I have A Light in the Mist! [Spoiler Thread]

Rootspring takes a break from his run escaping Ashfur and his followers. During the chase, twice he thought that Ashfur’s warriors would catch him, the second time claws even on his tail. Fortunately the cliff collapsed after he climbed onto it, leaving his chasers unable to follow. After losing them. Someone calls his name several times but he cant find the source. He wonders if its Ashfur reaching him the same way he did Shadowsight. The voice then asks him what he is doing, to which Rootspring tells them it is none of his business.

He recognizes Ashfur’s scent and spotting him and some of his followers/spirits past a damp glade, spies on their conversation. Ashfur tells Silerhawk to take Clawface and guard the Moonpool tree, where Rootspring notes Shadowsight was headed. He sends Houndleap to take Mapleshade and Rushtooth to search for Rootspring and the others and keep an eye out for Stemleaf and his friends. Mapleshade angrily asks him why he is putting Houndleap in charge rather than herself. Ashfur furiously tells her that it is because she let Steamleaf escape. Houndleap gives her a superior look and smoothly tells Ashfur he wont let him down. Rootspring sees a gray and white tabby getting angry at Conefoot for stumbling over her, and Conefoot angrily turns on them. Rootspring notes that she is angry and perhaps a strong emotion can break Ashfur’s hold. He wonders if hope can be the key to fighting Ashfur. Darkstripe asks Ashfur if he smells anything, Ashfur tells him he is imagining things. Darkstripe still searches but fails to find Rootspring.

Rootspring follows them and sees the island they were on in TPONS is no longer present. Ashfur is in shock and asks Thistleclaw where the island is, who goes “Don’t ask me, you’re the one who started this.” The spirit cats crowd around Ashfur, who angrily tells Darkstripe to get them off him, but Darkstripe says, “I don’t control them, you do”. They go back into the forest. Rootspring finds a lake and notes by going closer he feels light headed and runs away. The voice tells Rootspring to stop, and Rootspring notes he almost fell into a wide stream and the voice saved him. Rootspring decides to find the others. While heading upslope, he runs into Mapleshade.

Shadowsight is finding his way to the Moonpool. After jumping over several dark streams and going into a hollow, he trips over a thick root, and recognizing the root is part of a tree how the tree stands like a guardian, realizing it is the way to the Moonpool. Looking up, he sees the Moonpool floating. On his way up the tree, he falls and injures himself the first time but makes it the second time. Fighting the water weight, he makes it to the living world. He sees cats from every Clan near the pool glaring at each other. Graystripe, Bramblestar, Squirrelflight and Jayfeather stand together, Tigerstar glowering at them. Ivypool, Dovewing and Tree are also there. Bramblestar tries to suggest what to do next, but Leafstar says that he might be tainted from the Dark Forest with evil and should not be involved. Mistystar notes she has a point. Harestar and Tigerstar defend him by saying they trained in the Dark Forest and emerged untainted. But Leafstar tells them not to forget Ashfur lived inside his body. Ivypool and Squirrelflight come to his defense.

Annoyed, Shadowsight reveals his presence and defends Bramblestar and Squirrelflight. The Clan leaders eagerly ask him what happened and if there was a battle and if Ashfur was defeated. Ivypool and Tree ask where their kids are, Shadowsight tells them they are in DF but okay. He tells them that Ashfur has recruited Dark Forest cats, too many for them to fight all of them. He tells them Snowtuft saved them, Bramblestar gets excited that this means he doesn’t have every Dark Forest cat on his side. Shadowsight tells them they spoke to StarClan and that Ashfur has blocked the path and how to break it. Leafstar is adamant to believe the hope and break thing is coincidence.

The Clan leaders are dubious about sending living cats in. Shadowsight says they need to urgently send cats as the DF is shrinking. Tigerstar says they should let it shrink and disappear as Ashfur will along with it. Squirrelflight notes that he doesn’t want to do anything now that his kit is back. Tigerstar asks her if that is so wrong. Tree, Ivypool and Squirrelflight lash out at him. After telling them about disturbing the balance between the worlds they agree to send in cats, but only a small number as they can persuade Dark Forest cats and free spirit cats to help them.

Bristlefrost is running away from Ashfur and his army and eventually sees 3 Dark Forest cats in a secret conversation: Maggottail, Redwillow and Sparrowfeather. Maggotail defends what Ashfur is doing and is certain that he will find cats for them to possess. Redwillow notes that the Dark Forest is shrinking and that Ashfur has been promising things for a long time. Sparrowfeather agrees with him and notes how things are not going as he planned. Bristefrost slops and they see her spying and chase her. They corner her and she has no choice but to fight.

They take turns attacking her, but instead of using claws or attacking her. They just bump their heads and bodies on her and push or squash her non-painfully. After Bristlefrost asks them what they are doing they tell her they are trying to take over her body. They say they should successfully be able to now that they performed the ritual Ashfur told them to do – pulling out 3 of their whiskers and close their eyes while Ashfur took them to the barrier blocking StarClan and burying them, saying that Ashfur told them this ritual was how he got the power to possess a living cat. Bristlefrost tells them Ashfur was lying and decides to help them. Maggottail continues to defend Ashfur’s actions while Redwillow and Sparrowfeather agree that Ashfur cant be trusted. Bristlefrost eventually gets through Maggottail and they all agree to help her defeat Ashfur and destroy the barrier. Maggottail is worried they might end up like Snowtuft but Bristlefrost tells them there is hope.

That's funny. If i was Bristlefrost, i would burst out laughing.

Rootspring is a prisoner, his prison being made up smooth stone and towering boulders. Mapleshade, Houndleap and Darkstripe are guarding him.

Houndleap tells Mapleshade Ashfur was really pleased when he told them he had caught one of them and eagerly greets Ashfur when he shows up. Mapleshade enviously calls him a tail-licker, asking him why he doesn’t offer to groom him for fleas. To avoid showing Ashfur his fear, Rootspring asks Ashfur why he is doing all this. Rootspring unsheathes his claws as Ashfur pads closer to him and asks if he really think he can hurt him. He tells him that StarClan shouldn’t have gotten in his way. When Rootspring continues to counter him, Ashfur hisses why they are all so full of themselves and says that ThunderClan is the same as when he was alive, “so smug and thinking they are so loyal but when Squirrelflight dumped him for Bramblestar none of his Clanmates stood by him”. Ashfur continues by saying that he showed them all and ruled them but Squirrelflight still did not appreciate how powerful she was. He says he didn’t give up on her after bringing her to the Dark Forest for them to rule the Dark Forest together but she still only wanted Bramblestar. He whispers to Rootspring that he will destroy StarClan and the Dark Forest along with the Clans, low enough for the 3 other Dark Forest cats near them not to hear.

Hearing his plans, Rootspring cannot understand how he possibly became a StarClan warrior. Ashfur tells him that once the Dark Forest is destroyed he will return to the lake and make Squirrelflight suffer along with every cat she ever cared about and that eventually she will beg him to stop and become his mate.

The voice interrupts Rootspring’s attention and tells him he will get him out of this but that he will have to trust him. He tells him to repeat the words he tells him exactly as he hears them to Ashfur: “You betrayed StarClan’s trust in you. They shouldn’t have let you go. Ashfur looks at him in shock and tells the Dark Forest cats to watch him, running to the barrier to make sure it is not broken.

Ashfur's just so... messed up in the head. Destroy all the clans, afterlives, and every cat she loves, until she begs for him to stop, and she has no choice but to become his mate? Damn.

Leaders are still in doubt about sending living cats to Dark Forest. Mothwing does not think it is worth the risk to lose more cats and that they have survived without StarClan’s help. Jayfeather protests. Mistystar asks Bramblestar if it isn’t enough she lost a medicine cat but Bramblestar snaps he isn’t willing to sacrifice Rootspring and Bristlefrost. The RiverClan cats say they are already gone. Puddleshine protests but Mistystar tells him emotions are getting the better of him. Harestar says that they can take care of themselves, Mistystar adds that StarClan does not hunt their prey – they do. Tigerstar watches Harestar and Mistystar thoughtfully, much to Shadowsight’s dismay. He presses that if they don’t send cats in, Ashfur will have won and gotten what he wanted. Alderheart says StarClan always protected them so now its their turn to protect StarClan.

Tree clears his throat. He admits he hasn’t always embraced Clan life and found their ways strange but he must admit the longer he lives beside them the more he understands. He asks them what they are if they don’t have StarClan. That they have been the center of everything they have ever believed and that they must fight for their way of life, as if they don’t, how can they truly call themselves warriors? Harestar and Mistystar negatively react to his speech. Tree asks him why he wont accept the same risks to save his kid the way he did Tigerstar’s kit and if he is actually ready to abandom him while he fights to keep their way of life alive. Ivypool adds on to Tree’s reasoning by talking about Bristlefrost and tells them she is ready to go to the Dark Forest to save her; she is supported by Dovewing and Shadowsight. Bramblestar says he refuses to let Ashfur change ThunderClan.

Harestar and Mistystar accept and tell him their Clans will do what is right. Mothwing boldly challenges Bramblestar by asking how they will get so many living cats to the Dark Forest. The Sisters (Flurry), who were next to the cats the whole time, say they can help, saying that they sang Bristlefrost and Rootspring to the Dark Forest. Bramblestar thanks them and tells them they should only send a small patrol to remain undetected. Tigerstar notes that for such a dangerous mission, how can they send any cats. Bramblestar agrees and says the cats need to volunteer. Bramblestar refuses to let Ivypool go cause she already has a kit there and cant risk losing her too. Squirrelflight demands to be the one to end Ashfur’s miserable existence as she is the one with the right to, given how Ashfur ruined her life and wants him to see that there can be no reward for his actions and has no power over her.

Graystripe approaches her and says that by sending her, they would be playing right into Ashfur’s paws and would be pleased to see how she became such a burr in her life that she’d risk her life to face him. Graystripe says that to beat him, they must to more than survive, they must thrive and grow stronger and to do that, they need Squirrelflight to survive and cant risk losing her. She agrees and asks who will go? Graystripe asks her if it isn’t obvious, saying that he of course will be the one to go. Bramblestar says he wont stop him. Squirrelflights whispers something in his ear and tells him to deliver that message to Ashfur with those exact words. Tigerstar says that one cat from each Clan will go with him. He tells them to return to the Moonpool tomorrow with their volunteers. The Sisters say they cant return with their volunteers and that the volunteers must come alone to avoid distractions as they must have full concentration to send 5 cats to another realm. They tell them to send them before full daylight.

Tigerstar tells his Clan about the plan to defeat Ashfur and the risks. Cloverfoot is the first one to volunteer, followed by Snowbird and Cinnammontail. Lightleap then says she’ll do it, pushing her way to the front. She tells Tigerstar Cloverfoot cant go as they cant manage w/o their deputy, Snowbird is nearly an elder and Cinammontail has not been practicing her battle moves. Stonewing agrees that she was one of his best apprentices. The Clans slowly agree and cheer her name. Shadowsight tells Dovewing that now Tigerstar will have to let her go.

Lightleap saying that Snowbird is nearly an elder does make me wonder if she'll be retired next arc. I don't think Lightleap went. From what I heard in the other thread, Shadowsight went back to the DF. But it is nice to hear that she was one of Stonewing's best apprentice.

To be honest, I'm kind of surprised that Maggottail is still around. He was almost completely faded in TFW. I wonder who the other cat with Needletail was. It sounded like two cats. And one of them has a gray nose, but I couldn't tell if that was Needletail.