CHAPTER 19
“Ravenpaw!” Fireheart sprang forward to givehis old friend a welcoming nuzzle.
“It’s so good to see you, Fireheart!” Ravenpaw nudged him in return and turned his eyes to Sandstorm. “And can this really be Sandpaw?”
“Of course. The last time I saw you, you were half the size!” The black tom’s eyes narrowed. “How’s Dustpaw?”
Fireheart understood Ravenpaw’s wary2 tone. Sandstorm and Dustpelt had trained at the same time as him, and had viewed Ravenpaw more as a rival than a denmate. When Ravenpaw had fled from his mentor4, Tigerclaw, and gone to live in the Twoleg territory beyond the uplands, Dustpaw and Sandpaw had not been sad to see him go. Fireheart doubted that Ravenpaw had missed them either.
“And is this one your apprentice?” Ravenpaw asked, looking at Brightpaw.
Fireheart felt his ears twitch7 as Sandstorm answered curtly8, “I don’t have an apprentice yet. This is Whitestorm’s. Her name is Brightpaw.”
The warm breeze ruffled9 the leaves at the tops of the trees. Fireheart glanced up at the noise. This unexpected meeting had disarmed10 him, and he’d let his guard slip. He scanned the undergrowth warily11 as he remembered the threat of Tigerclaw and his band of rogues12. “What are you doing here, Ravenpaw?” he asked urgently.
Ravenpaw, who had been studying Sandstorm with a curious expression in his amber13 eyes, turned his head. “Looking for you.”
“Really? Why?” Fireheart knew it had to be important for Ravenpaw to come back to the forest. The young black cat had lived in constant fear after he had accidentally witnessed Tigerclaw killing14 Redtail, the ThunderClan deputy. When Tigerclaw had tried to kill Ravenpaw too, to keep him quiet, Fireheart and Graystripe had helped their friend escape. Ravenpaw now lived on a Twoleg farm with Barley16, another loner—a cat who wasn’t a kittypet, nor part of a forest Clan15. Ravenpaw must have a very good reason for returning to his old enemy’s territory now. After all, he had no way of knowing that Tigerclaw’s treachery had been revealed and he had been driven out of ThunderClan. As far as Ravenpaw knew, Tigerclaw was still the deputy.
Ravenpaw flicked17 his tail uneasily. “A cat has come to live on the edge of my territory,” he began.
Fireheart stared at him, confused, and Ravenpaw tried to explain. “I found him while I was out hunting. He was scared and lost. He didn’t say much, but he smelled of ThunderClan.”
“ThunderClan?” Fireheart echoed.
“I asked him if he had come over the uplands, but he didn’t seem to have any idea where he was. So I took him back to the Twoleg nest where he said he was living.”
“So he was a kittypet?” Sandstorm was staring intently at the black cat. “Are you sure it was ThunderClan you smelled on him?”
“I wouldn’t forget the scent18 I was born to,” Ravenpaw retorted. “And he didn’t seem like the usual sort of kittypet. In fact he didn’t seem at all pleased to be back with his Twolegs.”
A glimmer19 of excitement sparked in Fireheart’s belly20, but he forced himself to stay silent until Ravenpaw had finished his story.
“I couldn’t get his scent out of my mind. I went back to the Twoleg nest to speak to him again, but he was shut in. I tried to talk to him through a window, but the Twoleg chased me away.”
“What color was this cat?” Fireheart felt Sandstorm glance sharply at him.
“Then you know him?” Ravenpaw meowed. “Was I right? Is he a ThunderClan cat?”
Fireheart hardly heard Ravenpaw’s words. Cloudpaw was safe! He began to circle his old friend, his paws tingling23 with joy and relief. “Was he okay? What did he say?”
“W-well,” stammered24 Ravenpaw, turning his head to follow Fireheart as he padded around him. “Like I said, the first time I met him he seemed utterly25 lost.”
“That’s not surprising. He’s never been outside ThunderClan territory before.” Fireheart weaved impatiently around Sandstorm and Brightpaw. “He hasn’t made his journey to Highstones yet. There’s no way he’d know he was so close to home.”
Sandstorm nodded, and Ravenpaw remarked, “That would explain why he was so upset. He must have thought—”
“Upset?” Fireheart stopped pacing. “Why? Was he hurt?”
“No, no,” Ravenpaw mewed quickly. “He just seemed really miserable26. I thought he’d cheer up when I showed him the way back to his Twoleg nest, but he still seemed unhappy. That’s why I came to find you.”
Fireheart looked down at his paws, hardly knowing what to think. He realized that he had been hoping that Cloudpaw would be happy in his new life, even if Fireheart never saw him again.
Ravenpaw blinked uncertainly. “Did I do the right thing in coming here?” he meowed. “Has this…er…Cloudpaw been banished27 from the Clan?”
Fireheart gravely met Ravenpaw’s gaze. The black cat had risked his life coming here; he deserved an explanation. “Cloudpaw was stolen from the forest by Twolegs,” Fireheart began. “He was my apprentice, and my sister’s son. He’s been missing for a quarter moon. I…I was beginning to think I’d never see him again.”
Sandstorm glanced quizzically at Fireheart. “What makes you think you aregoing to see him again? He’s living in Ravenpaw’s territory with Twolegs.”
“I’m going to go and get him!” Fireheart declared.
“Go and get him? Why?”
“You heard Ravenpaw. He’s not happy!”
“Are you sure he wants rescuing?”
“Wouldn’t you?” Fireheart countered.
“I wouldn’t needrescuing. I wouldn’t have been taking food from Twolegs in the first place,” Sandstorm pointed28 out sharply.
“It would be good to have him back in the den,” Brightpaw put in, but Fireheart hardly heard her. He stared back at Sandstorm, the fur on his neck bristling30 with anger.
“You think Cloudpaw deserves to be left there, unhappy and alone?” he spat31. “Just because he made a stupid mistake?”
Sandstorm snorted impatiently. “That’s not what I’m saying. You don’t even know for sure if he wants to come back.”
“Ravenpaw said he looked miserable,” Fireheart insisted. But even as he spoke, doubt flickered32 through his mind. What if Cloudpaw had gotten used to kittypet life by now?
“Ravenpaw only spoke to him once.” Sandstorm turned to Ravenpaw. “Did he look upset when you saw him through the Twoleg window?”
Sandstorm whipped her head back to Fireheart. “He’s got a home, he’s got food, and you still think he needs rescuing. What about the Clan? They need you. Cloudpaw sounds like he’s safe. I say leave him there.”
Fireheart stared at Sandstorm. The fur across her shoulders was bristling, and her eyes glittered with determination. With a sinking feeling, Fireheart realized that she was right. How could he leave the Clan now, even for a short while, with Bluestar so weak and Tigerclaw and his band of rogues threatening them? All for the sake of a cat who had already proved to be a lazy, greedy apprentice.
But still, his heart told him he had to try. He couldn’t give up on his belief that Cloudpaw would make a great warrior34 one day, and the Clan needed all the warriors35 it could get right now.
“I have to go,” he meowed simply.
“And what if you do manage to bring him back?” Sandstorm argued. “Will he be safe in the forest?”
Fireheart felt a cold shiver run along his spine36. Could he bear to bring Cloudpaw home, only to see him slaughtered37 by Tigerclaw? But even as uncertainty38 prickled in his paws, he knew what he was going to do. “I’ll be back by sunhigh tomorrow,” he meowed. “Tell Whitestorm where I’ve gone.”
Alarm stretched Sandstorm’s eyes wide. “You’re going right now?”
“I’ll need Ravenpaw to show me where he is, and I can’t expect him to hang around in the forest,” he explained. “Not with Tigerclaw on the loose.”
Ravenpaw’s tail fluffed up with sudden fear. “What do you mean? On the loose?”
“Come on,” Fireheart meowed to the black cat. “I’ll explain as we go. The sooner we get moving, the better.”
“You’re not going without me,” Sandstorm told him. “It’s a mouse-brained journey, but you’ll need all the help you can get if you bump into Tigerclaw or a WindClan patrol!”
Fireheart felt a surge of joy at Sandstorm’s words. He glanced gratefully at her and turned to face Brightpaw. “Will you go back to the camp and tell Whitestorm where we’ve gone?” he asked the apprentice. “He knows Ravenpaw.”
Brightpaw’s eyes flashed with alarm, but she blinked it away and dipped her head. “Of course.”
“Go straight back home, and keep your ears low,” Fireheart ordered her, feeling a twinge of worry at leaving the young cat to travel alone.
“I’ll take care,” Brightpaw promised him earnestly. She turned and vanished into the undergrowth.
Fireheart pushed away his anxiety about the apprentice and began to trek40 through the ferns. Sandstorm and Ravenpaw fell into step beside him, and he was reminded of all the times he had hunted in the forest with Ravenpaw and Graystripe. But as the stifling41 forest air pressed down on him and his fur prickled with anticipation42 of the journey ahead, he couldn’t help wondering if he was leading them all into disaster.
The three cats raced through Fourtrees and climbed into WindClan territory. Fireheart remembered the last time he had been here, with Bluestar. They would be following the same route, straight across the uplands to the Twoleg farmland that lay between WindClan territory and Highstones. At least there was no breeze this time to carry their scents43 across the moor44. The air on the uplands was unnaturally45 still, and so dry that Fireheart felt his fur crackle as it brushed through the heather.
He chose a trail that kept them as far as possible from the camp that lay at the heart of WindClan’s territory. The ground up here was usually peaty and wet, but now it had dried to a hard crust and the heather was browning in places, shriveled by the sun.
“So what’s happened to Tigerclaw?” Ravenpaw broke the silence without slowing his pace.
Fireheart had often looked forward to telling Ravenpaw that his old tormentor46 had been exposed at last. But now it seemed there was only darkness in the news about Tigerclaw’s treachery and banishment47, and, since he had killed Runningwind, Fireheart stumbled over the story with a heart that ached with bitterness and regret.
Ravenpaw stopped dead in his tracks. “He killed Runningwind?”
Fireheart stopped too and nodded heavily. “Tigerclaw leads a band of rogues now, and he’s sworn to kill us all.”
“But who would follow such a leader?”
“Some of them are Brokentail’s old friends, who were exiled with him when we drove him out of ShadowClan.” Fireheart paused, forcing himself to revisit the scene of the recent battle in his mind. “But there were other cats that I hadn’t seen before. I don’t know where they’ve come from.”
“So Tigerclaw is more powerful than ever,” Ravenpaw mewed darkly.
“No!” Fireheart spat. “He’s an outcast now, not a warrior. He has no Clan. StarClan mustoppose him as long as he breaks the warrior code. Without a Clan or the warrior code to support him, there’s no way Tigerclaw can defeat ThunderClan.” Fireheart fell silent, realizing that he had spoken with a conviction he had hardly been aware of until now. Sandstorm was staring proudly at him.
“I hope you’re right,” Ravenpaw meowed.
Me too, thought Fireheart. He began to pad onward48 once more, narrowing his eyes against the glaring sun.
“Of course he’s right,” Sandstorm insisted, following.
Ravenpaw fell into step beside Sandstorm. “Well, I’m just glad I’m out of it.”
She glanced at him accusingly. “Don’t you miss Clan life at all?”
“I did in the beginning,” Ravenpaw admitted. “But now I have a new home, and I like it there. I’ve got Barley for company if I want, and that’s plenty for me. I’d rather have that than Tigerclaw any day.”
Sandstorm’s eyes glittered. “How do you know he won’t come looking for you?”
Ravenpaw’s ears twitched.
“Tigerclaw has no idea where you are,” Fireheart told him quickly. He flashed a warning glance at Sandstorm. “Come on; let’s get out of WindClan’s territory.”
He quickened the pace until they were racing49 through the heather too fast to speak. He avoided the swathe of gorse where he and Bluestar had met Mudclaw, and instead led them in a broad circle across the open moor. The barren hillside offered no protection from the sun, and Fireheart felt as if his pelt were on fire by the time they reached the slope that led down to Twoleg territory. The valley stretched out below them, patched with meadows and paths and Twoleg nests like the dappled coat of a tortoiseshell.
“The WindClan cats must have been keeping out of the heat in their camp,” he meowed, puffing50 as they ran down the hillside. “Let’s hope the rest of the journey is this easy.”
They reached a copse of trees, and Fireheart welcomed the cool shade and the familiar woodland smells. High above them two buzzards circled with high-pitched calls, and he could hear the rumbling51 of a Twoleg monster in the distance. His aching legs tempted52 him to lie down and rest for a while, but his longing53 to find Cloudpaw drove him on.
As they padded through the trees, Sandstorm stared around with her whiskers trembling. Fireheart realized that she had traveled this far from ThunderClan territory only once before, when she had accompanied Bluestar to the Moonstone as an apprentice. It was a journey all cats had to make before they became warriors. Fireheart had been here several times, not just to visit Highstones, but to see Ravenpaw and to lead WindClan out of exile. But it was Ravenpaw who was most at home in these woods.
“We can’t hang around here,” the black cat warned. “Especially not this time of day. Twolegs like to walk their dogs here.”
Fireheart could smell the scent of dog nearby. He flattened54 his ears and followed Ravenpaw in silence as the black tom led them out of the copse.
Ravenpaw squeezed through the hedge first. Fireheart waited for Sandstorm to go next, then pushed his way through the thickly tangled55 leaves. He recognized the red dirt track on the other side. He had crossed it with Graystripe on their journey to find the exiled WindClan. Ravenpaw looked both ways before racing across and disappearing into the far hedgerow at the other side. Sandstorm glanced at Fireheart, and he nodded encouragingly. She darted56 forward, and Fireheart followed at her heels.
The barley in the field beyond the hedge stretched high above their heads. Instead of skirting the edge, Ravenpaw headed straight into the forest of crackling stems. Fireheart and Sandstorm weaved after him, hurrying so they didn’t lose sight of the black cat’s tail flicking57 ahead of them. Fireheart felt a ripple58 of unease as he realized he could never find his way out alone. He had lost all sense of direction, with nothing to see but the endless golden stems and a strip of clear blue sky above. He was very relieved when they finally emerged and sat down to rest under the hedge on the far side of the field. They were making good progress. The sun was only halfway59 down the sky and the uplands were already far behind them.
Fireheart smelled a familiar scent on the hedge beside him. “Your marker,” he commented to Ravenpaw.
“This is where my territory begins.” Ravenpaw swung his head around, signaling that the wide sweep of fields ahead of them was where he lived and hunted.
“There’s a dip on the other side of that rise,” Ravenpaw told her, pointing with his nose. “The Twoleg nest is there.”
Fireheart suddenly felt the fur on his spine tingle61. What was that smell? He froze and opened his mouth to let the scent reach the glands62 inside.
Beside him Ravenpaw had lifted his nose, his black ears pricked63 and his tail flicking nervously64. His eyes widened in alarm. “Dogs!” he hissed65.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
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： |
|
|
|
|
2
wary
|
|
| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
pelt
|
|
| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
mentor
|
|
| n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
shrugged
|
|
| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
apprentice
|
|
| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
twitch
|
|
| v.急拉，抽动，痉挛，抽搐；n.扯，阵痛，痉挛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
curtly
|
|
| adv.简短地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
ruffled
|
|
| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
disarmed
|
|
| v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
warily
|
|
| adv.留心地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
rogues
|
|
| n.流氓( rogue的名词复数 )；无赖；调皮捣蛋的人；离群的野兽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
amber
|
|
| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
killing
|
|
| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
clan
|
|
| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
barley
|
|
| n.大麦，大麦粒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
flicked
|
|
| （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） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
scent
|
|
| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
glimmer
|
|
| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
belly
|
|
| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
fluffy
|
|
| adj.有绒毛的，空洞的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
spoke
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
tingling
|
|
| v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
stammered
|
|
| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
utterly
|
|
| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
miserable
|
|
| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
banished
|
|
| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
grunt
|
|
| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
bristling
|
|
| a.竖立的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
spat
|
|
| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
flickered
|
|
| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
twitched
|
|
| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
warrior
|
|
| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
warriors
|
|
| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
spine
|
|
| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
slaughtered
|
|
| v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
uncertainty
|
|
| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
wry
|
|
| adj.讽刺的；扭曲的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
trek
|
|
| vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
stifling
|
|
| a.令人窒息的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
anticipation
|
|
| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
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： |
|
|
|
|
44
moor
|
|
| n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
unnaturally
|
|
| adv.违反习俗地；不自然地；勉强地；不近人情地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
tormentor
|
|
| n. 使苦痛之人, 使苦恼之物, 侧幕 =tormenter | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
banishment
|
|
| n.放逐，驱逐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
onward
|
|
| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
racing
|
|
| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
puffing
|
|
| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
rumbling
|
|
| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
tempted
|
|
| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
longing
|
|
| n.（for）渴望 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
flattened
|
|
| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
tangled
|
|
| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
darted
|
|
| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
flicking
|
|
| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的现在分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
ripple
|
|
| n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
halfway
|
|
| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
sniffing
|
|
| n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；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： |
|
|
|
|
61
tingle
|
|
| vi.感到刺痛，感到激动；n.刺痛，激动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
glands
|
|
| n.腺( gland的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
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： |
|
|
|
|
64
nervously
|
|
| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
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： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |