| "Our home cannot support us all... But there is another place for some of us, full of sunlight and warmth and prey for all seasons. I have seen it... in my dreams." |
| — Stoneteller in The Sun Trail, page 17 |
- Below contains in-depth information for chapter one of The Sun Trail. If you are looking for a shorter summary of the entire book, please check the main article.
- Chapter Number: 1 (of 26)
- Page Numbers: 7-17
Chapter description[]
- Gray Wing is walking in the snow, looking for prey, feeling cold and hungry. He recalls when Clear Sky and him were kits in the sunny season, feeling as if that were a lifetime ago. Clear Sky meets with him, and he, too, is unable to find any prey.
- Suddenly, a hawk swoops over the slope. Clear Sky leaps, grabbing the bird and brings it down to the earth, Gray Wing holds it down, and Clear Sky kills the hawk. Gray Wing compliments his brother on the catch, but Clear Sky replies it is too scrawny to be a good meal. Gray Wing suggests bringing the hawk for the other hunting cats to eat, and Clear Sky reluctantly agrees, after taking a bite. Toiling up the path leading behind the waterfall, Clear Sky remarks they wouldn't have to carry it if Gray Wing had let them eat it.
- When the brothers return to the cave, several cats compliment them on the catch. Turtle Tail exclaims that it's huge, and then speaks her pleasure that they brought the fresh-kill back for the other cats. Shattered Ice suggests the cats who are going hunting should be able to eat first. Jagged Peak asks his mother, Quiet Rain, why he can't eat, and why he can't go out on a patrol, to which Quiet Rain replies that he's too young to hunt, and that the hunting cats need prey the most. Shattered Ice, Turtle Tail, and the other hunters eat the hawk. Clear Sky complains that he wishes that could have eaten it, to which Gray Wing silently agrees.
- Bright Stream approaches Clear Sky, asking if he caught the hawk by himself, and Clear Sky replies that Gray Wing helped. Gray Wing takes a few paces back to let the couple be. Silver Frost says to Gray Wing that Clear Sky and Bright Stream look well together, and that they'll be having kits soon. Gray Wing agrees, and Silver Frost points out that Turtle Tail would be a good mate for Gray Wing. Gray Wing is lost for words, then Stoneteller begins to walk among the other cats, cutting off the conversation. Stoneteller offers Snow Hare the rest of the hawk, but she rejects it, saying that the young ones need it. Stoneteller presses on by saying Snow Hare earned her right to eat, but is interrupted when Lion's Roar suggests that the mountains had fed them for long enough. Gray Wing wonders what they mean.
- Quiet Rain interrupts Gray Wings thoughts by sitting beside him, asking if he's eaten anything. Gray Wing replies that he'll have something before he goes back out. His mother compliments him on the catch, and Gray Wing tells her that Clear Sky brought the hawk down. She comments that she hopes that Jagged Peak and Fluttering Bird will be just as skillful when they can hunt. Gray Wing observes that Fluttering Bird is very small and fragile, unlike her brother. Jagged Peak demands that Gray Wing tells him about the hawk while their Mother tends to Fluttering Bird. Gray Wing begins to describe Clear Sky's leap, when Shaded Moss calls for silence.
- As the cats gather, Silver Frost suggests that Shaded Moss is going to be appointed the next Stoneteller. Snow Hare agrees, saying it is time Stoneteller appointed some cat. Gray Wing sits down next to Clear Sky and Bright Stream for the speech. Stoneteller rises, looking at her cats until they fall silent. Stoneteller begins by saying that she can not change the lack of food in space in the mountains, to which Silver Frost yowls that it is not her fault. Stoneteller continues, reporting that she has seen a place where some of the Tribe will find sunshine and prey for all seasons. A certain amount of doubt is shared among the cats when she says she's seen it in her dreams. Stoneteller announces that Shaded Moss will take whoever wants to go with her blessing. Stoneteller looks at her cats a moment more before jumping down and padding into the tunnel leading to her den.
- The cats burst into speculation until Shaded Moss steps forward raising his tail for silence. Shaded Moss tells the gathered cats he is sad to leave, but he trusts Stoneteller, therefore, he wants to go. Dappled Pelt exclaims that she'd like to go, along with Tall Shadow. Twisted Branch calls the two she-cats flea-brained, since they have no idea where they're going. Clear Sky declares that he wants to go, and asks Bright Stream to join him. Bright Stream is hesitant, but before she can voice her thoughts, Jagged Peak and Fluttering Bird announce they want to go too. Quiet Rain instantly says no. The hunting patrol returns saying they found nothing. After the hunting party is brought up to speed Turtle Tail asks Gray Wing if he'll come, and Gray Wing does not answer knowing he can't give the she-cat the answer she wants.
Characters[]
Major[]
Minor[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Revealed in The Sun Trail, page 7
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Revealed in The Sun Trail, page 11
- ↑ Revealed in The Sun Trail, page 9
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Revealed in The Sun Trail, page 10
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Revealed in The Sun Trail, page 12
- ↑ Revealed in The Sun Trail, page 13
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Revealed in The Sun Trail, page 15
| The Sun Trail chapters | |
|---|---|
| Prologue • Chapter 1 • Chapter 2 • Chapter 3 • Chapter 4 • Chapter 5 • Chapter 6 • Chapter 7 • Chapter 8 • Chapter 9 • Chapter 10 • Chapter 11 • Chapter 12 • Chapter 13 • Chapter 14 • Chapter 15 • Chapter 16 • Chapter 17 • Chapter 18 • Chapter 19 • Chapter 20 • Chapter 21 • Chapter 22 • Chapter 23 • Chapter 24 • Chapter 25 • Chapter 26 | |