Stormfur froze. It was too soon!
The outlaws1 dived for the cave walls, and the Tribe cats who had not already taken up their positions pelted2 down the tunnel to the Cave of Pointed4 Stones. Stormfur and his friends were left in the center of the cavern5, staring around in panic.
Their moment’s hesitation6 was a moment too long. A ferocious7 snarling8 sliced through the noise of the waterfall. A shadow fell across from the entrance, etched in moonlight. Then Sharptooth burst upon them.
Just as the Tribe had said, he looked like a lion from the elders’ tales, but without the fiery9 mane around his head. Lean muscles rippled10 beneath his short-haired pelt3, and his massive gold head was lowered, following the trail of Talon’s blood. When he entered the cave he looked up. He saw the hare, and swiped it aside with one vast paw.
“No!” Squirrelpaw yowled.
Her screech11 brought the huge head swinging around, the round, thick-furred ears twitching12 with interest.
“Get back!” snarled13 Brambleclaw. “All of you, hide!”
He leaped toward the lion-cat, lashing14 out with both front paws and rolling aside before Sharptooth could turn on him. Stormfur saw Squirrelpaw dash in from the other side and spring onto Sharptooth’s back, sinking her claws into the base of his tail.
“Squirrelpaw!” Brambleclaw yowled. “What in StarClan’s name are you doing?”
As the lion-cat twisted, trying to dislodge her, Squirrelpaw leaped down and fled for the boulders16 that lined the cave wall. With a roar of fury, Sharptooth launched himself after her, but she was too fast for him, scrambling17 out of reach to stand hissing18 on a jutting19 piece of rock, her ginger20 fur fluffed up.
Stormfur fled to the opposite cave wall, following Feathertail up a series of cracks in the rock until they reached a tiny ledge21 tucked under the roof. Crouching23 in the narrow space beside his sister, he looked down at the cave floor.
The Tribe cats were all in their hiding places, too scared to move. Brambleclaw had gained safety too, on another ledge just below Squirrelpaw. He was snarling up at her, looking almost as furious as Sharptooth himself; Stormfur couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he could guess.
For a moment Stormfur could not see Tawnypelt; then he spotted24 her head poking25 out of a cleft26 halfway27 up the cave wall near the entrance. That just left Crowpaw. Then Stormfur felt Feathertail tense against him and heard her murmur28, “Oh, no!”
Sharptooth was scraping at the cave wall almost directly below them. Stormfur caught a terrifying glimpse of his eyes, glaring black in the moonlight, and his lips drawn29 back to reveal savage30, dripping fangs31. Crowpaw was trapped in a crevice32 at floor level that was too shallow to shelter him, desperately33 trying to press himself against the rock and escape the vicious claws. A cry of terror escaped him.
Stormfur felt his belly34 flip35 over. Everything was going wrong. Sharptooth had ignored the baited hare and pursued the cats instead. Within heartbeats he would have Crowpaw, and StarClan’s mission would be ruined. How could four Clans36 become one if the WindClan cat were killed? Stormfur cursed himself under his breath; there was nothing that he could do, because he was not the cat the Tribe’s warrior37 ancestors had promised. His stupid, thoughtless pride had gotten it wrong.
Beside him, he heard Feathertail whisper, “Crowpaw.” She gave Stormfur a long look, filled with love and sorrow, her blue eyes glowing in the moonlight. “I can hear the voices clearly now,” she murmured. “This is for me to do.”
Then Stormfur felt her muscles bunch. Before he realized what she was doing, she leaped—not down, but up toward the cave roof, digging her claws into one of the narrow talons38 of stone with a grating noise that sent shudders39 along Stormfur’s spine41.
“No!” he yowled.
The rock split and broke away under Feathertail’s weight. With a terrifying wail42 she plummeted43 down, straight at Sharptooth. The lion-cat looked up. His throaty growl44 changed to a scream as the spike45 of rock plunged46 into him; he fell writhing47 to the ground. Feathertail plummeted to the floor of the cave beside him.
Stormfur hurled48 himself down the wall, slipping on the rock and feeling his claws rip, until he reached his sister’s side. Feathertail lay without moving, her eyes closed. Sharptooth was still twitching, but as Stormfur scrambled49 to a halt the lion-cat gave one massive shudder40 and died.
“Feathertail?” Stormfur whispered.
He was aware of Crowpaw creeping out of the rock to crouch22 beside him. “Feathertail?” The WindClan cat sounded desperate. “Feathertail, are you okay?”
Feathertail did not move. Stormfur lifted his head and saw the other Clan15 cats gathering50 around him, along with cats from the Tribe, creeping fearfully from their hiding places. He dropped his gaze back to his sister, and saw the faint rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.
“She’ll be fine.” His voice cracked. “She’s got to be. She . . . she has a prophecy to fulfill51.”
Crowpaw crept forward until his nose touched Feathertail’s fur. He breathed in her scent52, and then began to lick her gently. Blood from a slash53 on his shoulder smudged against her pelt. “Wake up, Feathertail,” he whispered. “Please wake up.”
There was no response. An achingly familiar scent wreathed around Stormfur, and he looked up. “Silverstream?”
Near the entrance to the cave, where moonlight rippled through the sheet of falling water, he thought that he could see a silver cat. She was nothing more than the faintest sliver54 of light, but her voice sounded clearly in his head, filled with grief. “Oh, Feathertail!”
There was a gasp55 from Crowpaw and Stormfur snatched his gaze back to see that his sister’s eyes were open. Trembling, he spoke56 her name. She shifted her head and blinked.
“You’ll have to go home without me, brother,” she murmured. “Save the Clan!”
Her eyes focused on Crowpaw, and Stormfur saw in them a lifetime of love for the difficult young apprentice57, enough to sweep their Clans’ rivalry58 away forever. “Think you have nine lives, do you?” she whispered. “I saved you once. . . . Don’t make me save you again.”
“Feathertail . . . Feathertail, no!” Crowpaw could hardly get the words out. “Don’t leave me.”
“I won’t.” Now her whisper was scarcely audible. “I’ll always be with you, I promise.”
Then her eyes closed, and she did not speak again.
Crowpaw threw his head back and let out a wail. Stormfur crouched59 beside his sister with his head down, grief freezing his limbs. Around him he heard the voices of his friends rise in sorrow. Squirrelpaw huddled60 close to Brambleclaw, murmuring, “She can’t be dead—she can’t be!” Brambleclaw bent61 his head to lick her ear. Beside them Tawnypelt stared at Feather-tail with misery62 in her green eyes.
The Tribe cats started whispering to one another. Somewhere deeper in the cave a yowl of jubilation63 broke out. “Sharptooth is dead! We are free!”
Stormfur flinched64. The price had been too high. He turned his head toward the mouth of the cave, where the faint outline of the silver cat still stood in the moonlight.
Silverstream’s voice came to him through the roar of the water. “My dear son, try not to grieve too long. Feathertail will hunt with StarClan now. I will take care of her.”
“Wetook care of her,” Stormfur replied bitterly, and then he realized that he was lying. They had failed. If they hadn’t, she would not be lying there, dead, her fur glowing silver in the moonlight.
“She came,” whispered Brook65. “The silver cat came.”
“No,” Stormfur growled66. “I brought her.”
Crowpaw turned his head, a terrible blank look in his eyes. “It’s my fault.” His voice was a hoarse67 whisper. “If I’d refused to come back to the cave, she would have stayed with me.”
“No . . .” Stormfur murmured, reaching out one paw, but Crowpaw bowed his head.
A gentle voice said his name. Brook had drawn close to him, with Stoneteller behind her. Shyly she touched her nose to Stormfur’s muzzle68. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
“The Tribe of Endless Hunting spoke truly,” Stoneteller meowed. “A silver cat has saved us all.”
But it wasn’t me, thought Stormfur. I wish it had been
He turned away from where Crowpaw lay beside Feather-tail, his nose pushed into her fur, and looked at the sheet of falling water. Just for a heartbeat, he thought that he saw two silver cats there shimmering69 in the half-light, side by side, watching over the shattered remnants of the questing Clan cats.
He blinked, and they were gone.
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收听单词发音
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1
outlaws
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| 歹徒，亡命之徒( outlaw的名词复数 )； 逃犯 | |
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2
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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pelt
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| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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7
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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8
snarling
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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9
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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10
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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11
screech
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| n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音 | |
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twitching
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| n.颤搐 | |
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13
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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14
lashing
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| n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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15
clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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16
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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17
scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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18
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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19
jutting
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| v.（使）突出( jut的现在分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出 | |
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20
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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21
ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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22
crouch
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| v.蹲伏，蜷缩，低头弯腰；n.蹲伏 | |
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23
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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24
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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25
poking
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| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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26
cleft
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| n.裂缝；adj.裂开的 | |
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halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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28
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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29
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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30
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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31
fangs
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| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
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32
crevice
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| n.(岩石、墙等)裂缝；缺口 | |
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33
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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34
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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35
flip
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| vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的 | |
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36
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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37
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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38
talons
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| n.（尤指猛禽的）爪( talon的名词复数 )；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物；锁簧尖状突出部 | |
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39
shudders
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| n.颤动，打颤，战栗( shudder的名词复数 )v.战栗( shudder的第三人称单数 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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40
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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41
spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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42
wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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43
plummeted
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| v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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44
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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45
spike
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| n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效 | |
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46
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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47
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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48
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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49
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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50
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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51
fulfill
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| vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意 | |
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52
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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53
slash
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| vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩 | |
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54
sliver
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| n.裂片，细片，梳毛；v.纵切，切成长片，剖开 | |
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55
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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56
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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57
apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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58
rivalry
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| n.竞争，竞赛，对抗 | |
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59
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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60
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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61
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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62
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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63
jubilation
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| n.欢庆，喜悦 | |
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64
flinched
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| v.（因危险和痛苦）退缩，畏惧( flinch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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65
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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66
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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67
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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68
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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69
shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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