A Light in the Mist (book)/Chapter 3

"StarClan would never abandon you! The pool where we watch our loved ones is clogged with vines, just like this tunnel. We've been trying to reach you, but with no success. Somehow, by blocking our connection to the Dark Forest, Ashfur has cut us off from you... We should have realized he was planning something when he asked to go to the living world to find out why we were losing touch with you. We had no idea that he would cut us off, or that he wanted to take over Bramblestar's body!"

— Leafpool about regarding the StarClan situation. in The Place of No Stars, page 52

A Light in the Mist (book)
Chapter number:	3 (of 35)
Page numbers:	24-58
Point of View:	Bristlefrost
Chronology

Below contains in-depth information for chapter three of A Light in the Mist (book). If you are looking for a shorter summary of the entire book, please check the main article.

Chapter Number: 3 (of 35)

Page Numbers: 24-58

Chapter description

Bristlefrost and Rootspring are running away while Ashfur is attacking Shadowsight. Rootspring then tells her to get Stemleaf and he’ll take care of Ashfur. Stemleaf is being attacked by Mapleshade. Bristlefrost sees this and knocks the tortoiseshell to the ground. They wrestle for a while, before she tells Stemleaf to run. Instead of running, the tom is watching Rootspring guiding Shadowsight away from Ashfur. She realizes his attention is back on the spirit cats. Stemleaf warns her to get away, as he might not be able to fight Ashfur’s mind control. He then loses control and Bristlefrost scrambles away. She catches up with Rootspring and Shadowsight; the latter is unresponsive. The spirit cats have surrounded them and are closing in. Bristlefrost feels unable to fight any longer.

As Bristlefrost is considering sacrificing herself, a white cat lunges at Ashfur. The cat is revealed to be Snowtuft, and he breaks Ashfur’s concentration enough to free the spirit cats from his control again. He yells at them to run, and Ashfur orders the Dark Forest cats to pursue. Rootspring helps Shadowsight away from the chaos, and Bristlefrost follows. As they escape, she hears an agonizing wail, and wonders if that was Snowtuft dying. They notice two cats running after them: Stemleaf and a skinny black tom. Bristlefrost prepares to fight, but Stemleaf assures her that they’re not under Ashfur’s control. Shadowsight stirs and recognizes the black tom, who is Spiresight.

The medicine cat points out that they’d need the Moonpool to get back to the living. He also points out the path from the Dark Forest to StarClan, and suggests that Stemleaf and Spiresight could use it to get there, although it’s blocked. They argue about the nature of the Dark Forest before Bristlefrost interrupts them to suggest they find this blocked path. Shadowsight leads them towards the border, but everyone is unsure of where they’re going. Rootspring reveals to Bristlefrost that in the fight before, he was afraid of dying and he could only think of her. Stemleaf notices the two of them and teases them for a bit. She says they’re not mates and Rootspring says they love their Clans as well as each other. The ginger tom seems surprised and replies that he would have chosen Spotfur if she was in another Clan, prompting Bristlefrost to muse on this.

They travel farther until they encounter Willowshine. She promises she’s not being controlled, and Bristlefrost confirms this. The RiverClan cat reveals that Ashfur has more control over medicine cats, but no control if he’s too far. She also informs the group that Snowtuft is dead. Willowshine is able to point them to the entrance. She says it feels like StarClan is pulling her towards them, and both Stemleaf and Spiresight say they can feel it too. Led by Willowshine, they stumble across the entrance, blocked by knotted branches and vines. The group begins to despair for a bit, until Bristlefrost, determined to find a way, tells Stemleaf to think of his kits. His mood brightens, and he vows to protect them, no matter what. This leads to a vine loosening and snapping, and the cats deduce that hope is what will serve them best here. They begin picking away at the branches, but it progresses slowly. Bristlefrost states that they need help, and suggests freeing some more spirit cats, but Willowshine asks how they’ll free them. She then suggests bringing more Clan cats here to help.

They’re interrupted by a voice, who turns out to be Leafpool. She asks what’s going on, and Rootspring tells her everything about Ashfur. Leafpool reveals the worsening state of StarClan, and guesses that Ashfur has upset the balance between the worlds. As they discuss how to defeat Ashfur, Willowshine suddenly announces that he’s close. They decide to split up and get away from the barrier, while Shadowsight wakes himself. Unable to, he decides to find the Moonpool to get back to the Clans. Afterwards, all three of them split up to ensure a greater chance of survival, and as she runs, Bristlefrost tries to cling on to her hope.

Characters

Major

• Bristlefrost
• Rootspring
• Shadowsight
• Snowtuft

Minor

• Ashfur (TC)
• Softpelt
• Dappletuft
• Strikestone
• Conefoot
• Mapleshade
• Stemleaf
• Spiresight
• Willowshine
• Leafpool

Mentioned

• Tigerstar (AVoS)
• Spotfur
• Squirrelflight
• Bramblestar