Into the Wild

The events surrounding the Moonstone trek represent an “approach to the innermost cave” and “ordeal/death of the mentor” in Firepaw’s hero’s journey. Although it is mostly Firepaw’s ability to follow his heart that makes him special, these chapters introduce another of his heroic qualities—his connection to StarClan. Firepaw receives a prophetic dream in Chapter 14; the narrative indicates that usually only medicine cats or leaders receive such dreams, marking Firepaw as specially attuned to his divine ancestors.

Firepaw’s first encounter with the Moonstone likewise symbolizes his connection with the spiritual. The Moonstone is the ultimate symbol of spirituality for the Clans as the place where they commune directly with their ancestors. Stars and moonlight are a motif that represents the spiritual; the description of the Moonstone’s light—“the moon was casting a beam of light through the hole in the roof, down onto the Moonstone, making it sparkle like a star” (177)—uses this motif to signal the stone as a supreme spiritual power. The journey to the Moonstone—one that is required for apprentices to become warriors—mimics an essential subconscious journey, as leaders must descend deep into the earth and dream beside the Moonstone, entering a special state of consciousness to communicate with StarClan.

The journey deep into Mothermouth, through a pitch-black tunnel “that has never known the warmth of the sun” and where the cats are guided by smell and feel alone (176), symbolizes entrance into the subconscious, an approach to an innermost cave wherein the hero finds himself tested by forces beyond the ordinary external ones he has already faced. The encounter with the Moonstone proves Firepaw’s spiritual fortitude, as he is not afraid to traverse the tunnel with Bluestar, and thus to metaphorically access his own subconscious.

Firepaw’s connection to the spiritual also distinctly sets him apart from Tigerclaw. When Tigerclaw sees the Moonstone, Firepaw notices Tigerclaw’s “fear-scent growing, until it became overpowering” and Tigerclaw flees; in contrast, Firepaw feels only curiosity (178). Bluestar explains that “in the world above, Tigerclaw is a fearless and mighty warrior, but down here, where the spirits of StarClan speak, a cat needs a different kind of strength” (178). The contrast between Firepaw’s and Tigerclaw’s reactions foils them and develops Tigerclaw as an antagonist. The narrative indicates through Tigerclaw’s disconnect to the spiritual that he is not as mighty a warrior as he (and others) feels himself to be, foreshadowing later revelations about his true nature.

The loss of one of Bluestar’s lives in Chapter 16 marks an ordeal in Firepaw’s hero’s journey. It is the first time that he comes face-to-face with death. Although Bluestar regains her life, it marks a turning point for Firepaw as he sees that his revered mentor and leader is not invulnerable. Bluestar’s brush with death darkens the mood, positioning the narrative for a shift into urgency in the next chapters. Chapter 16 ends on a grave note as Firepaw notices the “expressionless” face with which Tigerclaw responds to Bluestar’s survival (188), and later the “dark and unknowable thoughts” that cross Tigerclaw’s face as he boldly questions Bluestar about the number of lives she has left (190). This heightens the tension surrounding Tigerclaw’s character and his motivations as the narrative’s pace accelerates, leading into the final sequence of rising action before the climax.