A Forest Divided/Chapter 18

==Chapter description==
:Quiet Rain asks her sons how her former Tribemates are doing. Gray Wing, Clear Sky, and Jagged Peak shift uneasily, not wanting to tell her of the grim fates that most of them met. Quiet Rain, frustrated, snaps that they are acting like she has interrupted the burial of the Tribemate and that, since they are all kin, they should not be keeping secrets from each other. Jagged Peak offers that Shattered Ice and Dappled Pelt live by the river, and Quiet Rain responds that she already knows. Clear Sky adds that Quick Water and Acorn Fur are in the forest, explaining that Acorn Fur is one of Hawk Swoop's kits, which naturally leads Quiet Rain to ask where Hawk Swoop is. Clear Sky, lowering his eyes, replies that she is dead.
:Quiet Rain asks her sons how Hawk Swoop died, but they only exchange glances with each other. Quiet Rain growls that trying to get information out of them is like plucking feathers from a pigeon. Clear Sky tells her that Hawk Swoop died in a battle. Quiet Rain wants to know whom they had fought, a question which none of the brothers are willing to answer directly. From their evasive answers, Quiet Rain pieces together that they had fought each other and is stunned and distressed. Jagged Peak starts to explain the events that led up to the battle, but Clear Sky senses that Jagged Peak is about to blame him for the battle and interrupts his younger brother, saying that he had decided to divide the land up so that each group would hunt in different parts. Jagged Peak flashes him an accusatory glance and says more bluntly that Clear Sky had tried to make borders.
:Gray Wing and Jagged Peak tell Quiet Rain that it had seemed sensible at first, but then Clear Sky had started moving his borders and the moor cats had to defend what was theirs. Quiet Rain asks why words were not enough to settle the dispute. Jagged Peak explains that they had met at the Four Trees to discuss the issue and Clear Sky's group had attacked them. Quiet Rain is furious and glares at Clear Sky, realizing that what Gray Wing and Jagged Peak are saying is that Clear Sky had tried to take his brothers' land and then attacked them when they refused to accede to his demands.
:Gray Wing explains that Falling Feather and Jackdaw's Cry had also died in the battle, but does not tell his mother that the brother and sister had killed each other. Quiet Rain is told that Turtle Tail and Shaded Moss had been killed by monsters, and then she asks about Rainswept Flower's fate. Gray Wing responds that Rainswept Flower had died in the battle and gives Jagged Peak a warning glance. Quiet Rain realizes that they are once again hiding something and demands to know what it is. Clear Sky, thinking it is best if his mother hears the truth from him, steps forward and confesses that he had killed Rainswept Flower.
:Quiet Rain is stunned and horrified that her son had killed one of his Tribemates, staring at him. Clear Sky weakly says that he had been mad with rage when he had done it. Gray Wing comes to Clear Sky's defense, saying that it had been in the middle of battle and none of them were thinking straight. In response, Quiet Rain snaps at Gray Wing and Jagged Peak to get out. As the two brothers leave the den, Star Flower asks what's going on and they tell her that Clear Sky is still talking to his mother. Clear Sky wants to run out of the den to be with his mate, but he forces himself to focus on Quiet Rain.
:She glares at him, her eyes full of rage, and growls that she did not think she could raise a kit to kill his Tribemate. Clear Sky protests that he was in a strange land where the rules seemed different than in the mountains and that he thought he was doing the right thing. Quiet Rain is shocked that Clear Sky could have thought he was doing the right thing in turning on and slaying his Tribemates. Clear Sky leans closer to her, asking for forgiveness. In response, the old she-cat lashes her claws across his muzzle. He jerks back and sees Quiet Rain staring at him coldly. She growls that he is no son of hers. She tells him to get out and that she never wants to see him again. Clear Sky pleads with her to forgive him, but she declares that she never will.
:Clear Sky races out of the den, feeling numb with shock and despair, and Star Flower leads him to the edge of the clearing. Clear Sky tells her that he wants to go home, but Star Flower says they have to stay the night at Tall Shadow's camp. She digs out snow from underneath the camp wall in order to create a den for them. Clear Sky and Star Flower settle down into it, with Star Flower curling around her mate. Clear Sky asks her if he is a monster, and Star Flower responds that he is not. The golden tabby she-cat calls him a hero and a leader who had made tough decisions, and Clear Sky hopes that she is right.
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Errors==
*Star Flower is mistakenly described as having amber eyes.
==Notes and references==
Category:Dawn of the Clans arc
Category:Chapter subpages
Category:A Forest Divided