A pack of dogs escape into the forest. They smell cat, their enemy, and run off chanting "Pack! Pack! Kill! Kill!"
Back at the Gathering, Fireheart stares in shock at Tigerclaw, now Tigerstar, as leader of ShadowClan. The rest of the clan is horrified - except for Darkstripe, who is clearly excited. Some clan cats want Fireheart to speak the truth about Tigerstar when he goes up into the Great Rock but Fireheart is torn. Should he reveal his clan's deepest secret? What if being leader of ShadowClan is good for Tigerstar and sates his hunger to rule? Tigerstar has also allowed some of Brokenstar's rogues to come back with him, a decision that is meet with fear by Tallstar, but Tigerstar assures that he will keep the rogues in line. Fireheart speaks for Bluestar, who he has claimed is still recovering from breathing in the smoke. He welcomes Tigerstar but makes it clear that ShadowClan - or the former rogues - are not welcome on ThunderClan land. At the end of the Gathering, Whitestorm assures Fireheart that he spoke well. Mistyfoot tells Fireheart that Crookedstar is getting old and that Leopardfur is angry at Graystripe.
Back at the camp word spreads quick about Tigerclaw's fate. Longtail is upset that ShadowClan would have a traitor rule them. Fireheart tells Bluestar what happened and she is furious, demanding to know how the other leaders could let a traitor rule. Fireheart tries to tell her that they don't know the truth but she won't listen to him, feeling that StarClan has turned their back on her. She does tell Fireheart that she knows she can trust him - but she also adds that all the other cats are traitors.
Whitestorm picks up the scent of dog over by snakerocks but Fireheart is not overly concerned. StarClan is sending Cinderpelt dreams of an unseen enemy in the forest chanting "Pack. Pack. Kill. Kill." but Fireheart tells her he needs more information.
Fireheart resolves to talk to Bluestar about making Cloudpaw, Brightpaw, Swiftpaw, and Thornpaw into warriors but before he does he sees Bramblekit playing roughly with Snowkit. At first all of his fears of Tigerstar come rushing back but then he begins to wonder if something might be wrong with Snowkit. When he tries to say something to Speckletail she gets angry with him. Goldenflower ends up angry with him too over the way he (and others in the clan) look at Bramblekit. But she does ask Fireheart to tell the kits the truth about their father before someone else does. Brackenfur confesses to Fireheart that he too thinks something is wrong with Snowkit, causing Fireheart to resolve to speak with Cinderpelt. Before he does, though, he speaks to Bluestar about making the apprentices into warriors but she refuses to raise any but Cloupaw, insisting the rest have been trained by traitors. Fireheart comments that maybe more training for all of them, including Cloudpaw, might not be a bad thing.
Firstly, I am glad to see that Longtail is not happy with Tigerstar becoming leader of ShadowClan - but I am dismayed that Darkstripe is. I feel that clearly Longtail has thrown his lot in with with ThunderClan but Darkstripe has not fully yet - and might not now that Tigerstar has his own clan.
I also think it is pretty obvisous that the dog Whitestorm scented and Cinderpelt's dream are connected, but I have the benefit of knowing a pack is loose in the forest from the prologue and Fireheart does not.
And Bluestar is clearly deteriorating if she thinks only Cloudpaw should be raised to warrior status. How much longer Fireheart, Whitestorm, and Cinderpelt can keep hiding her condition is unknown, but I can't imagine it will be much longer. Feeling that she cannot trust her own warriors, it is just a matter of time before she says the wrong thing to the wrong cat. Right now her condition is hidden between her desire to stay in her den and Cinderpelt giving her medication but that cannot go on for much longer. Cats are already asking why Bluestar is not around as much and are questioning her behavior when she is.
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