River (book)/Chapter 9

==Chapter description==
:Tawnypelt gathers Sunbeam, Scorchfur, Whorlpelt, and Lightleap outside the warriors' den to hunt near the RiverClan border. Sunbeam worries about her friendship with Lightleap deteriorating after her accident, and she paces to Lightleap hoping she'll listen as they walk. Lightleap tells her she is hurt that the brown-and-white tabby broke her trust. Sunbeam justifies herself saying that no one blames dark brown she-cat for not going into the Dark Forest. Lightleap refuses to listen and darts off ahead to rejoin the rest of the patrol, leaving Sunbeam alone.
:Sunbeam realizes she hasn't been on the lookout for prey. She hears fighting cats nearby and notices the sound may be coming from RiverClan territory, but she deduces it to rogues. The she-cat heads back to her Clanmates to inform them of the fighting, but she finds Lightleap first. The brown tabby warrior accuses Sunbeam of spying on her. Sunbeam denies it, and she follows Lightleap in hopes of finding the patrol. However, the angry warrior dismisses Sunbeam and tells her to leave her alone. Sunbeam decides not to tell Tawnypelt about the fighting on the territory.
:Back in camp, Sunbeam muses about her decision when Sneezecloud and Brackenpelt of RiverClan enter the clearing. The RiverClan warriors greet Cloverfoot and ask the ShadowClan deputy if they've seen Reedwhisker. Cloverfoot denies, and the RiverClan warriors are escorted back to their territory. After the two leave, the camp breaks into a frenzy. Sunbeam wonders if the fighting, Lightleap's limp, and Reedwhisker missing is connected. She asks the Blazefire to follow her to their favorite flat rock to discuss Lightleap. She adds that being a distracted warrior is a liability, but Blazefire pointed out that Sunbeam was just as distracted as Lightleap was. Sunbeam feels betrayed by Blazefire's dismissal of her concerns.
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Notes and references==
Category:Chapter subpages
Category:River (book)
Category:A Starless Clan arc