Forest of Secrets/Chapter 22

==Chapter description==
:Tigerclaw goes ahead of Fireheart and Cinderpaw on their way to camp, so by the time they arrive everyone knows what had happened with Silverstream's kits. Warriors and apprentices gather outside their dens, and the ginger warrior can almost smell their shock and disbelief. Bluestar stands outside the entrance to the nursery, and invites the two cats in. Fireheart notices that in the bramble den, all is peaceful with Brindleface and her kits. The ThunderClan leader nudges Goldenflower and gently asks the queen if she can manage two more. Bluestar explains that their mother has just died, and Goldenflower is about to agree when Speckletail interrupts. The old she-cat questions Bluestar as to who these kits are, and the leader calmly replies that they are Graystripe and Silverstream's. Speckletail hisses that the gray warrior must have been sneaking off for moons to see her, and comments that the kits have bad blood in them. Bluestar spits that that's nonsense, because none of that is the kits' fault. She again questions Goldenflower if she'll nurse them, and she agrees. Speckletail lets out a snort of disgust as Fireheart and Cinderpaw place the kits in the nest, hovering until they find a place to suckle. Bluestar purrs a thank-you to the pale queen, and Fireheart wonders if she was thinking about her own lost kits.
:Cinderpaw turns and exits the den abruptly, and Fireheart asks her what's wrong. The gray she-cat whispers that Silverstream's death was her fault, and that she's supposed to be a medicine cat so she can save lives. The ginger warrior protests, saying that she saved the kits lives. He silently feels sympathy for her, and doesn't know how to comfort the distraught apprentice. Yellowfang comes over to stand in front of them, and she asks Fireheart what has happened with Graystripe and a RiverClan queen. He explains what happened, and the medicine cat nods, saying that she heard Tigerclaw talking when she was on her way to Sunningrocks with Brackenfur. Yellowfang meows that the deputy is furious about the kits, but isn't mad at Cinderpaw because she just did her duty. Cinderpaw glances up and spits bitterly that she's useless and will never become a medicine cat. Her mentor snarls that that's the most mouse-brained thing she's ever heard, and growls to Cinderpaw that she did her best and no cat could have done more. Cinderpaw points out dully that it wasn't good enough, and Yellowfang says more gently that cats sometimes die and there's nothing they can do about it. She goes on to say that it's a hard lesson to learn, and herds the apprentice to the medicine den.
:Fireheart watches the two cats cross the clearing, and Bluestar comments that he can trust that Yellowfang will get her through this. He notes that after all that has happened, the leader sits calmly with her tail around her paws just at the entrance to the nursery. Fireheart asks hesitantly if Graystripe will be punished, and Bluestar responds that she can't answer that until she's discussed it with Tigerclaw. The ginger warrior blurts out of loyally that his friend couldn't help himself, and Bluestar looks skeptical, but promises she'll do nothing until the shock has died down. Fireheart dares to question if she'd known it was going on, and the leader mews that she'd suspected it, because it's a leader's place to know things. The ginger warrior queries why she didn't stop it, and she replies that it wasn't her place to, although she wished it hadn't ended so tragically for both of them. Fireheart presses that she understands about that, hinting that it happened to her as well. Bluestar stiffens, and then murmurs that she thought he'd guess Mistyfoot and Stonefur were once her kits.
==Characters==
===Major===
*Fireheart
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Notes and references==
de:Geheimnis des Waldes/Kapitel 22fr:Les mystères de la forêt/Chapitre 22
Category:The Prophecies Begin arc
Category:Forest of Secrets
Category:Chapter subpages