The Place of No Stars (book)/Chapter 9

"Am I becoming more like Ashfur? Am I losing part of myself?"

— Shadowsight's thoughts in The Place of No Stars, pages 113-114

The Place of No Stars (book)
Chapter number:	9 (of 23)
Page numbers:	108-116
Point of View:	Shadowsight
Chronology

Below contains in-depth information for chapter nine of The Place of No Stars (book). If you are looking for a shorter summary of the entire book, please check the main article.

Chapter Number: 9 (of 23)

Page Numbers: 108-116

Chapter description

Mothwing and Shadowsight make it to the Moonpool as the moon begins sinking in the sky. The young tom takes in the beauty of the area, finding it hard to believe such terrible things had taken place there recently. Mothwing tells him that if his plan fails, Tigerstar will want them both dead. Shadowsight jokes that if the plan doesn't work that he'll already be dead, and it would be left for Mothwing to explain it all to his father. He forces himself to sound confident, despite the nerves underneath as he realizes he's only a medicine cat and not a trained warrior. Mothwing voices his concerns, stating that it's likely the longer he remains away from his body, the harder it will be to return to it. Shadowsight accepts the risks he's in front of as the golden medicine cat is impressed by his attitude. He's taken aback by her praise, but welcomes it and thanks her. The older she-cat promises to wake him if he looks as though he's in trouble, and stops him from protesting. She reminds him to be careful and not to trust any cat he may meet.

Shadowsight sits back and focuses on his goal destination. He allows his darkest thoughts to come forward, all the times he'd been decieved by Ashfur, and on the dark warrior himself. He feels something tug on his pelt as the thick fog once again passes in front of his eyes. The sensation leaves him feeling oppressed, but before long he is greeted with the sight of the Dark Forest. He imagines Ashfur to be close by, willing himself to remain in the desolate place. However, as he steps forward he loses grip on the place and is once again met with the sight of the Moonpool and Mothwing. The medicine cat asks if he had succeeded, and he tells her did but he lost his concentration. Mothwing asks if he'd seen Ashfur but Shadowsight tells her no and that he had felt the tom's presence. With her encouragement, he tries again and as he does he wonders if he's losing a bit of himself as he does.

He manages to hold his concentration as he begins exploring the Dark Forest, taking in the landscape. He spots a gray she-cat and realizes that she could kill him meaning he cease to exist. At the sight of her too, Shadowsight briefly loses focus as he hears the waterfall near the Moonpool. However, his fear keeps in the Dark Forest and he hides, waiting for the gray she-cat to leave. He exits a small cave once he feels sure that she's left and hears an awful, anguished yowl across the landscape. With dread, the tom realizes that it belongs to Squirrelflight and without thinking, he runs towards the source.

Characters

Major

• Shadowsight
• Mothwing

Minor

• Gray she-cat

Mentioned

• Tigerstar
• Squirrelflight
• Ashfur
• Dovewing (Unnamed)

Quotes

Mothwing: "If this doesn't work, Tigerstar will probably want to kill both of us."

Shadowsight: "If this doesn't work, I'll be dead anyway, and if we don't try at all, we'll both be in the same terrible situation we're in now. So we might as well get on with it. Good luck telling Tigerstar, if I don't come back."

^{The Place of No Stars, page 108}