CHAPTER 2
It was the first time Squirrelflighthad left the camp since the battle with Mudclaw, and she found herself enjoying the feel of wind in her fur and the crackle of leaves underpaw. Here and there she glimpsed early signs of newleaf: a few pale snowdrops scattered1 under a tree, and a single early coltsfoot flower like a splash of sunlight against a mossy green trunk. Squirrelflight reminded herself to tell her sister, Leafpool, where it could be found. Coltsfoot was a good remedy for shortness of breath.
Once they were well away from camp, Brambleclaw stopped. “Why don’t you two take the lead?” he suggested, nodding to Ashfur and Rainwhisker. “Let’s see how well you know the territory.”
“Sure,” Rainwhisker agreed enthusiastically, picking up the pace.
But Ashfur gave the tabby warrior3 a hard stare before sliding through the bracken after Rainwhisker. Squirrelflight knew why.
“What did you say that for?” she mewed crossly to Brambleclaw when they were alone. “You’re treating them as if they’re your apprentices5. Ashfur’s older than you, don’t forget.”
“And I’m leading this patrol,” Brambleclaw pointed6 out. “If you don’t like my orders, you’d better go back.”
Squirrelflight opened her mouth for a stinging reply, then closed it again. She didn’t want to get dragged into yet another quarrel. Instead, she whisked past Brambleclaw and bounded around the edge of a clump7 of brambles, following the scent8 trail Rainwhisker and Ashfur had left.
Ashfur must have heard her brushing through the bracken; he waited for her to catch up and slowed his pace to pad next to her. “The buds on the trees are swelling,” he remarked, flicking9 his tail toward the branches of an oak. “Not long now till newleaf.”
“The Clan11 could do with some extra fresh-kill,” Ashfur agreed. “Talking of fresh-kill, how about we hunt? Do you think Brambleclaw would mind?”
She opened her jaws14 to taste the air. At first she thought she caught a trace of badger15, and wondered if she should mention it to Brambleclaw—badgers16 were trouble, especially if their territory overlapped17 with a Clan’s. But he was the last cat in the forest she wanted to speak to right now, and she guessed he wouldn’t listen to anything she had to say anyway.
She tasted the air again; the scent of squirrel flooded over her, and when she spotted18 the bushy-tailed creature stooped busily over a nut a few fox-lengths ahead, she pushed the badger to the back of her mind. Checking the direction of the wind, she dropped into a hunter’s crouch19 and crept up on her prey. As she launched herself forward the squirrel leapt for a nearby tree trunk, but Squirrelflight sprang quickly. Her claws sank into its shoulder and she dispatched it with a swift bite to the neck.
A loud alarm call made her swing around to see a blackbird fluttering up from a clump of bracken while Ashfur watched it in frustration20.
“Bad luck!” Squirrelflight called. “I probably startled it by going after the squirrel.”
“Never mind, you can come and share this.” Squirrelflight waved her tail invitingly22. “There’s plenty.”
As Ashfur joined her beside the fresh-kill, Brambleclaw appeared from the undergrowth. “What are you doing?” he growled24. “We’re on our way to see WindClan, or had you forgotten?”
Squirrelflight swallowed a mouthful of prey. “Come on, Brambleclaw—lighten up, for StarClan’s sake. None of us have eaten this morning.” Awkwardly, not sure how Brambleclaw would react if she tried to be friendly, she drew back from the squirrel. “You can have some if you want.”
“He went on ahead,” meowed Ashfur, with a wave of his tail.
Without another word, Brambleclaw strode off in the direction the gray tom had indicated, shouldering through the long grass until his dark pelt26 was swallowed up by damp green fronds27.
“He doesn’t,” Squirrelflight muttered, trying to convince herself it was true. Once more she remembered how close she and Brambleclaw had been on their journeys, how they had relied on each other and come to need each other. How did we get from there to here? she wondered despairingly.
Glancing up at Ashfur, she saw that his eyes were dark with concern. She knew he wanted to be closer to her, more than just fellow warriors30. It was tempting31 to tell him she felt the same way, but it was too soon for her to be sure her feelings were real. She needed to get over the quarrel with Brambleclaw first. And in the meantime we have a job to do, she reminded herself with a flash of impatience32. You’re a warrior, not a moonstruck rabbit!
She and Ashfur finished the squirrel in a few swift bites and set out again toward the WindClan border. Soon they overtook Brambleclaw and Rainwhisker. Brambleclaw had brought down a starling and was tearing into it hungrily, while Rainwhisker was gulping33 down a vole. He glanced up as his Clanmates appeared.
“I thought you’d got lost,” he meowed.
Brambleclaw took his last mouthful of starling and rose to his paws. Without saying a word, he turned and stalked off. Squirrelflight exchanged a glance with Ashfur, shrugged34, and followed.
The trees were thinning out when Squirrelflight began to hear the chattering35 of water over stones. The patrol emerged at the top of a slope that led down to the stream bordering WindClan. Gusts36 of WindClan scent drifted across on the breeze, but there was no sign of any cats.
“We must have just missed a patrol,” Ashfur meowed quietly. “Those scent marks are fresh.”
That was a good sign, Squirrelflight thought. If WindClan were organized enough to be patrolling their boundaries, they must be on their way to recovering from Mudclaw’s rebellion. Did that mean Onewhisker had been able to travel to the Moonpool to receive his nine lives and his leader’s name from StarClan?
“Let’s head for the stepping stones,” Brambleclaw suggested. “We might catch up to them.”
He bounded down the slope and headed upstream with the rest of the patrol hard on his paws. The trees soon gave way to open moorland; Squirrelflight turned her head to look at the gray sweep of leafless branches below her. Beyond them, the lake reflected the pale blue sky, where the sun had nearly reached its peak.
The stream tumbled more steeply here, between banks fringed by sedge and reeds. Water foamed37 around stepping stones that formed a path to the moorland on the other side, easy for a cat to leap, even when the stream was full.
Wind gusted38 into Squirrelflight’s face, buffeting39 her fur and making her eyes water. “I don’t know how WindClan puts up with it,” she grumbled40 to Ashfur. “There isn’t a tree in sight!”
Ashfur let out a small mrrowof amusement. “They probably wonder how ThunderClan puts up with all those branches blocking out the sky.”
“Ask me that when it rains,” Squirrelflight muttered.
A flash of pale brown caught her eye: a rabbit fleeing over the crest41 of the hill. Squirrelflight’s paws itched42 to dash after it, but it was well inside WindClan’s territory. Heartbeats later a lean, gray-black cat appeared, racing43 after the rabbit with his belly44 brushing the turf. Blinking to clear her watering eyes, Squirrelflight recognized Crowfeather. Like Brambleclaw, he had been one of the cats chosen by StarClan to make the journey to the sun-drown-place.
Hunter and prey disappeared into a hollow and a high-pitched squeal45, quickly cut off, told Squirrelflight that the WindClan warrior had made his kill.
“Hunting patrol,” meowed Rainwhisker, nodding to the top of the hill.
Two more WindClan cats followed Crowfeather more slowly over the crest. Squirrelflight made out the dark gray tabby pelt of Webfoot; the smaller cat behind him was his apprentice4, Weaselpaw. A third cat, Whitetail, joined them as they stood looking down at the ThunderClan patrol.
Brambleclaw called out, “We’ve brought a message from Firestar!”
Webfoot and Whitetail exchanged a glance, then Webfoot led the way down the slope until all three cats stood on the opposite side of the stream.
“What message?” Webfoot demanded.
Squirrelflight studied the WindClan warrior. He had been one of Mudclaw’s fiercest supporters, and he still showed marks of the battle in a torn ear and a patch of fur missing from one shoulder. But Onewhisker must have decided46 to trust him again, if he had been put in charge of this patrol.
Brambleclaw dipped his head in greeting. “Firestar sent us to make sure everything’s okay,” he mewed. “He asked us to check that Onewhisker had made his journey to the Moonpool.”
“Onestar,” Whitetail corrected him.
Squirrelflight’s belly lurched. Calling the Clan leader by his ordinary warrior name had been a really bad mistake, as if Brambleclaw didn’t expect him to have received his new name from StarClan.
“Sorry—Onestar.” Brambleclaw twitched47 one ear, but his voice remained steady. “That’s good news. Congratulate him for us, will you?”
Webfoot’s eyes narrowed. “Why did Firestar send you? Does he think StarClan wouldn’t give nine lives to Onestar?”
Squirrelflight’s eyes stretched wide. Had Webfoot forgotten that Onestar might have been crowfood by now if it wasn’t for Firestar and ThunderClan?
Brambleclaw blinked. “He just wanted to be sure.”
“Perhaps Firestar should concentrate on ThunderClan, and let WindClan get on with their own lives,” Webfoot suggested.
“Onestar wouldn’t be leader if it wasn’t for ThunderClan!” Squirrelflight pointed out hotly. “You know that as well as any cat, Webfoot. You and Mudclaw—” She broke off, choking on a mouthful of fur as Brambleclaw flicked his tail across her mouth.
Webfoot’s eyes burned. “I wasn’t the only cat to believe Mudclaw was our rightful leader,” he snarled48. “But since StarClan killed him with the falling tree, and gave Onestar his nine lives and his name, I know that I was wrong.”
“If Onestar trusts himhe’s got bees in his brain.” Squirrelflight dropped back to mutter in Ashfur’s ear. “If I was Onestar, I’d watch my tail.”
To her relief, she spotted Crowfeather appear over the rim49 of the hollow, dragging the rabbit’s body. Even though the WindClan warrior was as prickly as a holly50 bush, he wouldn’t be as cold and suspicious as Webfoot among his old friends.
“Hi, Crowfeather,” she meowed. “Good catch!”
To her surprise, the dark gray warrior gave her a curt nod and glanced away without saying anything. He kept his jaws clamped on his fresh-kill, his nostrils51 flaring52.
“If that’s all,” Webfoot meowed, “you can all go home.”
“Don’t tell us what to do on our own territory!” Squirrelflight snapped.
“Leave it,” Brambleclaw warned in a low growl23. Squirrelflight knew he was right—this was not the time to pick a fight, however hostile the WindClan cats were being.
Webfoot and the other WindClan warriors watched silently from their side of the stream as Brambleclaw turned and led his patrol back toward camp. Squirrelflight felt the WindClan cats’ gaze pricking53 her pelt all the way down the hill, and when she glanced back at the edge of the trees, the four cats were still there. She bounded forward, not stopping until she had put a thick bramble thicket54 between herself and WindClan.
“Thank StarClan!” She skidded55 to a halt in a clearing and shook herself as if she had just climbed out of icy water. “I don’t know what’s got into them.”
“Me neither,” Rainwhisker agreed.
“I would have thought it was obvious,” Brambleclaw meowed. “WindClan don’t want to be allied56 with ThunderClan anymore. Everything’s different now.”
“After all we did for them!” Squirrelflight’s frustration and anxiety spilled over into anger; she couldn’t believe Brambleclaw was accepting WindClan’s new hostility57 without question. “I was a whisker from clawing Webfoot’s ears off back there.”
“It’s a good thing you didn’t,” Brambleclaw pointed out dryly. “There’s more than one cat in ThunderClan who’d say that Firestar shouldn’t interfere58 in another Clan’s business.”
“Mouse dung! Does that mean you think Firestar should have done nothing, and just let Mudclaw take over?” Squirrelflight sprang forward, but before she could reach Brambleclaw, Ashfur pushed his way between them.
“There’s no need for this,” he meowed. “WindClan probably want to prove they’re strong again, now that they have their new leader. Give them time. They’ll calm down.”
Squirrelflight suspected the gray tomcat was right, but that didn’t mean she was willing to let Brambleclaw get away with insulting her father. She forced her neck fur to flatten59 again, but she still quivered with fury as they set off toward the ThunderClan camp.
“Firestar will always want to help Onestar.” She addressed the back of Brambleclaw’s head as he slipped through a patch of ferns ahead of her. “They’ve been friends forever.”
“Maybe, but Onestar clearly doesn’t need his help anymore,” Brambleclaw mewed without looking back. The certainty in his tone infuriated Squirrelflight all over again. “It’s natural for Clans60 to be rivals. We were right to help WindClan when they were in trouble, but we can’t keep on looking out for them.”
“Stupid furball!” Squirrelflight growled, not loud enough for Brambleclaw to hear her. She hated the way the Clans had separated like flowing water into their new territories; what had happened to their closeness during the journey from the forest, when every cat had tried to help each other without stopping to remember which Clan they belonged to? It felt much too soon to turn their backs on that and let hostility and Clan rivalry61 take over. How would they survive in this new and unfamiliar62 place if they couldn’t rely on each other?
“And what will happen if ThunderClan need WindClan’s help?” Rainwhisker meowed ominously63, as if he had followed Squirrelflight’s thoughts. “Have any of you thought of that?”
Brambleclaw led the patrol home by a different route, hunting on the way to take fresh-kill back for the Clan. Pausing underneath64 an oak tree, Squirrelflight once again picked up the scent of badger. It was stronger this time, and fresh; she guessed that it was not long since the creature had passed that way.
“Brambleclaw, do you smell that too?”
The tabby warrior padded up with a squirrel he had just caught. He put the fresh-kill down and swiped his tongue around his jaws before drawing in a stream of air. Alarm flared65 at once in his amber66 eyes. “Badger! Close by, too.”
Squirrelflight’s pelt prickled. A badger in their territory was the last thing any cat wanted. Hawkfrost had already driven one away from RiverClan, and it looked like ThunderClan had been lucky not to encounter one before now. “We’ll have to do something,” she mewed.
Brambleclaw nodded. A badger would make a tasty meal of a young kit67 if it had the chance. They were unlikely to prey on an adult cat, but that didn’t mean full-grown warriors were safe if they met one. A badger would kill out of pure savagery68, trampling69 its prey into the ground or clamping it in its jaws and never letting go until its victim was dead.
Squirrelflight reminded herself that not all badgers were like that. Her first journey from the forest had led her to Midnight, the wise badger who lived at the sun-drown-place. Midnight had warned them that Twolegs would destroy the forest, and told them that the Clans would have to leave. But Midnight was unique; the rest of her kin2 could be blood-thirsty marauders if the mood took them.
“Is there a problem?” Ashfur came to join Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw; his words were indistinct because he carried a mouthful of mice, dangling70 from their tails.
Brambleclaw beckoned71 with his tail to Rainwhisker, who had just brought down a blackbird; the young warrior came trotting72 over with a satisfied look on his face and a feather on his nose.
“A badger—maybe more than one—has been here,” Brambleclaw meowed. “We can’t go back to camp without checking it out.”
“You mean, follow the trail?” Rainwhisker mewed in alarm. “Are you sure?”
“We have to find out if it’s left our territory. Squirrelflight, can you tell which way it went?”
Squirrelflight nosed at the scent the badger had left in the grass. “That way.” She pointed with her tail.
Brambleclaw padded over to sniff73 the trail. “Keep quiet, all of you. I don’t want them to know we’re here until we see how many there are and decide what’s best to do. We’re lucky that the wind’s in the right direction, so it won’t carry our scent to them.”
The cats left their prey among the roots of the oak tree, scratching earth over the pile until they could come and collect it later. Then with Brambleclaw in the lead, they set out after the badger.
The trail led them deeper into the forest, in the direction of the ShadowClan border. Here and there were freshly turned patches of earth, as if the badger had been digging for grubs. Squirrelflight felt a pang74 of concern for her friend Tawnypelt and the rest of ShadowClan; if they failed to track the badger down in their territory, some cat would need to warn Blackstar.
The scent grew steadily75 stronger, a powerful reek76 that swallowed up all other scents77 of the forest. Squirrelflight felt her fur stand up along her spine78. It looked as if ShadowClan would be safe after all; the badger was still close by.
Suddenly Brambleclaw halted in the shadow of a boulder80 and held up his tail as a sign for the others to stay back. He clawed his way silently up the rough stone until he could poke81 his head above it and see to the other side.
Instantly he ducked down again. Squirrelflight crept forward until she could peer around the side of the boulder.
The ground on the other side was flat and pebbly82, leading to a scattering83 of more smooth gray boulders84. Between two of the rocks there was a gaping85 hole flanked by piles of freshly dug earth; Squirrelflight almost sneezed as a harsh scent reached her from the damp soil, a mingled86 reek of badger and fox. The badger must be building a set in an old fox den79, she thought.
In front of the hole, three badger cubs87 scuffled about, making high-pitched fretful noises as if they didn’t like having to trek88 through the forest in daylight. Squirrelflight stared, her neck fur rising in horror, then she slid back to join Ashfur and Rainwhisker in the shelter of the rock.
“There’s a whole family of them!” she hissed. “Great StarClan, they’ll be all over the territory in a couple of seasons!”
Ashfur looked puzzled. “It’s unusual for a badger to move with cubs.”
“Maybe they were forced out of their old home,” Rainwhisker suggested.
Brambleclaw slid down from the top of the boulder and crouched89 beside them. “We can’t do anything until we know how many adults there are,” he meowed. “We’ll stay here and keep watch. Don’t do anything unless I say so, okay?”
All three cats nodded, though Squirrelflight seethed90 at the way Brambleclaw was ordering them about like wet-eared apprentices.
“Badgers mostly come out at night,” Brambleclaw went on. “If they’re in the set now, there’s not much we can do. No cat is going in there.” His amber gaze rested on Squirrelflight.
“I’m not stupid!” she hissed.
“I didn’t say you were,” Brambleclaw retorted. “But there are times when you do stupid things.”
Ashfur took a breath as if he were going to leap to her defense91, but she flicked her tail at him for silence. “Really, it’s not worth it,” she muttered.
“If we find there’s just one full-grown badger with the cubs, we’ll attack,” Brambleclaw mewed. “We can’t let them settle in our territory. Four of us should be able to cope with one badger. Hawkfrost managed to drive one off, after all. This could even be the same badger.”
Squirrelflight’s neck fur began to rise again at the mention of Brambleclaw’s half brother. It was bad enough that Brambleclaw refused to admit that Hawkfrost was untrustworthy, without having him held up as a model of courage and fighting skill as well.
“We might drive it into ShadowClan territory,” she pointed out.
“Then ShadowClan’s warriors will have to deal with it.” Brambleclaw’s eyes were intense, and his voice cold. “We have to protect our own Clan first.”
“And if there’s more than one badger?” Ashfur wondered.
“Then we’ll gather as much information as we can and report back to Firestar. Find somewhere to hide where you can see the mouth of the set.”
Squirrelflight returned to her vantage point in the clump of fern. The badger cubs were still scuffling in front of the pile of earth. The sun climbed higher, and Squirrelflight would have dozed92 off if hunger hadn’t gnawed93 at her belly. The squirrel she had shared with Ashfur seemed a long time ago, and she thought longingly94 of the heap of fresh-kill left under the oak tree.
Her jaws gaped95 in a yawn, and she clamped them shut again as an even stronger reek of badger flooded into her mouth. The undergrowth on the far side of the clearing rustled96 briefly97 before the ferns parted to reveal a powerful, broad-shouldered body and a long muzzle98 with a white stripe down the middle. The female badger lumbered99 into the clearing and her three cubs scampered100 up to her. She dropped a mouthful of beetles101 onto the ground and the cubs gulped102 them up with high-pitched cries of joy.
Brambleclaw sprang on top of the boulder and let out a challenging yowl. The female badger’s head shot up and she roared in defiance103, showing two rows of sharp yellow teeth.
Brambleclaw yowled again. “Attack!” He leapt from the boulder, landing among the cubs who scurried104 out of the way, yelping105 with fear. They huddled106 together in the mouth of the set, staring at the warrior with wide, scared eyes.
Ashfur hurtled out of his hiding place farther around the clearing, with Rainwhisker hard on his paws. Squirrelflight pelted107 forward to stand beside Brambleclaw. “Get out!” she hissed at the badgers, even though she knew they wouldn’t understand what she was saying. “This is our territory!”
Brambleclaw lashed108 at the badger’s muzzle with both forepaws. She reared backward, swiping at him with massive claws, but Brambleclaw dodged109 the blow.
Squirrelflight ran forward until she was close enough to rake her claws down the badger’s side; blood welled out of the clawmarks and she shook her paw fiercely to dislodge the trapped black fur. She ducked to avoid the snapping jaws, then darted110 back just as Ashfur dashed in from the other side. The badger swung her head from side to side as if she couldn’t decide which swift-moving target to attack first.
This is easy! Squirrelflight thought. She’s too slow and clumsy!
She let out a screech111 of alarm as a massive white-furred paw slammed down less than a mouse-length away from her haunches. If it had landed on her it would have snapped her spine. Startled and shaking, she rolled out of range in a tangle112 of paws and tail. She wanted to run all the way back to the camp, but she knew they couldn’t give up now. This ferocious113 creature could not be allowed to make a home in their territory, or no cat would be safe, from the youngest kits114 to the most battle-hardy warriors.
She scrambled115 to her feet in time to see Brambleclaw swipe his claws down the badger’s shoulder. Leaping up, he tried to fasten his teeth in her throat, but the badger shook him off. He flew through the air, landed with a loud thump116, and lay motionless.
Squirrelflight raced to his side, her belly churning in fear. But before she reached him, he shook his head as if he were coming out of deep water, then he staggered to his paws. “I’m okay,” he rasped.
Squirrelflight veered117 away to meet the badger head-on. Rearing up on her hindlegs, she clawed her enemy’s nose while her other paw slashed118 for the tiny bright eyes. Ashfur battered119 at the creature’s haunches, angling his body to make room for Brambleclaw, who was biting down on the badger’s hindpaw. Rainwhisker had his front paws hooked in the badger’s rough pelt while his teeth clamped down on her ear.
The badger had had enough. Shaking off Brambleclaw and Rainwhisker, she let out a roar of fury and defeat and turned tail. Lumbering120 across to the mouth of the foxhole121, she nudged her cubs to their paws and herded122 them in front of her as they fled the clearing.
“And don’t come back!” Ashfur yowled.
The badger wouldn’t understand his words, but the meaning was plain enough. All four cats stood shoulder to shoulder while the badger’s roars and the high-pitched cries of the cubs faded away through the trees.
“Well fought, all of you,” Brambleclaw panted. “Let’s hope that’s the last we see of them.”
“And that there aren’t any more,” Ashfur commented.
Brambleclaw nodded. “We’ll fill in the hole and keep watch to make sure they don’t come back.”
“What? Now?” Squirrelflight protested. “I’m worn out, and my belly’s yowling!”
“No, not now. We’ll go back to camp and get a couple of other warriors to deal with the set. The regular patrols can keep an eye on it after that.”
“Thank StarClan!” Squirrelflight sighed. “Let’s go and collect that fresh-kill.”
The four cats limped back through the forest. Squirrelflight felt the sting of new wounds on top of her scratches from the battle against Mudclaw. “I won’t have any fur left at this rate,” she muttered.
Ashfur padded to her side and drew his tongue gently across a clawmark on her shoulder. “You fought well,” he murmured.
“So did you.” Squirrelflight could see how battered he was, with blood seeping123 from a patch on his hindquarters where the fur had been clawed off. She touched her nose to his ear. “I bet that badger wishes she’d never set foot on our territory!” she mewed.
She pictured the huge creature crashing through the undergrowth with her cubs stumbling along behind. For a few heartbeats she shared their fear, and a pang of sympathy pierced her. She knew what it felt like to lose your home, and have to travel far to find a new one.
I hope she finds somewhere safe for her cubs, Squirrelflight thought. But a long, long way from ThunderClan
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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apprentices
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| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 ) | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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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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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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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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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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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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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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badger
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| v.一再烦扰，一再要求，纠缠 | |
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badgers
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| n.獾( badger的名词复数 )；獾皮；（大写）獾州人（美国威斯康星州人的别称）；毛鼻袋熊 | |
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overlapped
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| _adj.重叠的v.部分重叠( overlap的过去式和过去分词 )；（物体）部份重叠；交叠；（时间上）部份重叠 | |
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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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crouch
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| v.蹲伏，蜷缩，低头弯腰；n.蹲伏 | |
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frustration
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| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
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21
twig
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| n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解 | |
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22
invitingly
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| adv. 动人地 | |
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growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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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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curt
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| adj.简短的，草率的 | |
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pelt
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| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
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fronds
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| n.蕨类或棕榈类植物的叶子( frond的名词复数 ) | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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29
flicked
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| （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） | |
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30
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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31
tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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32
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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33
gulping
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| v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的现在分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
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34
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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35
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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36
gusts
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| 一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作 | |
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37
foamed
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| 泡沫的 | |
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38
gusted
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| n. 突然一阵 n. 风味 vi. 猛吹 | |
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39
buffeting
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| 振动 | |
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40
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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41
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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42
itched
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| v.发痒( itch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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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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45
squeal
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| v.发出长而尖的声音；n.长而尖的声音 | |
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46
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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47
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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48
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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49
rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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50
holly
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| n.[植]冬青属灌木 | |
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51
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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52
flaring
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| a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的 | |
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53
pricking
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| 刺，刺痕，刺痛感 | |
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54
thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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55
skidded
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| v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的过去式和过去分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
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56
allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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57
hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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59
flatten
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| v.把．．．弄平，使倒伏；使(漆等)失去光泽 | |
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60
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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61
rivalry
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| n.竞争，竞赛，对抗 | |
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62
unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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63
ominously
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| adv.恶兆地，不吉利地；预示地 | |
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64
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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65
Flared
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| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
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66
amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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67
kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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68
savagery
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| n.野性 | |
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69
trampling
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| 踩( trample的现在分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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70
dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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71
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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72
trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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73
sniff
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| vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视 | |
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74
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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75
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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76
reek
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| v.发出臭气；n.恶臭 | |
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77
scents
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| n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉 | |
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78
spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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79
den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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80
boulder
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| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
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81
poke
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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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82
pebbly
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| 多卵石的，有卵石花纹的 | |
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83
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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84
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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85
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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86
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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87
cubs
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| n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 ) | |
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88
trek
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| vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行 | |
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89
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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90
seethed
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| （液体）沸腾( seethe的过去式和过去分词 )； 激动，大怒； 强压怒火； 生闷气(~with sth|~ at sth) | |
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91
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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92
dozed
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| v.打盹儿，打瞌睡( doze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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93
gnawed
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| 咬( gnaw的过去式和过去分词 )； （长时间） 折磨某人； （使）苦恼； （长时间）危害某事物 | |
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94
longingly
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| adv. 渴望地 热望地 | |
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95
gaped
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| v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的过去式和过去分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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96
rustled
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| v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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97
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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98
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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99
lumbered
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| 砍伐（lumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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100
scampered
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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101
beetles
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| n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 ) | |
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102
gulped
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| v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
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103
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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104
scurried
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| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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105
yelping
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| v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的现在分词 ) | |
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106
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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107
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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108
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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109
dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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110
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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111
screech
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| n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音 | |
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112
tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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113
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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114
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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115
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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116
thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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117
veered
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| v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转 | |
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118
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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119
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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120
lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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121
foxhole
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| n.（军）散兵坑 | |
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122
herded
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| 群集，纠结( herd的过去式和过去分词 )； 放牧； （使）向…移动 | |
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123
seeping
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| v.（液体）渗( seep的现在分词 )；渗透；渗出；漏出 | |
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