Forest of Secrets/Chapter 27

==Chapter description==
:Fireheart orders his apprentice, Cloudpaw, to run as he pelts through the trees, not waiting to see if he can keep up. He thinks that there is only a faint hope that he can outpace Tigerclaw and the rogues to warn the Clan. He fights back panic as he notes that Tigerclaw had sent out many patrols that morning, which left the camp with barely a warrior to defend it. The deputy had told him to follow Cloudpaw, so Tigerclaw must have been planning this all along.
:Fireheart reaches the ravine, but realizes he is too late and only sees the tails of the invaders vanishing into the gorse tunnel. He launches himself down the ravine and yowls a warning, with Cloudpaw scrabbling down behind him. Fireheart then hears Tigerclaw's battle cry, calling ThunderClan to him, and doubt starts to cloud his mind. He wonders if he had made a mistake, thinking the rogues are chasing Tigerclaw. Fireheart assumes that the deputy certainly looks like he is trying to drive enemies from the camp, but he was close enough to see Tigerclaw's claws were sheathed. Disappointed, his heart plummets, as he had brought the enemy cats here but was cunning enough to conceal his own treachery.
:Fireheart turns to his apprentice and tells him to find the patrols and tell them to come back. He mews that Whitestorm is somewhere along the RiverClan boundary, and Sandstorm went to Snakerocks. The apprentice speeds off and races back into the tunnel. Fireheart springs at a dark mottled tabby and rakes his claws down his side. The rogue snarls and twists toward him, paws splayed for an attack in retaliation. He tries to pin Fireheart down, but the warrior rakes his claws over the tom's underbelly which sends him howling across the clearing.
:Fireheart lashes his tail, and his fur bristles as he looks for another enemy. As he scrambles to his paws, he surveys the camp and glances at Graystripe while he wrestles with a pale tabby rogue. He sees Brindleface and Speckletail fighting against a tom twice their size, and spots Mousefur as she fights near the warriors' den. Fireheart freezes in shock when he sees Brokentail pouncing on Dustpelt, his guard. He notices that the former leader is still a formidable fighter, even though he was blind. Fireheart realizes with dread that he wasn't fighting for ThunderClan, but rather on the side of his old rogue companions, despite what ThunderClan did for him. A memory flashes into his mind, one of Tigerclaw and Brokentail sharing tongues. Anger clouds Fireheart's mind as he realizes that was not evidence of the deputy's compassion, it was him making plans with the tyrant.
:He pushes his anger aside and plunges across the clearing to help Dustpelt. Before he gets to his side, Fireheart is bowled over by a rogue cat and ends up with his belly exposed and no way to twist free. Suddenly, his attacker lets out a wail, and Fireheart catches a glimpse of the young apprentice Thornpaw with his teeth fastened in the rogue's tail. The rogue drags him through the dust until he is eventually released and runs away with his bleeding tail tucked beneath him. Fireheart thanks Thornpaw, and the young tom nods before he rushes over to help Graystripe. He notices that Dustpelt has vanished and Brokentail had started to make a weird, wailing sound that sent a chill into Fireheart's heart. Even blind, the former ShadowClan leader possesses a terrifying power that seems driven by something more than mortal.
:The camp is littered with struggling cats, but a chill races down Fireheart's spine as he realizes Bluestar was missing. Every instinct told him danger was looming, since Tigerclaw was missing as well, so he makes way for Bluestar's den on Highledge. To his relief, he can hear Bluestar's mew from inside the den as he approaches. For a few moments, there is no reply until the leader's surprised meow asks Tigerclaw what he is doing. The deputy snarls and tells Bluestar to remember him to StarClan, and Bluestar's anger seeps into her questions, asking if Tigerclaw has forgotten she is the leader of the Clan. Tigerclaw growls that he is going to kill her as many times as needed for him to lead the Clan. Bluestar's response is cut off by the sound of paws thudding against the hard floor of the den, followed by a dreadful snarling.
==Characters==
===Major===
*Fireheart
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Trivia==
*This chapter aligns with "Nightwhisper Speaks: A Rogue's Story" of Battles of the Clans.
==Notes and references==
de:Geheimnis des Waldes/Kapitel 27es:El bosque de los secretos/Capítulo 27fr:Les mystères de la forêt/Chapitre 27
Category:The Prophecies Begin arc
Category:Forest of Secrets
Category:Chapter subpages