Eclipse/Chapter 3

Eclipse
Chapter number:	3 (of 25)
Page numbers:	27-48
Point of View:	Lionpaw
Chronology

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

Chapter Number: 3 (of 25)

Page Numbers: 27-48

Chapter description

Lionpaw is dreaming about being able to do anything, having the power of the stars in his paws. He is woken up by Ashfur at sunhigh, telling him that they're going out hunting with Whitewing and Icepaw. Ashfur asks the white warrior where they should hunt, and Whitewing mentions the Ancient Oak and the Old Thunderpath, but Ashfur does not help her make the decision. Lionpaw tries helping, but the warriors ignore him. Lionpaw is slightly annoyed by this, and angry that no one has asked him about the trip to the mountains. When Icepaw asks if she's doing the hunting crouch right, Lionpaw absently says yes, but Ashfur corrects her tail's placement, telling her to keep it off the ground. After the correction, Lionpaw demonstrates what his mentor means, and Icepaw copies him. After the demonstration, Lionpaw begins wondering if the prophecy will lead him away from being a normal warrior.

They reach a clump of ferns, and Icepaw asks if they can hunt there. Whitewing asks Ashfur if they should keep going to the lake or not, but the older warrior says nothing. Lionpaw tries helping, but is silenced by his mentor. Ashfur tells Lionpaw that he wants Whitewing to gain confidence on her own. Whitewing helps her apprentice when she is going into the hunting crouch. A rustle in the ferns signals some prey, and Icepaw jumps into the ferns. She comes back carrying a vole in her jaws. The mentors begin praising her for her catch, but Lionpaw doesn't join in. Instead, he wonders what the mentors would have said if they had seen him at the battle in the mountains. Ashfur whispers into Lionpaw's ear, telling him there's a thrush nearby. Lionpaw follows his mentor's gaze and sees it by the roots of an oak. He quietly moves toward it. He leaps too soon, but lands perfectly on the creature, killing it with one swift move. The other three cats stare at him, surprised. Ashfur praises him, but Whitewing points out that he could have easily missed the bird. Lionpaw says he wouldn't have, and wonders if Jaypaw was right about what the other cats would think of the prophecy.

Each cat carried a piece of fresh-kill back to camp, though Icepaw had trouble with the vole dragging across the ground. She praises his hunting skills, saying that she thought Hollypaw was good, but that he was even better. She mentions that she hopes she'll be as good a hunter as him one day, and Lionpaw begins thinking about Ashfur and Tigerstar training him. He feels a pang of loneliness as they walk into the camp, distanced by the prophecy from his Clanmates. Icepaw goes to tell the other apprentices about her catch while Lionpaw goes to drop his at the fresh-kill pile. Hollypaw joins him, and Lionpaw asks why she's not joining the other apprentices in a game. She says she's just not in the mood, but Lionpaw knows that's not like her. He discusses his longing to tell someone about the prophecy, but promises he won't actually tell anyone. The other apprentices grab prey from the pile and give it to the queens and elders. Jaypaw tends to the elders' ticks while they're eating. Lionpaw wonders if knowing the prophecy is what helped Jaypaw do boring tasks. Lionpaw watches as Firestar and Sandstorm come down for some fresh-kill, and wishes he had Jaypaw's powers to see what Firestar was really feeling.

Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight, Foxpaw, and Berrynose come back from patrol and report that WindClan are still hunting in the woodlands in their own territory. Cinderpaw requests to go on the sunset patrol, and Firestar agrees, adding that he was going to have Graystripe join in. Hollypaw comes over to share a piece of prey with Lionpaw. Firestar asks Brambleclaw about the Tribe, and Brambleclaw replies saying that they have a hard leaf-bare ahead, but they'll make it through. He says that they will be able to defend their borders better now than they had before. Firestar asks if there were any injuries in the battle, and Brambleclaw reports that there was nothing serious, and mentions that all the cats fought well. Lionpaw wonders if his father will mention his great fighting skills, but the deputy does not. He talks to Hollypaw about it, and she tells him not to mention it, as they don't want to draw attention. Lionpaw feels angry about this, wondering what the point of having special powers was if no one knew.

Lionpaw walks into the apprentices' den, ready to go to sleep. Some of the other apprentices are in the den, and they ask if he'll stay awake to hear stories about that day. Lionpaw says he's tired and tries to go to sleep. Foxpaw lands on his side, apologizing for it afterwards. Cinderpaw comes back with a honeycomb, saying Cloudtail got it at the abandoned Twolegplace. The other apprentices that were in the den pad over to her, and they have a feast. Lionpaw begins to feel lonely. Hollypaw comes into the den, but doesn't join in the feast. Instead, she lies down next to her brother. Not feeling as alone, Lionpaw is finally able to fall asleep.

Lionpaw is in the Dark Forest again with Tigerstar and Hawkfrost. Lionpaw tries to tell them about his battle in the mountains, but they won't listen. Tigerstar tells Lionpaw to attack Hawkfrost, and Lionpaw angrily claws at Hawkfrost's side. The warrior lets out a yowl, and Lionpaw asks if they'll listen now. He also tries telling them about the prophecy, but Tigerstar disregards it, saying it was just a dream. Lionpaw tries insisting that his good fighting skills in the mountains was because of the prophecy, but Tigerstar disagrees, saying it was because he was teaching the apprentice. Tigerstar finally instructs for him to fight Hawkfrost again, but this time with claws sheathed unless he said otherwise.

Characters

Major

• Lionpaw
• Ashfur
• Icepaw
• Whitewing
• Hollypaw

Minor

• Cinderpaw
• Honeypaw
• Poppypaw
• Millie
• Daisy
• Longtail
• Mousefur
• Jaypaw
• Firestar
• Sandstorm
• Squirrelflight
• Brambleclaw
• Foxpaw
• Berrynose
• Graystripe
• Thornclaw
• Spiderleg
• Tigerstar
• Hawkfrost

Mentioned

• Cloudtail
• Leafpool