CHAPTER22

Jayfeather struggled through snow that reachedup to his belly¹ fur. Frozen lumps of it stuck between his pads, making every step painful. Just ahead of him was another cat; he recognized her tabby-and-white pelt², and wailed³ for her to come back and help him, but she never turned her head. Then the snowy ground gave way beneath his paws, and he was falling, falling….

He woke in his own nest, the bedding tossed about by his thrashing limbs. Sitting up, heart still racing⁴ from his dream, he heard Leafpool scrabbling about in the depths of the store. A throbbing⁵ tide of anguish⁶ came from her, so strong that for a heartbeat he thought she was shrieking⁷ aloud.

Jayfeather sprang to his paws and padded over to the cave entrance. A flame of desperation burned inside him, to ask the medicine cat if she really was his mother, but he couldn’t ignore such deep distress⁸. “Leafpool?” he meowed. “What’s the matter?”

Leafpool backed out of the store. “I…I told Hollyleaf something I shouldn’t have,” she confessed.

Jayfeather understood at once; now all the secrets were gushing⁹ out like water breaking through a dam. He raised his chin in a challenge. “You told her that you’re our mother, didn’t you?”

He heard Leafpool’s gasp¹⁰ of shock. “How long have you known?”

“I didn’t know, until just now. But I’ve been putting things together, and last night everything fell into place. Squirrelflight’s

点击收听单词发音  

1 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。

2 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。

3 wailed
v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句

4 racing
n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的
参考例句：
I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。 The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

5 throbbing
a. 跳动的,悸动的
参考例句：
My heart is throbbing and I'm shaking. 我的心在猛烈跳动，身子在不住颤抖。 There was a throbbing in her temples. 她的太阳穴直跳。

6 anguish
n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼
参考例句：
She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时，她由于痛苦而失声大哭。 The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。

7 shrieking
v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 )
参考例句：
The boxers were goaded on by the shrieking crowd. 拳击运动员听见观众的喊叫就来劲儿了。 来自《简明英汉词典》 They were all shrieking with laughter. 他们都发出了尖锐的笑声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 distress
n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛
参考例句：
Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。 Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

9 gushing
adj.迸出的；涌出的；喷出的；过分热情的v.喷，涌( gush的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话
参考例句：
blood gushing from a wound 从伤口冒出的血 The young mother was gushing over a baby. 那位年轻的母亲正喋喋不休地和婴儿说话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 gasp
n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说
参考例句：
She gave a gasp of surprise.她吃惊得大口喘气。 The enemy are at their last gasp.敌人在做垂死的挣扎。

11 loyalty
n.忠诚，忠心
参考例句：
She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。 His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

12 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。

13 clan
n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派
参考例句：
She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。 The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

14 prey
n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨
参考例句：
Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。 The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

15 loomed
v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近
参考例句：
A dark shape loomed up ahead of us. 一个黑糊糊的影子隐隐出现在我们的前面。 The prospect of war loomed large in everyone's mind. 战事将起的庞大阴影占据每个人的心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 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。

17 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。

18 gasped
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要
参考例句：
She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。 People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

19 bleakly
无望地，阴郁地，苍凉地
参考例句：
The windows of the house stared bleakly down at her. 那座房子的窗户居高临下阴森森地对着她。 He stared at me bleakly and said nothing. 他阴郁地盯着我，什么也没说。

20 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。

21 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：
Have you ever been hissed at in the middle of a speech? 你在演讲中有没有被嘘过？ The iron hissed as it pressed the wet cloth. 熨斗压在湿布上时发出了嘶嘶声。

22 lashed
adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥
参考例句：
The rain lashed at the windows. 雨点猛烈地打在窗户上。 The cleverly designed speech lashed the audience into a frenzy. 这篇精心设计的演说煽动听众使他们发狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》