River (book)/Chapter 1

==Chapter description==
:Chewing on his mouse, Flamepaw hopes that he performs well on his upcoming warrior assessment, which will begin shortly after all the apprentices finish eating. The black apprentice observes his denmate Baypaw pounce on a pebble in ThunderClan camp as he tells Flamepaw that the prey should be scared because of him. Flamepaw half-heartedly mutters in agreement, his thoughts swamped with nervousness caused by the assessment.
:He decides to listen to a conversation Birchfall and Ivypool are holding about the idea of making changes to the warrior code. The light brown tabby tom states that he believes that the idea of getting a leader is comparable to telling the sun not to shine. Ivypool replies that even before it was known that Ashfur was the false Bramblestar, cats wanted him gone as the dark warrior had accused almost every cat in the Clan of being disloyal while exiling a few select members. Birchfall claims that Ashfur was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, but Thornclaw chimes in that once should be enough, supporting Ivypool. Birchfall counters that if the dark warrior had not stole ThunderClan's current leader's body, no cat would have accepted him. He reinforces his idea by stating that deposing a StarClan-appointed leader is a different circumstance that what had occurred with the Ashfur situation. Thornclaw acknowledges Birchfall's point while Ivypool states that StarClan has its flaws as well as they did give the original Tigerstar nine lives. Cherryfall agrees, wondering what would happen to a banished leader's nine lives. Mousewhisker bitterly retorts that trying does no harm when the leader is Ashfur. Flamepaw recalls how Rosepetal and Berrynose, two of Mousewhisker's siblings, had died because of the impostor.
:As Flamepaw exchanges a glance with Baypaw, Bumblestripe states that leaders are not cats to disobey and certainly not to kill. Thornclaw calms the riled-up tom down, reminding him that he does not know the Dark Forest like Ivypool and him do. Lionblaze states that StarClan now may take away a leader's remaining lives as they did recommend the Lights in the Mist to make these changes to the warrior code. Thornclaw reminisces, stating that it would all be clearer if Graystripe was there, with Lionblaze agreeing. Baypaw asks Flamepaw if he thinks they should be able to depose of a leader. The black apprentice responds that it might function better if every Clan rotated leader so the same cat isn't leader for all of their nine lives.
:Going back to eat his mouse, Flamepaw wishes that every cat wouldn't judge him for his kin, noting that he is kind of named after Firestar despite not even sharing resemblance to him. He ponders if Larksong would have gone along with it, noting that his father had died shortly after his birth. Sparkpelt wishes the apprentice good luck on their assessment, prompting Flamepaw to not want to feel so awkward around his mother. He recalls how Sparkpelt had entered a state of depression after Flickerkit and Larksong had died, so Sorrelstripe had become Flamepaw and Finchlight's foster mother. Shortly after coming out of her depression state, Ashfur, acting as Bramblestar, exiled Sparkpelt and Finchpaw from ThunderClan, causing the two to share a bond that Flamepaw could not be a part of. The flame-colored tabby she-cat goes over to where Myrtlepaw and Finchpaw are sitting, automatically becoming much more relaxed around her daughter. Flamepaw spots Sorrelstripe saying good luck to Baypaw and Myrtlepaw, causing the black apprentice to think that sometimes, he wishes the dark brown she-cat was his mother. Lilyheart calls Flamepaw to begin his assessment.
:Baypaw and Flamepaw wish each other luck and as the assessment begins, the black apprentice ambitiously decides that he will go for a more showy catch than a simple mouse. He wanders across a nibbling squirrel and drops into position. Creeping forward, Flamepaw remembers a difficult move he and Baypaw had performed alone, so he decides to use that to catch the squirrel. However, it does not turn out according to plan as the squirrel manages to escape, leaving the black apprentice embarrassed.
:He soon spots a magpie, and his previous ambition is immediately recovered. Before reaching pouncing distance, the magpie looks up, and Flamepaw is left clawing at its tail as the bird flies away. The black apprentice sees a scrawny mouse and catches it. Another mouse scrambles past, and Flamepaw manages to catch that one as well. However, as the ThunderClan tom buries his prey, Lilyheart calls his name, and with the look of sympathy in her eyes, Flamepaw deduces that he had failed his assessment.
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Important events==
*Flamepaw fails his warrior assessment.
==Notes and references==
Category:River (book)
Category:A Starless Clan arc
Category:Chapter subpages