Hawkwing's Journey/Chapter 17

"[Pebblepaw's] right. Yes, I made mistakes, but I will make up for them. I will be as brave and loyal as Pebblepaw thinks I am, and I'll protect my Clanmates' lives with their own."

— Hawkwing to himself in Hawkwing's Journey, page 202

Hawkwing's Journey
Chapter number:	17 (of 35)
Page numbers:	190-202
Point of View:	Hawkwing
Chronology

Below contains in-depth information for chapter seventeen of Hawkwing's Journey. If you are looking for a shorter summary of the entire book, please check the main article.

Chapter Number: 17 (of 35)

Page Numbers: 190-202

Chapter description

Hawkwing lunges back into battle, fighting a long-furred rogue. As he fights, he can't believe how heartless and precise Darktail is. The storm continues as Hawkwing notices Patchfoot fight with a rogue. To his horror, the elder slips in the mud, and the ginger rogue kills him. Hawkwing is about to fight some more when he hears a screech from the nursery. He finds Mintfur and Birdwing, fighting to protect their kits. Pebblepaw follows Hawkwing as he attacks a black-and-white tom, while she attacks a huge ginger tom.

The two then face a gray rogue, but she is easily scared by them and runs up the gorge. Birdwing is grateful for her kits's safety, and Curlykit says she wouldn't let a rogue in. Pebblepaw is assigned to guard the nursery as Hawkwing goes to defend Rileypaw and Bellapaw. After he saves the two from rogues, he assigns them to guard Clovertail and Fallowfern near the elder's den. Sandynose and a bleeding Plumwillow show up, and Sandynose tells Hawkwing Plumwillow is expecting kits.

The two evacuate to the nursery as Hawkwing realizes SkyClan is going to lose the battle. Leafstar's voice rings out in the gorge, calling a retreat. Cherrytail's words return to his mind as he realizes her statement is now reality. Darktail stands on a boulder, the blood of SkyClan on his white pelt. Hawkwing remembers the latter tom asking him to join his group right after he murdered his father. He realizes it was his fault he brought Darktail to the gorge, originally thinking he was the "spark that remains".

He finds Birdwing's three kits trying to cross a river's stepping stones. He isn't sure, but thinks he sees Echosong and Pebblepaw in the distance. Snipkit slips off a stone, and before Hawkwing can save her, she is swept away. Hawkwing swims after her, yowling for no one to copy what he's doing. He thinks he's going to drown, but Sharpclaw's faith takes over him and he climbs to the shore. Echosong, Pebblepaw, and the other two kits approach him. They try searching for her, but eventually give up as it's too dark.

Hawkwing feels Curlykit and Fidgetkit's grief, making his rage for Darktail stronger. The group sleep under a bush, and by next morning, Hawkwing is taken over by melancholy at the loss of everyone, including Sharpclaw. He confides to Pebblepaw it was his fault Darktail destroyed SkyClan, but Pebblepaw reassures him it's not. He also confesses about Darktail's offer to join his group. She snorts and tells him if it ever occurred to him to betray the Clan. Hawkwing begins to feel better as he sits next to Pebblepaw.

Characters

Major

• Hawkwing

Minor

• Long furred rogue
• Patchfoot
• Skinny ginger rogue
• Clovertail
• Fallowfern
• Mintfur
• Birdwing
• Curlykit
• Fidgetkit
• Snipkit
• Pebblepaw
• Black-and-white tom
• Huge ginger tom
• Gray rogue she-cat
• Rileypaw
• Bellapaw
• Two much bigger rogues
• Sandynose
• Plumwillow
• Leafstar
• Darktail
• Echosong

Mentioned

• Duskpaw
• Cherrytail
• Sharpclaw
• Bouncefire
• Stormheart
• Rain

Important events

• Darktail takes over the gorge when SkyClan retreats.

Deaths

• Patchfoot - killed by one of the rogues
• Snipkit - drowned