eclipse: part four

At the camp everyone is impatient. Cinderpaw insists on sitting on the Highledge to guard the elders and kits. Jaypaw wonders if part of her determination is because a part of her knows she died saving them in her last life. Ferncloud asks what StarClan has said and Jaypaw admits nothing. Against Leafpool's wishes Jaypaw gets permission to go out and start rounding up the wounded warriors. He heads to the lake first where Dustpelt's patrol is. He scents RiverClan cats and helps attack them, driving them off. He then takes Sorreltail, who is injured, back to camp. He reports to Graystripe that RiverClan has joined the fight too. Graystripe tells him to go to Firestar's patrol next and pass the news onto him. As he heads towards Firestar's group he hears four RiverClan cats. He knows he has to make it to his clan mates first before they are ambushed. He runs into Lionpaw and tells him about the cats. Lionpaw says he will deal with them himself, much to Jaypaw's shock since Lionpaw will be greatly outnumbered. He then finds Firestar to tell him about the RiverClan cats. Firestar says they are too outnumbered and may need to retreat. Jaypaw knows if they retreat they will no longer be fighting for their territory but instead their lives. He heads to Brambleclaw's patrol to warn him about RiverClan but it is too late. He finds ShadowClan there too and thinks all three clans have ganged up against them. He attacks Tawnypelt but she tells him ShadowClan is there to help. He tells her that Firestar is outnumbered and she promises to send help. She sends Mousewhisker with him back to camp and Jaypaw wonders where StarClan is.

Firestar stops Lionpaw from attacking a RiverClan cat. She runs off and Lionpaw is upset that Firestar stopped him. Firestar says the cat knew she was beaten and at at the look of wariness in Firestar's eyes Lionpaw wonders just what he has done. The cats they were fighting defeated, Firestar says it is time to return to camp. Lionpaw wants to help the other patrols but Firestar insists he return to camp first. Lionpaw thinks Firestar is looking at him with fear in his eyes. They get to camp and Firestar is shocked to find out that Blackstar sent warriors to help them. A WindClan patrol approaches and Firestar takes his cats with him. Lionpaw scents Heatherpaw and races ahead. He attacks her, furious that she told her clan about the tunnels. She insists she didn't, that it was Sedgekit, but Lionpaw does not believe her and says they will always be enemies for this. He releases Heatherpaw and Crowfeather appears, demanding to know where she is. Lionpaw attacks him and almost kills him, stopping only when Heatherpaw begs him to. He is shocked that he almost killed the warrior since killing goes against the warrior code. Suddenly the light goes out and WindClan screams that StarClan has killed the sun. Terrified, the WindClan cats run away.

In the camp Jaypaw is helping the injured cats while listening to battle plans around him. Suddenly terror breaks out as the sun is hidden in the sky. ThunderClan cats start returning and everyone wants to know what is going on. Leafpool admits she has had no sign from StarClan and Jaypaw thinks to himself that Sol predicted the sun disappearing and implied that StarClan would be powerless to stop it. Everyone wonders if StarClan is displeased with the fighting and fears they will have to live in darkness forever. Slowly the sun starts to return.

The battle over, Hollypaw helps her clan mates clean up. Mousefur asks her if Jaypaw received a sign from StarClan but she and Lionpaw tell her that Jaypaw doesn't always share everything. Privately Hollypaw thinks Jaypaw should know what it means if they are more powerful then StarClan and she wonders if Lionpaw thinks the same. Cinderpaw helps with the medicine cat duties, knowing what to do. Hollypaw is shocked that her friend has this knowledge but Leafpool tells her it is because Cinderpaw has spent so much time in the medicine den. Hollypaw calls out to Squirrelflight and realizes she is wounded. She rushes to her mother and sees that the wound is bad. Leafpool and Jaypaw run over to help her but it is unsure if she will survive or not, especially since she has passed out from the blood loss. After tending to her wound Leafpool says she is too badly hurt to move to the medicine cat den. Instead she has Hollypaw and Lionpaw build a nest around Squirrelflight. When they are done Hollypaw curls up next to her mother to sleep.

Okay, so why on earth is RiverClan fighting too? Leopardstar used to hate ThunderClan but after Tigerstar's reign she has always liked them. Why is she suddenly allowing her warriors to attack ThunderClan - without even giving a reason? This makes no sense.

Lionpaw's power really does seem to be tied in to his warrior skills. So much so that even Firestar is looking at him warily. And he almost killed Crowfeather. I imagine he just killed any relationship between himself and Heatherpaw over his actions. Between his accusation towards her and almost killing her mentor she is probably really hurt right now. But, this does lead to me ask again just what is Hollypaw's special power? Being devoted to the warrior code can't be a power. And just when will we see them use these powers they have? Something must be coming that entails the use of these powers, otherwise they never would have been born with them. So just what is coming and when will it get here? This book is almost done and there are only two left...

And, on a final note, I don't think I like Sol. And I don't like Jaypaw thinking of him. Sol comes across as one of those people who manipulates you into revealing things by pretending to know more then he does - and then use that information against you. He hasn't really offered anything beyond a darkness coming - and yes, it came, but "darkness coming" could mean anything. It does not necessarily mean literal darkness. Anyone can make a prophecy like that because it is so broad anything can fill it. I am uneasy of Jaypaw thinking of Sol right now. I am worried that Sol is going to be the one to bring the very darkness he is speaking about - especially with his implied feelings about StarClan.