Fire and Ice/Chapter 25

The chapter starts with Cloudkit playing mossball. Brindleface calls for Cloudkit, which causes Tigerclaw to turn and pad away. Cloudkit bats the mossball one last time before saying bye to Fireheart and slipping into the nursery. Fireheart looked up at the sky, realizing it was almost sunhigh, and time to join his patrol.

He was hungry, but no fresh-kill had been gathered. He wondered if we would find anything while on patrol. Fireheart then hurried across the clearing and slipped through the gorse tunnel, frozen leaves crunvhing under his paws. Sandpaw and Mousefur were already waiting at the foot of the slope.

Fireheart raised his tail in greeting, happy to see Sandpaw. Sandpaw then says hello, and Mousefur nods. Whitestorm then emerges from the gorse tunnel, asking if the dawn patrol was back yet, in which Mousefur replies that there was no sign of them. But as she spoke, Fireheart heard the rustling of undergrowth.

Out of the bushes came Willowpelt, Runningwind, Darkstripe, and Dustpaw. Willowpelt reports they her patrol had patrolled the entire RiverClan border and that there was no sign of hunting parties so far, but Bluestar's patrol would check the area again. Whitestorm replies that his patrol would check the ShadowClan border.

Darkstripe says that hopefully ShadowClan has the good sense of RiverClan to stay away and that after last night, they must know ThunderClan was looking for them. Whitestorm then growls that he hopes so. Then he turns to his patrol and asks if they're ready, in which Fireheart nods.

Whitestorm flicks the tip of his tail and leaps into the bracken. Fireheart follows Mousefur and Whitestorm. They kept a fast pace as they climbed out of the ravine. Sandpaw was right behind Fireheart. It is said the he could feel her warm breath as she scrambled up the boulders.

They hadn't even reached Snakerocks when Fireheart picked up the sinister, familiar scent of ShadowClan. The entire patrol then stopped to smell the rank stench. Sandpaw murmurs that she can't believe they came back already. Fireheart then sees the fur quiver along her spine.

Whitestorm then says that scent is scent, his eyes glittering with fury. He then says that he had hoped Nightstar would bring some honor to his Clan, but he supposes that the cold wind beyond the Thunderpath blows into the hearts of every ShadowClan cat. Fireheart then turns away and pushes into some bracken.

He rubbed his teeth along the fronds to pick up the scent that hung there. He thought that it was definitely ShadowClan. Fireheart then realized that the scent was very familiar. Fireheart paused. The scent belonged to a ShadowClan warrior he had encountered before, but he wasn't sure which one.

Fireheart pushed onward, hoping more more scent-markings might jog his memory. Now he could smell something else. Fireheart looked down and on the ground among the bracken stems, he saw a pile of rabbit bones. He then realized that Clan cats normally bury the bones of their prey as a sign of respect for the life they had taken.

Suddenly aware of what this might mean, Fireheart pick up a mouthful of the bones and wove back through the bracken. He dropped them at Whitestorm's paws. Whitestorm stared at the bones in fury and said that the warriors who left these here wanted them to know they had hunted here.

He adds that Bluestar must know about this immediately. Fireheart then asks if she would send a battle party against ShadowClan. Fireheart then realizes he had never seen Whitestorm so angry. The great white warrior then hissed that Bluestar should send a battle party. He adds that he will lead it himself if he can.

Whitestorm then goes on to say that Nightstar had betrayed their trust and StarClan knows they must be punished. Later, Whitestorm calls to Bluestar and flings the rabbit bones to the middle of the camp clearing. Tigerclaw steps out of the shadows and tells Whitestorm that Bluestar had already left on patrol.

Just then, Halftail and Frostfur came hurrying from their dens to find out what was going on. Whitestorm was still staring at Tigerclaw, still furious. He then spat at him to look at the rabbit bones. Tigerclaw didn't need to be told what they meant. The scent carried the whole story. It is noted that Tigerclaw's were burning with anger.

Fireheart was hanging back at the edge of the clearing and watched the two great warriors. The evidence was certainly ominous, but the discovery of the bones had filled Fireheart's mind with questions, not anger. It had been only three moons since ShadowClan had driven out their cruel leader with the help of ThunderClan.

Fireheart wondered how that same Clan could possibly be ready to risk war with ThunderClan. Tigerclaw clearly had no such doubts. He was already calling Darkstripe and Runningwind. Tigerclaw the announced that Willowpelt and Mousefur would join him and Darkstripe and Runningwind.

He added that they would find a ShadowClan patrol and give them some wounds that would remind them of ThunderClan's territory in the future. Whitestorm nodded. Sandpaw asked if she could join. She had been pacing excitedly behind Whitestorm, now she stopped and looked at him with glittering eyes.

Whitestorm told her that she couldn't join this time. Fireheart saw frustration flicker across her face. Sandpaw replied that Fireheart had found the bones. Tigerclaw narrowed his eyes, hackled raised. He hissed contemptously that Fireheart could stay in camp and tell Bluestar once she arrives.

Fireheart asked if they were going to leave before Bluestar came back, in which Tigerclaw spats of course. He adds that this needs to be settled now. Tigerclaw then turned to Whitestorm and flicked his tail. Fireheart watched as the two warriors charged out of camp, Darkstripe, Willowpelt, Runningwind, and Mousefur close behind.

He could hear their paws pounding the frozen earth as they headed for the side of the ravine. Fireheart was suddenly aware how empty the camp was. As Frostfur and Halftail came forward, sniffing the rabbit bones, Fireheart asked who went with Bluestar.

Fireheart raised his tail in greeting, realizing he was unexpectedly happy to see Sandpaw. Sandpaw meowed hello, in which Mousefur nodded to Fireheart. Whitestorm then emerged from the tunnel, asking if the dawn patrol had returned, in which Mousefur answered that there was no sign of them.

But as she spoke, Fireheart heard the rustle of undergrowth above them. Out of the bushes came Willowpelt, Runningwind, Darkstripe, and Dustpaw. Willopelt reports that they had patrolled the entire RiverClan border. She adds that there was no sign of any hunting parties so far and that Bluestar's patrol would check the area again this afternoon. Whitestorm replies that that was good, and that his patrol would take the SH