The forest shimmered2 in bright sunshine,the undergrowth rustling3 with prey4. Beneath an ash tree, a black tom stretched and let the sun slanting5 through the branches bathe his belly6. With a purr, he lapped at his chest, paws curling in contentment.
Suddenly a tortoiseshell darted7 out of a bush and hurtled past him. The tom rolled onto his flank and called after her: “Mouse?”
“About to be fresh-kill!” the tortoiseshell answered. She plunged8 through a wall of ferns and disappeared into the greenery, her white-tipped tail whisking behind her.
Beyond the ferns, the forest floor sloped down into a grassy9 glade10. At the bottom, a dark gray she-cat gnawed11 at a tick lodged12 at the base of her tail. She grumbled13 to herself as she tugged14 at the fat bug15, then stopped and looked up the slope. The ferns at the top were shivering.
“Got you!” A triumphant16 mew rang out; then the ferns shivered again, harder than before, and the tortoiseshell popped out with a mouse hanging from her jaws17. She blinked at the gray she-cat. “Hi, Yellowfang!”
“Good morning, Spottedleaf,” Yellowfang called back. “A good day for hunting.”
“The hunting’s always good here.” With a flick18 of her head, Spottedleaf tossed the fresh-kill down to Yellowfang before bounding after it.
Yellowfang sniffed19 at the fresh-kill and jerked backward. She rubbed her paw against her broad, flat muzzle20 as the dark shadow of a flea21 scuttled22 across her nose. “I thought these hunting grounds would be safe from fleas23!”
“You probably brought them with you.” Spottedleaf narrowed her eyes at Yellowfang’s matted pelt24. “When will you learn to groom25 yourself?” She leaned forward and began to lap at a large knot of fur on her Clanmate’s shoulder.
“When youstop trying to take care of every cat,” Yellowfang muttered.
A voice sounded at the top of the slope. “I can’t imagine that ever happening.”
Spottedleaf glanced up. A white tom was trotting27 down the slope toward them. “Whitestorm!” she purred. “Is Bluestar with you?”
“She was a moment ago.”
“I still am!” Bluestar burst from the trees and raced after Whitestorm. “I would have kept up with you if Tallstar hadn’t stopped me.”
“What did he want?” Spottedleaf asked.
“He was fretting28, as usual.” Bluestar glanced at Yellowfang’s flea-bitten nose and curled her lip. “Bad luck,” she sympathized. “I didn’t think there were any fleas here.” Spottedleaf let out a soft mrrowand flicked29 the tip of her tail against Yellowfang’s shoulder.
“Tallstar?” Yellowfang prompted, shrugging Spottedleaf away
“He’s worried about the kits30,” Bluestar explained.
Yellowfang’s tail twitched31. “Hollypaw, Lionpaw, and Jaypaw?”
“Who else?” Bluestar sighed. “The prophecy has gotten under his pelt like a tick.”
“But their training is going well,” Spottedleaf pointed32 out. “They each seem to be figuring out their path at last.”
“That’s true.” Yellowfang stared at her paws and added quietly, “But there’s so much they don’t know.”
“They’re still very young,” Bluestar warned.
Yellowfang looked up. “That doesn’t mean we have to deceivethem.”
“Do you think it would help if they knew everything?” Bluestar countered.
Yellowfang’s shoulders stiffened33. “Lives begun in deception34 are always lived in shadow.”
Bluestar sat down. “They cannot know the truth. We have kept this secret for a reason—one that we all agreed upon, Yellowfang. We have to do what is right for the Clan26.”
Yellowfang tipped her head to one side. “It’s a lie. How can that be right?”
“It wasn’t us who lied to them in the first place,” Whitestorm reminded her.
“But we go on hiding the truth,” Yellowfang argued. “I still think there’s too much secrecy35 in their lives.”
“They know about the prophecy,” Spottedleaf put in.
Yellowfang shifted her paws. “The prophecy! I wish they’d never heard about it. I wish I’dnever heard about it! Sometimes I think it would have been better if they hadn’t been given their powers at all.”
Spottedleaf brushed her tail along Yellowfang’s flank. “You know we had nothing to do with that,” she soothed36. “We just have to hope they use their powers wisely, for the good of ThunderClan.”
“Just ThunderClan?” Whitestorm looked thoughtful. “If their powers are so great, shouldn’t they be used to help all the Clans37?”
Bluestar widened her eyes. “These kits were born into ThunderClan! They have been raised as loyal ThunderClan warriors39. Why should they feel responsibility toward any other Clan?”
Yellowfang narrowed her eyes at the old ThunderClan leader, but said nothing.
“Some things we must agree to differ on,” Whitestorm meowed peaceably. “The most important thing is that the kits respect and listen to their warrior38 ancestors.”
“Yes,” Spottedleaf agreed. “We must make sure they take notice of what we tell them.”
Whitestorm twitched his ear where it was being tickled40 by a blade of grass. “No cat is born so wise that it can’t learn from its elders. We must guide them where we can.”
“Easier said than done,” Yellowfang muttered.
A butterfly flitted overhead, making jerky progress against the breeze. Spottedleaf’s eyes flashed, and she suddenly reared up, clapping her paws together above her head. The butterfly surged upward and out of reach.
“Mouse dung!” Spottedleaf dropped back onto four paws. She noticed Bluestar padding away. “Are you leaving already?”
Bluestar glanced back at Yellowfang. “If I stay, we will argue.”
Yellowfang flicked the tip of her tail. “So you still think we should keep the secret from them?”
“I understand your fears, Yellowfang,” Bluestar murmured. “But for now this secret is safest kept with us.”
Yellowfang looked away. “Nothing but stubbornness,” she growled41 under her breath.
“Bluestar believes she’s doing the right thing,” Whitestorm told her. “You trusted her before, remember?” He nodded to Yellowfang and Spottedleaf, then followed Bluestar out of the glade.
“And what about you?” Yellowfang’s pale stare rested on Spottedleaf. “Do you agree with all this secrecy?”
“Truth is a powerful weapon,” Spottedleaf replied. “We must be careful how we use it.”
“That’s no answer!” Yellowfang snapped.
Spottedleaf searched Yellowfang’s anxious gaze. “Why are you so worried?”
The fur along Yellowfang’s spine42 rippled43. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I just have a feeling.” Her gaze drifted toward the trees, searching the forest. “Something’s wrong. There is a darkness coming that not even StarClan can prevent. And when it comes, we will be helpless to protect the Clans. Helpless even to protect ourselves.”
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收听单词发音
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1
prologue
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| n.开场白，序言；开端，序幕 | |
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shimmered
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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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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slanting
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| 倾斜的，歪斜的 | |
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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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7
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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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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glade
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| n.林间空地，一片表面有草的沼泽低地 | |
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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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12
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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13
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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tugged
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| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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bug
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| n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器 | |
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triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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flick
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| n.快速的轻打，轻打声，弹开；v.轻弹，轻轻拂去，忽然摇动 | |
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sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；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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muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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flea
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| n.跳蚤 | |
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scuttled
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| v.使船沉没( scuttle的过去式和过去分词 )；快跑，急走 | |
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fleas
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| n.跳蚤( flea的名词复数 )；爱财如命；没好气地（拒绝某人的要求） | |
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pelt
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| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
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25
groom
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| vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁 | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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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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28
fretting
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| n. 微振磨损 adj. 烦躁的, 焦虑的 | |
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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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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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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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32
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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33
stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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deception
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| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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35
secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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36
soothed
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| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
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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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38
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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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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40
tickled
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| （使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐 | |
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41
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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42
spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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43
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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