| "Don't you go anywhere, Ravenpaw! [...] We're already outnumbered; we need you in this fight. Are you are warrior or a mouse-hearted kit?" |
| — Tigerclaw to Ravenpaw in Redtail's Debt, chapter 9 |
- Below contains in-depth information for chapter nine of Redtail's Debt. If you are looking for a shorter summary of the entire book, please check the main article.
- Chapter Number: 9 (of 10)
- Page Numbers:
Chapter description
- Ravenpaw spits back at Redtail that a true warrior never runs away and what Tigerclaw had said about him was true. Redtail is irritated that Tigerclaw had been bad-mouthing him to his apprentice and questions his loyalty.
- Oakheart shoulders Tigerclaw away from the RiverClan warrior he’d attacked. Redtail worries as he notes that it was just himself, Tigerclaw and Ravenpaw against five RiverClan warriors. He thinks that maybe he can scare them off to avoid conflict. He tells Oakheart to tell Crookedstar that the next RiverClan warrior caught on ThunderClan territory will die, and that they want the conflict finished. The RiverClan deputy is surprised by Redtail’s statement, but, he stands up to the threat and retorts that RiverClan won’t give up Sunningrocks either if it means they have to tear ThunderClan apart just to keep the territory. The RiverClan patrol pace forward behind their deputy as Redtail watches them carefully.
- With a snarl, Tigerclaw insults and lashes out at Oakheart, calling him a flea-bitten water rat and telling him to stay on his own territory. The deputy takes a moment to get back to his paws and with angry eyes fixed on the nearest ThunderClan cat, Ravenpaw. Redtail goes cold as he notes that there was no way an apprentice could fend off the RiverClan deputy.
- Before Oakheart can move, Redtail throws himself between the two cats, slashing at the other deputy’s chest. Oakheart gets the tortoiseshell tom on the shoulder and lodges his teeth in Redtail’s side. The other warriors surge forward as if Redtail’s attack had been a signal. One RiverClan warrior goes for Ravenpaw and the Tigerclaw as the young apprentice cries out in pain. Redtail calls out for Ravenpaw underneath Oakheart, pinned by the tom’s bulk. He tries kicking at his belly but Oakheart doesn’t budge. He sees Tigerclaw try and get to the apprentice, but is blocked by three RiverClan warriors. Redtail tries desperately to get away from Oakheart and calls to Ravenpaw to run. Shakily, Ravenpaw snarls that warriors don’t run. Redtail yowls back at the young cat to run back to camp to get help and that was an order. Tigerclaw tells his apprentice otherwise though, which angers Redtail as the two defy his orders as deputy. The deputy frees himself from Oakheart, and the other tom growls that if Ravenpaw comes any closer, he’ll kill him.
- With fresh, protective rage, Redtail engages Oakheart, leaping for the RiverClan tom’s throat. He tears it, feeling the blood in his mouth as he hangs on through Oakheart’s struggles. As Redtail blinks the blood that had sprayed from his eyes, he watches as the larger tom falls over and slowly dies.
Characters
Major
Minor
Mentioned
Important events
Deaths
- Oakheart is killed by Redtail.[1]
Errors
- Redtail mistakenly kills Oakheart with a bite to the throat.[1]
Notes and references
| Redtail's Debt chapters | |
|---|---|
| Chapter 1 • Chapter 2 • Chapter 3 • Chapter 4 • Chapter 5 • Chapter 6 • Chapter 7 • Chapter 8 • Chapter 9 • Chapter 10 | |