CHAPTER 22
Squirrelflight shook her head to clearthe numbing1 horror that had gripped her. Her first task was to help her Clanmates before she thought about going to join the fight at the entrance to the hollow. Flicking2 her tail, she led them on again, the noise of the battle battering3 her ears.
To her relief the brambles that shielded the escape route had not been trampled4 down, leaving just enough space for them to hide. The cats huddled5 together in the thorn-circled gap and gazed uncertainly at the wall that loomed6 above them.
“It’s not that difficult to climb,” Squirrelflight promised. “I’ll show you. Here, Brambleclaw, give me that kit7. If a badger8 spots us, keep it busy.” A pang9 shot through her as she realized how absolutely she trusted the tabby warrior10 to guard them while they retreated.
Brambleclaw flicked11 her ear gently with his tail and set down Berrykit so she could grip its scruff between her teeth. The tiny scrap12 had stopped complaining; now it looked stunned13 with terror.
Squirrelflight clenched14 her jaw15 and launched herself upward, scrabbling out of the brambles and digging her claws into a bush rooted a couple of tail-lengths up the wall. Berrykit let out a squeak16 as she accidentally let him bang against the rock.
Pushing madly with her hind18 legs, she reached a ledge19 where rock had fallen away, and from there she could scramble20 up with tussocks of grass for pawholds until she stood on the edge of the hollow.
She dived into the clump21 of ferns she had used to hide when she followed Leafpool and set Berrykit down, giving him a swift, rough lick. “There, little one, you’re safe now.”
She lifted her head cautiously above the ferns. The roar of battle in the clearing was muted up here, and the scent22 of badgers23 much fainter. She didn’t think any of the hostile creatures were in this part of the forest. Keeping so low that her belly24 fur brushed the grass, she left the shelter of the ferns and peered over the edge of the hollow.
“It’s okay up here!” she called. “You can come up.”
Cloudtail was already climbing with Hazelkit in his jaws25, dragging himself up without putting too much pressure on his injured foreleg. Squirrelflight showed him where to put the kit next to her brother and he let her drop into the soft ferns with a sigh of relief. Brightheart was right behind him with Mousekit.
“You stay here,” Cloudtail told her. “Daisy and the kits26 will need some cat with them, in case the badgers come.”
“You stay, then.” Brightheart glared at him. “I’m going back to fight. You’re injured.”
“For StarClan’s sake, this isn’t the time to have an argument,” Squirrelflight snapped. “We’re all going back. Daisy will have to cope on her own. ThunderClan needs all its warriors27 down there.”
Brightheart swung around and vanished over the edge. Cloudtail muttered, “She-cats!” and followed her. Squirrelflight checked the kits once more, saw them safe in a squirming heap among the ferns, and turned back to the hollow in time to see Daisy pull herself up and stand panting on the edge.
“Thank you,” she meowed, glancing back before she pushed her way among the stalks. “And good luck.”
“We’ll need it,” Squirrelflight replied grimly as she gathered herself to scramble back down the cliff into the clearing.
Down on the ground Brambleclaw was still keeping guard. Ferncloud and Birchpaw were with him. The young apprentice30 had survived the badger attack, but part of the fur on his haunches had been ripped off and one eye was almost closed. His mother was bleeding from clawmarks along her side.
“Look, Ferncloud, you can climb out here,” Brambleclaw meowed as Squirrelflight leapt the last couple of tail-lengths and landed neatly31 beside him. “Take Birchpaw with you.”
Birchpaw looked too dazed to figure out the escape route, but Ferncloud nudged him gently over to the rock wall.
“Stay close to him,” Squirrelflight warned. “Daisy and her kits are up there already. They’ll be glad to have a warrior to protect them.”
Ferncloud gave her a grateful nod and followed Birchpaw as the apprentice began scrabbling upward through the thorns.
Brambleclaw was peering out from behind the screen of brambles. “I’m going to help Firestar defend the entrance,” he mewed.
Squirrelflight drew her breath in painfully. “Is Firestar still alive?”
“I spotted32 him a few moments ago,” Brambleclaw reassured33 her. “The battle isn’t over yet. I’ll see you later.” He sped off with a twitch34 of his tail.
Squirrelflight’s heart lurched suddenly as she saw him vanish into the thickest of the fighting. Would they really see each other again? Or was it too late to put right everything that had gone wrong between them?
Unable to bear the thought of losing Brambleclaw now, Squirrelflight was about to follow him when she heard a cat wailing35 somewhere close by. Staring around the hollow, she caught a glimpse of Sootfur, his black pelt36 barely visible in the shadows. She could tell he was badly wounded, because he was dragging himself along the ground as if he couldn’t use his back legs.
“Sootfur, over here!” she called.
The black warrior raised his head, too confused by pain to know where the cry had come from. Squirrelflight darted37 out to him and managed to nudge him to his paws, letting him lean on her shoulder as she guided him back to the screen of brambles.
“You can get out this way,” she meowed, gesturing with her tail to the route up the wall.
Sootfur blinked drops of blood out of his eyes. “Can’t…can’t climb…” he gasped.
“You’ve got to!”
Squirrelflight pushed him over to the wall. Sootfur clawed desperately38, but both his back legs were broken and he couldn’t use them to thrust himself upward. He managed to haul himself a few tail-lengths from the ground, then slipped back down again with a shrill39 cry of pain.
At the same moment a badger appeared, breaking down the bramble screen and lunging at Sootfur. Squirrelflight glimpsed healed scars running along its side; her claws flexed40 instinctively41 with the memory of tearing through that coarse black fur. This must be the female they had driven out of their territory. For a moment she locked gazes with the furious creature. To think I felt sorry for you! she thought. Do we really deserve this?
Sootfur lifted his head, snarling42, and lashed44 out with one forepaw while Squirrelflight leapt on the badger from behind, biting down hard on its hind leg. It flung her off as if she were a fly; she crashed into the rocks and lay stunned for a couple of heartbeats. When she managed to scramble up again, the badger was lumbering45 off into the darkness, leaving the black warrior lying ominously46 still.
“Sootfur, no!” Squirrelflight staggered over to him. There was a new gash47 in his throat and his eyes gazed sightlessly into the sky.
“Great StarClan!” Squirrelflight yowled. “Why are you letting this happen?”
But there was no time to grieve for her Clanmate. She had to get back to the nursery. Instead of returning the way she had come, she risked a dash across the middle of the clearing, skidding48 around screeching49 bundles of fur and claws.
Refusing to listen, she slashed53 at the eyes of a badger that tried to block her way, spitting fiercely until it backed off. When she reached the nursery, she found Brackenfur crouched54 in the entrance, his lips drawn55 back in a snarl43 as he challenged a young badger. The creature hesitated, as if it thought there might be easier prey56.
A couple of fox-lengths away, Ashfur was fighting with an older, bigger badger; Squirrelflight watched in dismay as it caught the gray warrior with a blow to the side of his head, throwing him to the ground.
Squirrelflight let out a screech50. Springing forward, she hurtled into the badger’s flank, forcing it off balance. It lurched sideways, leaving its underbelly exposed; Squirrelflight dived between its paws and raked it with her foreclaws. The badger let out a growl57 of fury. Pain flooded through Squirrelflight as she felt long claws sink into her shoulder and flip58 her onto her back. The weight of the badger forced all the breath from her chest as it landed on top of her. She felt as if it were pushing her into the ground; she could imagine her bones cracking. She choked on a mouthful of hot fur and fought for air as her senses spun59 away.
Suddenly the weight lifted and she could breathe again. Gasping60, she staggered to her paws to see Ashfur gripping the badger’s foreleg with his teeth, his body whipping from side to side as the badger tried to shake him off. With a yowl of fury Squirrelflight dashed in on the other side. The badger swung its head around, jaws snapping for her. She ducked away from it, slashing61 at its throat and dodging62 out of range before it could swat her with a paw.
Meanwhile Ashfur had dropped to the ground and darted forward, distracting the creature’s attention from Squirrelflight long enough for her to dash in again and rake her claws over its shoulder. The badger wove back and forth63, never managing to land a blow. Its growls64 rose to a roar of frustration65 and it turned tail, fleeing toward the entrance.
Squirrelflight exchanged a triumphant66 glance with Ashfur, then spun around to check the nursery. Brackenfur was still tussling with the young badger. His teeth were fastened in its ear; before Squirrelflight or Ashfur could move, it dislodged the ginger67 warrior with one swat from its blunt claws, then thrust its way into the nursery.
“StarClan, help me!”
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1
numbing
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| adj.使麻木的，使失去感觉的v.使麻木，使麻痹( numb的现在分词 ) | |
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2
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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battering
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| n.用坏，损坏v.连续猛击( batter的现在分词 ) | |
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4
trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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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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loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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badger
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| v.一再烦扰，一再要求，纠缠 | |
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pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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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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12
scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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13
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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14
clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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16
squeak
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| n.吱吱声，逃脱；v.（发出）吱吱叫，侥幸通过；（俚）告密 | |
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17
mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18
hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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21
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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22
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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23
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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24
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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25
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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kits
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| 衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件 | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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28
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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29
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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32
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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33
reassured
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| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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34
twitch
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| v.急拉，抽动，痉挛，抽搐；n.扯，阵痛，痉挛 | |
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35
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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36
pelt
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| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
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37
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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38
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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39
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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40
flexed
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| adj.[医]曲折的，屈曲v.屈曲( flex的过去式和过去分词 )；弯曲；（为准备大干而）显示实力；摩拳擦掌 | |
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41
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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42
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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43
snarl
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| v.吼叫，怒骂，纠缠，混乱；n.混乱，缠结，咆哮 | |
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44
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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45
lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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46
ominously
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| adv.恶兆地，不吉利地；预示地 | |
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47
gash
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| v.深切，划开；n.(深长的)切(伤)口；裂缝 | |
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48
skidding
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| n.曳出，集材v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的现在分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
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49
screeching
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| v.发出尖叫声( screech的现在分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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50
screech
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| n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音 | |
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51
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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53
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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54
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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56
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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57
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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58
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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59
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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60
gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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61
slashing
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| adj.尖锐的；苛刻的；鲜明的；乱砍的v.挥砍( slash的现在分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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62
dodging
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| n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避 | |
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63
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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64
growls
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的第三人称单数 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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65
frustration
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| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
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66
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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67
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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68
thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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