CHAPTER18
Lionblaze led Foxpaw and Icepaw intothe forest to collect brambles. He felt numb1; the terrible scene kept repeating itself endlessly behind his eyes.
Was there anything I could have done? If I’d been quicker…maybe if I’d leaped for the snake I could have killed it first
Both the apprentices3 were still trembling with fear, spooking at every leaf rustle4, as if they thought that a snake might be hiding in every hollow. And for all I know, they’re right.…
“I can’t believe we’ve got Sol anda snake in the camp,” Icepaw mewed, jumping aside with her fur bristling5 as an oak leaf drifted to the ground beside her.
“I wonder if Sol summoned the snake to kill Honeyfern,” Foxpaw added, his voice shaking.
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Lionblaze’s voice came out louder than he’d intended; both apprentices jumped backward. “The snake was just there. It could easily have bitten Sol instead of Honeyfern.”
“I wish it had,” Foxpaw muttered.
Lionblaze didn’t say anything. Hadn’t there been enough death in the Clan6 already?
He led the apprentices to a bramble thicket7 near the beginning of the old Thunderpath and crawled underneath8 to bite the long, thornless stems at the bottom. The two apprentices hesitated at the edge of the stone, blinking nervously9.
“Come on!” Lionblaze urged them. “What’s the matter?”
“Are there any snakes in there?” Icepaw whimpered.
“If there are, I’m dead,” Lionblaze replied irritably10. “Okay,” he added with a sigh. “I’ll bite through the stems, and you drag the tendrils out.”
For a while they worked steadily11, and the pile of bramble tendrils began to grow. Then Foxpaw stopped with the end of a stem in his mouth.
“What’s wrong?” Lionblaze asked. “I need you to get that out of the way so I can reach the next one.”
Foxpaw dropped the tendril. “I can smell WindClan!”
Icepaw let go the stem she was dragging to the pile and tasted the air. “No, it’s RiverClan!” she exclaimed.
Quickly Lionblaze wriggled12 his way out of the thicket and took a deep breath. “You’re both right,” he meowed, his neck fur beginning to rise. “And there’s ShadowClan scent13 as well.”
Foxpaw laid his ears flat and crouched14 low to the ground. “Are we being invaded again?” he shrieked15.
“I don’t think so.” Lionblaze forced himself to stay calm. “The scents16 aren’t strong enough for lots of cats.” Gesturing with his tail, he added, “Stay behind me. And don’t doanythingunless I tell you.”
The two apprentices huddled17 together, close to his hind2 paws, while Lionblaze faced the undergrowth from where the scents were approaching. A clump18 of bracken quivered, and Blackstar of ShadowClan stepped into the open, followed by Rowanclaw. A heartbeat later Leopardstar and Reedwhisker appeared, and hard on their paws came Onestar and Turnear.
All three leaders!Lionblaze stared at them, his heart racing19. What kind of patrol is this?
“Greetings, Lionblaze.” Blackstar dipped his head. “We need to speak with Firestar.”
“O-okay,” Lionblaze meowed. “Follow me. Foxpaw, Icepaw, bring back the brambles, please.”
Leaving the apprentices to their task, he led the visitors back to the stone hollow and through the thorn tunnel. The clearing was quieter than when he had left. Honeyfern’s body still lay in the shade. Her family crouched around it, keeping vigil alone until nightfall. Sol had disappeared; Thornclaw was back on guard duty outside his nest. The queens and kits20 had retreated into the nursery.
Firestar was standing21 in the middle of the clearing, talking to Graystripe and Brambleclaw. All three cats looked up in surprise as Lionblaze emerged with his unusual patrol following
“Greetings,” Firestar mewed, dipping his head courteously22 to the other Clan leaders. His tone was wary23, and his neck fur had begun to bristle24. “What can I do for you?”
Blackstar didn’t bother to return his greeting. “Is Sol here?” he demanded.
“And is it true that he killed Ashfur?” Leopardstar added.
Onestar bared his teeth in a snarl25. “When were you going to tell us that you’re keeping a murderer captive?”
Firestar’s ears pricked26 and his tail-tip twitched27 from side to side. Lionblaze could see shock in his green eyes. “How did you find out so quickly?” he asked.
“One of my patrols saw your cats returning with Sol along the edge of the lake,” Onestar replied, his voice tense with anger. “They told a RiverClan patrol, and RiverClan passed on the news to ShadowClan.”
Firestar’s gaze flicked28 from one leader to the next. “Since when was this any of the other Clans29’ business?” he meowed icily.
“Since you put ourClans in danger,” Leopardstar retorted.
“You knowhow much of a threat that cat is,” Onestar added, his forepaws kneading the ground. “And yet you brought him back into our territories!”
Blackstar took a pace forward. Lionblaze could hardly believe that he would attack Firestar in the ThunderClan camp, but he braced30 his muscles ready to defend his leader if any of the other cats so much as raised a paw.
“Have you forgotten what Sol tried to do to ShadowClan?” Blackstar hissed31. “He tried to force us to stop believing in StarClan!”
And I’m a mouse!Lionblaze thought cynically32. A look flashed between Graystripe and Brambleclaw, telling Lionblaze that the senior warriors33 shared his thought. Blackstar wasn’t prepared to admit any responsibility, though at the time he had been only too willing to listen to Sol.
“What are you going to do with him?” Leopardstar demanded.
Firestar hesitated. He was looking increasingly harried34, but he kept his claws sheathed35. “I haven’t decided,” he admitted. “We’re still trying to find out exactly what happened.”
Onestar’s nostrils36 flared37 and he narrowed his eyes. “Sol is too dangerous to keep anywhere near the lake. You should send him away now.”
“You should have left him where he was,” Leopardstar growled38. “Any cat with a flea’s worth of sense would see that.”
“Then Ashfur’s murder would have gone unpunished,” Firestar argued.
“Vengeance isn’t everything,” Onestar spat39. “You have put all our Clans in danger by bringing Sol back. Whatever happens next, you will not have our support.”
The other two leaders nodded in agreement, and a threatening murmur40 came from their three followers41. A chill ran through Lionblaze, though hot blood was pounding in his veins42; he wanted to slice his claws through the fur of these arrogant43 cats.They have no right to interfere44 in ThunderClan’s business like this!
Blackstar raised his chin. “Sol must be gone from Clan territory by the next Gathering,” he insisted. “Or we will unite our three Clans to get rid of him ourselves.”
收听单词发音 |
1
numb
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| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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apprentices
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| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 ) | |
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rustle
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| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
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bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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irritably
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| ad.易生气地 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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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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scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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scents
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| n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉 | |
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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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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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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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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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courteously
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| adv.有礼貌地，亲切地 | |
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wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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bristle
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| v.（毛发）直立，气势汹汹，发怒；n.硬毛发 | |
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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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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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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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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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braced
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| adj.拉牢的v.支住( brace的过去式和过去分词 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
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31
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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cynically
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| adv.爱嘲笑地，冷笑地 | |
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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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harried
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| v.使苦恼( harry的过去式和过去分词 )；不断烦扰；一再袭击；侵扰 | |
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sheathed
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| adj.雕塑像下半身包在鞘中的；覆盖的；铠装的；装鞘了的v.将（刀、剑等）插入鞘( sheathe的过去式和过去分词 )；包，覆盖 | |
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nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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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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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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39
spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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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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41
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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43
arrogant
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
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44
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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