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"I won't be thwarted. You saved my life, and because of that, you have ensured my success. Because once I'm back to full health, I'll be able to bend any cat to my will..." The following content contains major spoilers for the true identity of Bramblestar's impostor. Please proceed at your own discretion. |
| "I know this is going to sound crazy. But I'm sure I'm right. It has to be. It can't be anyone else. I think Ashfur has returned." |
| — Squirrelflight to the Clans in Darkness Within, page 7 |
- Below contains in-depth information for chapter one of Darkness Within. If you are looking for a shorter summary of the entire book, please check the main article.
- Chapter Number: 1 (of 25)
- Page Numbers: 5-18
Chapter description[]
- Squirrelflight announces that she knows who has taken over Bramblestar's body. Every cat at the Gathering halts to look at Squirrelflight, who says that if she is right, this warrior will not stop until every cat has suffered for the wrongs he believes were done to him. Bristlefrost does not want to accept that one of their warrior ancestors betrayed them. Squirrelflight hesitates, and Tigerstar demands that she tell them who she thinks it is. Squirrelflight says that she believes that Ashfur has returned.
- Bristlefrost is puzzled, as the only thing she knows about Ashfur is that he had been a ThunderClan warrior who had died a mysterious death many moons ago. Tigerstar asks Squirrelflight if she thinks he has returned because he wanted to be her mate, and Squirrelflight replies that he has unfinished business. Harestar asks why Ashfur would stir up trouble in Clans other than ThunderClan, and Bristlefrost wonders if the WindClan leader is accusing ThunderClan of causing all this trouble. Leafstar asks who Ashfur is, and Squirrelflight begins to reply, but is unable to finish. Tawnypelt says that he died trying to kill Hollyleaf, and Willowshine and Reedwhisker say that that is what RiverClan was told. Crowfeather asks Lionblaze if Ashfur tried to kill him and Jayfeather, and Lionblaze nods. Squirrelflight adds that Ashfur also helped Hawkfrost lure Firestar into a trap.
- Leafstar wonders why any of this would affect them now, and says that if StarClan accepted Ashfur, then he must have changed. Squirrelflight says that Ashfur never forgave her for choosing Bramblestar over him, even in StarClan. She adds that that must be the reason he possessed Bramblestar: to get close to her. Harestar still does not know why this would affect the rest of the Clans, and Jayfeather says that Ashfur knows that hurting the Clans would hurt Squirrelflight more than anything else. Tigerstar asks how he could have found his way back from StarClan, and Squirrelflight says that she found her way back when she spent time in StarClan after the battle against the Sisters. Tree confirms this, and Leafstar asks if Ashfur could be the reason they cannot communicate with StarClan. Kestrelflight doubts this, but Jayfeather insists that it could be possible.
- Bristlefrost notices some of the older cats looking worried. She wonders if they will ever be able to survive without StarClan. Squirrelflight tells the Clans that at least they can all agree that a spirit is pretending to be Bramblestar, and murmurs of agreement spread through the gathered cats. Squirrelflight says that they have to accept that Ashfur has come back and is bent on getting revenge. Breezepelt says they should let ThunderClan deal with this, and Cherryfall confronts him. They begin to argue, and when Stonewing points out that ThunderClan's trouble was caused by Squirrelflight's former mate, Squirrelflight protests that they were never mates. Jayfeather says that Ashfur's obsession is not Squirrelflight's fault, and the Clans fall silent. After a moment, Thornclaw, Blossomfall, Cinderheart, Birchfall, and Poppyfrost affirm that Ashfur is dangerous. Squirrelflight tells Leafstar that she knows of a way to prove that the impostor is Ashfur.
- Bristlefrost wonders if Squirrelflight's plan will work as she follows her Clanmates home in silence. Bristlefrost asks what difference it will make if they know who the impostor is, and Squirrelflight replies that the Clans need to know that the rest of StarClan is still on their side. Bristlefrost wonders if the impostor has divided StarClan just like he divided the Clans, causing Cinderheart, Finleap, Thornclaw, Poppyfrost, and Finchpaw to glance at each other worriedly. Lionblaze asserts that no cat can divide StarClan, and Squirrelflight tells the rest of the patrol to go ahead while she talks to Bristlefrost.
- Bristlefrost tells Squirrelflight that she did not mean to scare anyone, but the thinks that if one ancestor turned against them, then more could have done the same. Squirrelflight says that their ancestors are loyal warriors, and that she is sure Ashfur is acting alone. Bristlefrost still does not feel reassured, and asks if Ashfur will find new ways to hurt them. Squirrelflight growls that Ashfur will do anything to get revenge, but they will not let him. Bristlefrost is confident for a moment, then wonders if Ashfur will become even more determined if Squirrelflight's plan works. Squirrelflight beckons Bristlefrost and says that they will get rid of Ashfur and bring Bramblestar back. Squirrelflight shudders and says that she cannot believe Ashfur fooled her before ducking through the entrance to ThunderClan's camp, assuring Bristlefrost that she is going to make things right. Bristlefrost admires the ginger she-cat's courage, but cannot shake the feeling that something is going to go terribly wrong.
Characters[]
Major[]
Minor[]
- Graystripe[1]
- Tigerstar[2]
- Mistystar[1]
- Harestar[3]
- Leafstar[4]
- Tawnypelt[4]
- Willowshine[4]
- Reedwhisker[4]
- Crowfeather[5]
- Lionblaze[5]
- Emberfoot[5]
- Sedgewhisker[5]
- Jayfeather[6]
- Tree[7]
- Kestrelflight[7]
- Shimmerpelt[8]
- Breezepelt[8]
- Cherryfall[9]
- Stonewing[9]
- Thornclaw[9]
- Blossomfall[10]
- Cinderheart[10]
- Birchfall[10]
- Poppyfrost[10]
- Finleap[11]
- Finchpaw[11]
Mentioned[]
Errors[]
- It is said that Mistystar ended the Gathering due to demands that she allow her exiled warriors to return[1] when it was actually Tigerstar who ended the Gathering.[12]
- Sedgewhisker is mistakenly referred to as a tom.[5]
- Tree is present at the Gathering[7] despite choosing to miss it due to his injured leg.[13]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Revealed in Darkness Within, page 5
- ↑ Revealed in Darkness Within, page 6
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Revealed in Darkness Within, page 7
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Revealed in Darkness Within, page 8
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Revealed in Darkness Within, page 9
- ↑ Revealed in Darkness Within, page 10
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Revealed in Darkness Within, page 11
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Revealed in Darkness Within, page 12
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Revealed in Darkness Within, page 13
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Revealed in Darkness Within, page 14
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Revealed in Darkness Within, page 15
- ↑ Revealed in Veil of Shadows, page 288
- ↑ Revealed in Veil of Shadows, page 280
| Darkness Within 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 • Chapter 25 | |