CHAPTER 17
Hollypaw woke up long before dawn. The walls of the medicine den1 glistened2 with frost. She had tossed and turned for most of the night, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. All she could think of was how exciting the battle with ShadowClan had been, and how impossible her apprentice4 duties had seemed afterward5, when she’d been faced with so many injured warriors7. Why did healing seem to involve inflicting8 moresuffering first?
She stretched and crept out of her nest. Her body ached, but the bruises9 and scratches had been worth it to see the ShadowClan warriors fleeing across the border like terrified rats. She glanced at Leafpool, who was still asleep. The medicine cat’s breath billowed in the freezing air. Careful not to disturb her, Hollypaw slipped out of the den. The brambles at the entrance were stiff with ice, and crackled as she nosed her way out.
The clearing was empty. Even the forest was silent, as though the cold had frozen every leaf, and the dawn sky glowed pink behind the frost-whitened branches at the top of the hollow. She looked hopefully toward the fresh-kill pile. It was empty. The sudden cold had already driven most of the prey10 deep into their burrows11, and the cats would have to wait until hunger drew them out into the open once more. Perhaps she could find something outside the camp. Ferncloud and her kits12 would need food once the sun rose. She padded across the clearing and out through the thorn barrier.
Brook13 paced outside the entrance, her thick fur sparkling with frost. She jerked her head around when she heard Hollypaw’s paw steps.
“You’re awake early.”
“I couldn’t sleep.” Hollypaw yawned. “Has the dawn patrol left yet?”
“Not yet.”
“I thought I could find some prey for Ferncloud,” Hollypaw explained.
Hollypaw sighed.
“Leafpool would probably get on better without me,” Hollypaw muttered.
“Surely not,” Brook meowed. “She couldn’t have managed to treat everyone without your help yesterday.”
“She almost had to,” Hollypaw confessed. “I was so excited after the battle, I completely forgot that I was a medicine cat apprentice. And then when I tried to help, it was awful. I had to make my Clanmates swallow foul-tasting leaves. And the balms seemed only to make the wounds sting more. It didn’t feel like I was helping16 at all.” She sat down miserably17. “I thought that I could serve my Clanmates best as a medicine cat. That’s why I asked to be Leafpool’s apprentice. She’s so important to the Clan3.”
Hollypaw thought for a moment. It was more complicated than that. “Everyone respects Leafpool and listens to what she says.”
“But is being listened to and respected the same as serving your Clan?”
Hollypaw glanced up at the mountain cat. Brook’s eyes were round with sympathy. “I guess not,” she mewed. “I just thought it would be the best way to help the Clan.”
“And now you think differently?”
“I don’t think I can help the Clan at all as a medicine cat,” Hollypaw mewed quietly. “I can’t remember the names of the herbs. I feel more excited about fighting ShadowClan than fighting sickness. And I’d rather hunt for mice than borage or tansy.” Frustration19 welled inside her. “It’s all gone wrong! No cat will ever respect me now.”
Brook ran her the tip of her tail down Hollypaw’s back. “Cats win respect from their Clanmates by being loyal and brave, not holding important positions,” she meowed. “Did you think Graystripe less important than Brambleclaw when you fought beside him yesterday? Or Lionpaw less important than Leafpool when he helped you drive off that ShadowClan tom?”
Hollypaw shook her head.
“It is hard for someone so young to make such big choices,” the mountain cat went on. “When I was with the Tribe of Rushing Water, there were no such choices. All duties were divided into hunting or guarding. Prey-hunters like me were thin and lithe20; guards were stocky and strong. The decision was made from birth which duty a cat would perform best.”
Hollypaw was shocked. “You couldn’t choose at all?”
“It wasn’t impossible for a cave-guard to be a prey-hunter or a prey-hunter to be a cave-guard, but generally it was a good way to make sure each cat made the best use of the strengths they were born with.”
“I wasn’t born with a head for herbs.” Hollypaw sighed.
“Think of your strengths, not your weaknesses,” Brook urged her. “As a Clan cat, you have the freedom to shape your own destiny, which Tribe cats never have. Use that freedom wisely.”
Hollypaw remembered her battle training with Cinderpaw. Every move had come so naturally. Even Cloudtail had been impressed. And in the battle she had known instinctively21 what she was doing when she had knocked that ShadowClan warrior6’s paws from under him. “I can fight,” she mewed, flexing22 her claws.
“You have warrior strengths,” Brook agreed. “What better way to serve your Clan than by being the best warrior you can?”
“Don’t forget, though, you will have to tell Leafpool.”
Hollypaw sagged24 a little. “Of course.” She looked down at her paws. “She’ll think I’m letting her down.”
“Leafpool is wise enough to see where your gifts lie,” Brook meowed. “She will only think you courageous25 for speaking up now, rather than struggling on out of pride or stubbornness.”
“Do you think so?”
“You will be doing what is best for your Clan. Leafpool will know that.”
The sound of paw steps inside the thorn barrier warned that the dawn patrol was preparing to leave. Hollypaw blinked gratefully at Brook. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Brook dipped her head and turned back to watch the forest. Hollypaw ducked through the thorn barrier just in time to avoid being swept aside by Graystripe, Sorreltail, and Honeypaw as they raced out. She knew what she had to do. She would become a regular apprentice like Lionpaw and Jaypaw, and work hard to serve her Clan as a warrior.
But first she had to tell Leafpool.
Stiffening26 her shoulders, Hollypaw nosed her way into the medicine den.
Leafpool was smearing27 honey onto a leaf. “Let’s hope this freezing weather breaks soon,” she muttered. “Longtail and Icekit both have sore throats.”
Hollypaw suddenly felt as if there were a thorn stuck in her chest. She was turning away from something she had set her heart on because she was not good enough. Sadness welled inside her. Should she be giving up so easily?
“What’s wrong, Hollypaw?” Leafpool looked up. “You look as though you’ve just lost our entire supply of poppy seeds!” Then her face grew serious. “You haven’t, have you?”
Hollypaw shook her head. “No. But I have something very important to tell you.” She forced herself to look her mentor28 in the eyes. “I can’t be a medicine cat apprentice anymore,” she mewed.
Leafpool blinked. “Why not?”
“I have to choose my destiny based on my strengths,” Hollypaw meowed. “I’m just no good at being a medicine cat. You must know that.”
“You are clever and hardworking. You can learn.”
“But it doesn’t feel right,” Hollypaw tried to explain. She tipped her head to one side. “Can you understand?”
“You feel like a fish swimming upstream?” Leafpool suggested.
“Exactly.” Hollypaw nodded, her heart aching. “If I change direction and swim with the current, I will swim so much faster.”
“So you want to train as a warrior instead.”
“I think it will be better for the Clan if I do.”
Leafpool’s eyes clouded with sorrow. “I feel as though I’ve let you down.”
“You would have been a good medicine cat.” Leafpool flicked30 her tail. “But I see that you want to be the bestat whatever you do.”
“I have to be, for the sake of my Clan.”
Leafpool stepped forward and brushed Hollypaw’s cheek with her muzzle31. “You will make a wonderful warrior, Hollypaw,” she purred. “You have a warrior’s spirit—I have seen you being noble and loyal and brave, and now I see you sacrificing your ambition for the good of the Clan.” Her eyes shone. “I couldn’t be more proud of you.”
Leafpool’s words soothed32 the grief that pricked33 like a hedgehog at Hollypaw’s heart. “I must go and tell Firestar so he can find me a new mentor.”
“There’s no rush,” Leafpool cautioned. “You might want to think about it some more.”
“I’ve thought about it lots,” Hollypaw insisted. “I want to sort it out as soon as I can.”
“I’ll come with you,” Leafpool offered.
“Thank you.” The thought of facing Firestar made her paws itch34. What if he thought she was being fickle35?
Together they padded across the frosty clearing. Leafpool let Hollypaw climb the rockfall first and followed her up. Hollypaw announced her arrival at the den entrance with a nervous mew.
“Come in.”
Hollypaw stepped into the cave. The dawn light seeped36 in behind her, lighting37 the gloom. Sandstorm was grooming38 Firestar’s ears. She looked up as Hollypaw and Leafpool entered.
Firestar drew himself into a sitting position. “How is Longtail’s throat?” he asked.
“It’s not whitecough,” Leafpool reported. “Mousefur insists it’s just sore from his snoring.”
Firestar turned to Hollypaw. “What is it?” His green eyes were round with concern. “You look worried.”
Hollypaw shifted her weight from paw to paw. What if she was breaking the warrior code in some way? Surely Leafpool would have said something? She took a short, sharp breath. She hadto follow her instinct. The Clan needed a medicine cat they could rely on, and she knew that wasn’t her.
“I want to become a warrior apprentice,” she blurted39. “I don’t think I’m cut out to be a medicine cat.”
“And you think you’d make a better warrior,” Firestar guessed, narrowing his eyes.
“I know I would!”
Firestar looked at Leafpool. “Do you think she’s right?”
“I believe that this is what she really wants.” Leafpool stroked Hollypaw’s flank with her tail. “She’s worked hard at her duties, and I’ve loved training her, but she feels her strengths lie elsewhere. And if this is what she believes, then she will make a better warrior.”
“I’ll remember everything Leafpool has taught me,” Hollypaw promised. “It might be useful one day.”
Firestar nodded. “Very well. Since Leafpool agrees, you can train as a warrior. I’ll find you a mentor as soon as I can.”
Hollypaw looked up at Firestar, wondering if he would say more, but he was gazing wordlessly at her. He must be trying to think of a suitable mentor. She turned and began to head past Leafpool out of the entrance.
“It must have taken a lot of courage to do this,” Firestar called after her. “I’m very proud of you.”
She glanced back at the ThunderClan leader. “Thank you,” she mewed.
She leaped down into the clearing, her paws light with relief. Suddenly she remembered that she had intended to go hunting this morning. Perhaps Lionpaw would come with her. She glanced toward the apprentice den, wondering if he was awake yet, and then she saw Jaypaw slipping in through the thorn barrier. Brook followed him in, looking relieved. From the way he stumbled wearily into the clearing, Hollypaw guessed her brother had been out all night. She hurried over to him as Brook padded toward the warrior den to get some well-earned sleep.
Jaypaw’s eyes were bleary and his fur unkempt. “I’ll explain later,” he mewed. “I have to see Firestar.”
“You should get some sleep first,” Hollypaw advised. “Besides, Firestar is busy talking to Leafpool.”
“I have to see her too.”
What was he talking about? Had something happened? Alarm shot through Hollypaw’s tail, making it twitch41.
Jaypaw tripped as he tried to climb the tumble of rocks up to Firestar’s cave.
“Let me help,” Hollypaw offered. “You’re too tired to manage alone.”
For once Jaypaw didn’t object. Hollypaw’s anxiety grew stronger, but she bit her tongue. He was obviously determined42 to speak to Firestar, and she wasn’t going to waste time arguing. Instead she laid her tail over his shoulders and guided him up the rockfall.
“Back already?” Firestar called her inside.
He looked surprised to see Jaypaw with her, but before he could speak Jaypaw stumbled into the center of the den. He fixed44 his sightless gaze on Firestar, his stare so intense it seemed as though he could see the ThunderClan leader as clearly as the rest of them could.
“I need to train to be a medicine cat,” he mewed.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
den
|
|
| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
glistened
|
|
| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
clan
|
|
| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
apprentice
|
|
| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
afterward
|
|
| adv.后来；以后 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
warrior
|
|
| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
warriors
|
|
| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
inflicting
|
|
| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
bruises
|
|
| n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
prey
|
|
| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
burrows
|
|
| n.地洞( burrow的名词复数 )v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的第三人称单数 )；翻寻 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
kits
|
|
| 衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
brook
|
|
| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
curiously
|
|
| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
softening
|
|
| 变软，软化 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
helping
|
|
| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
miserably
|
|
| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
queried
|
|
| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
frustration
|
|
| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
lithe
|
|
| adj.(指人、身体)柔软的，易弯的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
instinctively
|
|
| adv.本能地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
flexing
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
lighter
|
|
| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
sagged
|
|
| 下垂的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
courageous
|
|
| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
stiffening
|
|
| n. (使衣服等)变硬的材料, 硬化 动词stiffen的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
smearing
|
|
| 污点，拖尾效应 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
mentor
|
|
| n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
guilt
|
|
| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
flicked
|
|
| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
muzzle
|
|
| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
soothed
|
|
| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
pricked
|
|
| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
itch
|
|
| n.痒，渴望，疥癣；vi.发痒，渴望 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
fickle
|
|
| adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的，不坚定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
seeped
|
|
| v.（液体）渗( seep的过去式和过去分词 )；渗透；渗出；漏出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
lighting
|
|
| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
grooming
|
|
| n. 修饰, 美容，（动物）梳理毛发 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
blurted
|
|
| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
exhausted
|
|
| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
twitch
|
|
| v.急拉，抽动，痉挛，抽搐；n.扯，阵痛，痉挛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
determined
|
|
| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
ledge
|
|
| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |