A Light in the Mist (book)/Chapter 6

"Don't say that. There is hope, even in the Dark Forest. And, if you help me get to the barrier between the Dark Forest and StarClan, I'll show you what it looks like."

— Bristlefrost to the Dark Forest warriors in A Light in the Mist, page 105

A Light in the Mist (book)
Chapter number:	6 (of 24)
Page numbers:	93-105
Point of View:	Bristlefrost
Chronology

Below contains in-depth information for chapter six 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: 6 (of 24)

Page Numbers: 93-105

Chapter description

Bristlefrost stops running to rest for a moment as she cannot hear any other cats. Though she is worried about Rootspring, she tells herself that he is fast and should be waiting safely at the barrier. She then tries to get her bearings, but the woods look different, and she is unable to retrace her steps.

While walking along, she nearly stumbles into a ditch that was not there before. The gray she-cat is able to jump the gap and climb the slope beyond it. As she continues, the ThunderClan cat feels lost and wonders if the Dark Forest warriors are able to track her and if they are watching her. Bristlefrost tells herself to keep hoping, as it is probably her best defense. She walks until she hears voices and drops into a crouch so she can be silent. A gully runs beneath her, and down there are three warriors: Maggottail, Redwillow, and Sparrowfeather. They are discussing how the Dark Forest is shrinking, and whether they should stick with Ashfur. Maggottail is advocating for Ashfur, while the other two cats are hesitant.

In her attempt to hear more, Bristlefrost edges forward but loses her balance and lands in front of the Dark Forest warriors. She scrambles to her feet and runs away, but they pursue. Eventually they cut her off, and she turns to fight. Instead of fighting, however, Redwillow simply crashes into her, confusing her. Sparrowfeather then proceeds to jump on her back, though without claws. Maggottail then tells them to let him try and presses his head against Bristlefrost's flank, perplexing her further. She asks what they are trying to do, and they tell her they are all trying to possess her body.

Bristlefrost tells them that they cannot take over her body, but Redwillow says they should be able to once they followed Ashfur's instructions: they had to pull out three of their whiskers, close their eyes, and wait while he took them to the barrier and buried them. Sparrowfeather says they did it as soon as they heard about living cats in the Dark Forest but is confused as to why they cannot possess Bristlefrost. The gray she-cat feels a bit sorry for them and tells them that Ashfur lied—he is not able to give them the power to take over other cats' bodies. The only reason he was able to do it was because he took over a leader's body, slipping in as Bramblestar lost a life.

The cats are skeptical for a bit, until she points out that they would have figured out how to take over a living cat if the ritual was that simple. Sparrowfeather wonders if Ashfur is the only cat clever enough, but Bristlefrost retorts that he would be in someone else's body and not here. Eventually, the cats figure out that Ashfur was lying to them about the ritual and the possession. Maggottail suggests sticking to his plan anyways because he could make life better in the Dark Forest, but the ThunderClan cat says the Dark Forest is shrinking, and might disappear. If the warriors helped her instead of Ashfur, they might have a chance of restoring their home. She is scared she's making them angry, but she reminds herself that this is her best chance of being unharmed.

She tells the others that Ashfur cannot be trusted, and that the problems with the Dark Forest must have started when he arrived. She also points out that he turned on Snowtuft and killed him, making it so that he does not exist. Bristlefrost says that surely living in the Dark Forest is better than not existing at all, and that they probably do not care about Squirrelflight and Bramblestar, or the living Clans. She then says that Ashfur will destroy the one thing they do care about: the Dark Forest. The cats are mostly convinced by her speech, though Sparrowfeather feels that the task is hopeless. Bristlefrost reminds her that there is hope, even in the Dark Forest.

Characters

Major

• Bristlefrost

Minor

• Redwillow
• Maggottail
• Sparrowfeather

Mentioned

• Rootspring
• Ashfur
• Mapleshade
• Bramblestar
• Tigerstar (Unnamed)
• Mistystar (Unnamed)
• Harestar (Unnamed)
• Leafstar (Unnamed)
• Snowtuft
• Squirrelflight