CHAPTER 20
Fireheart heard grass swishing behind thehedge and tensed his shoulders as the strong odor filled the air. A loud bark made his tail fluff out, and a heartbeat later he saw the quivering nose of a dog thrusting through the hedge.
“Run!” he yowled, spinning around. Another rustle1 and a yelp2 of excitement told him that a second dog was following the first.
Fireheart fled. Sandstorm raced beside him, her fur brushing his as they pelted3 along the hedgerow with the dogs at their heels. The drumming of the dogs’ paws made the ground tremble, and Fireheart could feel their breath hot on his neck. He glanced over his shoulder. Two massive dogs loomed4 behind them, their soft flesh rippling5, their eyes glaring, and their tongues lolling. With a jolt6, Fireheart realized that Ravenpaw was nowhere to be seen.
“Keep running,” he hissed7 to Sandstorm. “They won’t be able to keep this pace up for long.” Sandstorm managed to nod, her paws pounding faster.
He was right. When he turned his head again, he saw that the dogs had begun to fall behind. Fireheart sized up an ash tree in the hedgerow ahead of them. It was some way off, but if they could put enough distance between themselves and the dogs, they might be able to scramble8 up it to safety.
“See that ash?” he meowed to Sandstorm, panting. “Climb it as quickly as you can. I’ll follow.”
Sandstorm grunted9 in agreement, her breath coming in ragged10 gasps11. They raced on toward the tree. Fireheart yowled to Sandstorm and she shot up the trunk, clawing her way to safety.
Before he leaped for the tree, Fireheart looked over his shoulder once more to see how far away the dogs were. His fur shot up when he saw huge teeth barely a rabbitlength from his face. With a vicious snarl12 the dog lunged at him. Fireheart whipped around and lashed13 out with his forepaws, his claws sharp as blackthorns. He felt the flesh rip on the dog’s swaying jowls and heard it yelp in pain. He slashed14 once more, then turned and scrambled15 up the tree, as fast as a squirrel. He stopped on the lowest branch and looked down. Below him the dog yowled in frustration16 while the other joined it, throwing its huge head back and bellowing17 angrily.
“I…I thought he’d gotten you!” Sandstorm stammered18. She crawled along the branch and pressed her flank against Fireheart’s ruffled19 fur until they both stopped trembling.
The dogs fell silent, but they stayed at the bottom of the tree, pacing back and forth20.
“Where’s Ravenpaw?” Sandstorm asked suddenly.
Fireheart shook his head, trying to clear away the terror he had felt when the dogs were chasing him. “He must have run the other way. He should be okay. I think there were only two dogs.”
“I thought this was his territory. Didn’t he know there were dogs on this side of the field too?”
Fireheart couldn’t answer. He saw Sandstorm’s expression darken. “You don’t suppose he led us here on purpose?” she growled22, narrowing her eyes.
“Of course not,” snapped Fireheart, a flash of uncertainty23 making him sound defensive24. “Why would he?”
“It’s just strange he should turn up out of nowhere and lead us here, that’s all.”
A high-pitched mew made Fireheart and Sandstorm peer down through the leaves. Was that Ravenpaw? The dogs swung their heads around as they tried to locate the sound. Fireheart spotted25 a sleek26 black shape disappearing into the barley27. Ravenpaw yowled again, and the dogs pricked28 up their ears. With barks of excitement they hurtled toward the swaying stems that gave away Ravenpaw’s hiding place.
Fireheart stared down from the tree. Could Ravenpaw outrun the dogs? He watched the barley tremble as Ravenpaw zigzagged29 invisibly through the field. The brown backs of the dogs crashed after him like ungainly fish, flattening30 the stalks with their clumsy paws and barking with frustration.
Suddenly Fireheart heard the sharp yap of a Twoleg. The dogs stopped in their tracks and lifted their heads above the barley stalks, their tongues lolling out. Fireheart peered along the field. A Twoleg was climbing over a wooden fence set in the hedge. Two lengths of something like twine31 dangled32 from its hand. Reluctantly the dogs began to push their way through the barley toward the Twoleg, who grabbed the collars around their necks and attached them to the twine. With a sigh of relief Fireheart watched the dogs being dragged away, their tails down and their ears drooping33.
“I see you’re as fast as ever!”
Fireheart whipped around in surprise. Ravenpaw was clawing his way from the trunk onto their branch. The black cat nodded at Sandstorm. “Not sure why they bothered chasing her, though. She wouldn’t have made much of a meal.”
Sandstorm stood up and brushed past Ravenpaw. “Don’t we have an apprentice34 to rescue?” she inquired icily.
“I see she’s still a bit prickly,” Ravenpaw remarked.
“I wouldn’t tease her if I were you,” Fireheart murmured as he followed Sandstorm down the tree. He decided35 not to tell his old friend that Sandstorm had suspected him of leading them into a trap. Ravenpaw was no fool—he’d probably worked that out for himself, but it was a sign of his newfound confidence that he wouldn’t let her hostility36 bother him. And with the dogs safely out of the way, the only thing Fireheart wanted to think about was finding Cloudpaw.
Ravenpaw led them to the top of the rise and stopped. A Twoleg dwelling37 lay in the shallow valley ahead of them, just as he had promised.
“That’s where you took Cloudpaw?” Fireheart asked.
When the black cat nodded, Fireheart’s belly38 began to churn with nervous excitement. Even if they did find Cloudpaw, what if he didn’t want to come back with them? And if he did, would the Clan39 ever be able to trust a cat who had been lured40 into the softness of kittypet life?
“I can’t smell him,” Sandstorm remarked, and Fireheart didn’t miss the suspicious edge to her tone.
“His scent41 was already stale when I came to see him last time,” Ravenpaw explained patiently. “I think the Twolegs are keeping him locked in.”
“Then how exactly are we supposed to rescue him?”
“Come on,” Fireheart meowed, determined42 not to give the two cats a chance to start arguing. He began to head down the slope toward the dwelling. “Let’s take a closer look.”
The Twoleg dwelling was surrounded by a neatly43 clipped hedge. Fireheart pushed his way through it and stared across the browning grass to the Twoleg nest silhouetted44 against the dusky sky. He flattened45 his body to the ground and crept toward the nearest bush, his ears pricked. His nose was no good here. The evening air was filled with cloying46 flower scents47 that drowned out more useful smells. He heard pawsteps on the grass behind him and turned to see Ravenpaw and Sandstorm following, their quarrel apparently48 put aside for now. He nodded to them, grateful for their company, and carried on across the lawn.
By the time they reached the Twoleg nest, Fireheart could feel the blood pulsing through his ears. Suddenly the hedge, and the safety that lay beyond it, seemed very far away.
“Here’s the window where I saw him,” whispered Ravenpaw, leading the way around the corner of the nest.
“And probably where the Twoleg saw you,” muttered Sandstorm. Fireheart could smell her fear-scent, and knew her irritation49 was due as much to barely suppressed tension as to old rivalries50.
A light glared from the window above their heads, and Sandstorm dropped into a crouch51. Fireheart could hear the clatter52 of Twoleg feet inside. He craned his neck to look up the wall of the Twoleg nest. The window was too high to reach in one leap. He crept to the patch of earth directly below it, where a gnarled and twisted tree climbed the side of the nest. Fireheart studied the curving branches. He considered clambering up it, but he could still hear the Twoleg crashing around inside.
“Cloudpaw must be half-deaf, living with that racket!” hissed Sandstorm, her ears flat against her head.
Curiosity gnawed53 at Fireheart like a hungry rat until he couldn’t bear it any longer. “I’m going to have a look,” he meowed, and began to claw his way up the winding54 stem, ignoring Sandstorm’s warning to be careful.
With his heart pounding, Fireheart reached the window and cautiously pulled himself up onto the ledge55.
Inside, a Twoleg was standing56 over something that spat57 out clouds of steam. Fireheart winced58 at the harsh unnatural59 light, but he felt old memories of his kithood stirring inside him, and he knew he was looking into a kitchen, where Twolegs prepared food. His mind flooded with long-buried memories of eating dry, tasteless food and drinking water with a sharp, metallic60 taste. Blinking the images away, he began to look for any sign of Cloudpaw.
In the corner of the Twoleg den21, he spotted a nest of what looked like dried branches woven tightly together. His paws began to tremble with excitement. A small white shape was curled inside. Fireheart held his breath as the shape stretched and leaped from its box. It ran to the Twoleg’s feet and began yapping noisily. It was a dog! Fireheart shrank back, disappointment making his head spin and almost causing him to lose his grip on the window ledge. Where was Cloudpaw?
The Twoleg reached down and patted the noisy creature. Fireheart hissed under his breath, then sat up in surprise as Cloudpaw strolled through a doorway61 into the room. To Fireheart’s alarm the dog rushed toward Cloudpaw, still yapping. He waited for Cloudpaw to arch his back and spit, but instead the white cat coolly ignored it.
Fireheart ducked as Cloudpaw suddenly jumped onto the ledge at the far end of the window. The dog carried on yapping from the floor, out of sight. “He’s here,” Fireheart hissed down to Ravenpaw and Sandstorm.
“Has he seen you?” called back Sandstorm.
Fireheart cautiously raised his eyes, but kept his body flattened against the hard stone. Cloudpaw was gazing blindly out over Fireheart’s head. His eyes were shadowed with unhappiness, and he looked thinner. With a prickle of guilt62, Fireheart couldn’t help feeling relieved. This was proof enough for him that Cloudpaw wasn’t suited to kittypet life
He sat up and pressed his forepaws against the window that separated them. With a quiver of frustration he scrabbled at the glass, keeping his claws sheathed63 so that his soft pads made no sound that might alert the Twoleg or the dog. He held his breath as Cloudpaw’s ears twitched64. Then the white apprentice turned and spotted him, and his mouth opened wide in a delighted yowl that Fireheart couldn’t hear.
Inside, the noise made the Twoleg swing around in surprise. Fireheart leaped down from the ledge, landing beside his friends.
“What’s the matter?” asked Sandstorm.
“Cloudpaw saw me, but I think the Twoleg did too!”
“We should go,” Ravenpaw meowed urgently.
“No,” hissed Fireheart. “You two can go. I’m staying here till Cloudpaw gets out.”
Sandstorm glared at him. “What are you going to do? What if they let that dog loose?”
“I can’t leave now that Cloudpaw’s seen me,” Fireheart insisted. “I’m staying here.”
As he spoke65, a creaking noise sounded behind them. Fireheart snapped his head around. Light flooded from a door in the wall and spilled out into the garden, illuminating66 the grass all the way to the hedge. The bright pool darkened suddenly as the shadow of a Twoleg fell across it.
Fireheart froze. There was no time to hide. He knew they had been spotted. The Twoleg called, its cries hard and questioning, and then it stepped out and began to walk slowly toward them. The three cats huddled67 together as the Twoleg came nearer and nearer. Fireheart heard Sandstorm draw in a trembling breath. He looked up and his belly tightened68 with terror. The Twoleg was looming69 over them. They were trapped.
收听单词发音 |
1
rustle
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| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
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yelp
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| vi.狗吠 | |
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pelted
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| （连续地）投掷( pelt的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续抨击； 攻击； 剥去…的皮 | |
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loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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rippling
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| 起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的 | |
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jolt
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| v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸 | |
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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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scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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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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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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gasps
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| v.喘气( gasp的第三人称单数 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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snarl
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| v.吼叫，怒骂，纠缠，混乱；n.混乱，缠结，咆哮 | |
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lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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slashed
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| v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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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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frustration
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| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
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bellowing
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的现在分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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ruffled
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| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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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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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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uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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defensive
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| adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的 | |
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spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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barley
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| n.大麦，大麦粒 | |
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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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zigzagged
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| adj.呈之字形移动的v.弯弯曲曲地走路，曲折地前进( zigzag的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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flattening
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| n. 修平 动词flatten的现在分词 | |
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twine
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| v.搓，织，编饰；（使）缠绕 | |
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dangled
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| 悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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lured
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| 吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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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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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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silhouetted
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| 显出轮廓的，显示影像的 | |
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flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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cloying
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| adj.甜得发腻的 | |
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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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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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49
irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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50
rivalries
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| n.敌对，竞争，对抗( rivalry的名词复数 ) | |
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51
crouch
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| v.蹲伏，蜷缩，低头弯腰；n.蹲伏 | |
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52
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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53
gnawed
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| 咬( gnaw的过去式和过去分词 )； （长时间） 折磨某人； （使）苦恼； （长时间）危害某事物 | |
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54
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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55
ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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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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spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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sheathed
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| adj.雕塑像下半身包在鞘中的；覆盖的；铠装的；装鞘了的v.将（刀、剑等）插入鞘( sheathe的过去式和过去分词 )；包，覆盖 | |
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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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65
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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illuminating
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| a.富于启发性的，有助阐明的 | |
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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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tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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69
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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