The Prophecies Begin (volume 3)/Part 3

"Remember when I told you fire alone would save the Clan? I was wrong. You were never alone. Don't forget!"

— Spottedleaf to Firestar in The Prophecies Begin, volume 3, pages 246-247

The Prophecies Begin (volume 3)
Chapter number:	Part 3 (of 3)
Page numbers:	191-263
Point of View:	Firestar
Chronology

Below contains in-depth information for chapter three of The Prophecies Begin (volume 3). If you are looking for a shorter summary of the entire book, please check the main article.

Chapter Number: Part 3 (of 3)

Page Numbers: 191-263

Chapter description

Ravenpaw and Barley arrive at the ThunderClan camp after receiving information from Onewhisker. Barley recalls his past in Twolegplace: he had been part of BloodClan once. The rogues only ever focus on fighting, and everyone must do what Scourge says, lest they get exiled or killed. He stresses that no cat is safe while BloodClan is around. Sandstorm asks about the rogues' weaknesses, and Barley reveals that they do not believe in the warrior code and neglect one another. Firestar and Sandstorm come to the conclusion that ThunderClan will be stronger because they have cats to fight for. Barley and Ravenpaw promise to help when the battle comes. Privately, Whitestorm wonders if the price of having cats die is too high, but he ultimately agrees with Firestar about not letting their home get stolen away from them. Firestar has a vision; his reflection in a puddle turns to a lion, which then rises to fight beside a tiger. Calling ThunderClan together, Firestar decides that all four Clans must fight together to defeat this great threat.

Firestar takes a patrol to WindClan, where Tallstar agrees to the alliance and promises that they will fight alongside ThunderClan. Next, Firestar meets with RiverClan and ShadowClan—the two Clans still live together, since BloodClan has taken over ShadowClan's original territory. Leopardstar initially thinks that fighting is hopeless, but upon seeing Mistyfoot, she and Blackstep decide to join the upcoming battle with their respective Clans as well. Meanwhile, Bramblepaw tries to get Tawnypaw to join ThunderClan again, but she declines, seeing as she cannot be the cat she wants to be in that environment. Mistyfoot decides to stay in RiverClan. Back in ThunderClan, every cat is hard at work preparing for the battle. Cinderpelt and Firestar share a moment as they grieve for Yellowfang. Later, during the night, Firestar confesses his love to Sandstorm, and the two become mates.

The day finally comes. All four Clans meet BloodClan at Fourtrees, and when Firestar declares that they will not let Scourge take the forest from them, the battle officially begins. The cats fight ferociously, with some of them meeting their demise; Gorsepaw gets murdered by a BloodClan cat, and Graystripe kills Darkstripe when the latter attacks Firestar. Whitestorm falls in the battle, too, but he comforts Firestar in his dying moments. Encouraged by Whitestorm's words, Firestar quickly promotes Graystripe to be ThunderClan's new deputy. As the fight rages on, Firestar realizes that BloodClan outnumbers the forest Clans; he will have to end this with Scourge. The two engage in a brawl, which leads to Scourge killing Firestar, taking his first life. In StarClan, Firestar despairs over how the ancestors could let this happen, but Bluestar and Spottedleaf insist that he is the fire that will save the Clans—and he is not alone in doing so. Scourge is shocked to see Firestar come back to life, and, using the rogue leader's lack of faith, Firestar is able to put an end to Scourge and his tyranny. BloodClan is finally chased off and out of the forest.

The four Clans recuperate. Firestar declares that every cat has fought well, which has earned them this victory. Leopardstar approaches him and states that RiverClan will no longer house ShadowClan, since their pine forest should now be free of the BloodClan rogues. Mistyfoot is revealed to be the new deputy; when Firestar wonders how she can stay in RiverClan after the death of her brother, Mistyfoot claims that this is what Stonefur would have wanted. With Featherpaw and Stormpaw returning to the Clan as well, Mistyfoot wants to improve RiverClan for them. Blackstep adds that he will take ShadowClan home before taking on his nine lives, and Firestar reminds him to learn from his predecessors' mistakes. Ravenpaw and Barley say their farewells, returning to the barn. Tallstar says that they all owe Firestar their freedom; now, the forest Clans can return to a more peaceful life.

Characters

Major

• Firestar
• Ravenpaw
• Barley
• Sandstorm
• Whitestorm
• Graystripe
• Mistyfoot
• Tallstar
• Blackstep
• Leopardstar
• Scourge

Minor

• Ashpaw
• Barley's mother (Flashback only)
• Ice (Unnamed)
• Snake (Unnamed)
• Violet (Flashback only) (Unnamed)
• Brick (Flashback only) (Unnamed)
• Goldenflower (Unnamed)
• Willowpelt (Unnamed)
• Dustpelt (Unnamed)
• Mousefur (Unnamed)
• Cloudtail
• Longtail
• Bramblepaw
• Onewhisker
• Gorsepaw
• Morningflower (Unnamed)
• Tornear (Unnamed)
• Mudclaw
• Runningnose (Unnamed)
• Tawnypaw
• Blackclaw (Unnamed)
• Brackenfur (Unnamed)
• Thornclaw (Unnamed)
• Sorrelkit (Unnamed)
• Rainkit (Unnamed)
• Sootkit (Unnamed)
• Brightheart
• Cinderpelt
• Fernpaw
• Bone
• Tortoiseshell BloodClan cat
• Folded-eared BloodClan cat
• Boulder (Unnamed)
• Brown tabby rogue
• Featherpaw
• Stormpaw
• Gray rogue
• Darkstripe
• Bluestar
• Spottedleaf
• Runningwind
• Swiftpaw
• Lionheart
• Yellowfang

Mentioned

• Tigerstar
• Stonefur

Important events

• Firestar receives a vision and realizes that all four Clans must fight together if they want to defeat BloodClan. WindClan, RiverClan, and ShadowClan agree to join ThunderClan in battle.
• Tawnypaw and Mistyfoot decide to stay in ShadowClan and RiverClan, respectively.
• Firestar and Sandstorm become mates.
• Graystripe succeeds Whitestorm as ThunderClan's deputy.
• Firestar loses one of his nine lives to Scourge.
• The Clans win against BloodClan, successfully reclaiming the forest for themselves.
• Mistyfoot becomes RiverClan's new deputy.
• Featherpaw and Stormpaw decide to return to RiverClan.

Deaths

• Gorsepaw: killed in battle.
• Darkstripe: killed by Graystripe.
• Whitestorm: killed in battle.
• Scourge: killed by Firestar.

Ceremonies

Graystripe's deputy ceremony
Firestar: My heart's choice... Graystripe: Firestar? Firestar: Graystripe... I say these words above the body of Whitestorm, that his spirit may hear and approve of my choice. Graystripe will be the new deputy of ThunderClan. Graystripe: Are you sure, Firestar? Firestar: Never surer.
Reference: The Prophecies Begin, volume 3, pages 236-237

Errors

• Ashpaw and Fernpaw are depicted with white muzzles and underbellies.

Trivia

This chapter aligns with the following:

• chapter twenty-four, chapter twenty-five, chapter twenty-six, chapter twenty-eight, chapter twenty-nine, and chapter thirty of The Darkest Hour

Notes and references

The Prophecies Begin (volume 3) chapters
Prologue • Part1 • Part2 • Part3