shadowstar's life: part one

The Gathering is over with and Shadowstar is trying to calm down Skystar, who believes twolegs are trying to take his territory away from him. Shadowstar thinks he is overreacting. Eventually she and Sun Shadow leave to head home, long after their clan has left. They scent dogs. Worried that the dogs might be tracking them and attack their clan they verve away from their camp. They fight the dogs and Shadowstar loses a life. She tells Sun Shadow to run, but he doesn't and dies. As she dies she sees cat eyes staring at her from the darkness. Shadowstar and Sun Shadow wake in StarClan, where Sun Shadow finally gets to meet his father. As Shadowstar only has one life left, Gray Wing warns her that no one knows what will happen when she dies - it might destroy the clans. 

Shadowstar wakes with Sun Shadow's body. She can hear her clan calling for her. They take Sun Shadow home. Cats vie for his position as the new deputy but Shadowstar doesn't know who to name - and the competition between the cats is getting so out of hand nothing is getting done. Shadowstar knows she has to deal with this but she worries it is one of her clanmates who watched from the shadows as she and Sun Shadow fought for their lives and died. 

Shadowstar confides her fears in Pebble Heart, her medicine cat. She confesses she doesn't know who to name deputy since she doesn't know if she can trust anyone. He comforts her and tells her she will make the right choice. At the next Gathering Shadowstar still has not named a deputy. An argument breaks out over Skystar's worries. Thunderstar is okay with redrawing the boarders, but only if everyone agrees. Windstar and Riverstar are against it. Shadowstar suggests looking for a new territory for SkyClan beyond her own.

Shadowstar, Pebble Heart, and some warriors are off looking for a new territory for SkyClan when someone attacks her and knocks her onto the thunderpath in front of an oncoming monster. The monster misses her and she lives, and everyone sees Quick Water running away. Shadowstar realizes the SkyClan cat might have also set the dogs on her. 

Shadowstar and her cats go straight to SkyClan territory to accuse Quick Water. The SkyClan cats are outraged by the accusation and Quick Water denies it. Shadowstar accuses her of doing it so SkyClan can take ShadowClan's territory. Quick Water cannot supply an alibi so Skystar banishes her. Back at camp Shadowstar finally names Raven Pelt her deputy. That night Pebble Heart dreams of the forest, and of all the trees falling down.

It will be generations before SkyClan loses their territory, if I remember correctly. I wonder if Pebble Heart's dream is about that? Or if it is about the eventual destruction of the forest many, many generations away.

Meanwhile it is sad that Quick Water is trying to kill Shadowstar. They came from the mountains together. While creating territories has stopped one fight, it seems to have started another.