Dawn (book)/Chapter 10

"Not all cats are true to their birthright, Firestar. Some choose their own path."

— Sasha to Firestar in Dawn, page 145

Dawn (book)
Chapter number:	10 (of 25)
Page numbers:	142-147
Point of View:	Squirrelpaw
Chronology

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

Chapter Number: 10 (of 25)

Page Numbers: 142-147

Chapter summary

Firestar leads the patrol upriver, keeping close to the border. The prey scent wafts toward them, tempting, but just over the RiverClan scent line. Squirrelpaw pads behind her dark-furred father, in step with Brambleclaw, while Ashfur brings up the rear. For the first time in some days, Squirrelpaw travels with Brambleclaw, and had left the camp together. Firestar had brought the big tabby with him to ShadowClan, and then RiverClan, pleading to leave the forest. Both Blackstar and Leopardstar had refused, showing no faith in heading out for other Clans.

Clouds had rolled in during night, and the cold drizzle hangs under the trees. The drizzle refuses to fall like proper rain, but still soak everything. Squirrelpaw's ginger fur clings to her body uncomfortably, and dampness seeps into her ginger pelt. The trees around them shine wetly in the pale leaf-bare light, and they drip water onto the earth below.

Firestar halts suddenly, lifting his ginger muzzle to sniff the air. Squirrelpaw takes a deep breath, hoping to catch the scent of a mouse, or other prey. No prey scent interests her, and only a familiar yet strange smell washes Squirrelpaw's senses. She whispers at Brambleclaw, telling her tabby friend about the scent, and he growls, replying that it's a rogue's stench. Firestar snaps at them, and pauses. His hackles rise, and without warning, the ThunderClan leader dashes forward.

The foliage ahead rustles, and a tawny cat bursts out. It streaks away, and Brambleclaw erupts with a battle cry, joining the chase. The rogue swerves toward the RiverClan scent markers, but Firestar doesn't slow, still in pursuit. Alarm jabs Squirrelpaw, and her Clanmates slowly gain on the strange cat. The rogue runs across the border, but as soon as Firestar barely crosses it, a furious yowl comes from the bushes.

A massive RiverClan tom crashes forward, snarling viciously. Firestar turns, his paws skidding over the wet leaves, and the ginger leader manages to stop in time. Squirrelpaw observes as Brambleclaw and Ashfur nearly slam into Firestar, but halt before this can happen. Brambleclaw gasps the tom's name, revealing him as Hawkfrost. Firestar steps off the border, although he doesn't look away from Hawkfrost, his green eyes stretched wide. To Squirrelpaw, it seems as though her father is in the presence of a StarClan cat, and she's surprised at Firestar's reaction.

It's hardly strange to encounter an enemy warrior out patrolling at a border. Hawkfrost demands to know why the ThunderClan leader is in RiverClan land, and the dark ginger tom doesn't answer so quickly. He seems to calm himself, and his shoulders relax, while his tabby pelt smooths. Firestar explains that he is chasing out a rogue, then questions why Hawkfrost is allowing the tawny rogue inside RiverClan's territory. The mackerel-striped warrior exchanges a long look with the she-cat, who had halted behind Hawkfrost, then declares that his mother will be allowed in the land whenever.

In an instant, Squirrelpaw recognizes the she-cat as Sasha. She remembers her from the Twoleg escape. The apprentice feels the triumph of her curiosity being ceased, and recalls that it's common knowledge that Hawkfrost and his sister, a cat named Mothwing, were left with RiverClan after Sasha abandoned the forest. However, the former kittypet hadn't stayed long enough to be known by the Clan warriors. However, Firestar appears to have more unanswered questions, for he stands rigid, staring at Sasha and Hawkfrost, ears pricked.

Sasha gives a small dip of her head, and mews a greeting to the tabby leader. She murmurs about him, revealing she knows things about Squirrelpaw's father. The tawny she-cat's tone is icy and dignified, and Squirrelpaw feels self-conscious. Firestar's emerald colored eyes glitter, and he asks if it really is Sasha. The rogue she-cat suggests if he is looking for something else, and the leader's gaze flits over her sleek pelt. He comments that Sasha doesn't resemble a rogue, and the she-cat retorts he doesn't look like a kittypet.

Squirrelpaw winces at these words, but Firestar reveals no anger. Instead, he meets Sasha's proud stare evenly, and reveals he often wonders why she would leave stray kits with a Clan. The ThunderClan apprentice listens and watches as Sasha counters his words, by stating why Firestar, once a kittypet, was made a leader. The Clanless cat doesn't give time for him to answer, and says to Firestar that some cats aren't true to their birthright.

The dark tom narrows his eyes, asking if she is such a cat, but Sasha doesn't answer directly. She glances at Hawkfrost, and Squirrelpaw sees pride flicker in the rogue's gaze. Her son invites her to stay in RiverClan, noting that his Clan has lots of prey. The dark tabby then looks at Firestar mockingly, but the ThunderClan tabby makes no reply, only watching through narrow eyes. Sasha says to her son that she won't stay long, adding that she'd like to see Mothwing as well.

Hawkfrost curls his lip at Firestar, and tells the enemy tom about his plan to send a patrol once he reaches the camp. The green-eyed leader retorts sharply, telling Hawkfrost he need not to steal. Looking at his patrol, Firestar orders them to follow. The air is crackling with tension, but Squirrelpaw knows that the danger passed. As both Hawkfrost and Firestar peel away from the encounter, ready to head back to their camps, her striped father looks back. His voice is calm, and he calls to Sasha, asking if Hawkfrost and Mothwing are the result of Tigerstar.

The question doesn't surprise the lone cat, and she confirms his suspicions. The ground lurches beneath Squirrelpaw's feet, and she figures out why Firestar seemed so surprised when Hawkfrost jumped out. She realizes that he had thought Tigerstar himself confronted him, blessed with a tenth life. Squirrelpaw thinks back to previous Gatherings, where she had seen the dark brown tabby, and at the disastrous Gathering as well. Back then, they hadn't meet face to face, and this is new.

Squirrelpaw hears a gasp sound from beside her, and she spots Brambleclaw, staring with wide eyes. He breathes that Tigerstar is his father as well, and wonders if it means he has kin in two other Clans. Hawkfrost's icy gaze flicks to the broad-shouldered tabby, and admits that he's surprised Brambleclaw hadn't guessed yet. As Squirrelpaw looks from one to another, the ginger she-cat is finally able to see their resemblances: the broad shoulders and tabby pelts.

Brambleclaw mentions his littermate, Tawnypelt, and reveals that he once thought they were the only kits of Tigerstar. His half-brother's tail twitches, and Hawkfrost meows to the ThunderClan tom that he envies him for having a chance to know their vicious father. Brambleclaw retorts to his kin that Firestar taught him more than Tigerstar, and the RiverClan warrior tells him Tigerstar never set eyes on him. For a moment, Squirrelpaw feels sympathy for Hawkfrost, for she cherishes her love with her father, Firestar, but then she squashes the feeling. She reminds herself there's something about Hawkfrost that she can't trust.

The dark tabby's gaze hardens, and he orders them off his land. He flexes his claws, long and hooked, and Squirrelpaw shivers. It reminds the ginger she-cat of the tigers in the elders' stories, with their long claws; the same thing that gave Tigerstar his name. Hawkfrost spits that he'll fight anyone he needs to, then turns away. Squirrelpaw watches as he and Sasha head down to the river, then wade into the swirling waters, emerge on the other side, and disappear into the forest. She watches them in silence, knowing Hawkfrost means his cruel threat.

Characters

Major

• Squirrelpaw

Minor

• Firestar
• Ashfur
• Brambleclaw
• Hawkfrost
• Sasha

Mentioned

• Tigerstar
• Mothwing
• Tawnypelt

Important events

• Sasha reveals Tigerstar as Hawkfrost and Mothwing's father.