CHAPTER 26
Fireheart felt as if he hadslept for only a moment when he woke. A cool breeze was ruffling1 his fur. The rain had stopped. Above, the sky was filled with billowing white clouds. For a moment he felt confused by the unfamiliar2 surroundings. Then he became aware of the sound of voices meowing nearby and recognized Smallear’s trembling mew.
“I told you StarClan would show its anger!” rasped the old tom. “Our home has gone; the forest is no more.”
“Bluestar should have appointed the deputy before moonhigh,” fretted4 Speckletail. “It’s the custom!”
Fireheart leaped to his paws, his ears burning, but before he could say anything, Cinderpelt’s mew rose into the air.
“How can you be so ungrateful? Fireheart carried you across the river, Smallear!”
“He nearly drownedme,” complained Smallear.
“You’d be dead if he’d left you behind,” spat5 Cinderpelt. “If Fireheart hadn’t smelled the smoke in the first place, we might allbe dead!”
“I’m sure Patchpelt, Halftail, and Yellowfang are deeply grateful to him.”
“Findher?” echoed Darkstripe. “There’s no way she’ll have escaped that fire. Fireheart should never have allowed her to go back to the camp.”
Cinderpelt growled9 deep in her throat. Darkstripe had gone too far. Fireheart padded quickly from the shadows and saw Fernpaw sitting beside Darkstripe, staring up at her mentor10 with horror in her eyes.
Fireheart opened his mouth, but it was Dustpelt who spoke11 first. “Darkstripe! You should show more respect for your lost Clanmates, and”—he glanced sympathetically at the frightened Fernpaw—“be more careful with what you say. Our Clanmates have suffered enough already!”
Darkstripe eyed Dustpelt with equal surprise, than narrowed his eyes dangerously.
“Dustpelt’s right,” Fireheart meowed quietly, stepping forward. “We shouldn’t be arguing.”
Darkstripe, Smallear, and the others whipped around to stare at Fireheart, their ears and tails flicking13 awkwardly as they realized he had heard their conversation.
“Fireheart!” Graystripe’s mew interrupted them, and Fireheart saw his friend crossing the clearing, his fur damp from the river.
“Have you been on patrol?” Fireheart asked, turning away from the ThunderClan cats and padding over to meet Graystripe.
“Yes. And hunting,” meowed Graystripe. “We can’t all sleep the morning away, you know.” He nudged Fireheart on the shoulder and went on: “You must be hungry. Come with me.” He led Fireheart toward a pile of fresh-kill at the edge of the clearing. “Leopardfur says this is for your Clan3,” Graystripe told him.
Fireheart’s belly14 growled with hunger. “Thanks,” he meowed. “I’d better let the Clan know.” He went over to where the ThunderClan cats were gathered. “Graystripe says that pile of food is for us,” he announced.
“Thank StarClan,” Goldenflower meowed gratefully.
“I suppose you can go hunting if you want,” Fireheart meowed, narrowing his eyes at the tabby warrior. “But you’ll need to ask Crookedstar’s permission first. After all, this is his territory.”
Darkstripe snorted impatiently and padded toward the fresh-kill pile. Fireheart looked at Bluestar. She hadn’t reacted to the news of food at all.
Whitestorm twitched18 his ears. “I’ll make sure everyone gets a share,” he promised, glancing at Bluestar.
“Thanks,” Fireheart answered.
Graystripe padded up and dropped a mouse on the ground at his paws. “Here, you can eat this at the nursery,” he meowed. “There are some kits19 I want you to see.”
Fireheart picked up the mouse and followed his friend toward a tangle21 of reeds. As they approached, two silver bundles hurtled through a tiny gap in the thickly woven stems and rushed toward Graystripe. They flung themselves at him, and Graystripe rolled over happily, batting with gentle sheathed22 paws as the kits climbed over him. Fireheart knew at once whose kits they were.
“Very good!” Graystripe praised him.
As Fireheart finished the last mouthful of mouse, the gray warrior sat up and the kits tumbled off him. “Now it’s time you met an old friend of mine,” he told them. “We trained together.”
“Is this Fireheart?” mewed the smallest one. Graystripe nodded, and Fireheart felt a glow of pleasure that his friend had spoken about him already to his kits.
“Come back here, you two!” A tortoiseshell face appeared in the entrance of the nursery. “It’s going to rain again.” Fireheart saw the eyes of the kits narrow crossly, but they turned and padded obediently toward the den15.
“They’re great,” he purred.
“Yeah,” Graystripe agreed, his eyes soft. “More thanks to Mosspelt than me, I have to say. She’s the one who looks after them.” Fireheart heard a note of wistfulness in his friend’s voice, and wondered just how much Graystripe missed his old home.
Neither cat spoke as the gray warrior got to his paws and led Fireheart out of the camp. They sat down on a small patch of bare earth among the reeds. A willow26 tree arched above their heads, its branches quivering in the fresh breeze. Fireheart felt the wind tug27 at his fur as he stared through the willow curtain toward the distant woods. It looked as if StarClan was going to send more rain to the forest.
“Where’s Yellowfang?” asked Graystripe.
Fresh grief welled up in Fireheart’s chest. “Yellowfang came back to the ThunderClan camp with me to look for Patchpelt and Halftail. I lost her in the smoke. A…a tree fell into the ravine as she was coming out.” Was there any way she could have survived the flames? He couldn’t help a flare28 of hope bursting in his chest, like a trapped pigeon frantically29 stretching its wings. “I don’t suppose you found any scent30 of her on your patrol?”
Graystripe shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
“Do you think the fire’s still burning after that storm?” meowed Fireheart.
Fireheart sighed. “Do you think any of the camp will be left?”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” answered Graystripe. He lifted his head and stared through the leaves at the darkening skies. “Mosspelt was right—more rain’s coming.” As he spoke, a large drop landed on the ground beside them. “That should put out the last of the flames.”
Fireheart felt his head spin with grief as more drops spattered through the trees and splashed on the brittle32 reeds. Before long, the rain was pouring down for the second time, and it seemed that StarClan was weeping for all that had been lost.
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1
ruffling
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| 弄皱( ruffle的现在分词 )； 弄乱； 激怒； 扰乱 | |
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unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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fretted
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| 焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的 | |
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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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rippled
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| 使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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sarcastic
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| adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的 | |
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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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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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mentor
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| n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导 | |
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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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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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flicking
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| （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） | |
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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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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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clans
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| 宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派 | |
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sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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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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kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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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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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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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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amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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willow
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| n.柳树 | |
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tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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flare
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| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
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frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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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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plumes
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| 羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物 | |
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brittle
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| adj.易碎的；脆弱的；冷淡的；(声音)尖利的 | |
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