Sorrelkit was curled up in a mossy nest near the entrance to Cinderpelt’s den2. She raised her head as Firestar approached with the medicine cat, but her eyes were heavy and it looked as though she was finding it difficult to move.
Sandstorm was crouched3 close beside her on guard duty. “Poor little scrap4,” she murmured to Firestar. “She nearly died. We’ve got to do something about Darkstripe.”
The pale ginger6 she-cat was looking as anxious as Cinderpelt; she would have heard Sorrelkit’s story too, Firestar realized. He nodded. “You can leave Darkstripe to me.” Settling down beside Sorrelkit, he mewed gently, “I’m glad to see you’re awake, Sorrelkit. Can you tell me what happened to you?”
The tiny tortoiseshell kit1 blinked up at him. “Sootkit and Rainkit were asleep in the nursery,” she began in a faint voice. “But I wasn’t sleepy. My mother wasn’t watching, so I went to play in the ravine. I wanted to catch a mouse. And then I saw Darkstripe.” Her voice shook and she hesitated.
“Go on,” Firestar encouraged her.
“He was coming up the ravine by himself. I knew he should have had Brackenfur with him, and I…I wondered where he was going. I followed him—I remembered the time he took Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw out of the camp, and I thought I might have an adventure like that, too.”
Firestar felt a pang7 of sadness as he remembered how Sorrelkit was always so bright and curious, getting into trouble because of her misguided courage. This limp scrap of fur didn’t look at all adventurous8 now, and Firestar could only hope that with Cinderpelt’s care she would soon be her lively self again.
“I followed him a long way,” Sorrelkit went on, sounding rather proud of herself. “I’d never been so far from the camp. I hid from Darkstripe too—he didn’t know I was there. And then he met another cat—a cat I’d never seen before.”
“What other cat? What did it look like? What scent9 did it have?” Firestar questioned her urgently.
Sorrelkit looked bewildered. “I didn’t recognize the scent,” she mewed. Her nose wrinkled. “But it was yucky. He was a big white cat—bigger than you, Firestar. And he had black paws.”
Firestar stared at her as he realized whom she had seen. “Blackfoot!” he exclaimed. “Tigerstar’s deputy. That was ShadowClan scent you smelled, Sorrelkit.”
“And what’s Darkstripe doing, meeting the ShadowClan deputy on our territory?” Sandstorm growled11. “That’s what I’d like to know.”
“So what happened then?” Firestar prompted the kit.
“I got scared,” Sorrelkit admitted, looking down at her paws. “I ran back to camp, but I think Darkstripe must have heard me, because he caught up with me in the ravine. I thought he would be angry because I spied on him, but he told me how clever I was. He gave me some red berries for a special treat. They looked tasty, but when I ate them I started to feel really ill…. And I don’t remember anything else, except waking up here.”
She sank her head on her paws again as she finished, as if telling the long story had exhausted12 her.
Cinderpelt nosed her gently, checking her breathing. “Those were deathberries,” she mewed. “You must never, ever touch them again.”
“I won’t, Cinderpelt, I promise,” murmured the tiny kit.
“Thank you, Sorrelkit,” Firestar meowed. He was angry but not surprised to discover that Graystripe had been right all along. The real shock was the news that Blackfoot had been seen on ThunderClan territory, and that Darkstripe had obviously arranged to meet him.
“What are you going to do about Darkstripe?” asked Sandstorm.
“I’ll have to question him,” Firestar replied. “But I don’t expect he’ll tell me anything.”
“He can’t stay in ThunderClan after this,” Sandstorm pointed13 out, her voice hard as flint. “There’s more than one cat who would rip his throat out for a couple of mouse tails.”
“Leave him to me,” Firestar mewed grimly.
Cinderpelt stayed with Sorrelkit, who was drifting off to sleep again, while Firestar returned to the main clearing with Sandstorm. Many of the cats were still there, sharing tongues after the earlier meeting. Whitestorm was heading for the gorse tunnel with Goldenflower and Longtail.
The patrol turned back and all the cats looked up, startled, as Firestar bounded to the top of the Highrock and yowled the summons to another meeting. His gaze sought out Darkstripe, but there was no sign of him.
“Where’s Darkstripe?” he meowed at Graystripe as his friend made his way to the base of the rock.
“In the den,” Graystripe replied.
“Fetch him.”
Graystripe disappeared into the warriors14’ den, and emerged a moment later with Darkstripe and Brackenfur by his side. All three cats returned to the base of the Highrock, where Darkstripe sat and looked up at Firestar with a sneer16 on his face.
“Well?” he asked. “What does our noble leader want now?”
Firestar met his eyes steadily17. “Sorrelkit is awake.”
For a few heartbeats Darkstripe held his gaze, and then he looked away. “Have you called a Clan10 meeting to tell us that?” His tone was scoffing18, but his fur had bristled19 u n easily at the new s.
“Cats of ThunderClan.” Firestar raised his voice. “I’ve called you together so that you can witness what Darkstripe has to say. You all heard what happened to Sorrelkit yesterday. She’s awake now, and Cinderpelt says she’ll be fine. I’ve talked to her and she confirms what Graystripe said. Darkstripe did feed her the death berries. So, Darkstripe”—his gaze went back to the dark warrior15 below—“what have you to say for yours e l f?”
“She’s lying,” Darkstripe retorted. An angry hiss20 cam e from more than one of the cats around him, and he added, blustering21, “Or she made a mistake. Kits22 never listen to what any cat says. She obviously didn’t hear me properly when I told her not to eat them.”
“She’s not lying or mistaken,” Firestar meowed. “And she told me something even more interesting: your reason for feeding her the deathberries. She saw you meeting Blackfoot, the deputy of ShadowClan, on our territory. Would you like to tell us what that was all about?”
More furious snarls23 came from the Clan, and a cat at the back of the crowd yowled, “Traitor!” Firestar had to signal with his tail for silence, and it was several moments before the angry cats quieted down again.
Darkstripe waited until he could make himself heard. “I don’t have to justify24 myself to a kittypet,” he growled.
Firestar’s claws scraped against the rock beneath his paws, and he felt reassured25 by their sharpness. “That’s exactly what you have to do. I want to know what you and Tigerstar are planning.” Panic suddenly flooded over him, and he forced it back. “Darkstripe, you know what Tigerstar tried to do to us. The dog pack would have torn the whole Clan to pieces. How can you even think of following him after that?”
Darkstripe met his eyes resentfully and did not reply. Firestar remembered how he had caught him on the morning the pack attacked, trying to slip away from the camp with Tigerstar’s kits. Darkstripe had known that Tigerstar was planning something; he would have abandoned the rest of the Clan to a ghastly death without even trying to warn them. That was what his loyalty26 to ThunderClan was worth.
Firestar wanted to be fair, so that no cat, not even Darkstripe himself, could accuse him of persecuting27 Tigerstar’s former allies. Even more than that, Firestar was still afraid of what Darkstripe might do if he left ThunderClan and was free to go to Tigerstar. But he was left with no choice. Exile was the only possible sentence for a cat guilty of Darkstripe’s crimes.
“You could have been a valuable warrior,” he went on to Darkstripe. “I gave you one chance after another to prove yourself. I wanted to trust you, and—”
“Trust me?” Darkstripe interrupted. “You’ve never trusted me. Do you think I didn’t know you told that ginger fool to watch me?” He spat29 the last words toward Brackenfur, still seated beside him. “Did you expect me to live the rest of my days with a shadow?”
“No. I was waiting for you to show your loyalty.” Firestar crouched on the rock and held Darkstripe’s furious gaze without flinching30. “This is the Clan where you were born; these are the cats you grew up with. Doesn’t that mean anything to you? The warrior code says you should protect them with your life!”
As Darkstripe rose to his paws Firestar thought he could see fear flickering31 in his eyes, as if the dark warrior had never intended to make a final break with ThunderClan. He could not be sure, after all, that Tigerstar would welcome him; he had refused to follow the former deputy into exile, and he had failed in his attempt to take Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw to their father before the attack from the dogs. Tigerstar was not a cat who forgave easily.
But there was no trace of fear or regret in Darkstripe’s voice as he spoke32. “This is not my Clan,” he hissed33 scornfully, to gasps34 of shock from the warriors around him. “Not any longer. ThunderClan is led by a kittypet, and there’s nothing left to fight for. I feel no loyalty to ThunderClan. In the whole forest, the only cat worth following is Tigerstar.”
“Then follow him,” Firestar retorted. “You are no longer a warrior of ThunderClan. If you are found in our territory after sunset today, we shall treat you as we would any enemy. Go now.”
Darkstripe’s burning gaze held Firestar’s for a moment longer, but he did not reply. Unhurriedly, he turned his back on Firestar and stalked toward the camp entrance. The cats nearby drew back as he passed them.
“You know what will be waiting for you if you try to come back,” Cloudtail snarled35, curling his lip. Willowpelt said nothing, but spat, her fur bristling36.
As soon as the tip of Darkstripe’s tail had vanished into the tunnel, a murmur5 of speculation37 broke out among the crowd of cats. One voice rose up clearly. “Has Darkstripe gone to ShadowClan?” asked Tawnypaw.
She had not joined in the Clan’s protests when Firestar had tried to force Darkstripe to admit his guilt28. Instead she had watched everything in silent fascination38, her eyes following the dark warrior every pawstep of the way to the tunnel. She looked shocked and sickened, but there was something else in her expression that Firestar could not read.
He froze as she asked her question. This apprentice39 knew that her father was the leader of ShadowClan. Did she understand the full extent of Darkstripe’s treachery?
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Darkstripe can go where he likes. From now on he is not a member of ThunderClan.”
“Does that mean we can chase him out of the territory if we see him?” Whitestorm called.
“Yes, it does,” Firestar replied. Addressing all the cats, he added, “If you scent him, or any ShadowClan cats, tell me or Whitestorm. And that reminds me—this morning Thornclaw scented40 rogue41 cats on our territory. Keep a lookout42 for them, too, and report anything you find.”
Giving the orders helped him calm down. He could not help feeling the first creeping sensations of relief that at last he had Darkstripe out of his fur. There would be no more kittypet taunts43, no more worries about whether all the Clan’s business was being relayed straight to Tigerstar. Even though Firestar was worried about what Darkstripe would do now, there was more gain than loss in the dark warrior’s departure. Yet still Firestar could not help wishing that he could have earned his loyalty.
“Hey, Firestar!” Dustpelt’s voice startled him out of his thoughts. “What about Fernpaw? She hasn’t got a mentor44 now.”
“Thanks, Dustpelt, I’ll deal with that right away. Fernpaw, come up to the rock.”
Fernpaw obeyed, leaving Dustpelt’s side to step delicately around the cats in her way until she stood at the foot of the Highrock.
Firestar glanced around to make sure the warrior he wanted was present, and hastily summoned the right words. “Longtail, you are without an apprentice since Swiftpaw died. You were an excellent mentor to him, and I expect you to pass on your skills to Fernpaw for the rest of her apprenticeship45.”
Longtail sprang to his paws, his eyes wide with surprise and gratitude46. Firestar beckoned47 him with his tail, hoping that with Darkstripe gone the last of the hostility48 between himself and Longtail could be buried. The pale tabby warrior could easily be a fine member of the Clan.
Still looking stunned49, Longtail padded up to Fernpaw and touched noses with her. Fernpaw dipped her head and both cats withdrew to where Dustpelt and Ashpaw were sitting.
Firestar leaped down from the Highrock. Now that everything was over exhaustion50 hit him like a blow from a badger’s paw. What he wanted more than anything was to curl up with his friends in the warriors’ den, to share tongues and sleep. But as leader of the Clan, he couldn’t do that.
Darkstripe’s treachery and the knowledge that ShadowClan cats were on his territory had revived all the memories of his nine-lives ceremony. Why had the hill of bones appeared in his dream, and the river of blood that had flowed from it? What did Bluestar’s prophecy mean?
Desperate for answers, Firestar decided51 he would go to Cinderpelt’s den to see if the medicine cat had received any guidance from StarClan.
To his relief, Sandstorm was no longer on guard; he did not want the ginger she-cat to see him like this. Sorrelkit was asleep in her nest, and from the mouth of the split rock came faint sounds of Cinderpelt moving around inside. Firestar went closer and saw her rearranging the piles of healing herbs and berries that she kept there.
“Nearly out of juniper…” she muttered, then saw Firestar. “What’s the matter? What’s happened now?”
She limped out of the den and came up to him, nosing him anxiously as she smelled his fear-scent. “Firestar, what’s w r o n g?”
Firestar shook his head to clear it of apprehension52. It was a relief to go right back to the beginning, and tell Cinderpelt about the dream that had come to him as he lay beside the Moonstone.
Cinderpelt sat beside him and listened in silence, her steady gaze never leaving his face.
“Bluestar told me, ‘Four will become two. Lion and tiger will meet in battle, and blood will rule the forest,’” Firestar finished. “And then blood oozed53 out of the hill of bones and started to fill the hollow. Blood everywhere…Cinderpelt, what does it all mean?”
“I don’t know,” Cinderpelt confessed. “StarClan have not shown me any of this. Just as they have the power to show me what will happen, so they can choose not to share with me. I’m sorry, Firestar—but I’ll keep thinking about it, and maybe something will happen to make it clearer soon.”
She pushed her nose against Firestar’s fur to comfort him, but though Firestar was grateful for her sympathy, he could not forget the horror of his dream. What dreadful fate lay in store for him? And if even Cinderpelt could not answer that question, what hope was there for ThunderClan?
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
kit
|
|
| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
den
|
|
| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
crouched
|
|
| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
scrap
|
|
| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
murmur
|
|
| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
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： |
|
|
|
|
7
pang
|
|
| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
adventurous
|
|
| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
scent
|
|
| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
clan
|
|
| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
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： |
|
|
|
|
12
exhausted
|
|
| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
warriors
|
|
| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
warrior
|
|
| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
sneer
|
|
| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
steadily
|
|
| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
scoffing
|
|
| n. 嘲笑, 笑柄, 愚弄 v. 嘲笑, 嘲弄, 愚弄, 狼吞虎咽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
bristled
|
|
| adj. 直立的，多刺毛的 动词bristle的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
hiss
|
|
| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
blustering
|
|
| adj.狂风大作的，狂暴的v.外强中干的威吓( bluster的现在分词 )；咆哮；（风）呼啸；狂吹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
kits
|
|
| 衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
snarls
|
|
| n.（动物的）龇牙低吼( snarl的名词复数 )；愤怒叫嚷（声）；咆哮（声）；疼痛叫声v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的第三人称单数 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
justify
|
|
| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
reassured
|
|
| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
loyalty
|
|
| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
persecuting
|
|
| （尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的现在分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
guilt
|
|
| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
spat
|
|
| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
flinching
|
|
| v.（因危险和痛苦）退缩，畏惧( flinch的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
flickering
|
|
| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
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： |
|
|
|
|
33
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： |
|
|
|
|
34
gasps
|
|
| v.喘气( gasp的第三人称单数 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
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： |
|
|
|
|
36
bristling
|
|
| a.竖立的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
speculation
|
|
| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
fascination
|
|
| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
apprentice
|
|
| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
scented
|
|
| adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
rogue
|
|
| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
lookout
|
|
| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
taunts
|
|
| 嘲弄的言语，嘲笑，奚落( taunt的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
mentor
|
|
| n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
apprenticeship
|
|
| n.学徒身份；学徒期 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
gratitude
|
|
| adj.感激，感谢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
beckoned
|
|
| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
hostility
|
|
| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
stunned
|
|
| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
exhaustion
|
|
| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
apprehension
|
|
| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
oozed
|
|
| v.（浓液等）慢慢地冒出，渗出( ooze的过去式和过去分词 )；使（液体）缓缓流出；（浓液）渗出，慢慢流出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |