Rising Storm/Chapter 29

==Chapter description==
:The sun shines overhead, and Fireheart thinks the sky will be clear for tonight's Gathering. He wishes it was cloudy so that the full-moon meeting would not occur, as Bluestar still is not acting like herself. The deputy wonders if she even remembers there is a Gathering tonight, and decides to check. Fireheart pads around camp, admiring the progress made on the rebuilding. He stops at the nursery and tells Cloudpaw to rest, as the tom looks dead on his paws. The white apprentice argues, stating he only has a little bit left to finish. Fireheart insists, so Cloudpaw turns to leave. The white tom meows that the elders' den seems empty, but the mentor says they are watching from StarClan. Fireheart recalls how Bluestar refused to send the dead cats to their starry ancestors, making Whitestorm do it instead. Cloudpaw nods, and the ginger warrior repeats to go rest. His nephew pads over to Brightpaw, and then tiredly lies down where he is while the she-cat grooms his pelt.
:Fireheart goes to Bluestar's den and sees Cinderpelt trying to give herbs to the leader. She refuses them, and the medicine cat gives up and walks out. Fireheart speaks with Bluestar, asking who she will take to the Gathering with her. The blue-gray she-cat spits that she's not going, and tells him to take who he likes. Fireheart pleads with her to represent her Clan, but eventually gives up and pads blindly out of the den. The deputy reports to Whitestorm that Bluestar is not well enough to attend the Gathering tonight. He says ThunderClan will take a party anyway, and the white warrior agrees, suggesting they say their leader is ill. Fireheart and Whitestorm both conclude they must convince the other Clans that ShadowClan is a threat so no one goes and threatens ThunderClan.
:As the sun sets, the ginger deputy grabs a shrew from the fresh-kill pile. He reflects that every cat will be hungry for a while, just until the forest recovers. Once Fireheart finishes, he jumps onto Highrock to summon the Clan. They gather in the clearing, and the tom announces Bluestar will not be attending the Gathering. Darkstripe questions if they will go without their leader, and Fireheart says yes. The ThunderClan deputy meows that they must prove their strength, despite the fire. He names the cats attending with him, but Darkstripe asks if that will leave enough warriors to defend the camp. Fireheart insists they must take a good number of cats, as to not show weakness. Most of the ThunderClan warriors nod, and the deputy leaps off Highrock. 
:Fireheart leads the cats, and they charge through what is left of the forest. Sandstorm comes up to him and apologizes for what she said about Bluestar. The tom meows his thanks, and says he had missed her. Darkstripe asks what Fireheart will be saying to the other Clans at the Gathering. Before he can answer, a fallen tree crosses their path. The deputy leaps out of the way, but a branch catches his paw and he falls behind. Even though his foot throbs from the tumble, Fireheart continues to lead ThunderClan to Fourtrees. With a flick of his tail, he leads his cats into the clearing, just as Bluestar usually does.
==Characters==
===Major===
*Fireheart
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Notes and references==
de:Vor dem Sturm/Kapitel 29es:‎Antes de la tormenta/Capítulo 29fr:Avant la tempête/Chapitre 29nl:Voor de storm/Hoofdstuk 29
Category:Chapter subpages
Category:The Prophecies Begin arc
Category:Rising Storm