Into the Dark

**ALERT: CONSTRUCTION! This article is a work in progress. Not all information present on this topic is here.**
***Spoiler warning:** Plot and/or ending details follow.*
Into the Dark is the first book in the Storms and Shadows book series.

## Chapter Subpages

Squirrels of the Communities - Prologue - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10

## Summary

### Prologue

Violet is revealing her evil plan to get the Great Oak for herself with her dumb sidekick, Acorn.

### Part 1: South of the River

#### Sky's POV

Sky and Chestnut are racing through the trees for fun. Chestnut sneaks up to the finish line and confuses Sky. Chestnut wins the first race. Then Sky challenges him to a race of running down the tree. Sky wins that race. Chestnut and Sky report their winnings and losses to Raven. Chestnut tries to convince Raven to go acorn hunting with him, when all of the sudden, lightning hits Raven's tree. All of the squirrels run off his tree and run away from the fire. Then, another lightning strike hits the Great Oak, sending a terrible scar down the middle of the tree. Sky runs up the Great Oak just to see a mysterious squirrel figure push her parents (Leaf and Woodpecker) into the fire overtaking the ground. Sky rushes down the tree, but falls the rest of the way and therefore sprains her ankle and displaces her spine.

Sky wakes up with a nurse named Snow offering her water, and witnesses an argument between Chestnut and Raven. Sky tells Snow that her parents didn't fall down the tree, and someone pushed them, but Snow doesn't think so.

Later the elder Maple is announcing the squirrels that died in the fire, and mentions Walnut, and Sky's parents. He also says that his sister was gravely injured, and thanks "survivors Chestnut and Snow" for helping as nurses for Peanut, the medic. He asks if anyone else is fit to help, and Chestnut and Sky argue silently, and then verbally, about whether Sky should help. Sky decides to help, but collapses on the way to the medic's tree.

Sky is cared for in the medic's tree, meeting a squirrel named Emerald. Emerald says that she and Chestnut had to carry Sky to the medic's tree, and then tells Peanut, that she can come in. Peanut says that she will have to push Sky's spine back into place, but decides to talk beforehand, saying that Sky said that she sprained her ankle while racing with friends. She asks which friends, and Sky says Chestnut and Raven. Peanut is shocked, calling Raven a know-it-all. Sky defends her friend. Peanut asks if Raven lives near Maple, and the conversation turns to the elder. Peanut says that Maple's not just "some old guy", he's in control of the Great Oak, and the leader of their community. Sky asks if his job is that important, and Emerald says that "[Sky] wouldn't know, because [she'd] lived there [her] whole life." Sky asks if someone would want the tree so badly to try and kill her parents, and Emerald asks where she got that idea. Peanut dismisses Sky seeing the mysterious figure as smoke inhalation. Emerald asks if she saw a rare fur color on the "murderer", and Sky says that Snow said it was just a plume of smoke. Emerald leaves, and Peanut calls her a "nice girl." Sky agrees, wondering whether she is really that nice.

#### Emerald's POV

Emerald is racing to the Great Pine, trying not to be seen and wondering why squirrels like racing. She arrives there. Violet tells Emerald to leave the acorns outside, but Emerald does not know what she is talking about. Emerald pretends to have left them on the forest floor, and Violet tells her to pick them up. Emerald distracts Violet by telling her about Sky, and says that the Great Pine is now the biggest tree in the forest. Violet cries that now everyone is going to move up here, and Emerald says that they can refuse squirrels who ask to live here, showing their power. The two squirrels debate what to do about Sky, and Violet tells Emerald again to get the acorns. Emerald decides to make Acorn do it. When she is down the tree and out of the earshot of Violet, she orders Acorn to find some acorns, quickly, and meanwhile brings up some empty, old acorns. Violet is disgusted and looks out the door. Then Acorn calls back that he's found at least one acorn that "looks like [Emerald had] just picked them." Violet gets really mad at Emerald and says that she must get her five baskets' worth of perfect acorns, and she can't sleep in the Great Pine that night. Emerald leaves, and the though occurs to her that Violet is lazy and using Emerald to do her chores, but Emerald dismisses the thought, thinking that Violet is kind and cares for her, and she won't let any squirrel say otherwise.

#### Chestnut's POV

Chestnut is acorn hunting with Raven, and Raven wants to go back. Chestnut tries to convince Raven to keep searching, while his mind is occupied with the question: why didn't Raven help the wounded in the medic's tree after the fire? His mind says that it would be rude to ask, but Chestnut asks anyway. Raven replies it was because Peanut is smart and he doesn't want anyone to think Peanut is smarter than Raven. Chestnut thinks that he was pretty dumb to be in a war with Peanut about intelligence.

#### Sky's POV

After Emerald leaves the medic's tree, Peanut is going on about Sky's injuries. Sky doesn't want Peanut to push her spine back into place, so she tries to distract the medic by talking, thinking that because Peanut is so talkative, the trick will work. Sky talks about racing, and then Peanut asks Sky to get a vial. Sky bends backwards toward it and then Peanut pushes her spine back into place. Sky yells "ow" a lot. Sky says that she thought she was distracting Peanut, and Peanut says that she was doing the same thing. Sky says that Peanut is smart, and realizes that that's why Peanut hates Raven.

Then Snow comes in, and asks where Emerald went. Peanut says she doesn't know, and asks if Chestnut is still here. Snow replies that he went acorn hunting with Raven, a little hesitant to say Raven's name because of Peanut's hatred for him. Peanut decides she needs Chestnut and Emerald there, and sends Snow to go get them.

#### Snow's POV

Snow finds Chestnut and Raven, and Chestnut needs to bury his acorns. Raven says that he will lose them. Chestnut tells Raven to tell him a better place to put them, then. Raven tells Chestnut to put the acorns in his tree. Chestnut says the birds might eat them, or he (Chestnut) might eat them. Snow tells Chestnut to put his acorns in the ground, and Chestnut does so. Snow tells Chestnut to go to the medic's tree, and goes to find Emerald, not knowing where she lives.

Snow goes to see Maple, thinking he might know where Emerald lives. Maple asks why Snow needs Emerald, and Snow says that the medic needs her. Maple points out the way he thinks Emerald went, and says he does not know where she lives. Snow is surprised, but thanks Maple. She goes the way Maple pointed, calling Emerald's name. Emerald is finding acorns, and says she must get them for her mother. To change the subject, Emerald asks how Snow's family is, and Snow remarks that her mother just had another litter. Snow asks if Emerald can help prepare food for the medic's patients once she's finished with the acorns. Emerald says she would love to, but is interrupted by a pounding, which Snow thinks is Emerald's mom.

#### Emerald's POV

Emerald says she has to go, and she climbs Violet's tree. Violet is mad at Emerald because she was "having a conversation with a Maple supporter," because Snow works for Peanut, and Peanut works for Maple's empire. Emerald says that her food is not only for Violet, and she's just helping the squirrels who were injured after the fire. Violet insults Emerald's food, saying that no one likes it. Emerald is hurt inside, thinking that cooking was the only thing she was really good at, and she should have known no one liked her food.

Emerald knows that if she were to gain Violet's trust again *and* help the patients, she had to do something that she really didn't like the idea of.

#### Sky's POV

Sky asks if she can stand up. Peanut says that she will scream in pain if she stands up, because she has a sprained ankle. Sky guesses that that means no. Peanut gives Sky a bark cast for her ankle, and says that Sky must stay lying down until Peanut says she can get up, which will probably be in a week or so. Sky thinks that she will be so out of shape once she can race again.

#### Snow's POV

Snow is collecting water from a puddle. An acorn falls out of a tree, and Snow thinks that she is really lucky today. An acorn fell right next to her, and she made a new friend (Emerald). It was a very polished acorn, with a maple leaf with a strike through it. Snow decides to take it to Raven, sure that he could figure it out, but then something knocks Snow over, and she falls down. The attacker blindfolds Snow with leaves, and when she tries to call out, wraps a gag around her mouth too. The attacker says that this "involves matters that don't concern [Snow]" and tells Snow to follow them. The attacker drags Snow out of the clearing and pushes her into a ditch.

Snow manages to take off her blindfold, and sees that the attacker is Emerald. Emerald says that she is sorry, and Snow realizes that she means it. Snow asks what Emerald is going to do to her, and Emerald says that she won't do anything, but foxes, on the other paw... and Snow is too deep in the forest to call for help. Then Emerald states a squirrel-updated version of George Berkeley's quote.

Snow thinks about how Emerald could do this to her -- she thought Emerald was her friend. Then she thinks about how to get out of the ditch -- she knows that she can't climb out because Emerald wasn't stupid. Then she thinks she could use the clay to get herself out, but then thinks it would take too long, and better to just wait to die.

## Main Characters

### Protagonists

* Sky
* Snow
* Chestnut
* Raven

## More Important Minor Characters

* Birch
* Peanut
* Maple*End of spoiler warning*

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Revealed in *Into the Dark*, page 4
2. ↑ Revealed in *Into the Dark*, page 15
3. ↑ Revealed in *Into the Dark*, page 5
4. ↑ Revealed in *Into the Dark*, page 1
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Revealed in *Into the Dark*, page 21
6. ↑ Revealed in *Into the Dark*, page 47
7. ↑ Revealed in *Into the Dark*, page 17