Tigerheart's Shadow/Chapter 20

"They may be happy now, but what if Fog and her friends decide they want a warmer den and invade the gathering place? There are sick cats who can't defend themselves! Just because the guardian cats chased off a couple of foxes, it doesn't mean they're ready for a full battle over territory. [...] They don't even understand what territory is!"

— Tigerheart to Dovewing in Tigerheart's Shadow, page 208

Tigerheart's Shadow
Chapter number:	20 (of 35)
Page numbers:	204-216
Point of View:	Tigerheart
Chronology

Below contains in-depth information for chapter twenty of Tigerheart's Shadow. If you are looking for a shorter summary of the entire book, please check the main article.

Chapter Number: 20 (of 35)

Page Numbers: 204-216

Chapter description

Tigerheart, Fierce, Spire, Ant, and Dovewing are seen taking a walk. Tigerheart asks Dovewing if she is sure she wants to come, and she assures him that Blaze and Peanut will take good care of the kits. Tigerheart then scents a familiar scent, which is the gray she-cat they had met the other day. He calls for Spire, Ant, and Fierce to stop, and come back over. Confused, the three cats return to Tigerheart, asking why he called for them.

He explains how he scented the strays, and that they had been here. Tigerheart then realizes that they're still there, when the scent strengthens. The former warrior of ShadowClan then exclaims that they have invaded their land. Tigerheart demands for them to come out, and the gray she-cat slides out of the branches of a tree.

Dovewing comes up to stand by her mate while Fierce, Ant, and Spire follow more slowly. Tigerheart demands what the she-cat is doing. The gray she-cat looks puzzled. Tigerheart realizes that the guardian cats don't look very concerned about it. Fierce states that it's not their land. Tigerheart protests, saying that it's where they live and hunt. Ant points out that they sleep in the gathering place and hunt and scavenge all over the city.

Tigerheart again protests, mewing that right here is their home, motioning toward the stretch of grass surrounding the thorn den. A tom and three other cats emerge to line up behind the gray she-cat. The tom asks the gray she-cat what is going on, calling her by the name Fog. Fog replies that Tigerheart is complaining again, calling the tom by the name Tuna.

Tigerheart is confused, as he realizes Dovewing doesn't even look concerned about what was going on. He asks why the guardian cats wouldn't want to defend their territory, and Dovewing replies that apparently they don't mind sharing. Fierce asks what the point is about arguing over land. Shocked, Tigerheart asks if they have borders, and Fierce replies that they don't. Tigerheart mews that they should so other cats won't trespass. Fierce asks Fog if they had built dens here.

Fog replies that they had just made new nests because foxes had invaded their old home. Tigerheart asks if they're planning on making their new home here, and Fog asks why not, and that they won't bother the guardian cats. Tigerheart points out that they had tried to steal their food yesterday, and Tuna says that they were just scavenging, like they were.

Tigerheart aggressively growls at them to scavenge away from where the guardian cats do. Fog points out that they didn't know the guardian cats owned the scrapcans. Fierce then tells Tigerheart to go easy on the strays. Tigerheart ignores Fierce, and asks if they're going to let the strays stay on their land. Fierce says that it isn't their land, and that they don't own land. Tigerheart asks how they know where they can hunt, as well as reminds her that they have kits and sick cats to feed.

He also says that they need to have territory to support them in the coldest weather. Tigerheart is about to continue, before Fog cuts him off, asking what the weather has anything to do with this, and meows that leaf-bare, calling it Ice-chill, is the best time to scavenge because the scraps rot slower. Fierce then tells them to come on, and that the argument is pointless.

Tigerheart then realizes that Rowanstar had once let rogues live by their territory, because he had thought they wouldn't do them any harm. As the guardian cats begin to leave, so does Fog and her companions. Tigerheart says to Dovewing that he can see trouble coming. Dovewing says that she knows it's different from the Clans, but the cats here seem happy with it.

As she begins to catch up with the other cats, Tigerheart calls out after her that the guardian cats may be happy now, but what if Fog and her friends decided to invade the gathering place. He continues that there are sick cats who can't defend themselves, and that just because the guardian cats chased off a couple of foxes doesn't mean they're ready for a full battle over territory, and that they don't even know what territory is. Spire, Ant, and Fierce are already crossing the Thunderpath, but Dovewing stops at the edge, and blinks at Tigerheart.

His mate says that they can't tell the guardian cats how to live, because their just visitors. Tigerheart asks her if she wants to help the guardian cats, and Dovewing replies that not if they don't want to be helped. The dark brown tabby, points out that it's so obvious, because all they need to do is mark a few boundaries, organize some patrols, and everyone will be a lot safer. Dovewing tells Tigerheart that it isn't a Clan, and that the guardian cats don't even have a leader, saying that they're just a bunch of healers and scavengers.

She also tells him to stop bossing them around, and Tigerheart protests that he wasn't bossing. Dovewing continues that she understands that Tigerheart is used to being Clan deputy, but that right now he was a city cat, so he'd better get used to it. As Ant, Fierce, and Spire turn a corner, Dovewing quickens her pace, and Tigerheart hurries beside her, thinking that Dovewing won't be a forest cat for awhile.

Tigerheart thinks that the kits will be old enough to travel on their own soon enough. He asks how long Dovewing is planning on staying, and Dovewing replies with a question, asking if he's in a rush to get back to the lake. Tigerheart says that he wants their kits to grow up in ShadowClan, and Dovewing asks why not ThunderClan. Tigerheart points out that he's the deputy of ShadowClan, and that he can't just go off and join another Clan.

Dovewing asks if he's sure there's even a ShadowClan to go back to. Tigerheart wonders how Dovewing can say that so casually. He then wonders if Dovewing has forgotten what it was like to be a warrior, because she has been in the city so long. She had never complained about feeding scraps to their kits, and didn't seem to care about territory anymore. He asks the gray she-cat if she wants to go back, and she replies that of course she wants to go back, and that she just wants the kits to be safe, because it's a long and dangerous journey back.

Tigerheart says that he wants his kits to grow up in a Clan among Clan cats with the warrior code, to understand what it's like to be a warrior. Dovewing asks even if it means endangering the lives of their kits, and Tigerheart replies that he would never let anything harm them. Dovewing then asks him why he's in such a rush to leave, and that they're only two moons old, before hurrying away, to catch up with the guardian cats.

Tigerheart follows her, but doesn't speak as Fierce leads them on a tour of their favorite scrapcans. Tigerheart gathers up the scraps as they toss them down to him, before hiding them. Tigerheart then spots some rats down an alleyway. Tigerheart shows Dovewing the rats, insisting that they go and catch some. Fierce protests, saying that the scrapcan is full, but Tigerheart says that fresh-kill will be better for the sick cats, also saying that Littlecloud used to say that warm fresh-kill was the best medicine.

Spire nods in agreement with Tigerheart. Dovewing says that she guesses the kits could get used to fresh-kill. Tigerheart stiffens as she says that she guesses. Tigerheart leads the patrol down the alleyway towards the rats. Tigerheart lowers himself into a stalking crouch, as all the others fan out beside him. The rats see them, and begin to try and escape, through the fence. Tigerheart and the others chase the rats through the fence, but lose them, and find them again.

The patrol begins to chase the rats again. They began to try to herd the rats towards a muddy ditch, because the ditch would crowd them together and slow their flight. The rats suddenly veer sideways, and Tigerheart blinks in surprise as they cut across his path. He tries to lunge for them, but is caught off guard as they swarm around him, slipping through his paws. He tries to get a grip on the wet stone, but the rats are out of reach.

Tigerheart wonders what made them change course, until he spots Fog and Tuna, pounding towards him along with a white tom, their eyes fixed on the rats as they swarm into the trash field. The three cats stop as the rats disappear into the litter. Tigerheart faces the strays, angrily snarling that they scared the rats off. Fog asks why he didn't stop them, and that they were right under his paws.

Tigerheart asks if they have ever tried catching rats before, and that it's hard because they're fast and slippery, and blames them for scaring them off. As Fierce slows to a halt beside him, Tigerheart tells her this is why they need borders, because if they knew where their land was they could hunt without others interfering. Tuna tells the white tom that these were the cats they mentioned, calling him by the name Streak.

Tigerheart tells Fog that she promised to stay out of their way, and she says that they're not scavenging, they're hunting. Fierce suggests that they go back to the scrapcans. Tigerheart asks Fierce if she cares at all if they frightened the rats away. Not waiting for an answer, he adds that they must establish borders immediately. Fog says that the guardian cats can have this land.

Fierce points out that the scraps are rotten, but Fog states that there are plenty of rats they can hunt. Tigerheart declines, after smelling the stench of trash. Spire says that they should go back to the scrapcans, and that he smelled some bones in them. Streak asks which cans they were, and Tuna adds that they can help. Tigerheart says that he told them not to scavenge where the guardian cats scavenge, and Fog replies that she said that it's the city, and that they can scavenge wherever they like.

Tigerheart sees menace in Fog's eyes, and says that they need borders. Fierce says that borders seem like too much effort, and Fog agrees with her. Tuna adds that the city is full of cats, and that borders are completely pointless. Spire agrees with them, and Fierce says to live and let live. Fog says that life's to short to bother with grudges, as she heads up the slope with Streak and Tuna following her.

Spire and Ant begin to pad after Fierce. Tigerheart states that he doesn't trust Fog. Dovewing says that they're just city cats, and that they like life simple. Tigerheart says that there's no such thing as an easy life. Dovewing says that the guardian cats seem to have an easy life, and Tigerheart says that they need to learn how to defend themselves. Dovewing mews that why bother fighting when they don't have to. She adds that she knows Tigerheart misses ShadowClan, but that they're not going to change the guardian cats.

Dovewing's words ring in Tigerheart's ears. He knows they're going to have to fight someday. He thinks that their lives will eventually run into endless battle. Tigerheart wonders why city cats have so little honor, and that Dovewing is starting to agree with them. He misses the Clans. Tigerheart then wonders if he is the only cat that sees himself more than a scavenger.

Characters

Major

• Tigerheart
• Fog

Minor

• Dovewing
• Spire
• Ant
• Tuna
• Streak
• Fierce

Mentioned

• Blaze
• Peanut
• Rowanstar
• Littlecloud
• Shadowkit(Unnamed)
• Lightkit(Unnamed)
• Pouncekit(Unnamed)