CHAPTER 11
Her brother did not reply. He was too busy trying to balance on his hind4 legs to get a better view.
Hollypaw ducked down and wove among the legs of the Clan5 cats until she reached the edge and peeped out between the pelts7 of Crowfeather and Breezepaw.
A gray tom with a stripe of darker fur along his spine8 stood in front of the bracken. His pelt6 clung to bone and wasted muscle, the fur matted and dull. His left ear was torn, and there were whiskers missing from his scratched and filthy9 muzzle10. Beside him shivered a light gray tabby she-cat. Her short fur stuck out in clumps11, and her tail hung limp and bedraggled
But Graystripe’s dead!
“You’re alive!” Firestar burst out from between Onestar and Tornear. He faced Graystripe round-eyed, his fur on end.
Graystripe stared back. His companion flattened12 her ears and lifted her front paw defensively. She was trembling, her eyes bright with fear as she tried to look at all the cats at once.
“Easy now, Millie,” Graystripe cautioned.
Firestar stretched his muzzle forward, sniffing13 tentatively, as though he could hardly believe what he saw. “The Twolegs didn’t kill you. . . .” He lifted his face to the moon. “Thank StarClan,” he whispered.
Startled mews erupted among the watching cats.
“Graystripe’s come back!”
“He must have escaped from the Twolegs!”
“How did he survive?”
“What about Brambleclaw?”
What about Brambleclaw? Hollypaw looked at her father. Firestar had held a vigil for Graystripe as he would for any dead Clanmate, and made Brambleclaw his deputy instead. But Graystripe was alive, and now he had come back. . . .
The ThunderClan deputy was staring at Graystripe. “I can hardly believe that you found us.” His voice was filled with admiration14, but his gaze glittered uneasily as he stepped forward and brushed muzzles15 with the gray warrior16.
Graystripe didn’t answer. He was staring at Firestar. “So you didn’t wait for me.”
Pain flashed in Firestar’s eyes. “I couldn’t.”
Graystripe dipped his head. “You could not risk the Clan by keeping them in the forest.”
Firestar leaned forward. “If it had been only mylife at stake”—he glanced around the Clans18, then lowered his voice—“I would have waited.”
Hollypaw felt a rustling19 behind her. The other ThunderClan warriors20 were pushing their way forward to greet their old denmate.
“Graystripe!” Dustpelt dashed over. “You’re alive!”
Berrypaw, Hazelpaw, Ashfur, and Spiderleg crowded excitedly around, sniffing his fur, poking22 him with their muzzles.
“But he’s a legend!” Hazelpaw complained as Leafpool shooed her and the others away with her tail.
Squirrelflight was staring at Graystripe’s companion. “Who are you?”
“This is Millie,” Graystripe meowed. “I met her in Twolegplace.”
“I couldn’t have managed it alone,” Graystripe meowed.
Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes. “Did you follow our trail?”
“No,” Graystripe told him. “We found our own way.”
“We searched for Graystripe’s home first,” Millie explained. Her voice had a hard edge that surprised Hollypaw. She thought all kittypets would speak with the same soft mew as Daisy.
Graystripe’s ragged26 pelt bristled27. “The whole forest was devastated28 when we got there. No cats, no prey29, nothing but torn-up trees and monsters.”
“How did you know which way we had gone?” Leafpool asked.
“We saw Ravenpaw.”
Firestar’s eyes glowed. “How is he?”
“He’s well, but concerned for you all.” Graystripe stopped for breath before going on. “He said he’d seen you pass and that you were heading toward the setting sun. So we carried on over Highstones—” He broke off, his tail quivering.
“Just tired.”
Leopardstar shouldered her way through the ThunderClan cats. A loud purr was rumbling31 in her throat. “It’s good to see you again, Graystripe.”
“Welcome back, Graystripe!”
“How did he find us?”
“StarClan must have been watching over him!”
Cats from all four Clans surged around Graystripe until he was almost lost in a forest of pelts, brown, white, ginger33, and tabby. Purrs blended, rumbling like thunder, louder than the sound of the wind in the branches.
Hollypaw watched in disbelief. She knew there was a truce34 at the Gathering35, but this was not how it was supposed to be. There were meant to be four Clans, yet the warriors were acting36 like they belonged to the same one. She wriggled37 through the crush of pelts to where Lionpaw was watching with round eyes
“It’s not natural,” she whispered in his ear. “Graystripe is ThunderClan. Why are the other Clans making such a fuss over him?”
“I don’t know,” Lionpaw admitted. “I thought that being a warrior meant protecting your Clan. Shouldn’t the other Clans be worried that ThunderClan has an extra warrior now?”
Hazelpaw nosed in beside them. “They sound like they’re in one of Squirrelflight’s stories about how the Clans came together to make the Great Journey.”
But Hazelpaw wasn’t listening. She was gazing at Graystripe. “How did he know we were on the island?”
“Do you think StarClan guided him?” Lionpaw wondered.
Graystripe lifted his muzzle toward her. “Mistyfoot, it’s good to see you again. We met a rogue40 who told us there were cats living by this lake,” he explained. “When we reached the top of the ridge41, the full moon was shining on the water and I could see shapes moving on the island.”
“After that, we just followed the freshest scents,” Millie explained. “They led us down to the shore and over the fallen tree.”
Hollypaw heard a stifled42 hiss3 of disgust. Blackstar was staring at Millie with open malice43. The gray she-cat glanced at him, then lifted her chin and returned his stare, and, even though her tail was trembling, she held the ShadowClan leader’s gaze until he looked away. Hollypaw was impressed.
“Let’s not forget the truce!” Leopardstar warned.
“The Gatheringis for warriors!” Onestar called.
“Is ThunderClan going to allow another kittypet to join its ranks?” muttered a disbelieving voice.
“I have trained Millie as a warrior!” Graystripe hissed. “A kittypet would never have survived such a long journey.” His voice cracked into a cough, and Hollypaw saw that the gray warrior was trembling from his ears to the tip of his tail.
Firestar must have seen it too. He padded over to Graystripe and pressed against him. “Let us take you back to camp.”
Graystripe glanced at Millie. “Do you think you can travel a little farther tonight?”
“I’ll keep going as long as you need me to,” she assured him.
“Very well,” Firestar meowed. He looked at the other Clan leaders. “Was there any other news to be shared at the Gathering?”
“Not from RiverClan,” Leopardstar answered.
“WindClan is satisfied,” Onestar told him.
Blackstar shook his head.
“Then let us return,” Firestar called to ThunderClan, “andshow Graystripe and Millie their new home.”
“Does this mean ThunderClan has two deputies now?” Breezepaw called boldly.
Hollypaw pricked48 her ears and, as she did so, she noticed Ashfur lean forward, whiskers twitching49.
Sandstorm stepped up to Firestar’s side. “Graystripe and Millie are tired,” she reminded him quietly. “We should get them home as soon as possible.”
“Yes.” Firestar flicked his tail toward Brambleclaw. “Lead the way,” he ordered.
Brambleclaw instantly headed away through the wood toward the fallen tree.
Sandstorm wove around Millie. “Stay close to me,” she advised. “We’ll have you in a warm, dry den21 before the moon is much farther across the sky.”
Millie nodded and padded, limping slightly, alongside the pale ginger she-cat. Hazelpaw hurried to join them, clearly excited to be helping50 guide the stranger back to camp.
Hollypaw fell in beside her brother and they trailed after the others. She was acutely aware of the other Clans watching them leave. One WindClan apprentice51 dipped her head to Lionpaw as they passed.
“Do you know her?” Hollypaw asked, surprised.
“That’s Heatherpaw,” Lionpaw replied. “I met her tonight.”
Hollypaw looked back over her shoulder at the WindClan apprentice. Heatherpaw was whispering in her companion’s ear, her eyes fixed52 firmly on Graystripe as he disappeared into the trees.
Then Hollypaw heard a voice above the murmuring of the lake.
“Surely Firestar will restore Graystripe to deputy!”
Hollypaw glared at the RiverClan warrior who had fur the color of stone.
Another voice whispered, “The vigil for Graystripe was false!”
Rage flared53 in Hollypaw, but not enough to sweep away the foreboding that pricked her pelt. Had Brambleclaw been made deputy by mistake? She pushed the thought away, closing her ears to the gossip from the other Clans.
The tree-bridge loomed54 ahead, and she scrambled55 up through the dead branches to pick her way along the slippery trunk. Lionpaw waited at the other end. His eyes sparkled with excitement, and as she landed he mewed, “I hope all the Gatherings56 are as exciting as that one! Imagine Graystripe finding us!”
Hollypaw hurried after him, irritated. “Aren’t you worried?”
“What about?”
“About Graystripe coming back, of course!” Hollypaw flicked her tail. “How can StarClan approve of Brambleclaw being deputy when Graystripe is still alive?”
“StarClan didn’t tell us he was still alive,” Lionpaw reminded her. “If it meant so much to them, they should have sent a sign or something.”
Mousepaw slowed and fell into step beside them. “I think Brambleclaw is a great deputy, and Firestar can’t ignore that,” he mewed.
“Exactly,” Lionpaw agreed.
“But what about the warrior code?” Hollypaw protested.
“Does the code say anything about warriors coming back from the dead?” Lionpaw demanded.
Hollypaw shook her head. No cat had mentioned the warrior code at the Gathering. And yet she could not shake the feeling that some rule had been broken by appointing a new deputy when the old one wasn’t dead.
“Graystripe was deputy first,” she argued, half to herself.
“Do you wanthim to replace Brambleclaw?” Lionpaw asked, surprised.
“Of course not,” Hollypaw snapped.
“And the Clan is fine as it is,” Mousepaw pointed out. “So why bother changing anything?”
Hollypaw looked up ahead at Sandstorm and Millie. The two she-cats were padding along the lakeshore beside Firestar and Graystripe. Around her, the rest of the Clan murmured in hushed whispers, and Hollypaw guessed that they were as uncertain as she was about what would happen now that Graystripe had returned to ThunderClan.
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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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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hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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pelt
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| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
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pelts
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| n. 皮毛，投掷, 疾行 vt. 剥去皮毛，（连续）投掷 vi. 猛击，大步走 | |
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spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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sniffing
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| n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；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 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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muzzles
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| 枪口( muzzle的名词复数 )； （防止动物咬人的）口套； （四足动物的）鼻口部； （狗）等凸出的鼻子和口 | |
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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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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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rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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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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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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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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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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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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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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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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bristled
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| adj. 直立的，多刺毛的 动词bristle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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devastated
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| v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的 | |
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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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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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rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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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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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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truce
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| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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wriggled
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等） | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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rogue
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| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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43
malice
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| n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋 | |
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flexing
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| n.挠曲，可挠性v.屈曲( flex的现在分词 )；弯曲；（为准备大干而）显示实力；摩拳擦掌 | |
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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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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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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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pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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twitching
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| n.颤搐 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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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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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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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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gatherings
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| 聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集 | |
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