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"It hadn't been his fault. It had been bad luck: Lilyheart and Squirrelflight had been so busy comparing him to Firestar that they'd judge him harshly over and over until he'd begun to lose confidence in himself."
— Nightheart recalling his warrior assessment in Sky, pages 16-17
Below contains in-depth information for chapter unknown of Sky (book). If you are looking for a shorter summary of the entire book, please check the main article.
Nightheart puffs out his chest, glad to be patrolling instead of training with his mentor. He remembers that it took him three tries to pass his warrior assessment, partially because his mentor and Squirrelflight kept comparing him to the legendary Firestar. He remembers in disgust his warrior ceremony; he thinks the nameBramblestar had given him was too similar to Firestar's name. He thinks about how unfair it is for every cat to expect him to walk in Firestar's pawsteps and wishes they could accept him for who he is instead.
Lionblaze's mew dissolves his thoughts, and he apologizes for not paying attention. The patrol group divides into pairs, and Nightheart is left with Lionblaze. He thinks he hears disappointment in the golden tabby, which makes him want to prove himself even more. Lionblaze announces that they will go see if there is any prey in the brambles near the SkyClanborder. They arrive at their destination, and Nightheart sees a squirrel making its way down to the ground. He drops into a hunting crouch, his mind filling with determination to prove himself. Lionblaze commands him to stay on the ground, but Nightheart stops listening to him. He presses his belly to the earth and feels the golden tabby's gaze on him, suddenly feeling like this is an assessment, but feels confident in himself now that he is a warrior.
He stalks the squirrel until a bird shakes a branch above him, alerting the squirrel. The squirrel retreats towards the trunk, and Nightheart following in pursuit. The black tom attempts to leap to catch the squirrel before it can get away, but the bark crumbles beneath him, causing a paw to slip. He loses his balance, and the squirrel frees itself from his paws. He hangs on a branch, but it gives way, and he falls, injuring himself where the bark had grazed his pelt. He tells Lionblaze that he is fine but smells his own blood. The golden tabby calls for Finleap to take Nightheart back to camp, but Nightheart insists that he is fine. He wonders if the golden tabby cares about his injury, but his heart sinks when he discovers that the golden tabby only cares about his injury because it might impact the Clan. He hears Lionblaze tell Finleap to replace Nightheart with Finchlight, causing the black tom to be uncomfortable, and he asks himself why he could not prove Lionblaze wrong.
Later, Nightheart asks Jayfeather if he could return to the warriors' den, but Jayfeather tells him to wait until the poultice dries. The blind medicine cat turns his attention to Brightheart, who is wheezing. As Jayfeather tells Alderheart to come outside, Nightheart looks at the elder and sees her eyes shining with fever. He overhears the two medicine cat talking about Brightheart, but their topic shortly transitions into catmint. Nightheart feels his injured leg aching since he is leaning over it to hear the medicine cats' conversation better. He moves the leg in a more comfortable position and shares the medicine cats' concern over the lack of catmint, and the outbreak.
After leaving the den, Nightheart walks carefully, refusing to show any signs of weakness to his Clanmates. He pads to the fresh-kill pile, and although he was starving, he chose a mouse, thinking to himself that he could not eat the best prey when he did not help catch them. He picks up his mouse and sees Sparkpelt and Finchlight eating together and pads towards them. As he approaches them, they give him a look of disapproval, surprising Nightheart. He wonders if they are mad at him for changing his name during his warrior ceremony. He speaks up about their behavior, and they begin to argue. Finchlight tells him to leave, stating that if he stays here, he will give Sparkpelt indigestion. Nightheart looks at them with disbelief, wondering why the two she-cats care so much about his name instead of caring for who he is.
He leaves and see Myrtlebloom beckoning him. He sits next to her, and feels hot with embarrassment as he guesses she overheard the conversation with his mother. The she-cat admits that it is fair for them to be upset, stating that he had changed his name in front of the whole Clan. The she-cat tells him gently that he had rejected Firestar's name, but Nightheart argues that he is nothing like the leader and pours out his frustration, asking why no cat can accept him for who he is. Myrtlebloom tries to convince him to ask for his real name back, but the black tom tells her that Nightheart is his real name. The she-cat gazes at him in disappointment, then asks him what kind of warrior he wants to be. Nightheart does not answer. Instead, he wonders if either he is wrong for not trying to live up to Firestar. He also wonders if his Clan is wrong for expecting him to relive a life of a cat that should instead be held as an memory.
