Thunder (book)/Chapter 18

==Chapter description==
:A half-moon later, Sunbeam familiarizes herself with ThunderClan's territory before her final trial. Finchlight arrives with gossip from the island meeting. With Tree mediating, Tigerstar has agreed to slowly return his warriors from RiverClan. RiverClan has appointed Duskfur to temporarily lead them with Splashtail as her deputy. Sunbeam recalls how she and Nightheart spotted Splashtail plotting with Berryheart to get rid of ShadowClan from RiverClan. She changes the subject to her final trial, which Ivypool said would involve important landmarks in the territory. Finchlight mentions the frog stream and the alder grove before explaining the importance of the Ancient Oak standing before them. 
:At camp, Ivypool instructs Sunbeam to "find the place that has an apprentice between two elders." The brown-and-white tabby she-cat is initially puzzled since ThunderClan doesn't have any apprentices, but she soon recalls seeing two large oaks flanking a smaller sapling earlier in the territory. There, Lionblaze is waiting for her with the next clue: "find a place where there are no Twolegs." At the abandoned Twoleg nest, Sunbeam finds the medicine cat Jayfeather expecting her, and the blind tom tells her to "follow the scent of thyme until there are no more plant scents at all." Sunbeam follows the fragrant scent of thyme to the lake shore, where Cherryfall is waiting for her. Instead of giving her a clue, Cherryfall tells Sunbeam to go back to where they moved the stone in her second trial. Sunbeam is puzzled by her blatant lie and recalls the locations that Finchlight had mentioned. She decides to take a chance to visit the Ancient Oak. To her relief, Sparkpelt arrives a few heartbeats later and announces that Sunbeam has passed.
:Back at camp, the rest of the Clan celebrates Sunbeam's success. Squirrelstar asks if she's ready to become a ThunderClan warrior, with or without Nightheart, and Sunbeam accepts. She is formerly welcomed as a member of ThunderClan, and her new Clanmates chant her name. Knowing that Cherryfall attempted to sabotage her assessment, Sunbeam confronts her in the warriors' den. However, Cherryfall begins to treat Sunbeam more nicely the next morning, much to her surprise. Squirrelstar congratulates Sunbeam on passing her trials. When Sunbeam asks if she's heard anything about Nightheart from StarClan, Squirrelstar laments that she hasn't. Sunbeam worries about Nightheart, especially since RiverClan had announced that Frostpaw was killed by a buzzard. The Clan leader asks for Sunbeam to join her, Alderheart, and Bayshine for her meeting with Tree and the other leaders about ShadowClan's withdrawal from RiverClan.
:To Sunbeam's annoyance, her mother Berryheart attends the meeting with Scorchfur. Squirrelstar and Bayshine insist that she doesn't have to speak to her, but Sunbeam knows she has no choice. Berryheart tries to convince Sunbeam that she can still return to ShadowClan, but Sunbeam snaps that she is happy in ThunderClan. She loves Nightheart and she is happy being in a Clan who is not interfering in RiverClan's business. Berryheart grumbles how Tigerstar should prioritize his own Clan instead of RiverClan, and she is resolved to prove it. Recalling her father's words, Sunbeam asks what Berryheart is planning, but her mother brushes her off. After the meeting, Sunbeam reveals to Squirrelstar that her mother may be up to something, and Squirrelstar worries that might break the fragile peace between RiverClan and ShadowClan. 
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Important events==
*RiverClan elects Duskfur to be their temporary leader, with Splashtail as her deputy.
*Sunbeam passes her final trial and is welcomed as a member of ThunderClan.
==Notes and references==
Category:Thunder (book)
Category:A Starless Clan arc
Category:Chapter subpages