Shadewhisker and Fernshade are furious with Yellowfang. They feel she could have prevented the battle, and Russetfur's death. Bluestar intervenes, arguing that they needed to know if the Dark Forest could influence events. Soon they are joined with cats from RiverClan and WindClan. They realize that even clan leaders can be under the sway of the Dark Forest and argue over what to do. Bluestar feels that the clans need to unite against this threat. Fernshade asks why the Dark Forest doesn't just attack them, but Lionheart feels that the Dark Forest knows it will hurt StarClan more to go after the cats who are still alive. Fernshade leaves to collect Russetfur and Yellowfang asks her to tell Russetfur she is sorry.
The battle ends and Dovepaw looks around in horror. Everywhere cats are injured. Russetfur is dead. Firestar is losing a life. Bumblestripe surveys the battlefield and comments that he guess they showed ShadowClan. Hazeltail retorts that what they showed was how much blood could be spilled in a pointless battle. Dovepaw sees Lionblaze. He has blood on him but she knows he isn't injured. She wonders what is the point of these powers if Lionblaze couldn't save Firestar. Brambleclaw comforts Lionblaze, telling him it wasn't his fault that Russetfur died. Dovepaw rushes to Lionblaze, blaming herself for the battle. She feels she should have known ShadowClan was going to invade, she should have used her powers to spy on cats like Jayfeather and Lionblaze asked her to. She wonders if StarClan sent the dream to Ivypaw because Dovepaw was refusing to spy on the other clans. The weary cats head home.
Jayfeather tends to the more seriously wounded while Leafpool checks the other cats in the clearing. Lionblaze comes in and Jayfeather asks after Dovepaw. Lionblaze tells Jayfeather she is fine, just quiet. Jayfeather thinks on how she returned from the battle in shock - while Ivypaw returned pleased with herself. Jayfeather had tried to enter her mind and see the dream, but nothing was there. He can't understand how Ivypaw could have forgotten such a vivid dream. He asks Lionblaze if the fight was worth it. Lionblaze says yes, but his answer is stiff. Lionblaze leaves and Leafpool comes in. Jayfeather asks her about his patients but Leafpool is unsure in her answers, frustrating Jayfeather. He sends her to check on Firestar and settles down to sleep. He puzzles over Ivypaw's dream - and his growing belief that she lied about it. Resolving to talk to Lionblaze about it in the morning he drifts off - and wakes up in the Dark Forest. At first he wonders if Tigerstar is trying to recruit him again then dismisses the idea. But then he hears Ivypaw talking to another cat and realizes it is Tigerheart. As Jayfeather listens Hawkfrost arrives, followed by others. As Jayfeather watches on he hears Breezepelt, Brokenstar, and many others. He listens as they talk and train. He realizes that the Dark Forest is in every clan, recruiting cats from every clan, getting them to break the warrior code.
Unable to sleep, Lionblaze leaves the den. Hearing him Cinderheart follows. A small stone falls into the clearing and Lionblaze worries that something might be wrong. He asks Hazeltail and Graystripe - on guard at the entrance - but they have seen and heard nothing. Cinderheart suggests they check it out. He tries to tell her he will do it alone but she won't hear it and leaves, causing him to follow her. Up in the forest they see nothing. Cinderheart tries to talk to Lionblaze about Russetfur. At first Lionblaze doesn't want to talk, but then it all comes rushing out. She tries to tell him that Russetfur might have taken all of Firestar's lives, but it doesn't make him feel better. He tells her a true warrior doesn't have to kill to win a battle. She quietly tells him that maybe times are changing, that the battle was too vicious, and that it is like something worse is going to happen. He asks her if she has had a dream, and she says no, just a feeling and that Russetfur shouldn't have tried to kill Firestar. An owl swoops between them, spooking them. Cinderheart races off and Lionblaze follows. They race each other, stopping now and again. At one point Lionblaze stops, seeing the tunnel that collapsed on Hollyleaf. Cinderheart asks him what is wrong, but he doesn't tell her. Instead he suggests they check the new border and report back to Firestar. She agrees, saying he had her worried. Pleased that she was worried for him he asks her why. She responds that he is a good friend. He hopes they are more then friends but he cannot bring himself to say it. At the border Cinderheart admits she wishes Firestar had never asked for the land back. They see Flametail, who taunts Lionblaze for killing Russetfur. He tells Lionblaze he is glad they are not kin since Lionblaze is just a murderer. They head back to camp and Jayfeather tells Lionblaze he needs to talk to him immediately about Ivypaw.
Dovepaw wakes up, hearing Jayfeather and Lionblaze talking about Ivypaw. Feeling that since the conversation is about her sister and she should be a part of it she tries to listen in but first Berrynose then Ivypaw interfere. Ivypaw tries to talk to her about the battle, going on about how exciting it was, but Dovepaw doesn't feel that way. She points out that Firestar lost a life. Ivypaw concedes that both that and Russetfur dying was sad, but she still felt the battle was exciting. Dovepaw responds she would rather use her skills to defend her clan. Ivypaw argues that they were because of her dream. Not responding, Dovepaw leaves her and tries to listen in again only she gets caught up in the morning meeting and is assigned hunting practice and duty with Ivypaw, Cinderheart, and Berrynose (since Lionblaze isn't there). As they practice Dovepaw keeps trying to sense Jayfeather and Lionblaze to listen in on their conversation. She keeps getting called out by Cinderheart and Berrynose for not paying attention but it doesn't stop her. Finally she overhears that Ivypaw is being trained by the Dark Forest - that cats from all clans are being recruited. She refuses to believe that any ThunderClan cat could fall for their lies. Dovepaw thinks Jayfeather must be mistaken since Ivypaw doesn't have any special powers. She suggests to Berrynose that she and Ivypaw leave and try hunting. Berrynose and Cinderheart agree. As they race away Dovepaw suddenly tells her sister to stop. She demands to know if it is true. At first Ivypaw denies it but she admits it when Dovepaw tells her that Jayfeather saw her. This leads to a huge fight between the sisters, with Dovepaw accusing Ivypaw of being stupid and Ivypaw accusing Dovepaw of being jealous. Ivypaw also insists that Tigerstar is no longer evil, that he regrets what he has done in the past, that he has always been loyal to his birth clan, and that ThunderClan mistreated him. Dovepaw cannot believe her ears as Ivypaw races away from her.
So, a few things struck me. One, is Lionblaze lied to Jayfeather and told him he thought the fight was worth it. And it was clear that he was lying too by the stiffness of his answer. Another thing that stood out to me is Cinderheart's comment that maybe things are changing. She still has a medicine cat's perceptions even though she isn't one in this lifetime. And she is right, there IS a darkness going on and that fight was far more viscous then it should have been. (Side note: when is Lionblaze going to tell Cinderheart he is in love with her?)
Then there is StarClan. I am disturbed by the fight between Yellowfang, Shadewhisker, and Fernshade. Don't get me wrong, I understand the ShadowClan cats argument completely. Yellowfang could have stopped the fight - and I was wondering why she didn't. But, while I don't agree with the outcome of the fight, I do understand Yellowfang's logic that she needed to know if the Dark Forest could touch the clans the way StarClan can. I understand ShadowClan's grief, but Russetfur should never have been in that fight in the first place - and she should never have tried to kill Firestar. There is blame on both sides, and ShadowClan refusing to accept that blame disturbs me.
Lastly, could Dovepaw have been any stupider? Her thoughts alone on her sister show why she was chosen. She thought the Dark Forest couldn't want anything to do with Ivypaw, because Ivypaw is not special. Then she accuses Ivypaw of behaving stupidly - which is not going to endear Ivypaw to her. And in the argument Ivypaw even says she is sick of the clan treating her like Dovepaw's dumb sister - basically proving Dovepaw's thought on why the Dark Forest chose her - and showing that Ivypaw has some serious confidence issues going on which the Dark Forest is preying on. And all of this goes over Dovepaw's head. I am curious to see what happens next.
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