Twilight/Chapter 1

Twilight
Chapter number:	1 (of 24)
Page numbers:	5-20
Point of View:	Squirrelflight
Chronology

Below contains in-depth information for chapter one of Twilight. If you are looking for a shorter summary of the entire book, please check the main article.

Chapter Number: 1 (of 24)

Page Numbers: 5-20

Chapter description

Firestar calls a Clan meeting, waking Squirrelflight. Cloudtail and Brightheart push their way out of the warriors' den, and Dustpelt mutters about what Firestar wants now. As Squirrelflight wakes up, she thinks how Dustpelt has become short-tempered lately, due to his wounds in the fight with Mudclaw. Squirrelflight is painfully reminded of a scratch she received herself. She thinks about how Mudclaw was angry when Tallstar appointed Onewhisker leader on his deathbed instead of Mudclaw, who was his deputy. Squirrelflight also thinks about how Hawkfrost, Brambleclaw's half brother, helped Mudclaw, and that Brambleclaw always jumped to his defense.

She also notes that StarClan proved who the true leader of WindClan was to be, by sending lightning, which caused a tree to crush Mudclaw. Squirrelflight comes out of the warriors den, remarking that newleaf was on its way. Firestar is sitting on the highledge, and Goldenflower, Mousefur and Longtail come out of the elders' den, Goldenflower guiding Longtail. Leafpool then pads up to Squirrelflight, asking how her scratches were, and if she wanted any marigold. Squirrelflight says no, because there were other cats who needed it more than her, and her scratches were healing fine. Birchkit then tumbles out of the nursery, followed by Ferncloud.

Just then, the dawn patrol returns, consisting of Brambleclaw, Sandstorm and Rainwhisker. Squirrelflight tenses, and she says to Leafpool that she still can't believe that Brambleclaw was friends with Hawkfrost after what happened with Mudclaw. Leafpool reminds her that many cats supported Mudclaw. She says that after the tree fell, Onewhisker forgave Hawkfrost when he said he was wrong. Squirrelflight hisses that he lied, and she heard Mudclaw say that he wanted power over RiverClan. Leafpool says that there was no proof of that, and just because Tigerstar was their father, didn't mean that Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost would follow in his pawsteps. Squirrelflight realizes that she must be right, but she still can't believe that Brambleclaw cared more about Hawkfrost than her.

Leafpool reminds her that Hawkfrost is his brother, and asks if she was afraid of what he might do in future. Squirrelflight asks her if she was being unfair, and Leafpool says that she was just upset, to which Squirrelflight replies that she was just worried for the Clan. Just then, Ashfur pads over, inviting Squirrelflight to sit by him. Leafpool tells her not to worry and gives Ashfur a friendly nod before going to sit by Cinderpelt. Brambleclaw is about to go over to Squirrelflight, but when he sees her by Ashfur, he turns abruptly to sit by Sorreltail and Brackenfur.

Firestar begins the meeting, saying that it was three sunrises since the battle with Mudclaw, and that two dead ShadowClan warriors had to be returned to their Clan. In their haste to flee, the two warriors had fallen into the hollow and broken their necks. Cloudtail asks if ShadowClan will want them, as they were traitors. Firestar says that it was for ShadowClan to decide, and he tells Thornclaw, Brackenfur, Cloudtail and Dustpelt to take the bodies. He looks at Cloudtail when he tells them not to go looking for trouble. Also, he says that a patrol should go to WindClan to make sure that they're alright. Brambleclaw leaps to his paws, saying that he would lead it. Spiderleg whispers that he's bossy furball, and acted like a deputy.

Ashfur defends Brambleclaw, saying that there was nothing wrong with that, and Spiderleg mutters that they already had a deputy, to which Ashfur replies that he wasn't here, and that Firestar has to appoint a deputy sooner or later. Squirrelflight is painfully reminded of Graystripe, the ThunderClan deputy, who had been kidnapped by Twolegs in the old territories. Firestar still refuses to believe that he is dead; Squirrelflight wonders if Brambleclaw really does want to be deputy, and she can't help thinking that he is just like Tigerstar.

Firestar says that Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw, Ashfur and Rainwhisker can go to WindClan to patrol, and Squirrelflight thinks that a run in the woods would make her feel better. She bounces over to Brambleclaw, but he growls that he wants to hear the rest of the meeting. Angry and frustrated, Squirrelflight glares at him and sits back down. Firestar begins to organize hunting patrols, and Sootfur grumbles that he was sick of doing apprentice jobs, but Firestar says that they couldn't expect Whitepaw to do everything. Mousefur says that Whitepaw deserves a bit of help, and the apprentice ducks her head and scuffles her paws.

Birchkit squeaks that he would help, but Ferncloud says that he still had to wait another moon to become an apprentice. Firestar says to Birchkit that his time would come, and there would be plenty for him to do when it did. Sandstorm says that with less apprentices to train, they weren't practising their warrior skills, and that there could be problems. Spiderleg and Sootfur protest, and Mousefur says that Mudclaw wasn't the only cat that caused trouble. Firestar thanks her for pointing it out, and he says that one cat had to be responsible for keeping up the battle skills. Ashfur is about to volunteer but Brambleclaw cuts in, saying that he would do it. Squirrelflight thinks that it actually did look like he was trying to take Graystripe's place.

Brambleclaw decides to use Ashfur and Spiderleg first, and Ashfur asks if their claws would be sheathed, to which he replies yes, and that they weren't play fighting kits. Squirrelflight leaps to Ashfur's defense, and she and Brambleclaw begin to argue. Firestar ends their quarrel, and thanks Brambleclaw. Brightheart says that she found an ideal place for it, and he tells her to show him after the meeting. Brambleclaw says that the WindClan patrol was going to leave now, and Squirrelflight tells him not to tread on her tail. Brambleclaw tells her to start acting like a warrior and not a mouse-brained apprentice, and they start arguing about Brambleclaw's loyalty, and about Tigerstar.  Ashfur tries to defend Squirrelflight, but Brambleclaw hisses at him to stay out of it.

Squirrelflight is tempted to slash her claws over his muzzle, but she tries to calm herself, growling that she didn't care who Hawkfrost's father was, but she didn't trust him because he plotted to kill Onewhisker. Brambleclaw defends Hawkfrost yet again, and she challenges him that if he's so besotted, he should join RiverClan, as he obviously didn't care about ThunderClan or her. Birchkit then loses his balance and falls between Brambleclaw's front paws. He looks at the two arguing cats and squeaks a hasty apology before fleeing back to the nursery. Brambleclaw furiously ends the argument, and storms out of the hollow. Ashfur asks if Squirrelflight was all right, and she replies that she is fine, thinking that his gentle, concerned blue gaze after Brambleclaw's hostility was like cool water on a hot day. She brushes past Rainwhisker, who was staring at her in bewilderment. Brambleclaw doesn't wait for them, and Squirrelflight feels hollow inside. She wonders if they'll ever be friends again, and she realizes that she'll just have to accept that the relationship that they had once had was over.

Characters

Major

• Squirrelflight
• Brambleclaw

Minor

• Firestar
• Cloudtail
• Brightheart
• Dustpelt
• Goldenflower
• Mousefur
• Longtail
• Leafpool
• Cinderpelt
• Birchkit
• Ferncloud
• Sandstorm
• Rainwhisker
• Ashfur
• Sorreltail
• Thornclaw
• Brackenfur
• Spiderleg
• Sootfur
• Whitepaw

Mentioned

• Tallstar
• Mudclaw
• Onewhisker
• Hawkfrost
• Tigerstar
• Blackstar
• Graystripe