Wednesday, July 11, 2018

into the wild: part four

Things pick up right where they left off. While asleep, Firepaw has a dream of a bright light that blinds him, their home being attacked by ShadowClan, and Graypaw crying. He awakens to Tigerclaw who asks him what is wrong. Firepaw brushes it off as a dream, but Tigerclaw looks thoughtful. 

They make the trip to Moonstone uneventfully. Bluestar leaves Graypaw and Ravenpaw outside to guard the entrance while she brings Firepaw and Tigerclaw inside with her. Tigerclaw stinks of fear and ultimately runs away to join the two apprentices. Firepaw is surprised but Bluestar points out to him that it is a different type of courage that is needed in the Moonstone. Firepaw witnesses the blinding light of Moonstone and is in awe. 

When Bluestar awakens she is in a rush to leave - her dreams spoke of danger. They run back the way they came, desperate to make it to their camp in time. They pass by the farm they saw on their way there and the cat who lives there, Barley, warns them of new dogs on the farm and urged them to take another path. 

They do so but dozens of rats attack. Barley arrives to help but it is too late for Bluestar. Tigerclaw is convinced this was a trap set by Barley and sends him away. When Bluestar finally awakens she admits that she has lost one of her lives, and admits privately to Tigerclaw that she has lost five of her nine.

They race back to the camp to find it under attack by ShadowClan - exactly as Bluestar's (and Firepaw's) dream spoke. Even worse, during the fight Firepaw sees the ShadowClan deputy, Blackfoot, taking kits from their den but he is powerless to stop him since he can't break away from the cats he is fighting. They defeat the cats but during the battle Lionheart dies. When Firepaw hears Graypaw's anguished cry for his dead mentor he realizes all of his dream came true. Yellowfang is also given acknowledgement for saving the kits when no one else could.

Bluestar names Tigerclaw as their new deputy, much to Ravenpaw's horror but the clans approval. When Firepaw asks Ravenpaw what is wrong, Ravenpaw starts to imply that Tigerclaw killed Redtail.

One major thing of note here is the prophecy that fire will save the clan. Clearly Bluestar thinks this is Firepaw - and the fact that Firepaw clearly had a dream from StarClan detailing his trip to Moonstone, the attack on the camp, and Graypaw's grief supports this. But, more importantly, he was given this dream even though he is neither clan leader or medicine cat. He is just an apprentice - and a former kittypet at that. And he is given the dream before Bluestar is. All of this implies that StarClan feels that Firepaw is very important.

Also of note is Tigerclaw's reaction to the visit to the Moonstone. Bluestar's explanation that you need a different kind of courage makes sense - but what also makes sense is that Tigerclaw fears what her dream will say. We know he is lying about something involving Redtail's death, but we don't know what. It makes more sense that Tigerclaw fears Bluestar will see the truth - and the truth will be very bad.

Finally, the last thing of note is that Bluestar has used up five of her nine lives - and Tigerclaw wanted that information. He is loyal to the clan but it begs the question - did he want that information for the good of the clan or for another reason? Just what is Tigerstar's lie and what is his endgame?

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