A Light in the Mist (book)/Chapter 7

==Chapter description==
:Head filled with frustration, Rootspring theorizes how to get out of his prison as he wonders how Bristlefrost is exploring the Dark Forest alone. He tries to break the vines forcing the tunnel between the Dark Forest and StarClan shut. Staring through a gap in the walls, the SkyClan warrior spots Houndleap and Mapleshade, who had taken him to his prison after they had managed to catch him. Rootspring regrets not fighting the pair, as at the time, it had seemed that the odds were stacked against him as he was injured and outnumbered. 
:Rushtooth returns, panting, informing Mapleshade and Houndleap of the good news that Ashfur was on his way, and he seemed very impressed with the trio's accomplishments. Houndleap adds that he will obviously be pleased as that was the task they had been given. The scrawny black tom turns around and greets Ashfur, while Mapleshade sarcastically asks him to offer to groom Ashfur's fleas. This starts an argument between Houndleap and Mapleshade, ending when Ashfur tells the both of them to shut up. He pads inside, so Rootspring asks why Ashfur is trying to hurt StarClan and the five lake Clans.
:Ashfur pads closer, causing Rootspring to unsheathe his claws and flex his muscles. The dark warrior asks if the SkyClan warrior really thinks he can harm him, so Rootspring replies that he is harming the Clans. The yellow tom asks the dark warrior what he will gain by hurting the Clans, telling him that he can only live life once. Ashfur brings up his time in Bramblestar's body, so Rootspring counters by saying that it ended in him narrowly escaping death in a prison in ShadowClan camp. Ashfur hisses, asking why the Clans were so full of themselves, citing that ThunderClan was like that when he was alive. He reasons that although the Clans pride themselves in being loyal, none of his Clanmates backed him up when Squirrelflight chose Bramblestar over him. Ashfur states that even after showing Squirrelflight of the power he possessed, she had rejected her, so he tried bringing her to the Dark Forest to finally become mates, but she escaped, choosing Bramblestar yet again. Rootspring reasons that Squirrelflight would choose Bramblestar any day, stating that Ashfur was only a dead warrior who tried to harm her and every cat around her. The yellow tom brings up how when he destroys the Clans, Squirrelflight's little respect for him will cease to exist.
:Ashfur, carefully dropping his voice down to a whisper so his Dark Forest comrades cannot hear him, states that Dark Forest and StarClan will be gone by the time he's done. He tells Rootspring of his knowledge that without the Dark Forest, StarClan will fail, and StarClan's territory is probably already shrinking. The SkyClan warrior drops his gaze, instead looking at Houndleap and Rushtooth. He feels pity for them as they were gullible enough to believe Ashfur's false promises. The dark warrior states that after StarClan and the Dark Forests' demise, he will return back to the lake, and will make Squirrelflight and the cats around her suffer until she has no option but to become his mate. Rootspring is distracted from the conversation when the voice in his head returns, stating that they will get him out of this, and all they need is the SkyClan warrior's trust. The yellow tom gives the mysterious voice his trust, so the voice replies to tell Ashfur the message.
:Rootspring repeats the voice's message to Ashfur, telling the dark warrior that he had betrayed StarClan's trust, and it was wrong of them to let him go. Mouth hung open, Ashfur staggers backwards, completely stunned, and runs past Houndleap, telling the Dark Forest warrior to keep an eye on Rootspring while he checks on the barrier. Surprised, Rootspring notes that the barrier is where Bristlefrost is, and the pale gray she-cat is in danger if she has to face Ashfur alone. The yellow SkyClan tom prays to the voice in his head, asking what they should do next.
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Errors==
*Houndleap is mistakenly called pale brown. This is fixed in the paperback edition.Revealed in the paperback edition of A Light in the Mist, page 109
==Notes and references==
Category:Chapter subpages
Category:A Light in the Mist (book)
Category:The Broken Code arc