Into the Wild/Chapter 22

==Chapter description==
:Firepaw and Graypaw head back to ThunderClan territory and their camp. Graypaw suggests that they head straight to ShadowClan, but Firepaw tells him that they need to find Yellowfang first. They pick up her smell close to the camp and follow it into ShadowClan territory. They cross the Thunderpath and Graypaw comments that he always thought he would have more warriors with him when he went into ShadowClan territory. Firepaw asks him if he is afraid, and Graypaw ask him if he is, since he was always warned about ShadowClan by his mother. Firepaw replies that his own mother never told him things like that.
:They are led by Yellowfang's scent trail deep into ShadowClan territory, but Graypaw complains that he cannot smell her over the damp scents. Firepaw replies it is there, and Graypaw says he can smell kit blood. Firepaw sniffs and says he can smell it too, along with something else. They get down and creep silently towards a blackened tree, where Yellowfang is sheltering. The two leap on her, and she lets out a yowl of surprise. She struggles free and hisses that she knew ThunderClan would blame her. They demand to know where the kits are and Yellowfang replies that she does not have them and came to take them back, stopping because she smelled their blood. Graypaw asks her why she killed Spottedleaf and ran away. Yellowfang is shocked when Graypaw mentions Spottedleaf and Firepaw believes her.
:Yellowfang explains that she smelled Clawface by the nursery, and that as long as the kits are in ShadowClan, they are in danger. Firepaw protests that they would not harm kits and Yellowfang replies that Brokenstar intends to use them as warriors. Graypaw says that they are only three moons old, but Yellowfang says that that has not stopped him before and he sends kits out as warriors at three moons. Firepaw realizes that the undersized apprentices at Gatherings are actually kits, and says that they would be too small to fight. Yellowfang hisses that Brokenstar does not care and that he has plenty more. She adds that Brokenstar could just steal kits from other Clans, if need be. She says he killed kits from his own Clan and Firepaw asks why he was not punished. Yellowfang replies that he lied and accused her of their murder. Firepaw says that she needs to come back with them and tell Bluestar, but Yellowfang replies that she will rescue the kits first.
:The rain has stopped, and Firepaw soon realizes that the ThunderClan patrol will be there soon. Graypaw asks Yellowfang how Brokenstar killed the kits. Yellowfang explains that he had been training two of the four-moon-old kits and brought them back dead, and when their mother had come to see them, Brokenstar had said that he had found her standing over their dead bodies. Firepaw asks why she did not say it was Brokenstar, and, after hesitating for a moment, Yellowfang says she was unable to. Yellowfang explains that Brokenstar was ShadowClan's leader, and the warrior code says that his word was law. Firepaw says that they will rescue the kits that night, but they need to move since he can smell the ThunderClan patrol coming. He comments that Tigerclaw will just kill Yellowfang without explanation if he is with the patrol. Yellowfang leads them to an area where there is peat to disguise their scent. She has them crouch under a bush as they wait for the ThunderClan patrol to come.
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
*Graypaw
===Mentioned===
==Trivia==
*This chapter aligns with part two of The Prophecies Begin, volume 1.
==Notes and references==
de:In die Wildnis/Kapitel 22es:En territorio salvaje/Capítulo 22fr:Retour à l’état sauvage/Chapitre 22
Category:The Prophecies Begin arc
Category:Chapter subpages
Category:Into the Wild