Fire and Ice/Chapter 29

==Chapter description==
:Fireheart watches Willowpelt as she rises, gets up, and stretches. He looks at Graystripe's sleeping form, and thinks about Spottedleaf's warning: Beware a warrior you cannot trust. The ginger warrior tries to break the ghostly silence and notes to Willowpelt that it stopped snowing, she nods.
:Fireheart hears a rustling of noise behind and smells Runningwind and Tigerclaw come out. They wash with Willowpelt, and Fireheart notes that they are ready for the dawn patrol. He partially wants to go with them to run, but a part of him wants to watch over Graystripe.
:Tigerclaw suddenly lifts his head as if smelling something, and the breeze carries a WindClan scent. The four warriors stiffen, and see a cat running toward them through the gorse tunnel. It turns out to be Onewhisker who enters the clearing, while Tigerclaw hisses at him. Onewhisker says that ShadowClan and RiverClan are attacking their camp and that WindClan are outnumbered and fighting for their lives; and that this time Tallstar refuses to be driven out.
:At this, Bluestar gets out of her den, and without even getting onto the Highrock yowls to the Clan to gather. Onewhisker smells of fear, as the Clan gathers and Bluestar announces the news. Fireheart is surprised that Nightstar broke the warrior code to take WindClan's home. Patchpelt protests that they are leafbare weak, and that they've risked their lives for WindClan before. A few elders and queens murmur agreement, but Tigerclaw answers that if RiverClan and ShadowClan unite, they will soon turn on ThunderClan too. At this, Patchpelt accepts his deputy's words.
:Yellowfang pushes her way through the crowd and tells Bluestar she should stay in camp. From the glance they exchange, Fireheart realizes that Bluestar must be on her last life. Bluestar nods and orders Tigerclaw to organize a lead party and a backup party. Tigerclaw takes Darkstripe, Mousefur, Longtail, Dustpelt, Onewhisker, and Fireheart for the lead party, and Fireheart is thrilled at this. The tabby warrior then tells Whitestorm that he will lead the rest of ThunderClan, including Brackenpaw, in the second party. Tigerclaw asks if everyone is ready, and ThunderClan raises their heads and lets out a battle cry. Tigerclaw charges for the gorse tunnel, and the rest of the cats follow him.
:As he is running, Fireheart looks over his shoulder and sees that Graystripe looks grim. Fireheart wonders if Silverstream will be in the battle, and feels pity for his friend. However, he doesn't doubt himself fighting, especially as he felt responsible for WindClan after bringing them home. Spottedleaf's scent fills his nose again, and Fireheart's fur prickles at her warning.
:The snow eventually stops, but it is still hard to go through the drifts. Willowpelt calls to Tigerclaw that they are being followed. Fireheart is afraid that they've run into a trap. Brackenpaw jumps at a creaking branch. The ginger warrior hears light small, paws, and he correctly guesses who it is: he sees Cloudkit, with Brindleface's two kits behind a log. Tigerclaw asks them what they're doing, and Fireheart winces when Cloudkit justifies that he wants to join the battle. Tigerclaw tells Fireheart to deal with his kin. He is torn between fighting or taking care of Cloudkit. As a solution, he tells Brackenpaw to take them home. Graystripe doesn't object. Brackenpaw's tail droops and Fireheart feels guilty, and promises there will be more battles for the apprentice. The patrol is amused at how Cloudkit protests. However, Tigerclaw is surprised at Fireheart's decision, and sneers how he wants to fight in that particular battle. Fireheart retorts, that if Tigerclaw were keen, he'd have given a battle cry instead of condemning WindClan cats to die. The deputy gives him a loathing look, then and charges toward the WindClan camp.
:When the patrols reach the top of Fourtrees, Tigerclaw orders Fireheart to lead the way to camp. He wonders if the tabby warrior doesn't trust Onewhisker to guide them. Fireheart looks at Graystripe for help, but his friend's head is bowed and shoulders hunched. Fireheart prays to StarClan for guidance.
:He is surprised when he recognizes shapes of the land beneath the snow that they had seen on their journey. When they reach the rim of the camp, Fireheart pauses, and tells everyone to wait. When the wind drops, he hears the sounds of cats furiously fighting.
==Characters==
===Major===
*Fireheart
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Trivia==
*This chapter aligns with part three of The Prophecies Begin, volume 1.
==Notes and references==
de:Feuer und Eis/Kapitel 29es:‎Fuego y hielo/Capítulo 29fr:À feu et à sang/Chapitre 29nl:Water en vuur/Hoofdstuk 29
Category:Fire and Ice
Category:The Prophecies Begin arc
Category:Chapter subpages