Dovepaw didn’t want to go backto the hollow. Her fur was fluffed with anger. She wasn’t a spy and she wasn’t going to let any cat make her become one! That couldn’t be what the prophecy meant!
She raced through the trees, swerving1 around bushes and charging through ferns. She didn’t care if she was frightening off prey2. With her powers, she could always find more. There was nowhere it could hide from her.
Fury surged through her muscles, driving her harder. Thanks to her power she could take care of everything.
Find prey, Dovepaw!
Save us from the beavers3, Dovepaw!
Spy on every cat around the lake. Oh, and while you’re at it, you may as well spy on your own Clanmates.
Yeah, right!Her mind fizzed. Why don’tyou spy on your Clanmates?She imagined Lionblaze’s and Jayfeather’s expressions as she told them what she really thought. Oh, that’s right. You want to have friends! I suppose I don’t need friends. I suppose it’s okay if my sister doesn’t want to talk to me anymore.
Resentment5 burned in her belly6.
Her ears pricked7 up. Leaves were rustling8. Bushes swished. The border patrol was nearby. Had she run that far already? She skidded9 to a halt and sniffed10. She was almost on the ShadowClan border. She should have noticed the thickening brambles. She glanced around anxiously. How would she explain being so far from the rest of her patrol?
The ground sloped up beside her. She could hear Ivypaw’s patrol just beyond the rise.
“See anything?” Brackenfur called.
“No tufts of fur,” Ivypaw reported.
Dovepaw ducked into a bramble thicket11.
“How fresh are the markers?” Whitewing prompted. Ivypaw scooted over the top of the rise and sniffed at a trunk. Dovepaw watched her sister wrinkle her nose.
“Scented a few days ago, and then again last night by the smell of it,” Ivypaw answered.
Dovepaw felt a rush of pride. Her sister was going to make a brilliant warrior13. Everyone would think she was great.
Unlike me.
Dovepaw sighed. Every cat in the Clan4 would turn against her if they knew that she was supposed to be using a secret power to test their loyalty14. A true warrior trusts her Clanmates!
Brackenfur, Bumblestripe, and Whitewing had appeared over the rise now. They were checking every tree and bush. Dovepaw scooted farther into the bramble, gritting15 her teeth as the barbs16 scraped her pelt17. Brackenfur was padding nearer.
Mouse dung!
She wriggled18 deeper into the brambles as Brackenfur began sniffing19 at the edge. Then, in desperation, she scrambled20 up one of the thick stems. Biting her tongue against the pain of the thorns, she squirmed to the top of the bush and wormed her way along it. Prickers tore her pelt and scratched her muzzle21. Wincing22, she peered through the tangle23 of stems and saw Brackenfur following a scent12 the other way. He must be ignoring ThunderClan scents24 in his hunt for traces of ShadowClan. She felt a wave of relief and struggled on through the prickers and scrabbled down the far side, the bramble thicket a perfect barrier between her and her Clanmates.
Her paws slid on the smooth needles covering the ground.
Oh, StarClan!
She sniffed the air.
She’d dropped down into ShadowClan territory.
She glanced along the thicket. If she nipped around the far side she could be back in ThunderClan territory without leaving a trace. Keeping low, she slid along the edge of the bush.
“Hello!”
Tigerheart!
Heart thumping25, she spun26 around to greet the ShadowClan warrior. “Sorry! I didn’t mean…I mean, I wasn’t planning…”
Tigerheart shrugged27. “It’s okay. I trust you. We’re friends, right?”
Dovepaw felt her ears burn. “I guess.”
Tigerheart’s sleek28 tabby pelt shone in the light rippling29 through the pines. He padded toward her and touched her muzzle with his. “It’s nice to see you,” he meowed. He sat down and licked a paw before running it along his whiskers. “I’ve missed talking to you since the quest.”
“Me too.” Dovepaw felt her fur flatten30. Once a friend, always a friend. Why should borders stop that? “I mean, there are the Gatherings,” she went on, “but it’s not the same.”
“I know what you mean,” he agreed. He began licking his flank, smoothing a stray tuft into place. “It was fun, wasn’t it? Building nests beneath the stars and waking up each morning in a new place, but with the same familiar faces.” He sounded restless, and Dovepaw wondered if he was frustrated32 at being confined to his territory.
“I tried to visit Sedgewhisker, you know.”
“You did?” Tigerheart looked up from his washing. “How is she?”
“She was bitten by a dog, but nothing serious.”
“I noticed the wound at the Gathering31.” Tigerheart narrowed his eyes. “I wondered what it was.”
“But everyone got so angry with me!” Dovepaw’s pads itched33 with frustration34. “All they were bothered about was that I’d crossed the border. But I was worriedabout her. We’re all Clan cats, aren’t we? Is it wrong to care about one another?”
Tigerheart gazed into her eyes. “No, it isn’t.”
Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Dovepaw looked away.
“Do you remember when the dam burst?” Tigerheart’s mew was brisk, as though he could sense her discomfort35 and wanted to distract her. “The river nearly washed us to StarClan.” He stood up and began to knead the ground. “And we had to cling to nothing but branches to keep our heads above water.” He leaped for a low twig36 jutting37 from a pine trunk and swung by his forepaws.
Dovepaw purred with amusement. “What about trying to drag the logs out of the dam? That was like trying to pull the forest up by its roots!”
“I thought you were so brave!” Tigerheart told her.
“You were braver,” she argued.
“No way! I was terrified!”
“I couldn’t tell.” Dovepaw found herself staring into his soft amber38 eyes. Words dried on her tongue.
“Tigerheart!” The call of a ShadowClan cat made her freeze.
Tigerheart bristled39, then quickly nudged her past the brambles and bundled her across the scent line. “See you soon!” he hissed40 before turning back to meet his Clanmate.
Dovepaw glanced around. No one had seen her. She scooted away from the border and headed home through the trees. Warm with thoughts of Tigerheart, she felt a purr rise in her throat. This was one friendship that Lionblaze and Jayfeather couldn’t spoil, because they were never going to know about it.
She lifted her nose. And if they thought she was going to spy on ShadowClan for them, they were very much mistaken. Clanmates were Clanmates, but friends were just as precious.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
swerving
|
|
| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
prey
|
|
| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
beavers
|
|
| 海狸( beaver的名词复数 )； 海狸皮毛； 棕灰色； 拼命工作的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
clan
|
|
| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
resentment
|
|
| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
belly
|
|
| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
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： |
|
|
|
|
8
rustling
|
|
| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
skidded
|
|
| v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的过去式和过去分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
sniffed
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
thicket
|
|
| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
scent
|
|
| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
warrior
|
|
| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
loyalty
|
|
| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
gritting
|
|
| v.以沙砾覆盖（某物），撒沙砾于( grit的现在分词 )；咬紧牙关 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
barbs
|
|
| n.（箭头、鱼钩等的）倒钩( barb的名词复数 )；带刺的话；毕露的锋芒；钩状毛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
pelt
|
|
| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
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： |
|
|
|
|
19
sniffing
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
scrambled
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
muzzle
|
|
| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
wincing
|
|
| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
tangle
|
|
| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
scents
|
|
| n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
thumping
|
|
| adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
spun
|
|
| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
shrugged
|
|
| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
sleek
|
|
| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
rippling
|
|
| 起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
flatten
|
|
| v.把．．．弄平，使倒伏；使(漆等)失去光泽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
gathering
|
|
| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
frustrated
|
|
| adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
itched
|
|
| v.发痒( itch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
frustration
|
|
| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
discomfort
|
|
| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
twig
|
|
| n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
jutting
|
|
| v.（使）突出( jut的现在分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
amber
|
|
| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
bristled
|
|
| adj. 直立的，多刺毛的 动词bristle的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
hissed
|
|
| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |