sunrise: part six

Hollyleaf and her brothers visit Sol. She says they will let him help them fulfill the prophecy if he gives them the name of their father. She also warns him that he might need to find a new place to stay because of Blackstar. Sol becomes angry, saying Blackstar has no right to dictate where he goes. He goes on a rant about how stupid Blackstar is to put his faith in StarClan, much to Hollyleaf's dismay. He gives the cats a rabbit that smells of ShadowClan for them to bring to Firestar. He tells them to tell Firestar that they caught a ShadowClan patrol stealing prey. He lays out his plan for the cats to take everyone's territory. Angry, Lionblaze goes to attack Sol and Hollyleaf stops him. He accuses Sol of being just like Tigerstar, only caring about his own ambition. Jayfeather sides with Lionblaze, saying that Sol only wants revenge for Blackstar driving him out and is just using them. Lionblaze and Jayfeather make Hollyleaf leave with them. She goes with them, upset.

Jayfeather and his siblings head back to camp. Jayfeather worries that maybe they should't have walked out on Sol. He thinks maybe the loner really can help them. He worries what excuse to give Firestar for their absence, but before he can think of one Brightheart call to him because Whitewing is having her kits. Tired and wanting a nap, Jayfeather heads to the nursery. He senses that Whitewing is scared and enters her mind. He sees her fear that her kits will be attacked by dogs, just like her mother. He assures her that everything will be okay and Whitewing stops fighting the birth. After Whitwing's kits are born Jayfeather feels a moment of closeness with Leafpool. He decides to ask her for her side of the story, to ask her if she was happy with their birth and if their father was. Jayfeather calls out to her but she cuts him off and the moment is gone. Jayfeather tries to sit with his siblings but he feels closed off from them too. Unable to bear the happiness of his clan he goes to the den. As he sleeps Yellowfang comes to him, telling him it is past time for the truth. She gives him a feather and fades. When Jayfeather wakes up he realizes she gave him a crow's feather, telling him that his father is Crowfeather. He immediately goes and wakes up his siblings, They meet behind the warrior's den for privacy and he tells them who their father is. Hollyleaf is devastated to find out she is half clan. They immediately go to the WindClan border to find Crowfeather and ask him if he knew the truth. They find a patrol and demand to see Crowfeather. At first the patrol refuses to help them but feeling the hostility of the ThunderClan cats they agree. Crowfeather arrives alone and they confront him with the truth. Crowfeather denies it, sounding dazed. Jayfeather enters his mind and sees him and Leafpool in love but he also sees them part ways. He believes Crowfeather. Crowfeather grows angry and tells them that his only child is Breezepelt and his only his mate is Nightcloud. He tells the ThunderClan cats that they mean nothing to him and then leaves.

Hollyleaf passes the rest of the day in a haze. She asks Lionblaze what they are supposed to do now but he tells her he doesn't know. Brambleclaw sends her on a hunting patrol with Sandstorm, Lionblaze, and Hazeltail. Hollyleaf can barely focus. Her whole life has been built on the warrior code and now it is all a lie. Squirrelflight's lie, Crowfeather falling in love not only with someone outside of his clan but also a medicine cat, and Leafpool who broke her vows as a medicine cat with someone outside of her clan and had kits which she then gave up. Hollyleaf catches a mouse. Imagining that it is Leafpool she attacks it, completely shredding it. Hazeltail catches her and is horrified but Hollyleaf snaps at Hazeltail and runs away. She runs to the WindClan border but all she can think is she doesn't feel half WindClan. Back at camp Firestar selects the warriors who will come with him to the Gathering and Hollyleaf is one of them. They pass through WindClan territory and Hollyleaf wonders where Crowfeather is. At the Gathering Tawnypelt greets her but Hollyleaf ignores her. She sits under the tree, waiting for the meeting to start, wondering if StarClan approves of what she is about to do. When it is Firestar's turn to speak she interrupts him. Lionblaze tells her to stop, that warriors do not speak at the gatherings. Firestar tells her whatever she wishes to discuss they can discuss later at camp. Part of her wishes to obey her clan leader as the warrior code says she must but she pushes that voice down since the warrior code is dead. She insists upon speaking. Curious, the other leaders imply Firestar should let her speak leaving him in the position where he has to give her permission. Hollyleaf announces that she and her brothers are not the children of Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw. Brambleclaw is shocked. Squirrelflight admits that this is the truth but she will not say any more. Hollyleaf admits that they are the kits of Leafpool and Crowfeather. Crowfeather denies this, saying that his relationship with Leafpool is in the past and he is a loyal WindClan cat now. Leafpool admits that it is the truth and steps down as ThunderClan's medicine cat. Everyone reacts to this revelation with shock. Brambleclaw asks Squirrelflight why she did not confide in him. She says she could not betray Leafpool. He responds that she did not trust him and declares their relationship over with. Cinderheart walks to Hollyleaf and asks her how she could have done this, speaking with the wisdom of Cinderpelt. Hollyleaf is shocked at her friend's response. Looking around the clearing she realizes no one is happy with her decision, not even her own clanmates. She runs from the Gathering. She screams at StarClan, asking them why, but they don't answer. She races to the camp and Leafpool's den. Blaming Leafpool for everything she pulls out the deathberries. Leafpool arrives and tells Hollyleaf that she forgives her, further enraging her. She tells Leafpool that Leafpool will either eat the deathberries, or she will force her to eat them. She reminds Leafpool that she killed once and will kill again. Leafpool tells her that she has lost her kits, her love, and her calling as a medicine cat. Realizing that living will hurt Leafpool more, Hollyleaf leaves her den.

Jayfeather races to Hollyleaf. He asks her why the deathberries are out but she screams at him and attacks him. She races from the camp and he collects Lionblaze so they can follow her. They follow her to the tunnels, yelling at her to stop. She turns to face them. She confesses to the murder of Ashfur, telling them that it should have made everything better but instead things just got worse. Shocked, Jayfeather enters her mind and sees it is true. She runs into the tunnel to escape ThunderClan but the tunnel collapses, killing her. Jayfeather tells Lionblaze that he doesn't understand. She killed Ashfur to prevent the secret from being revealed but then revealed it herself. Lionblaze says it is different because the warrior code meant everything to Hollyleaf and she couldn't bear the truth. They decide to hide Hollyleaf's involvement in Ashfur's death and instead decide to say the tunnel collapsed on her while hunting. As they head back to camp Jayfeather suddenly remembers the prophecy and how there are only two of them now. The next day Jayfeather and Lionblaze watch as Whitewing's come out of the nursery for the first time. As they sit there Jayfeather suddenly realizes something. He turns to Lionblaze to speak of the prophecy and Lionblaze is annoyed. But Jayfeather points out that Whitewing is Firestar's kin too, and she has just had kits. Between the two of them and one of Whitewing's kits there are three cats.

So, holy cow Hollyleaf!!! She murders Ashfur, she is fine with framing ShadowClan for a crime if it means finding out her father's name, she reveals their secret at the Gathering, she tries to kill Leafpool, and she attacks Jayfeather! She is a mess!!! I knew she had to die once we found out the truth, but I never expected her to so completely fall apart. I do feel that her crime should have been revealed. It's fine for all the cats to go on blaming Sol but I imagine this truth will come out eventually so the sooner the better. I do feel bad for her. But life is not so black and white. Leafpool is not the first, or I image the last, medicine cat to have kits in secret. And she is also not the first cat to give up her kits because of her duty to her clan. Both Yellowfang and Bluestar leap to mind here.

And, I cannot imagine this is the last of Sol, either. He obviously wants to destroy the clans and use Jayfeather and his siblings to do it. He is not going to walk away so easily. If anything he will be bitter they turned against him just like he is bitter towards Blackstar. And, his desire to pit the clans against each other has me questioning WindClan's invasion of ThunderClan. We know Sol was in WindClan territory first. Could he have convinced Onestar to invade? I wouldn't put it past him - or past Onestar to refuse to admit to Sol's behavior.

I will say, I was completely fooled. All along I thought these cats were the three and it turns out they are not - and now we have a whole new book series to find out just who the third is. It is interesting that Tigerstar tried to corrupt Jayfeather and Lionblaze, who are part of the three, and never Hollyleaf, who isn't and yet is the most corrupt of them all. Which makes me wonder if Tigerstar believes in the prophecy more then he admits since he sought out Jayfeather and Lionblaze.