
ginger
|
|
| n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
softening
|
|
| 变软，软化 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
scraps
|
|
| 油渣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
dangling
|
|
| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
wriggle
|
|
| v./n.蠕动，扭动；蜿蜒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
pang
|
|
| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
ferocious
|
|
| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
kindly
|
|
| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
astonishment
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
doze
|
|
| v.打瞌睡；n.打盹，假寐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
pricked
|
|
| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
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： |
|
|
|
|
23
clans
|
|
| 宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
spat
|
|
| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
disapproval
|
|
| n.反对，不赞成 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
pointedly
|
|
| adv.尖地，明显地 | |
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
belly
|
|
| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
miserable
|
|
| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
squeaking
|
|
| v.短促地尖叫( squeak的现在分词 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
burrowed
|
|
| v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的过去式和过去分词 )；翻寻 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
longing
|
|
| n.（for）渴望 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
abruptly
|
|
| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
crouching
|
|
| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
muffled
|
|
| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
misery
|
|
| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
mentor
|
|
| n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
snarled
|
|
| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
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： |
|
|
|
|
42
rusty
|
|
| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
muzzle
|
|
| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
joints
|
|
| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
herded
|
|
| 群集，纠结( herd的过去式和过去分词 )； 放牧； （使）向…移动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
neatly
|
|
| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
turmoil
|
|
| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
illicit
|
|
| adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
blurted
|
|
| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
penetrating
|
|
| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
gatherings
|
|
| 聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
loyalty
|
|
| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
tragically
|
|
| adv. 悲剧地，悲惨地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
stiffened
|
|
| 加强的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
flinched
|
|
| v.（因危险和痛苦）退缩，畏惧( flinch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |