Cinderpelt could tell Fireheart nothing more,nor suggest what the evil in the forest might be.
“StarClan wouldn’t repeat the warning if it weren’t important,” she meowed, her troubled blue gaze resting on Fireheart. “All we can do is keep watch.”
“At least Bluestar is back safely.” Fireheart tried to encourage her, but it was a poor effort. Both cats were aware of the shapeless, voiceless threat hanging over the Clan1 they loved.
In the days that followed, Fireheart did his best to set up a system of patrols that would give the Clan ample warning if ShadowClan or RiverClan decided2 to attack. There were barely enough warriors3 for the regular patrols and sentry5 duties, and Fireheart felt his fur grow thin with worry as the season moved on. The rain gave way to crisp, dry weather, but there was a thin rime6 of frost on the ground each morning and the remaining leaves dropped steadily7 from the trees. The brief recovery of the forest was over, and prey8 became scarce again.
One morning, about half a moon after the confrontation9 with WindClan, Fireheart was about to lead out the dawn patrol with Brackenfur and Cloudpaw when Bluestar came padding from her den10. “I’ll lead the patrol this morning,” she meowed, and went to wait by the entrance to the camp.
“Bluestar leading a patrol?” muttered Cloudpaw. “That ought to go well. Watch out for flying hedgehogs!”
Fireheart aimed a cuff11 at the side of his head, but he couldn’t help feeling as surprised as his apprentice12 that Bluestar should start taking up Clan duties again. “Show some respect,” he ordered. “She’s your leader, and she’s been ill.”
Cloudpaw grunted13. Fireheart was about to join his leader when an idea struck him. “Listen, Cloudpaw, you want to be a warrior4, don’t you?” The white cat nodded eagerly. “Well, then, this is your chance to impress Bluestar. We’ll take another apprentice as well. Go and find Swiftpaw.”
Cloudpaw’s eyes lit up with excitement, and he dashed off toward the apprentices14’ den.
Fireheart watched him go, then turned to Brackenfur. “Can you get Longtail?” He knew the pale tabby warrior would be pleased to have a chance to show off his apprentice’s skills. “He’s due to go out on hunting patrol—you don’t mind swapping15 duties with him, do you?”
“No, that’s fine, Fireheart.”
Brackenfur disappeared into the warriors’ den, and a moment later Longtail appeared. The two apprentices joined their mentors16, and all four cats padded over to where Bluestar was waiting.
Her tail twitched17. “Sure you’ve got the right cats, Fireheart?” she inquired acidly. Without waiting for a reply she led the way out of the camp and up the ravine.
As he followed the blue-gray she-cat toward the RiverClan border, Fireheart could almost imagine that the last few seasons had never happened, and he was still a young warrior going out on patrol without any of the responsibilities that troubled him now. But the fire-scarred forest reminded him that there was no going back.
The frost was beginning to melt as the sun rose over the river, though the leaves still crackled beneath the cats’ paws as they padded through the shadows. As they went, Fireheart tested the two apprentices on what they could see and scent18, hoping to demonstrate their hunting abilities to their leader. They answered confidently, but Bluestar gave no sign that she had heard.
The ThunderClan leader paused when they came within sight of the river and stood gazing at the opposite bank. “I wonder where they are,” she murmured, almost too quietly for Fireheart to hear. “What are they doing now?”
Fireheart did not need to see the sadness in her eyes to know that she was thinking of Mistyfoot and Stonefur. He glanced uneasily at the other cats to see if they had noticed, but Swiftpaw and Cloudpaw were sniffing19 at an old water-vole hole, while Longtail was watching the movements of a squirrel high in the branches of a tree.
After a few moments Bluestar turned and followed the border upstream toward Sunningrocks. Fireheart noticed that she kept casting glances into RiverClan territory. But everything was quiet. They saw no RiverClan cats at all.
Eventually Sunningrocks came within sight. The smoothly20 sloping boulders21 seemed deserted22. Then, as Fireheart watched, a cat climbed up from the opposite side and stood silhouetted23 against the sky.
Fireheart stopped dead, his fur prickling with the sense of danger. Though he could not make out the color of her fur, there was no mistaking that aggressive stance, the arrogant24 tilt25 of her head, and her long, winding26 tail. It was Leopardstar.
A couple of other cats had joined Leopardstar, and as the ThunderClan patrol drew closer, Fireheart recognized Stonefur, the RiverClan deputy, and the warrior Blackclaw. “Bluestar!” he hissed27. “What are RiverClan doing on Sunningrocks?” But Fireheart felt his heart sink with dread28 when he saw the way that Bluestar was looking at the RiverClan deputy—not the challenging glare of a leader faced with enemy cats on her territory, but the admiring gaze of a queen who has seen her beloved kit29 become a noble warrior.
Bluestar padded forward until she reached the base of the rock where Leopardstar waited. Fireheart followed.
“What do they think they’re doing?” Cloudpaw muttered indignantly behind him. “Sunningrocks is ours!”
Fireheart shot him a warning glance to keep silent, and the apprentice dropped back beside Swiftpaw and Longtail, while Fireheart went to stand at Bluestar’s shoulder.
“Good day, Bluestar,” Leopardstar meowed, her voice confident. “I’ve been waiting since moonset to see ThunderClan cats, but I never hoped that one of them would be you.”
There was an edge of mockery in her tone, and Fireheart winced31 that the head of his Clan could be scorned so openly by other leaders.
“What are you doing here?” Bluestar asked. “Sunningrocks belongs to ThunderClan.” But her voice was low and unchallenging, as if she did not really believe what she was saying—or did not care.
“Sunningrocks has always belonged to RiverClan,” Leopardstar retorted, “even though we allowed ThunderClan to hunt here for a while. But ThunderClan stands in our debt after the help we gave you at the time of the fire. Today we claim that debt, Bluestar. We are taking Sunningrocks back.”
Fireheart’s fur bristled32 with fury. If Leopardstar thought she could stroll onto Sunningrocks without a fight, she was mistaken! Whipping around, he hissed, “Swiftpaw, you’re fastest. Run back to camp and fetch reinforcements.”
“But I want to fight!” Swiftpaw protested.
“Then get back here fast!”
The apprentice dashed off into the trees. Leopardstar tracked him with narrowed eyes, and Fireheart knew she must realize why he had gone. It was essential to hold off the battle for as long as possible. “Keep her talking,” he murmured to Bluestar. “Swiftpaw’s gone for help.”
He was not sure if Bluestar had heard him. She was staring at Stonefur again.
“Well, Bluestar?” Leopardstar challenged. “Do you agree? Do you allow RiverClan the right to Sunningrocks?”
For a few heartbeats Bluestar did not reply. As the silence stretched out, more RiverClan cats crept up to the top of the rock and emerged to stand beside their leader. Fireheart’s heart lurched when he saw that one of them was Graystripe. His gaze locked with his friend’s, and he saw in Graystripe’s appalled33 face a message as clear as if the gray warrior had yowled it to the skies. I don’t want to fight you!
“No.” Bluestar spoke34 at last, and to Fireheart’s relief her voice was firm. “Sunningrocks belongs to ThunderClan.”
“Then you’ll have to fight us for it,” growled35 Leopardstar.
Fireheart heard Longtail whisper at his shoulder, “They’ll make crowfood of us!”
At the same moment, Leopardstar uttered a bloodcurdling yowl and launched herself down the face of the rock at Bluestar. The two cats crashed to the ground, spitting and clawing. Fireheart sprang forward to help his leader, but before he reached her a warrior crashed into his side, bowling36 him over and sinking his teeth into Fireheart’s shoulder. Fireheart scrabbled against the RiverClan cat’s belly37 with his hind30 paws, desperate to break his grip, and slashed38 his claws at his enemy’s throat. The tabby warrior let go and backed off, yowling.
Fireheart spun39 around, looking for Bluestar, but she was nowhere to be seen. He spotted40 Longtail in the midst of a heaving mass of cats, but before he could do anything to help he caught a glimpse of Blackclaw springing toward him. He managed to avoid the warrior’s outstretched claws, and as the RiverClan cat fell awkwardly Fireheart sprang on him and bit hard into his ear.
Blackclaw scrabbled on the ground, trying to escape Fireheart’s grip. Fireheart raked his claws across his back, only to lose his hold as another cat barreled into him from the side. He went down and felt teeth meet in his tail.
Longtail was right, he thought despairingly. They’ll tear us into strips!
The ThunderClan cats were hopelessly outnumbered, and there had been no time for Swiftpaw to reach the camp and return with help. Long before reinforcements could arrive, the patrol would have been driven off or killed, and Sunningrocks would belong to RiverClan again.
Fireheart writhed41 helplessly, struggling for enough space to use teeth and claws. Suddenly the weight lifted as the cat lying across his legs was yanked away. He sprang to his paws to see Cloudpaw perched on Blackclaw’s back, his claws fastened deep in the warrior’s black fur and the wild light of battle in his eyes. Blackclaw reared up on his hind legs, but he couldn’t shake the apprentice off.
“See, Fireheart!” Cloudpaw yelled. “Do it this way—it’s easy!”
There was no time for Fireheart to answer. He spat42 an insult after the other warrior, who vanished wailing43 among the rocks, and threw himself into the whirling mass of cats around Longtail. Fireheart dragged one warrior off him, and suddenly came face-to-face with Brackenfur as the younger warrior burst out of the trees.
He gasped44 with surprise and gave fervent45 thanks to StarClan. Swiftpaw must have met the hunting patrol scouting46 near Sunningrocks, as Fireheart had ordered after Graystripe’s warning—and sent them along, bringing help long before Fireheart had dared to hope for it.
“Where’s Bluestar?” Brackenfur called.
“Don’t know.”
In the moment’s respite47, Fireheart looked around for his leader. There was still no sign of her, though he caught sight of Leopardstar facing up to Whitestorm on top of a rock a few fox-lengths away.
Longtail staggered to his paws, panting for breath as he leaned against the rock face. Blood trickled48 from a gash49 on his forehead and he had lost a strip of fur along his flank, but his lips were still drawn50 back in a snarl51, and he followed Brackenfur willingly as the ginger52 warrior leaped into the battle.
Fireheart was about to join them when he heard a voice calling out urgently above the noise of the fighting: “Fireheart! Fireheart!”
He spun around to see Graystripe crouched53 on top of the nearest rock, a look of anguish54 on his broad face. “Fireheart, come here!” he yowled.
For a heartbeat Fireheart wondered if this was a trap, and then felt ashamed of himself. His friend had avoided fighting him face-to-face; he would never snare55 him with a trick.
Fireheart bounded up the smooth slope of the rock to Graystripe’s side. “What is it?”
Graystripe pointed56 with his muzzle57 toward the other side of the rock. “Look.”
Fireheart peered over the edge. The rock sloped down more steeply there into a narrow gully. Bluestar was crouching58 almost directly below him. Her fur was ruffled59, and she was bleeding from one shoulder. Coming along the gully on either side, cutting off any possible escape, were Mistyfoot and Stonefur.
The RiverClan deputy slashed his claws at Bluestar without touching60 her. “Defend yourself!” snarled61 the gray tom. “Or I swear by StarClan I’ll kill you.”
On Bluestar’s other side, Mistyfoot crept closer, her belly flat to the ground. “Are you scared to fight us?” she hissed.
Bluestar did not move, except to turn her head from one to the other. Fireheart could not see her expression from his vantage point, but he knew she would never be able to attack her own kits62.
“I had to tell you,” Graystripe whispered beside Fireheart. “They’ll call me a traitor—but I couldn’t let them kill Bluestar.”
Fireheart shot his friend a look of gratitude63. Graystripe had no idea of the real relationship between Bluestar and these two RiverClan cats. His only motive64 was loyalty65 to his former leader.
But Fireheart had no time to think for long about Graystripe’s tangled66 loyalties67. He had to save Bluestar. The RiverClan cats had advanced until they were almost touching her, their fur bristling68 and their teeth bared in a snarl.
“Call yourself a leader?” Stonefur sneered69. “Why won’t you fight?”
He drew back a paw to bring it raking down over Bluestar’s shoulder. At the same instant, Fireheart launched himself down the rock face. He landed hard in the gully, practically on top of Stonefur, forcing him away from Bluestar. On the Clan leader’s other side, Mistyfoot let out a screech70 of defiance71 and unsheathed her claws.
“Stop!” Fireheart yowled. “You can’t harm Bluestar—she’s your mother!”
点击
收听单词发音
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1
clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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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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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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sentry
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| n.哨兵，警卫 | |
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rime
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| n.白霜；v.使蒙霜 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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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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confrontation
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| n.对抗，对峙，冲突 | |
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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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cuff
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| n.袖口；手铐；护腕；vt.用手铐铐；上袖口 | |
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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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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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apprentices
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| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 ) | |
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swapping
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| 交换，交换技术 | |
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mentors
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| n.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的名词复数 )v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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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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scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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sniffing
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| 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 | |
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smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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boulders
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| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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silhouetted
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| 显出轮廓的，显示影像的 | |
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arrogant
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
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tilt
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| v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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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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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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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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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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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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bristled
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| adj. 直立的，多刺毛的 动词bristle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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appalled
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| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
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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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35
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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bowling
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| n.保龄球运动 | |
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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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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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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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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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writhed
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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scouting
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| 守候活动，童子军的活动 | |
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respite
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| n.休息，中止，暂缓 | |
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48
trickled
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| v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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49
gash
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| v.深切，划开；n.(深长的)切(伤)口；裂缝 | |
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50
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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51
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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52
ginger
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| n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气 | |
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53
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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snare
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| n.陷阱，诱惑，圈套；（去除息肉或者肿瘤的）勒除器；响弦，小军鼓；vt.以陷阱捕获，诱惑 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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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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touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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61
snarled
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| 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 | |
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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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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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loyalties
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| n.忠诚( loyalty的名词复数 )；忠心；忠于…感情；要忠于…的强烈感情 | |
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bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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69
sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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screech
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| n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音 | |
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defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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