| "As the sky lightened, Hollypaw noticed a shape silhouetted on the crest. She narrowed her eyes, trying to make it out. She could not gauge its size. But as the dawn light washed over the hilltop, she recognized the shape as a feline, with a face tapered at the muzzle, a long, smooth back, and a curving tail, bushed at the tip. There was something proud and magnificent about the way it held its head; the large, wide-spaced ears prickled as it surveyed the lake below." |
| — Hollypaw upon seeing a lion-like cat in Eclipse, page 148-149 |
- Below contains in-depth information for chapter ten of Eclipse. If you are looking for a shorter summary of the entire book, please check the main article.
- Chapter Number: 10 (of 25)
- Page Numbers: 145-152
Chapter description[]
- Hollypaw stirs, waking briefly to the sound of a fox screeching in the forest. She slips further into her dream, imagining a fox cornering her in a tunnel. The apprentice backs away from it, but as it comes closer, she realizes it's just Lionpaw. Hollypaw is woken with a start when Brackenfur lays a paw on her shoulder, asking if she's okay. She says it was only a dream, and Lionpaw asks her to dream more quietly. Brackenfur meows that it's their turn to patrol, for the pre-dawn patrol. Hollypaw notes that the extra patrolling is working, as ThunderClan hasn't seen any evidence of intruders or prey stealing. She sleepily follows her mentor out of the den, and notices the sharp white moon lighting the camp.
- Thornclaw sits in the clearing washing his tail as Sorreltail paces around him, complaining that it's too cold to sit still. Brackenfur promises that there'll be more warn nights, and Thornclaw asks if Hollypaw is awake. She says almost, stepping out from the shadows. The golden tabby says good, commenting that they can go now. From the nursery, Rosekit asks if the fox has gone. Daisy says yes, and that it was far away in the first place. The patrol heads our into the forest, and Hollypaw stumbles along. Brackenfur asks her if she's okay, and she promises to wake up fully soon. The group of cats approach a border stream, and take a quick sweep of the area. Upon finding no new scents, they set border marks, planning to go along the moorland edge of their territory.
- Hollypaw notices how the hillside is glowing an eerie white, and the silence unnerves her. She comments that it's really quiet, but Brackenfur reassures her that dawn's coming will wake the birds. The patrol splits up, and Hollypaw goes with Sorrelpaw to reset more border marks. She stumbles after the warrior, and make their way down to the boundary. Hollypaw notices that the WindClan border marks are very stale, and glances at the cream-colored sky, which is changing colors as the sun rises. As the sky lightens, she notices a shape, and calls out that it's a lion. Sorreltail looks, but acknowledges that it's just a cat, but is too stocky to be one of WindClan's. Hollypaw blinks, realizing the warrior is right, but must've seen wrong.
- Brackenfur calls out that he and Thornclaw are done resetting the border marks, and they should head back so the dawn patrol can go out. Sorreltail runs to join them, and the group heads back to camp. The tortoiseshell says Hollypaw thought she saw a lion, and Brackenfur's eyes glitter in amusement. She defends that it wasn't a dream, and the cat she saw did look like a lion. Sorreltail agrees that it did look strange, and Thornclaw comments that it better not cross their border.
- As they enter camp, Hollypaw sees Cinderpaw padding out of the medicine den and to the thorn tunnel. She asks where the gray tabby is going, and falls in beside her friend. Cinderpaw replies that she's going swimming, and alone because both medicine cats are busy. Hollypaw asks if her leg feels better, and receives an affirmative answer. The black she-cat asks to come along, and Cinderpaw questions if she's tired. She says not anymore, due to the imagined lion sighting, and her friend questions if she'd like to swim as well. Hollypaw says no, so the two friends leave camp and walk into the forest. The black she-cat relishes the full-leaved forest, taking in nature's beauty.
- They climb the slope to the lake, and Cinderpaw asks if she's noticed Honeyfern and Berrynose's romance. Hollypaw agrees, and they both begin to talk about Birchfall and Whitewing together, which might not leave much room in the nursery for Millie and her kits. Cinderpaw mews that Leafpool predicts at least three, and Hollypaw asks if she's chosen names. The gray she-cat says a kit needs to be seen to be named, and her friend thinks she must have been a prickly kit. Hollypaw is happy to be in conversation with her friend, but it's overshadowed by the prophecy. The black apprentice thinks about how Cinderpaw's only ambition is to be the best warrior for her Clan, while she herself had so much more to strive for, and an unclear goal at that.
Characters[]
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| Eclipse 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 | |