CHAPTER21

CHAPTER21
Lionpaw’s muscles still hurt from therace through the tunnels and the long swim to the shore, but he couldn’t rest in the den¹ any longer. He had slept till midday and Ashfur had refused to take him training until he’d had another good night’s sleep. But Lionpaw’s heart ached to the point of making him fidget and shuffle² his paws in the dried-up moss³ in his nest. Finally, he gave up trying to get comfortable and pushed his way through the barrier of thorns, into the forest.
“You need to stretch your legs?” Brook⁴’s mew surprised him. Lionpaw had been lost in thought as he padded out of the camp entrance. The evening sun was glittering through the trees as it sank toward the horizon.
“I’m bored with resting,” Lionpaw told her.
“You look better,” she commented. “Last night you looked like you’d been as far as the mountains and back.”
Lionpaw looked at his paws. “The kits⁵ were hard to find.”
“But you found them,” Brook reminded him.
“Yes,” Lionpaw murmured. He began to pad up the slope, treeward.
“I’ll watch for you!” Brook called after him.
“I won’t be long,” Lionpaw promised.
He headed for the tunnel entrance, weaving slowly through the trees. As he saw the brambles that guarded the tunnel entrance, the pang⁶ in his belly⁷ grew stronger. He wriggled⁸ beneath the prickly branches and climbed the slope, pausing in front of the small burrow⁹ where Heatherpaw had once called to him. He imagined her now, her blue eyes shining with excitement.
He would never see her again in that way. As a friend. As a fellow member of DarkClan with their own hidden territory. He couldn’t have all that and still be a loyal ThunderClan warrior¹⁰.
He closed his eyes, imagining he could still smell her scent¹¹ drifting from the tunnel entrance. He knew that was impossible. A mudslide blocked the way now. It marked the end of the most precious friendship he’d ever known.
“Good-bye, Heatherpaw,” he whispered into the tunnel, hoping the wind would carry his words through the darkness, picturing her waiting at the other end….
There will be no borders between us in StarClan. He remembered the moment they’d shared in the tunnels when he’d thought they might die. The intensity¹² of it still throbbed¹³ in his paws. How could he turn his back on their friendship?
He had to.
So must she.
A half-moon hung in the sky as Lionpaw headed home through the shadowy forest. The wind brushed the treetops, and the ferns crackled as they slowly began to unfurl bright new leaves.
Fur brushed his flank.
Lionpaw jumped, tail bristling¹⁴.
“We’re proud of you.” Tigerstar’s mew drifted on the evening air. Lionpaw turned his head and saw the dark warrior’s shimmering¹⁵ outline and his amber¹⁶ eyes glowing in the twilight¹⁷
A second pelt¹⁸ brushed his other flank. Hawkfrost.
“You made the right decision,” the tabby warrior told him. He nudged Lionpaw with his shoulder, and Lionpaw shivered at his ghostly touch.
“I’ve lost my best friend,” he murmured. “I never thought I would feel so empty.”
“Friendship is worthless,” Tigerstar growled¹⁹. “You have learned an important lesson, one that I could never have taught you. But I will teach you much more. There’ll come a day when you’ll be so powerful, you’ll have no need of friends. And when that day comes, I promise you will never regret that you chose to be a warrior.”

1 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

2 shuffle   

n.拖著脚走，洗纸牌；v.拖曳，慢吞吞地走

参考例句：

• I wish you'd remember to shuffle before you deal.我希望在你发牌前记得洗牌。
• Don't shuffle your feet along.别拖着脚步走。

3 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

4 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

5 kits   

衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件

参考例句：

• Keep your kits closed and locked when not in use. 不用的话把你的装备都锁好放好。
• Gifts Articles, Toy and Games, Wooden Toys, Puzzles, Craft Kits. 采购产品礼品，玩具和游戏，木制的玩具，智力玩具，手艺装备。

6 pang   

n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷

参考例句：

• She experienced a sharp pang of disappointment.她经历了失望的巨大痛苦。
• She was beginning to know the pang of disappointed love.她开始尝到了失恋的痛苦。

7 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

8 wriggled   

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）

参考例句：

• He wriggled uncomfortably on the chair. 他坐在椅子上不舒服地扭动着身体。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A snake wriggled across the road. 一条蛇蜿蜒爬过道路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 burrow   

vt.挖掘(洞穴)；钻进；vi.挖洞；翻寻；n.地洞

参考例句：

• Earthworms burrow deep into the subsoil.蚯蚓深深地钻进底土。
• The dog had chased a rabbit into its burrow.狗把兔子追进了洞穴。

10 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

11 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

12 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

13 throbbed   

抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 )； （心脏、脉搏等）跳动

参考例句：

• His head throbbed painfully. 他的头一抽一跳地痛。
• The pulse throbbed steadily. 脉搏跳得平稳。

14 bristling   

a.竖立的

参考例句：

• "Don't you question Miz Wilkes' word,'said Archie, his beard bristling. "威尔克斯太太的话，你就不必怀疑了。 "阿尔奇说。他的胡子也翘了起来。
• You were bristling just now. 你刚才在发毛。

15 shimmering   

v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The sea was shimmering in the sunlight. 阳光下海水波光闪烁。
• The colours are delicate and shimmering. 这些颜色柔和且闪烁微光。 来自辞典例句

16 amber   

n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的

参考例句：

• Would you like an amber necklace for your birthday?你过生日想要一条琥珀项链吗？
• This is a piece of little amber stones.这是一块小小的琥珀化石。

17 twilight   

n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期

参考例句：

• Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
• Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

18 pelt   

v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火

参考例句：

• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。
• Crowds started to pelt police cars with stones.人群开始向警车扔石块。

19 growled   

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

参考例句：

• \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道：“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》