Spottedpaw wakes up covered in gross smelling mud. She is supposed to go on a border patrol but Thrushpelt takes her place, telling her to go clean up instead. She sees Thistleclaw and tries to hide from him, but he spots her. He is happy to find out she is not going on patrol and offers to train her with Tigerpaw and Whitepaw instead. They go to the training hollow and Tigerpaw and Whitepaw fight. Whitepaw wins so Spottedpaw gets to fight him next. As they practice, Thistleclaw sees an opening for Spottedpaw to take, one that will insure she wins. He urges her to take it, but it involves attacking Whitepaw on his eyes. Upset, Spottedpaw runs away. She cleans herself off then heads back to camp, telling Thistleclaw that she needs to talk to him. They speak about his training in the Dark Forest and how it makes Spottedpaw uncomfortable. Thistleclaw assures her that he just wants to be the best warrior ever and protect his clan. Spottedpaw wants to believe him since she loves him, but she is unsure.
Spottedpaw dreams of Thistleclaw and a hidden danger. She wakes up out of sorts. Featherwhisker sees her and asks her what is wrong. She feels she cannot confide in him about Thistleclaw and the Dark Forest because then Thistleclaw will get in trouble and she feels he isn't doing anything actually wrong. Instead she confides in him her concerns that some cats seem to enjoy fighting. Featherwhisker tells her that fighting is only a small part of their life, and that love is more important. Across the camp, Spottedpaw sees Stormtail getting ready to go on patrol. He looks sick. Worried, Spottedpaw asks him if he is okay. He insists he is and Bluefur tells her that Stormtail knows if he is sick or not. The cats leave but Spottedpaw is worried. She goes to Featherwhisker and tells him her fears. Featherwhisker agrees and goes to get Stormtail, but Whiteeye arrives with a thorn in her eye. Featherwhisker sends Spottedpaw after Stormtail instead. She finds the patrol and asks them where he is, but the patrol does not know. Spottedpaw finds Stormtail, who has collapsed, and the cats escort him back to camp. Spottedpaw angrily blames Bluefur for not listening to her, but Bluefur retorts that Spottedpaw is not a medicine cat. Thrushpelt pulls Spottedpaw aside to ask her if she truly wants to be a warrior. Thinking of Thistleclaw, Spottedpaw insists she does but Thrushpelt tells her to think on his words.
Spottedpaw dreams herself to the Dark Forest. She finds Thistleclaw fighting with another cat. He is attacking her so ferociously that he is killing her. Much to Mapleshade and Thistleclaw's anger, Spottedpaw interrupts the fight to try and save the dying cat. The cat disappears and Spottedpaw is upset. She asks Thistleclaw how he could do that to a helpless cat, but he insists the cat was not helpless. Spottedpaw tells Thistleclaw that she was asked to be a medicine cat but said no for him. But she also tells him that she cannot be with him if he won't stop coming to the Dark Forest. Thistleclaw insists this is his destiny and he cannot stop. Spottedpaw asks him to choose her instead but he refuses. He tells her nothing is more important then ripping the flesh if his enemies and spilling their blood, showing her just how far Thistleclaw is gone. When Spottedpaw wakes up she wonders what to do. She thinks of going to Sunstar but she knows that no one can guard Thistleclaw from his dreams. She sees Bluefur and Stormtail. Stormtail thanks jer for saving his life and leaves the other two. Bluefur apologizes for her harsh words to Spottedpaw. Bluefur, too, is worried for the future and Spottedpaw wonders if Bluefur dreams of the evil in the Dark Forest. They leave each other and Spottedpaw seeks out Featherwhisker, telling him she wishes to be his apprentice.
Spottedpaw watches on as Tigerpaw is made a warrior. Bluefur is heavy now with her kits. And speculation runs through the camp on who the father might be. Most suspect Thrushpelt is the father. She looks over to Thrushpelt and feels bad that he did not get to see her made a warrior. She can feel Thistleclaw watching her but she ignores him. She fears what will happen if he is made deputy since Sunstar does not have many lives left. Days later Bluefur finally has her kits - two girls and a boy that she names Mistykit, Mosskit, and Stonekit, respectively. Thrushpelt sits with her and comforts her during the birth. Seeing this, Spottedpaw decides that everyone must be right and Thrushpelt must be the father. Featherwhisker teases Bluefur for not letting Thrushpelt name any of their kits and Spottedpaw notices a look in his eyes which makes her suspect that Featherwhisker does not believe Thrushpelt to be the father. As she looks on at Bluefur with her kits, Spottedpaw feels that being a medicine cat is the best thing ever.
Spottedpaw is collecting water for the elders when Thrushpelt returns with fresh kill. Bluefur's kits ask if they can have it and he tells them yes, but Bluefur tells him no, that she just fed the kits. Spottedpaw waits for Thrushpelt to object as their father but he does not, and instead takes his fresh kill to the pile. Thistleclaw and Tigerclaw return from a patrol, speaking of fighting kittypets who invaded their territory. Sunstar is shocked since they just renewed the scent markers. Spottedpaw sees Fuzzypelt limping and sees to his paw. He got a splinter in the fight and Spottedpaw pulls it out. She realizes the splinter was not from a branch, but instead from a fence, and confronts Fuzzypelt about it. Fuzzypelt insists that what they did was okay but he acts guilty and evasive. He leaves and Bluefur asks Spottedpaw if Thistleclaw deliberately attacked the kittypets. She tells Spottedpaw that she is worried. She admits that she loves her kits and does not wish that they were not born, but she is upset that they were born now. Spottedpaw can see that Bluefur is upset and tries to comfort her. She reminds her that she is not alone, and she has Thrushpelt to help her raise the kits. Bluefur says she cannot ask Thrushpelt for more then she already has and Spottedpaw suspects that Thrushpelt is not the father. Bluefur walks away, telling Spottedpaw that she has a decision to make. Later, Bluefur asks Spottedpaw to watch her kits for her. It is the night of the Gathering and Bluefur wishes to go. Spottedpaw is surprised since nursing queens usually do not go. She agrees to watch the kits. When Bluefur returns she tells Spottedpaw that she has made her decision. Later on something wakes Spottedpaw and she leaves the den to see what it is. She sees Bluefur and her kits and follows them. Stormtail, who is guarding the entrance, had been dozing off but he wakes up at Spottedpaw's approach. Someone steps on a branch and Spottedpaw distracts Stormtail by telling him she thinks she sees something in the opposite direction. They part ways and Spottedpaw follows Bluefur and her kits. She realizes Bluefur is taking them away so she can become deputy in place of Thistleclaw. She feels upset with how Thistleclaw's ambition has changed both their lives so drastically. She silently calls out to StarClan, asking them to watch over Bluefur's kits. Snowfur, Bluefur's sister, answers her telling her that they will.
This was so upsetting. Even though I knew the end result was going to be Thistleclaw picking the Dark Forest over Spottedpaw, it was still devastating to read it happening. Especially when he talked about how nothing was more important than ripping other cats apart. And then Spottedpaw watching as Bluefur gave her kits away, knowing that she did it to put the clan first and protect them from Thistleclaw's ambition was just as bad. I wonder if she ever confessed to Bluestar that she knew the truth? Or did she take Bluestar's secret to her grave? Either way, I understand now just how deep the bond truly was between Bluestar and Spottedleaf. Stopping Thistleclaw destroyed and then reshaped both of their lives in ways they never imagined.
All around this story was so sad, but I'm also so glad to have read it. Even though Thistleclaw is a bad guy, I feel he is more relatable then Tigerstar. Thistleclaw, at least, loved. He might have chosen his ambition in the end, but I really do feel he loved Spottedpaw. Tigerstar, even when he was with Sasha, always gave the impression of loving himself and himself alone. Even his kits he only wanted to use to further his own ambitions. And I am glad to get this peek into Tigerstar. I understand his hatred for kittypets so much more now. And I do feel as if he never really had a choice in his path. But perhaps, like attracts like? Perhaps Thistleclaw and the Dark Forest were only able to influence Tigerstar as much as they did because Tigerstar wanted that influence.
While I am still a novel fan (and, in all honesty, a series fan) at heart, I am glad to have read this story. It only gave a glimpse into ThunderClan before Firestar's time, but it had so much packed into it. And it rounded out side characters that never really recieved a voice before. I wonder what happened to Thistleclaw, since he died before Firepaw's time? I am sure he is trapped in the Dark Forest. I hope he is happy there, since he threw away everything for it...
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