At Firestar’s yowl of command, Brackenfurand the gray ShadowClan warrior2 broke apart. Graystripe looked up from the tabby, but still kept a paw firmly on his neck.
“Let him go,” Firestar ordered. “We’re not here to fight.”
“It’s hard to do anything else when they jump us like that,” Graystripe hissed3. He stepped back, and the skinny tabby scrambled5 to his paws and shook his ruffled6 fur.
Leafpaw bounded across the marshy7 ground to stand beside Cinderpelt, half afraid that Russetfur might still attack the medicine cat. ShadowClan’s deputy was not likely to take orders from the leader of a rival Clan1.
Russetfur flicked9 her tail toward the dark gray tom. “Cedarheart, get back to camp. Warn Blackstar that we have been invaded, and fetch more warriors10.”
The gray warrior streaked12 off into the bushes.
“There’s no need for that,” Firestar pointed13 out, keeping his voice mild. “We’re not invading your territory, and we’re not trying to steal prey14.”
“Then what doyou want?” Russetfur demanded bad-temperedly. “What are we supposed to think when you trespass15 on our territory?”
“I’m sorry about that.” Firestar leaped down from the tree trunk and padded across to her. “I . . . I know we shouldn’t be here. It’s just that I have to speak to Blackstar. Something has happened, something that’s too urgent to wait for the next Gathering16.”
Russetfur sniffed17 disbelievingly, but sheathed18 her claws. Leafpaw felt her racing19 heart begin to slow down. The ShadowClan deputy was too badly outnumbered to launch another attack, especially when she had sent away the gray tom, Cedarheart.
“What’s so urgent then?” she growled20.
Firestar gestured with his tail through the sparse21 trees, toward the swath of destruction that the Twoleg monster had left on this side of the Thunderpath. “Isn’t that enough?” he asked desperately22.
Russetfur silenced him with a furious hiss4. “If you think ShadowClan is weakened . . .”
“I didn’t say that,” Firestar protested. “But you must have seen that we’ve had the same trouble in our territory. Now, are you going to drive us off, or are you going to let us talk to Blackstar?”
Russetfur narrowed her eyes, then gave a curt23 nod. “Very well. Follow me.”
She led the way through the bushes. The ThunderClan cats bunched together behind her, and the tabby ShadowClan warrior brought up the rear. Leafpaw’s heart began to pound again as the scents26 of the strange territory flowed around her. Even the day had grown darker, clouds covering the sun so that their path was shadowed. She tried to stop herself from jumping at every sound, or staring around as if there might be a ShadowClan warrior lurking27 behind every tree.
Soon Leafpaw became aware of a stronger ShadowClan scent25 coming from up ahead. Russetfur led the way around a thick clump28 of hazel; following her, Leafpaw stopped dead in front of a long line of cats—lean warriors with their muscles tensed and the light of battle in their eyes. Behind them rose a tangled29 wall of brambles.
“That’s the ShadowClan camp,” Cinderpelt muttered close to Leafpaw’s ear. “It doesn’t look as if Blackstar is going to invite us in.”
The ShadowClan leader stood in the middle of his warriors. He was a huge white cat with black paws; his pelt8 showed the scars of many battles. As the ThunderClan cats appeared he stepped forward and faced Firestar with narrowed eyes.
“What’s this?” His voice was rough. “Does the great Firestar think he can go where he likes in the forest?”
Firestar ignored the contempt in Blackstar’s tone, simply dipping his head in the courteous30 greeting of one leader to another. “I have come to talk to you about what the Twolegs are doing,” he began. “We have to decide what we’re going to do if it carries on.”
“We? What do you mean, we? ShadowClan does not talk with ThunderClan,” Blackstar retorted. “We make our own decisions.”
“But the forest is being destroyed!”
Leafpaw heard the exasperation31 in her leader’s tone, and knew how hard it was for Firestar to stay calm when the ShadowClan leader insisted on treating him like an enemy.
The ShadowClan leader shrugged32 his powerful shoulders. “Firestar, you’re panicking over nothing. Twolegs are mad. Even the smallest kit33 knows that. True, they knocked down a few trees—but now they’ve gone away again. Whatever was going on, it’s over.”
Leafpaw wondered if Blackstar really believed that. Surely he couldn’t be such a fool? Or was this just a show of bravado34 to convince Firestar that ShadowClan had nothing to worry about?
“And if it’s not over?” Firestar asked steadily35. “If it gets worse? Prey has been frightened away from where the Twolegs have been. What if the Twolegs claw up more of our territories? What will you do in leaf-bare, Blackstar, if you can’t feed your Clan?”
One or two of the ShadowClan warriors looked uneasy, but their leader stared defiantly36 at Firestar.
“We have no reason to fear leaf-bare,” he meowed. “We can always eat rats from Carrionplace.”
Cinderpelt twitched37 her ears impatiently. “Have you forgotten what happened last time you tried that? Half your Clan died from sickness.”
“That’s true.” A small tabby tom, crouched38 at the end of the line, spoke39 up boldly. Leafpaw recognized Littlecloud, the ShadowClan medicine cat. “I was ill myself. I would have died if it hadn’t been for you, Cinderpelt.”
“Be quiet, Littlecloud,” Blackstar ordered. “The sickness was a punishment from StarClan because Nightstar was not a properly chosen leader. There’s no danger in eating food from Carrionplace now.”
“There’s danger if a leader silences his medicine cat,” Cinderpelt retorted tartly40. “Or pretends to know more than they do about the will of StarClan.”
Blackstar glared at her, but said nothing.
“Listen to me,” Firestar began again desperately. “I believe that great trouble is coming to the forest, trouble that we’ll survive only if we work together.”
“Mouse dung!” Blackstar snarled41. “Don’t try to tell me what to do, Firestar. I’m not one of your warriors. If you have anything to say, you should do what we have always done, and bring it to the next Gathering at Fourtrees.”
Part of Leafpaw felt that the ShadowClan leader was right. The warrior code dictated42 that the business of the forest should be discussed at Gatherings43. There was nowhere else that cats could meet under the sacred truce44 of StarClan. At the same time, she knew that the Twolegs wouldn’t wait until after the next full moon to continue their destruction of the forest. What else might happen by the time of the next Gathering?
“Very well, Blackstar.” Firestar’s voice was hollow with defeat. It’s happening, Leafpaw thought in panic. He’s giving up.The forest is going to be destroyed. “If that’s the way you want it. But if the Twolegs come back, you have my permission to send a messenger into ThunderClan territory, and we will talk again.”
“Generous as always, Firestar.” Blackstar meowed scornfully. “But nothing’s going to happen that we can’t handle ourselves.”
“Mouse-brain!” Graystripe hissed.
Firestar shot Graystripe a warning glance, but the ShadowClan leader did not reply. Instead, he swept his tail toward Russetfur.
“Take some warriors and escort these cats off our territory,” he ordered. “And in case you were thinking of paying us another uninvited visit,” he added to Firestar, “we’ll be increasing our patrols along that border. Now go.”
There was nothing to do but obey. Firestar turned and signaled to his own cats to follow him. Russetfur and her warriors gathered around them in a threatening semicircle, letting them walk away but keeping them bunched tightly together. Leafpaw was glad when the tunnel under the Thunderpath came into sight, and more relieved still to be through it and heading for their own part of the forest.
“And don’t come back!” Russetfur spat45 as they crossed the border.
“We won’t!” Graystripe hurled46 a parting shot over his shoulder. “We were only trying to help, you stupid furball.”
“Leave it, Graystripe.” Now that they were back in their own territory, Firestar let his disappointment show. Leafpaw felt a sharp stab of compassion47 for him; it wasn’t his fault that ShadowClan had refused to listen to reason.
“Maybe we should try talking to WindClan?” she suggested quietly to Cinderpelt as the patrol headed for camp. “Perhaps they’ve had trouble too. That could be why they’ve been stealing fish from RiverClan.” She was referring to the furious accusations48 made by Hawkfrost, a RiverClan warrior, at the last Gathering.
“Ifthey have. It was never proved,” Cinderpelt reminded her. “All the same, Leafpaw, you might have a point. Ravenpaw said there were more Twolegs than usual on that part of the Thunderpath.”
“Then perhaps Firestar should talk to Tallstar?”
“I don’t think Firestar will be talking to any more Clan leaders for a while,” Cinderpelt meowed, with a sympathetic glance at the flame-colored tom. “Besides, Tallstar is a proud leader. He’d never admit that his Clan is starving.”
“But Firestar has to do something!”
“Perhaps Blackstar was right, and he should wait for the Gathering. But if I get the chance”—Cinderpelt interrupted her apprentice49’s protest—“I’ll have a word with him.” She lifted her blue gaze to the cloud-covered sky. “And let’s just pray that StarClan has mercy on us, whatever happens.”
“Sorreltail, are you there?”
Leafpaw stood outside the warriors’ den50 and tried to peer through the branches. It was early the following morning; a thick fog covered the camp and misted her fur with tiny droplets51 of water.
“Sorreltail?” she repeated.
There was a scuffling sound inside the den, and Sorreltail poked52 her head out, blinking sleep from her eyes.
“Leafpaw?” Her jaws53 gaped54 wide in a yawn. “What’s the matter? The sun’s not up yet. I was having this terrific dream about a mouse. . . .”
“Sorry,” Leafpaw mewed. “But I want you to do something with me. Are you due to go out with the dawn patrol?”
“No.” Sorreltail squeezed out between the branches and gave the fur on her shoulders a quick lick. “What’s all this about?”
Leafpaw took a deep breath. “I want to go and visit WindClan. Will you come with me?”
Sorreltail’s eyes stretched wide, and her tail curled up in surprise. “What if we meet a WindClan patrol?”
“It should be okay—I’m a medicine cat apprentice, so I’m allowed to go into the territories between here and Highstones. Please, Sorreltail! I really need to know whether WindClan is having trouble too.” Though she couldn’t tell Sorreltail, Leafpaw knew that a cat from every Clan had been chosen by StarClan for the journey. Because of that, she suspected that every Clan would be invaded by the Twolegs, but she wanted to be sure.
The light of adventure was already sparkling in Sorreltail’s eyes. “I’m up for it,” she declared. “Let’s get a move on, before any cat catches us and starts asking questions.”
She darted55 across the clearing and into the gorse tunnel. Leafpaw followed, with a last glance back at the silent, sleeping camp. The fog hung thickly in the ravine, deadening the sound of their pawsteps. Everything was gray, and though the dawn light was strengthening, there was no sign of the sun. The bracken was bent56 double with the weight of water drops, and soon the two cats’ pelts57 were soaked.
Sorreltail shivered. “Why did I ever leave my warm nest?” she complained, only half joking. “Still, if it’s like this on the moor58, the fog will help to hide us.”
“And muffle59 our scent,” Leafpaw agreed.
But before she and Sorreltail reached Fourtrees, the mist had begun to thin out. It still lay heavy on the stream, but when they climbed the opposite bank they broke out into sunlight. Leafpaw shook the moisture from her fur, but there was little heat in the sun’s rays; she looked forward to a good run across the moor to warm herself up.
As they skirted the top of the hollow at Fourtrees, Leafpaw felt a breeze blowing directly off the moorland. She and Sorreltail paused for a moment at the far side of the hollow, their fur blown back and their jaws parted to scent the air.
“WindClan,” Sorreltail meowed. She put her head to one side, uncertainly. “There’s something odd about it, though.”
“Yes. And there’s no sign of any rabbits,” Leafpaw added.
She hesitated for a couple more heartbeats, then led the way across the border. The two cats darted from one clump of gorse to the next, making what use they could of the scant60 cover on the moorland. Leafpaw’s fur prickled; her tabby-and-white pelt would show up starkly61 against the short grass. In the ThunderClan camp she had been confident that as a medicine cat she would not be challenged; now she felt small and vulnerable. She wanted to find out what she could, then hurry back to the safety of her own territory.
She headed for the crest62 of a low hill that looked down over the Thunderpath, and flattened63 herself in the grass to peer down. Beside her, Sorreltail let out a long hiss.
“Well, there’s not much doubt about that,” she mewed.
Leading from the Thunderpath on the far side of the territory was a long scar where the moorland grass had been torn away. The track was marked by short stakes of wood like the ones Leafpaw had seen in ShadowClan territory the day before. It gouged64 a path across the moor and came to an abrupt65 halt at the foot of the hill where she and Sorreltail were crouching66. A glittering monster sat silent where it ended. Leafpaw’s breath came in short gasps67 as she imagined it scanning the moorland, ready to leap on its prey with a roar.
“Where are its Twolegs?” Sorreltail muttered.
Leafpaw glanced from side to side, but everything was quiet; an air of menace lay thick as fog on the scarred landscape. There was still no scent of rabbits—had they been frightened away, Leafpaw wondered, or had the Twolegs taken them? Perhaps they had moved to a different part of the moor when the monster dug up their burrows68.
“Yuck!” Sorreltail exclaimed suddenly. “Can you smell that?”
As she spoke, Leafpaw picked it up too, a harsh tang like nothing she had ever scented69 before. Instinctively70 her stomach churned and she curled her lip. “What is it?”
“Probably something to do with the Twolegs,” Sorreltail meowed disgustedly.
A distant yowl interrupted her. Leafpaw sprang to her paws and spun71 around to see three WindClan warriors racing toward them.
“Uh-oh,” murmured Sorreltail.
Before Leafpaw could decide whether to run or stay to talk, the WindClan cats had surrounded them. With a sinking heart she recognized the aggressive deputy Mudclaw, with the tabby warrior Tornear and another tabby tom she did not know. She would rather have dealt with the Clan leader, Tallstar, or Firestar’s friend Onewhisker, who were both more likely to listen to her explanations.
“Why are you trespassing72 on our territory?” the WindClan deputy demanded.
“I’m a medicine cat apprentice,” Leafpaw pointed out, bowing her head respectfully. “I came to—”
“To spy!” That was Tornear, his eyes blazing with anger. “Don’t think we don’t know what you’re up to!”
Now that the WindClan cats were up close, Leafpaw could see how thin they were. Their bristling73 pelts hardly covered their ribs74. Fear-scent came off them in waves, almost drowning the scent of their fury. They were obviously short of food, but that didn’t explain why they were so much more hostile than ShadowClan had been.
“I’m sorry, we were only—” she began.
Mudclaw interrupted with a frenzied75 shriek76. “Attack!”
Tornear hurled himself at Leafpaw. The ThunderClan cats were outnumbered and outclassed; besides, she and Sorreltail had not come to fight.
“Run!” Leafpaw yowled.
She leaped back from Tornear’s outstretched claws. Spinning around, she fled for the border, her belly77 close to the ground and her tail streaming out behind her. Sorreltail raced along at her side. Leafpaw dared not look over her shoulder, but she could hear the shrieks78 of the pursuing cats hard on their paws.
The border was in sight, but she barely had time to realize that they were bearing too far toward the river when scent markers flooded over her, WindClan and RiverClan scents mixed together.
“Oh, no!” she exclaimed. “We’re in RiverClan territory now.”
“Keep going,” Sorreltail panted. “It’s only a narrow strip between here and ThunderClan territory.”
Leafpaw risked a glance to see if the WindClan patrol was still pursuing them. They were—they must be so furious that they hadn’t noticed the border, or did not care.
“They’re gaining on us!” she gasped79. “We’ll have to fight. We can’t lead them onto our territory.”
She and Sorreltail whirled to face their attackers. Leafpaw braced80 herself, wishing desperately that she had never thought of entering WindClan territory, and especially that she had not brought Sorreltail into danger with her.
As Mudclaw leaped at her, Leafpaw saw a streak11 of golden fur shoot out from a nearby bush. It was Mothwing, the medicine cat apprentice from RiverClan. Then Mudclaw’s body crashed against her and she was rolling on the ground, squirming to escape the flurry of raking claws. She tried to twist around and sink her teeth into his neck, but there was a wiry strength in the deputy’s lean body that trapped her helplessly like a piece of prey. Leafpaw felt his claws rake across her side and bury themselves in her shoulder. With a massive effort she shook him off, trying to bring her hind24 paws up to attack his belly.
Suddenly the weight lifted and Mudclaw was scrabbling for a foothold beside her. Leafpaw staggered to her paws to see Mothwing cuffing81 him hard over both ears. “Get off our territory!” she spat. “And take your mangy friends with you.”
Mudclaw aimed a final blow at her, but he was already backing away. Sorreltail sprang up from where she had Tornear pinned down and bit hard on his tail before releasing him. He fled, yowling after the Clan deputy; the other tabby warrior had already vanished.
Mothwing turned back to the ThunderClan cats. Her golden tabby fur was hardly ruffled and her amber82 eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “Having trouble?” she murmured.
Leafpaw fought for breath and shook leaves and scraps83 of twig85 from her pelt. “Thanks, Mothwing,” she replied. “I don’t know what we’d have done without you.” Turning to her friend, she added, “Sorreltail, have you met Mothwing? She’s Mudfur’s apprentice, but she was trained as a warrior first.”
“A good thing she was,” Sorreltail mewed, with a nod of thanks to the RiverClan cat. “We bit off more than we could chew there.”
“I’m sorry we’re on your territory,” Leafpaw went on. “We’ll go right away.”
“Oh, there’s no hurry.” Mothwing did not try to question them about why they were there, or what they had done to annoy WindClan. “You look pretty shaken. Rest for a bit and I’ll find you some herbs to calm you down.”
She vanished among the bushes, leaving Leafpaw and Sorreltail with nothing to do but sit and wait for her.
“Is she always this careless about the warrior code?” Sorreltail muttered. “She doesn’t seem to understand that we shouldn’t be here!”
“I think it’s because I’m a medicine cat apprentice too.”
“Even medicine cats have to stick to the warrior code,” mewed Sorreltail. “And I can’t see Cinderpelt being so welcoming to other Clans86! Of course, Mothwing’s mother was a rogue87, wasn’t she? That could explain it.”
“Mothwing is a loyal RiverClan cat!” Leafpaw fired up in defense88 of her friend. “It doesn’t matter who her mother was.”
“I never said it did,” Sorreltail soothed89 her, touching90 Leafpaw’s shoulder with her tail-tip. “But that might be why she’s more relaxed about Clan boundaries.”
Mothwing returned at that moment with a wad of herbs in her jaws. The ThunderClan apprentice drank in the scent of thyme; she remembered Cinderpelt telling her how good it was for calming anxieties.
“There,” Mothwing meowed. “Eat some of that and you’ll soon feel better.”
Leafpaw and Sorreltail crouched down and chewed up some of the leaves. Leafpaw imagined the juices soaking into every scrap84 of her body, healing the shock of their terrifying encounter with WindClan.
“Are you hurt at all?” Mothwing asked. “I can fetch some cobwebs.”
“No, there’s no need, thanks,” Leafpaw assured her. She and Sorreltail both had a few scratches, but they would stop bleeding by themselves without need for a poultice of cobwebs. “We really ought to be going.”
“So what was all that about?” Mothwing queried91, as Leafpaw and Sorreltail swallowed the last of the herbs. She wasn’t quite as uninterested as the ThunderClan cats had thought. “What were you doing on WindClan territory?”
“We went to see what the Twolegs are up to,” Leafpaw explained. When Mothwing still looked mystified, she described how she had seen the monster roaring into the forest two days before, tearing up the ground, and then found evidence that WindClan and ShadowClan were being destroyed in the same way. She was aware of a doubtful glance from Sorreltail; the young warrior was clearly unhappy about revealing ThunderClan’s problems to a cat from a rival Clan. Leafpaw shook her head impatiently; there could be no harm in taking another medicine cat into her confidence.
“Firestar wants to ask the other Clans what they think,” she finished. “But ShadowClan won’t admit anything is wrong, and—well, you’ve seen how WindClan reacted.”
“What can you expect?” Sorreltail broke in. She passed her tongue over her lips as if she didn’t much like the taste of the herbs. “No Clan is going to be in a hurry to tell us they’re starving and losing their territory to Twolegs.”
“We’ve seen nothing of these monsters in RiverClan,” Mothwing meowed. “Everything’s fine here. But it explains one thing. . . .” Her amber eyes widened. “I’ve sensed panic over in WindClan territory. Their scent markers on the border are filled with fear.”
“I’m not surprised,” Sorreltail mewed. “They’re thin as anything, and there’s no scent of rabbits anywhere.”
“Everything’s changing,” Leafpaw murmured.
“And inside the Clans, as well. An ambitious cat might take the chance of—” Mothwing spoke quickly, urgently, and then broke off awkwardly.
“What do you mean?” Leafpaw prompted.
“Oh . . . no . . . I don’t know.” Mothwing trailed off and looked away.
Leafpaw stared at her, wondering what was going on inside that beautiful golden head. She was too young to remember Tigerstar, the bloodthirsty cat who had plotted to make himself leader of ThunderClan. When his murderous plans failed, he had been prepared to destroy the whole Clan for vengeance92. She shivered. Did Mothwing know of another cat with ambition like this? Surely the forest could never produce another Tigerstar?
Her thoughts were interrupted when Mothwing sprang to her paws, her head turned toward the river. “A patrol is coming!” she exclaimed. “Come this way—quickly!”
She slipped between two bushes; Leafpaw and Sorreltail followed. A few moments later they came into the open and found themselves on the slope that led up to the ThunderClan border.
“If your Clan is short of prey, come and see me,” Mothwing mewed. “We can always spare a few fish. Now run!”
Leafpaw and Sorreltail streaked up the slope and plunged93 for cover into more bushes. Though Leafpaw braced herself for accusing snarls94 behind her, they reached the border unseen.
“Thank StarClan for that!” Sorreltail exclaimed as they crossed into their own territory.
Leafpaw looked back through the branches. Mothwing was standing95 where they had left her; a moment later the undergrowth parted and a large, sleek-furred tabby warrior emerged. Leafpaw recognized Mothwing’s brother Hawkfrost; two other warriors followed him. Hawkfrost stopped to talk to his sister, but never once glanced in the direction of the ThunderClan cats.
Looking at the warrior’s massive shoulders and strong muscles, Leafpaw was relieved that he had not caught them trespassing. Unlike Mothwing, he kept strictly96 to the warrior code, and he was unlikely to listen to explanations. Not for the first time, Leafpaw felt that he reminded her of some other cat, but however hard she stared at him, she could not remember who.
“Come on,” Sorreltail meowed. “Are you going to stare at those RiverClan warriors all day? It’s time we were getting back, and then you can decide how much you’re going to tell Firestar.”
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
clan
|
|
| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
warrior
|
|
| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
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： |
|
|
|
|
4
hiss
|
|
| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
scrambled
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
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： |
|
|
|
|
7
marshy
|
|
| adj.沼泽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
pelt
|
|
| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
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： |
|
|
|
|
10
warriors
|
|
| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
streak
|
|
| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
streaked
|
|
| adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
prey
|
|
| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
trespass
|
|
| n./v.侵犯，闯入私人领地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
gathering
|
|
| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
sniffed
|
|
| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；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： |
|
|
|
|
18
sheathed
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
racing
|
|
| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
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： |
|
|
|
|
21
sparse
|
|
| adj.稀疏的，稀稀落落的，薄的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
desperately
|
|
| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
curt
|
|
| adj.简短的，草率的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
hind
|
|
| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
scent
|
|
| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
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： |
|
|
|
|
27
lurking
|
|
| 潜在 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
clump
|
|
| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
tangled
|
|
| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
courteous
|
|
| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
exasperation
|
|
| n.愤慨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
shrugged
|
|
| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
kit
|
|
| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
bravado
|
|
| n.虚张声势，故作勇敢，逞能 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
steadily
|
|
| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
defiantly
|
|
| adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
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： |
|
|
|
|
38
crouched
|
|
| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
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： |
|
|
|
|
40
tartly
|
|
| adv.辛辣地，刻薄地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
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： |
|
|
|
|
42
dictated
|
|
| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
gatherings
|
|
| 聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
truce
|
|
| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
spat
|
|
| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
hurled
|
|
| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
compassion
|
|
| n.同情，怜悯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
accusations
|
|
| n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
apprentice
|
|
| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
den
|
|
| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
droplets
|
|
| n.小滴( droplet的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
poked
|
|
| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
jaws
|
|
| n.口部；嘴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
gaped
|
|
| v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的过去式和过去分词 )；张开，张大 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
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： |
|
|
|
|
56
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
pelts
|
|
| n. 皮毛，投掷, 疾行 vt. 剥去皮毛，（连续）投掷 vi. 猛击，大步走 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
moor
|
|
| n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
muffle
|
|
| v.围裹；抑制；发低沉的声音 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
scant
|
|
| adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
starkly
|
|
| adj. 变硬了的,完全的 adv. 完全,实在,简直 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
crest
|
|
| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
flattened
|
|
| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
gouged
|
|
| v.凿( gouge的过去式和过去分词 )；乱要价；（在…中）抠出…；挖出… | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
abrupt
|
|
| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
crouching
|
|
| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
gasps
|
|
| v.喘气( gasp的第三人称单数 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
burrows
|
|
| n.地洞( burrow的名词复数 )v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的第三人称单数 )；翻寻 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
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： |
|
|
|
|
70
instinctively
|
|
| adv.本能地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
spun
|
|
| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
trespassing
|
|
| [法]非法入侵 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
bristling
|
|
| a.竖立的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
ribs
|
|
| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
frenzied
|
|
| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
shriek
|
|
| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
belly
|
|
| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
shrieks
|
|
| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
gasped
|
|
| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
braced
|
|
| adj.拉牢的v.支住( brace的过去式和过去分词 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
cuffing
|
|
| v.掌打，拳打( cuff的现在分词 )；袖口状白血球聚集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
amber
|
|
| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
scraps
|
|
| 油渣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
scrap
|
|
| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
twig
|
|
| n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
clans
|
|
| 宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
rogue
|
|
| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
defense
|
|
| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
soothed
|
|
| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
touching
|
|
| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
queried
|
|
| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
vengeance
|
|
| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
plunged
|
|
| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
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： |
|
|
|
|
95
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
strictly
|
|
| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |