The First Battle/Chapter 9

==Chapter description==
:Gray Wing, breathless, stops playing with Sparrow Fur, and Turtle Tail sends her to play with Owl Eyes and Jagged Peak. As Gray Wing thinks about Thunder and Jackdaw's Cry and his difficulty breathing, Turtle Tail reassures him. Just as Gorse Fur prepares a hunting patrol, Tall Shadow sees Thunder, who reports that Clear Sky has agreed to meet Gray Wing at the four trees during the full moon but is keeping Jackdaw's Cry until afterwards. The moor cats are unsettled, and Gray Wing decides to speak with Tall Shadow. Most of the cats believe that Jackdaw's Cry should be retrieved, but Gray Wing fiercely defends Clear Sky, and when Tall Shadow tells them that they must assure peace, they relent that Jackdaw's Cry can handle himself.
:Thunder tells Gray Wing that Tom wishes to see Turtle Tail and is waiting at Bumble's grave for her. Gray Wing angrily argues, but Turtle Tail decides to meet him to protect her kits, and Tall Shadow accompanies them. Feeling guilty for his anger toward Thunder, Gray Wing allows him to lead them to the grave, reflecting on how he had loved Turtle Tail too late to save her from going to Tom. At the grave, they find Tom waiting, with Gray Wing barely holding back his anger. As Tall Shadow fixes the dirt on the grave, Tom asks why Turtle Tail brought the other cats and mocks them. He asks Turtle Tail to come back home with him, and she attacks him in a rage, but when he overwhelms her, Gray Wing and Thunder intervene. Tall Shadow calls for them to stop, as they are battling on Bumble's grave.
:Tom comments that he knows Turtle Tail has kitted and accuses her of forcing them to be rogues, and, in his anger, Gray Wing reveals that the kits are in the hollow. Turtle Tail and Tall Shadow attempt to turn Tom away by saying that the kits are weak and worthless, but Tom remains interested in his kits, causing Turtle Tail to reveal her love for them. She refuses to let him meet them and he leaves. Gray Wing struggles to breathe, and Thunder and Turtle Tail support him back to camp, where Cloud Spots gives him herbs. Gray Wing finds himself in a dream with Stoneteller, who warns him that they are in danger. He awakens to Turtle Tail telling him that Wind Runner is kitting.
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Important events==
*Turtle Tail, Gray Wing, Tall Shadow, and Thunder confront Tom.
*Wind Runner begins her kitting.
==Errors==
*Thunder is referred to as golden.
==Notes and references==
Category:The First Battle
Category:Chapter subpages
Category:Dawn of the Clans arc