| "I'm not cruel. [Squirrelflight] drove me to this. I only wanted the Clans to see what hypocrites they are." |
| — Ashfur's thoughts about Squirrelflight in A Light in the Mist, prologue |
- Below contains in-depth information for the prologue 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: prologue (of 24)
- Page Numbers: 1-6
Chapter description[]
- Ashfur watches silently with his followers as Snowtuft and Rootspring circle each other in a clearing. The gray spirit addresses the white tom, threatening him to attack the SkyClan warrior. But Snowtuft hesitates, angering Ashfur as he channels his negative energy into his followers, allowing them to chant vicious cries and yowls to the two circling toms. Only then does Snowtuft make a move which Rootspring dodges as Ashfur begins to lament on his simmering anger. He recognizes how long he had held onto his fury, like an old friend and recalls his grudge. He wonders how foolish StarClan could be, knowing he had tricked them and allowed his murderer to be forgiven as well. The tom even questions how they could believe he would allow Bramblestar and Squirrelflight to live peacefully. Ashfur recalls his meticulous plan to gain his desires, from how he learned to harness the link between StarClan and the living Clans, down to how he figured out how to pass between the two after seeing Mistystar resurrect after losing a life.
- With that knowledge, Ashfur put it into practice, by pretending to be a voice for StarClan to gain their trust. He recounts how he had closed the connection between StarClan and the Clans and watched as their faith in their ancestors dwindled before striking his plan into action. The tom recalls with some joy how he had manipulated Shadowsight and tricked him into making Bramblestar sick enough to lose a life. With the tabby tom losing a life, he found his moment to return to the Clans. Ashfur shudders, recalling the feeling of Bramblestar's pelt not fitting him and then how his plan to have Squirrelflight as his had still failed. As the recollections turn sour, Ashfur returns his attention to the clearing and fixes Rootspring with a glare filled with hatred. Around them, the hate is echoed in the cries of the gray tom's prisoners.
- Snowtuft manages to grab Rootspring, all to Ashfur's pleasure. He convinces himself he isn't cruel and that everything happening is Squirrelflight's fault for rejecting him. He feels nothing but her betrayal towards him and thinks again of his other failed plan of bringing her to the Dark Forest to show her his side. But it again angers him as he knows she had escaped with her beloved Bramblestar and his hope of convincing her has left him. Ashfur plots to destroy the Clans, feeling as though they shouldn't have anything because it was all taken from him too. He looks to Snowtuft holding Rootspring to the ground and orders the white cat to kill the SkyClan warrior.
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| A Light in the Mist (book) chapters | |
|---|---|
| Prologue • Chapter 1 • Chapter 2 • Chapter 3 • Chapter 4 • Chapter 5 • Chapter 6 • Chapter 7 • Chapter 8 • Chapter 9 • Chapter 10 • Chapter 11 • Chapter 12 • Chapter 13 • Chapter 14 • Chapter 15 • Chapter 16 • Chapter 17 • Chapter 18 • Chapter 19 • Chapter 20 • Chapter 21 • Chapter 22 • Chapter 23 • Chapter 24 | |