Warrior cats guide (Wiki edition!)

The prophecy begin's summary

A group of feral cats known as ThunderClan are battling against their rival, RiverClan, by a river for control over a territory called Sunningrocks, to which both Clans had equal claim. Redtail, ThunderClan's deputy, soon realizes ThunderClan is badly outnumbered and orders the battle patrol to retreat. Tigerclaw, a ThunderClan warrior, reluctantly follows the order, angered that RiverClan should be allowed to win territory so quickly. In the ThunderClan camp, Bluestar, leader of ThunderClan, is trying to seek answers from StarClan, troubled by that night's defeat. At that moment, Spottedleaf, the medicine cat of ThunderClan, receives a prophecy from StarClan, echoing to Bluestar that "Fire alone can save our Clan." But Bluestar is confused, for fire is feared by all Clans.A kittypet called Rusty has a dream about catching a mouse in the forest, but lets his prey go due to a distracting noise. As he wakes up, he finds that this is food pellets being poured into his food bowl. This dream drives the young cat into the forest, though his friend Smudge warns him that forest cats are much bigger and dangerous. On his arrival in the forest, he is briefly attacked by Graypaw, a ThunderClan apprentice. Instead of fleeing, Rusty turns and fights back. Unbeknownst to the two young cats, two warriors from ThunderClan are watching - Lionheart, Graypaw's mentor, and Bluestar, ThunderClan's leader. Impressed after having seen Rusty and Graypaw fight instead of fleeing, Bluestar offers Rusty a chance to join their Clan of feral cats and train as an apprentice.The next day, Rusty is escorted to the ThunderClan camp by Lionheart and another ThunderClan cat, Whitestorm. Most of the cats disagree with a kittypet joining their ranks, especially Longtail, who relentlessly taunts Rusty. Rusty attacks Longtail after being persuaded by Lionheart to prove his loyalty and worth to the Clan. Rusty's collar snaps off during the fight, which Bluestar takes as an omen from StarClan that Rusty belongs in their Clan. Bluestar renames him Firepaw, after his flame-colored pelt, and officially appoints him as a Clan apprentice. Suddenly, another apprentice, Ravenpaw, rushes into camp with the news that Redtail has been killed in a skirmish near Sunningrocks. Tigerclaw soon follows with Redtail's body, claiming Redtail to have been killed by Oakheart, the RiverClan deputy, who Tigerclaw says he has killed in vengeance. Firepaw is unable to see the body, only spotting a red tail, true to the deputy's name, from around a bush. Lionheart is made deputy in Redtail's place.Firepaw is not immediately assigned a mentor of his own and instead trains with Ravenpaw and Graypaw and their mentors, Tigerclaw and Lionheart, respectively. Firepaw soon learns that kittypets are traditionally thought to be weak and useless amongst Clan-born cats. He is steadily able to adjust to his new life despite being seen as an inferior. He trains hard to become a respected member of the Clan, hoping to eventually earn full warrior status.On his first solo hunting assignment, Firepaw comes across Yellowfang, a medicine cat who has been exiled from ShadowClan. He immediately attacks, knowing rogue cats are not tolerated in enemy territory. After defeating her, he realizes that the old cat is starving, and he hunts a rabbit for her out of pity and eats some himself, breaking the warrior code. When a patrol led by Bluestar arrives, Yellowfang tries to flee but is hindered from doing so by her wounds. The ThunderClan leader recognizes Yellowfang as ShadowClan's former medicine cat, and the Clan brings Yellowfang into camp as a prisoner. After appointing herself as Firepaw's mentor in order to speed up apprentice training, Bluestar puts Firepaw in charge of taking care of Yellowfang as punishment for eating before his Clanmates are fed.At Firepaw's first gathering, Graypaw is telling him who is who. Firepaw asks about WindClan and Graypaw tells him that ShadowClan drove them out. Brokenstar, the leader of ShadowClan, reports that ShadowClan has recently driven out a cat who has murdered ShadowClan kits. He makes it clear that this rogue should be killed as soon as any cat finds her and urges the Clans to keep a close eye on their kits. He also states that since ShadowClan are the strongest and most thriving Clan, they require more territory to support themselves, and that they drove WindClan out of their territory and claimed it for their own after they refused to surrender it willingly. This explains WindClan's absence from the Gathering. Crookedstar, RiverClan's leader, announces that he has allowed ShadowClan hunting rights on the edge of their territory. After the Gathering the ThunderClan cats rush back to camp, suspecting Yellowfang to be the cat Brokenstar warned them of, but Bluestar orders that Yellowfang should not be harmed, arguing that since there is no proof of Yellowfang being the culprit (as Brokenstar has not named her as the rogue), and since she has not yet done anything wrong to ThunderClan, Yellowfang will remain in camp. She puts the Clan on battle-readiness as they are now the only ones standing up to Brokenstar.Bluestar goes to the Moonstone to seek guidance from StarClan with Firepaw, Ravenpaw, Graypaw, and Tigerclaw, leaving Lionheart in charge. Firepaw, Tigerclaw, and Bluestar go into Mothermouth, but Tigerclaw is overwhelmed and flees, telling Graypaw and Ravenpaw that he was sent back to keep watch. Bluestar has a dream of trouble back at the camp. They meet Barley on the way back, who warns them to stay clear of the dogs on his farm, but then they are attacked by rats and Bluestar loses a life. Tigerclaw believes that Barley sent them there on purpose, though the others don't. Back at camp, ShadowClan launches an attack on ThunderClan's camp, and Lionheart is killed in the battle, allowing Tigerclaw to be appointed as the new ThunderClan deputy. Ravenpaw, Tigerclaw's apprentice who had witnessed the earlier events at Sunningrocks, confesses to Firepaw that it was Tigerclaw, not Oakheart, who killed Redtail, presumably in his ambition to become deputy. Tigerclaw suspects his secret has been discovered and begins to secure his status in the Clan by spreading rumors about Ravenpaw and making sure no cats, not even his Clanmates, trust the apprentice.Soon after, Frostfur's litter of kits vanish, and Spottedleaf is found dead near the nursery. Firepaw, who had developed a close bond with the medicine cat, was devastated. When Yellowfang is discovered to be missing as well, Tigerclaw immediately blames her for the disappearance of the kits as well as the death of Spottedleaf. This rumor is immediately accepted by the other cats in the Clan, as most of them, excluding Firepaw, did not trust the former ShadowClan medicine cat. Tigerclaw proceeds to make the assertion that Ravenpaw helped Yellowfang steal the kits, as he witnessed the true death of Redtail, being killed by Tigerclaw. This, in turn, prompts Frostfur to chase him out of the nursery when he attempts to check on the other kits. Bluestar asks Firepaw to find Yellowfang instead of sending a patrol to find the kits and the former ShadowClan cat, because she knows that they share a bond and if Firepaw asks her to come back, she will. Firepaw takes Graypaw and Ravenpaw with him, sending Ravenpaw to Barley's barn, where he hopes that he will be safe from Tigerclaw.When Firepaw and Graypaw find her, Yellowfang tells the apprentices she left camp as soon as she discovered the kits were missing and smelled the scent of Clawface - a ShadowClan warrior - in the nursery. Yellowfang reveals that Brokenstar has been mercilessly training kits early so that ShadowClan could have more warriors and be the most feared Clan in the forest, even going so far as to kill his own Clan's kits. This lead to Yellowfang being framed for the murder of Brightflower's kits, and in turn, being exiled from the clan. She reveals that they are sent out to be warriors at just 3 moons old, and Firepaw and Graypaw realize that this is why the ShadowClan apprentices seemed so small and young at the Gathering. With the help of a ThunderClan patrol, led by Whitestorm, and a ShadowClan patrol, made up of senior warriors who were kicked out by Brokenstar, they raid ShadowClan's camp. The patrols drive out the blood-thirsty leader along with his closest followers, but not before Brokenstar reveals himself as the killer of the ShadowClan kits for whose death Yellowfang had been blamed for, as well as the killer of Raggedstar, the previous ShadowClan leader and Brokenstar's father, whose death had been first attributed to an ambush by a patrol from another Clan. ThunderClan promises to leave ShadowClan in peace for one moon while they adjust and find a new leader. The ThunderClan cats, including Yellowfang, return with the kits to their camp, where Firepaw and Graypaw inform the Clan it was Clawface, not Yellowfang, who had stolen the kits and killed Spottedleaf. When Ravenpaw's absence is noted, Firepaw, for Ravenpaw's safety, tells the Clan he has been killed by a ShadowClan patrol. Bluestar asks Yellowfang to be ThunderClan's new medicine cat, and she accepts, realizing that ShadowClan is not the Clan she once knew. Most cats are wary of Yellowfang at first, but begin to slowly accept her in books to come.After the battle, Tigerclaw looks all around for Ravenpaw, and not finding him, says loudly how suspicious it was that he should go missing when Brokenstar attacks. Firepaw says boldly that Ravenpaw was not traitorous to his Clan, but found murdered beside ShadowClan territory, not giving away his true location. Tigerclaw quickly retorts that he never thought Ravenpaw was a traitor and says that he would have become a fine warrior. Soon after Firepaw and Graypaw are promoted to warriors and receive their warrior names - Fireheart and Graystripe. Bluestar honors Ravenpaw's memory, saying before the ceremony that he also would have taken part and earned his warrior name. Just before their vigil is supposed to begin, Fireheart attempts to speak to Bluestar about Tigerclaw's betrayal, but she silences him by reminding him about his vigil. Tigerclaw locks his eyes with Fireheart, and they glare at each other. Fireheart realizes that he has made a powerful enemy, but is ready for the challenge. He and Graystripe guard the camp until dawn.#2Exiled WindClan, who have been driven out of their territory by ShadowClan, are forced to shelter in a tunnel beneath a tangle of Thunderpaths to hide from Twolegs. Back in the forest, newly made warriors Fireheart and Graystripe finish their nighttime vigil. They attend their first Gathering as warriors, and Bluestar gets Crookedstar and ShadowClan's new leader, Nightpelt, to reluctantly agree that WindClan must be brought back, though they wanted to use their territory to hunt. Fireheart and Graystripe's first warrior mission, assigned to them by Bluestar, is to find and bring back WindClan to the forest now that Brokenstar, the former ShadowClan leader, is no longer a threat.Graystripe and Fireheart journey into WindClan territory, where RiverClan and ShadowClan have been unsuccessfully hunting, and find WindClan far past Highstones, sheltering in a tunnel under a tangle of Thunderpaths. They speak with Tallstar, and convince WindClan to come home as Brokenstar has been driven out, and the danger has passed. The WindClan cats return to their territory after a two-day journey, during which Fireheart befriends WindClan warrior Onewhisker and helps Morningflower carry her newborn kit. The Clan sleeps in Barley's barn for the night, and Fireheart and Graystripe enjoy a brief reunion with Ravenpaw and let him know that ThunderClan believes him to be dead, even though WindClan doesn't completely trust the loners. The next morning, before they set out, the WindClan medicine cat Barkface predicts that the day will bring an unnecessary death.Fireheart and Graystripe are provided with a WindClan escort home, and on their way back to ThunderClan, they decide to take a shortcut by the gorge in RiverClan territory. They are caught by a RiverClan patrol, led by the RiverClan deputy Leopardfur, who attacks despite the dangerous terrain. A ThunderClan patrol arrives to help, but during the battle, Graystripe is engaged in battle with Whiteclaw and accidentally shoves him into the river, where he drowns. Sandpaw almost has the same fate as Whiteclaw, but is saved by Fireheart. The RiverClan cats retreat, Whiteclaw's death having made the issue more serious than a border skirmish. Fireheart and Graystripe are praised for bringing WindClan home, but their deeds are shadowed by Whiteclaw's death. Later, the two young warriors are given apprentices: Fireheart is given Cinderpaw, and Graystripe is given Brackenpaw, though he feels that he doesn't deserve it. Fireheart is proud to have an apprentice and shows Cinderpaw the ThunderClan territory, taking her regularly to training.One day, when Graystripe, Fireheart, Brackenpaw, and Cinderpaw go out hunting near Sunningrocks, Graystripe falls through the ice into the river while trying to get a water vole and almost drowns. Silverstream, a RiverClan cat and the daughter of Crookedstar, shows up and saves Graystripe's life. As they pad back to camp, Fireheart notices that Graystripe keeps glancing over his shoulder. Graystripe comes down with a cold and is confined to the camp, but keeps slipping away, and even Tigerclaw notices his absences. Fireheart is worried about his friend and eventually he follows him out of camp, only to find that Graystripe is meeting with Silverstream near Sunningrocks, having fallen in love with her. Fireheart tells them that their relationship has to stop, and tries to discourage them from seeing each other, but fails, and falls out with Graystripe. Fireheart trains both Cinderpaw and Brackenpaw while Graystripe is absent, to make sure Brackenpaw doesn't fall behind, and to make sure no cat realizes Graystripe is neglecting his apprentice. Fireheart gets increasingly hostile with Graystripe, who does not want to give up Silverstream, but at the same time becomes good friends with Sandpaw, who has warmed to him at last.Leaf-bare arrives and there is an outbreak of whitecough in the camp. One day Dustpaw returns, saying Tigerclaw wants Bluestar to come and see proof of ShadowClan prey-stealing. However, Bluestar is sick with greencough and cannot go. Cinderpaw offers to take the message to Tigerclaw, but even though Fireheart disagrees, she slips away. After fetching catnip for Bluestar, Fireheart follows Cinderpaw's scent trail to the ShadowClan border, only to find her lying beside the Thunderpath, having been hit by a Twoleg monster. He takes her back to camp, but her hind leg is injured too badly, and later it turns out that it will never heal properly and therefore she can't become a warrior.Meanwhile, Fireheart meets with his blood sister Princess, and even though the meetings question his loyalty towards ThunderClan, he keeps visiting her. When Princess has a litter of kits, she gives her firstborn to Fireheart to take him to the ThunderClan camp and make him a warrior. The Clan is outraged, but Bluestar decides that they will take in the kit, and names him Cloudkit. Brindleface agrees to feed him.The river between ThunderClan and RiverClan territory freezes over, and ThunderClan takes the opportunity to cross over and attack a RiverClan patrol, in retaliation for RiverClan stealing prey from Sunningrocks. Fireheart, who knows from Silverstream that RiverClan's normally plentiful prey has been scared off by Twolegs, volunteers to be in the attack to save Graystripe from having to choose between his Clan and his love. He is relieved when the river thaws, making it too dangerous to cross. However, Graystripe sees his gesture as a sign of mistrust and he and Fireheart fight, embarrassing themselves in front of the Clan.At a Gathering, both ThunderClan and WindClan accuse ShadowClan of stealing prey, having noticed their scent. Later, it turns out that the cats hunting in the Clan territories were Brokenstar and his band of rogues. When all the warriors except Fireheart are out on patrol, as they think it is still ShadowClan that is stealing prey. Brokenstar and the rogues attack the ThunderClan camp. Fireheart leads the defense and heads straight for Brokenstar, but is attacked by Clawface. Fireheart fights him fiercely, remembering he killed Spottedleaf, but is overpowered and nearly killed, only saved by Graystripe when he appears and kills Clawface. The rogues are driven out except for Brokenstar, who is blinded by Yellowfang and loses a life.Yellowfang reveals to Fireheart that she is Brokenstar's mother, and that she fell in love with Raggedstar. Fireheart tells Bluestar about the brave fight the apprentices put up in the battle, and Sandpaw and Dustpaw receive their warrior names, Sandstorm and Dustpelt. Brokenstar is kept as a prisoner and is called by his warrior name, Brokentail. Fireheart hopes that Graystripe's saving him during the battle will have repaired their friendship, but Graystripe remains hostile. Cloudkit and Brindleface's two other kits go missing, and Fireheart and Sandstorm track them through the snow. They find that Cloudkit has broken the warrior code by going hunting with them, but caught a vole despite the weather. All three kits are told off by Bluestar.Onewhisker arrives at the ThunderClan camp with news that WindClan have been attacked by both RiverClan and ShadowClan. ThunderClan go to their aid and the battle tests Fireheart's and Graystripe's loyalty to their Clan. Graystripe attacks only the ShadowClan warriors, and it is very clear that his loyalties have been divided. Silverstream attacks Fireheart, blinded by battle-lust. Fireheart turns on her and pins her to the ground, but sees Graystripe's shock and releases her without so much as scratching her.Darkstripe sees Fireheart mercifully release Silverstream, and tells Tigerclaw about it. At one point in the battle, Fireheart nearly gets killed by Leopardfur, and Tigerclaw watches on without helping him. ShadowClan retreat after Fireheart and Runningwind beat Nightstar, and RiverClan retreat after Tigerclaw nearly kills Crookedstar. After the battle, Tigerclaw confronts Fireheart, questioning him about his loyalty to ThunderClan, and he realizes that Tigerclaw is still worried about how much he knows about Redtail's death and can never be trusted. Graystripe is grateful that Fireheart let Silverstream go and their friendship is repaired.#3A reddish-brown tom, Oakheart, is guiding two kits to the RiverClan camp. Both kits struggle because of the cold, snowy night. When they arrive, the kits are taken to the nursery, where Oakheart asks a queen named Graypool to take care of them. When Graypool asks where he found them, Oakheart responds by saying he found the kits abandoned in the forest. Graypool is doubtful and slightly disbelieving of what he says, but he ultimately convinces her. Once Oakheart leaves and Graypool agrees to nurse the kits, she smells them and can identify the scent of ThunderClan, although she doesn't believe Oakheart would steal kits from another Clan.Fireheart still does not trust Tigerclaw, the fierce ThunderClan deputy, and decides to uncover the truth about him. He and Graystripe visit Ravenpaw in his barn to ask him about the battle at Sunningrocks, and Ravenpaw recounts the events he witnessed, confirming once more that Redtail was killed by Tigerclaw, not Oakheart. Ravenpaw tells Fireheart that when Redtail attacked Stonefur, a RiverClan warrior, Oakheart proclaimed no ThunderClan cat would ever harm Stonefur. Redtail then sprung on Oakheart, knocking them both off a cliff into the path of a rock slide, which buried Oakheart alive. Ravenpaw says Redtail later emerged and ran straight into Tigerclaw, who pounced on him and killed him. Ravenpaw says Oakheart's death was an accident, and he was not killed by Tigerclaw as Tigerclaw had claimed.In order to be certain, Fireheart sneaks over to RiverClan for more answers. He alerts Silverstream, who gets Mistyfoot, Oakheart's daughter. She confirms that Oakheart was crushed by collapsing boulders. However, when Fireheart asks the significance of Oakheart's words that Stonefur would not be harmed by a ThunderClan cat, Mistyfoot is at a loss.Thinking through what has been revealed to him, Fireheart begins to suspect Cinderpaw's accident was the result of a trap for Bluestar set by Tigerclaw. On another RiverClan visit, when Fireheart again questions Oakheart's words about Stonefur, Graypool, a RiverClan queen, reveals to Fireheart that Stonefur and his sister Mistyfoot are not her own, despite all of RiverClan believing they are. Oakheart claimed to find the two kits in the forest, she says, and asked her to care for them. Graypool tells Fireheart how she sniffed them and knew they were ThunderClan kits. Graypool strictly warns Fireheart never to tell Stonefur or Mistyfoot that she is not their true mother, as they do not know.In the midst of continuing his investigations, Fireheart must also carry out his warrior duties, help keep Graystripe and Silverstream's meetings a secret, supervise Brackenpaw's training due to Graystripe's constant absence, put up with his disobedient nephew Cloudkit, and face Tigerclaw's continuous hostility. Newleaf soon arrives, and the snow begins to melt. The river floods, and two of Mistyfoot's kits are swept away by the water. They are rescued by Fireheart and Graystripe, who return them to RiverClan. The two warriors learn that RiverClan is in trouble, having been forced to leave their camp due to the flood and having nothing to eat since the fish are poisoned. Fireheart and Graystripe offer to hunt for RiverClan and begin to give them prey in secret but are caught by Tigerclaw and punished by Bluestar.At the next Gathering, Nightstar announces that ThunderClan is sheltering Brokentail, causing an uproar with ShadowClan and WindClan declaring war on ThunderClan. The next day, the two Clans invade the ThunderClan camp, but they are soon forced to retreat. Allegiances are steadily forming among the Clans, with WindClan siding with ShadowClan and ThunderClan siding with RiverClan.Graystripe soon finds out Silverstream will be having his kits. When the kits arrive early, Graystripe, Fireheart, and Cinderpaw rush to her aid. Despite Cinderpaw's determined efforts to save her, Silverstream dies while kitting. The two kits survive and are taken in by ThunderClan. Goldenflower agrees to nurse the kits, even though Speckletail is disgusted by the thought of the two kits and their mixed bloodlines. Tigerclaw, who has witnessed the kitting, reveals Graystripe's affair to ThunderClan, causing the Clan to distrust Graystripe. RiverClan demands the kits for themselves while Bluestar is hesitant to surrender them. Bluestar admits to Fireheart that Mistyfoot and Stonefur are her own kits and that she gave them away to RiverClan so she could become deputy instead of Thistleclaw, an aggressive warrior who would have led the Clan to endless bloodshed.Cloudkit, now Cloudpaw, is apprenticed to Fireheart. They are on a hunting mission when they notice Tigerclaw leading a band of rogues to attack ThunderClan's camp. Fireheart runs back to the camp, but the rogues arrive before him. Most warriors are away on patrols, leaving ThunderClan badly outnumbered. During the battle, Tigerclaw corners Bluestar in her den and tries to kill her, but Fireheart arrives just in time to save his leader. A RiverClan patrol arrives and helps ThunderClan defeat the rogues. Brokentail is revealed to have been in on the ambush, having been plotting with Tigerclaw to attack the camp with his gang of rogues. Bluestar is deeply shocked and shaken by Tigerclaw's mutiny, although she manages to announce his betrayal to the Clan. Fireheart reveals the events surrounding the battle at Sunningrocks – it was Tigerclaw who killed Redtail and Oakheart's death was an accident. He also reveals his suspicion that Cinderpaw's accident was actually a trap set for Bluestar by Tigerclaw, and that Tigerclaw had planned the attack to make it look like a rogue killed Bluestar, therefore becoming leader de facto. Tigerclaw is exiled, and he swears to have revenge on ThunderClan. Meanwhile, Yellowfang kills Brokentail by feeding him deathberries, taking away his last life.Bluestar announces Fireheart as the new Clan deputy, although she does this after moonhigh, breaking the warrior code. An omen of a piece of fresh-kill turning to crow-food makes Fireheart wonder if it means Bluestar's leadership is rotting away.At the end of the book, Bluestar agrees to surrender Silverstream's kits. Because he wishes to be with his kits and because he is no longer trusted by ThunderClan, Graystripe decides to join RiverClan. Fireheart is left heartbroken as he recalls the adventures he and Graystripe had been through together and thinks about how lonely he will be with his best friend gone. Fireheart returns to the ThunderClan camp as their newly appointed Clan deputy, with more responsibility that he had ever hoped for.#4Runningnose, the ShadowClan medicine cat, is watching over Nightstar, as he is gravely ill, as most of the other ShadowClan cats. When Runningnose hears the terrifying screech of an owl, he is worried, because owls are known as an omen of death. As he searches the night sky for Silverpelt, he realizes the swath of stars is covered with clouds, and he wonders if their warrior ancestors had abandoned them because of the sickness. Then, the clouds shift to reveal a single star and a frail beam of light is sent through the den as Nightstar breathes a long and steady breath. Runningnose is hopeful that StarClan is still watching ShadowClan. As he raises his head and gives silent thanks to StarClan, he hears spirits whispering in his head, telling him about a glorious future for ShadowClan.Then, the owl that had screeched earlier, flies over the den roof, covering the star and plunging the den into blackness, and scratching the den roof with its talons. Runningnose shrinks down onto his belly. He thinks the owl must have scented the sickness on Nightstar, and come looking for easy prey; however, the owl then flies away, but the star disappears. Runningnose hears cats fretting about the owl, asking if it took any kits and why it had come so close to the camp, and leaves the den to calm them down. He then tells them about ShadowClan's glorious future.Fireheart is ThunderClan's new deputy, but the exiled Tigerclaw still haunts his dreams. He wonders if ThunderClan would be ready if Tigerclaw attacked. Most of the cats are still shocked about Tigerclaw's disloyalty and many warriors are badly injured after the fight with the rogues led by Tigerclaw. The elders are worried about the broken deputy ceremony, and agree that Fireheart's deputyship will be a dark time for the Clan. On top of that, Cloudpaw is being rude and dismissive of the warrior code and StarClan.Bluestar does not seem like herself; her spirit and pride had been damaged by the shock of Tigerclaw's betrayal. She refuses to do the required leader duties, and Fireheart has to watch over the Clan and organize everything, from organizing patrols to appointing mentors. At one point, Bluestar decides to visit the Moonstone to get advice from StarClan, but a WindClan patrol does not let her pass, being hostile to ThunderClan since they sheltered Brokentail. As a result, Bluestar slips into further paranoia, concluding that StarClan does not want to help her Clan.Soon, mysterious ShadowClan scents are found on the territory. Two ShadowClan warriors, Littlecloud and Whitethroat, both reeking with sickness, stumble to the ThunderClan camp asking for herbs. Yellowfang immediately recognizes the sickness and sends the two cats away. Not long after, Fireheart finds Cinderpelt treating to the ShadowClan warriors in secret, her compassion helping her find the right herbs to heal the two cats. He makes her promise to send them away once they recovered.Fireheart must continuously put up with his disrespectful nephew and apprentice Cloudpaw, who does not care for the warrior code, and frequently visits Twolegplace to accept food from a Twoleg. One day, Cloudpaw is caught by a Twoleg, put in a monster, and taken away. The Clan cats conclude that Cloudpaw willingly chose to return to his kittypet life. Later, Ravenpaw comes to ThunderClan and announces that he saw a white cat locked in a Twoleg nest close to his territory. Fireheart and Sandstorm conclude that it must be Cloudpaw and, along with Ravenpaw, got to rescue him. When they find Cloudpaw, he decides to rejoin the Clan, and Bluestar allows him to do so. During the months of greenleaf, the relationship between Sandstorm and Fireheart grows even more.Tigerclaw and a group of Brokentail's old rogues attack a ThunderClan patrol near the Thunderpath. When Fireheart leads a patrol to investigate what happened, they discover Runningwind's body with Whitethroat bending over him. Thinking he killed Runningwind, Fireheart attacks Whitethroat and chases him onto the Thunderpath, where he is hit by a monster and dies. Tigerclaw reveals himself and fights Fireheart, promising to destroy ThunderClan. The rogues show up as well, but a RiverClan patrol, comprising of Graystripe, Leopardfur, Blackclaw, and Stonefur appears to help ThunderClan. Fireheart tells the Clan that Tigerclaw and his rogues want revenge, and he makes sure the camp is guarded day and night.Meanwhile the weather gets hotter and drier, and eventually a fire sweeps through the forest. The cats evacuate the camp and head for the river. When they discover that Halftail, Patchpelt and Bramblekit are missing, Fireheart and Yellowfang return to the camp to search for them. Fireheart rescues Patchpelt and Bramblekit, but Yellowfang and Halftail get trapped by a burning tree and Fireheart is forced to leave them. The cats cross the river to be safe from the fire, and Crookedstar lets them shelter in RiverClan territory.After the fire is put out, Fireheart and Graystripe go and see what is left of the ThunderClan camp. They find the forest blackened and charred, with no undergrowth, and no prey. In the camp, Fireheart finds Yellowfang still alive, and before she dies, she reveals that Brokentail was her son, and that she has killed him. Later, ThunderClan returns to their own territory, and the warriors are hard at work trying to rebuild their destroyed camp. They hope the forest will grow back and prey will return soon.At the next Gathering, Bluestar refuses to go, and Fireheart leads the ThunderClan party. They learn that after both Nightstar and Cinderfur died from a sickness, the same one Littlecloud and Whitethroat suffered from, Tigerclaw becomes leader in his place, now Tigerstar, to the shock of Fireheart and all of ThunderClan.#5Ferocious guard dogs escape the Treecut place and their owners and run wild in ThunderClan territory. They are referred to as The pack, and led by the Pack leader.During a Gathering, the Clans learn that ShadowClan has a new leader, Tigerstar, the exiled former deputy of ThunderClan. He accepts several rogues into ShadowClan, many of which are former cats of ShadowClan who were driven out with Brokentail, including former deputy Blackfoot, and promises that he will make the Clan great. After the Gathering is over, Fireheart, the ThunderClan deputy, tells the rest of the Clan about Tigerstar, and all the cats are shocked. They fear an attack from ShadowClan, but the days pass, and everything is peaceful. Bluestar has taken the news very hard, and believes that the other Clans are aligning themselves against ThunderClan. ThunderClan is surviving, but all the warriors are overstretched; they spend a lot of time hunting, patrolling, and rebuilding the camp after the recent fire.Meanwhile, a mysterious threat has invaded the forest. Cinderpelt, the ThunderClan medicine cat, hears the words "pack, pack" and "kill, kill" in a dream. There are also reports of dog scent on ThunderClan territory, but Fireheart dismisses them, believing that it was only a Twoleg walking their pet. Soon after, they find more traces of dogs, and Fireheart concludes that a dog is loose in the forest, living at Snakerocks.Bluestar slips further into dementia, thinking that StarClan has abandoned her, and refuses to make the apprentices warriors. Her misgivings are enhanced by the various hardships they meet: the recent fire, the scarce prey, the death of Snowkit by a hawk and the unknown evil menacing the Clan. Most of the leadership duties are fulfilled by Fireheart.When the patrols find scraps of prey, obviously hunted by dogs, Bluestar claims that it was WindClan stealing prey from ThunderClan, and plans to attack them. However, the other cats know that this is not true. Fireheart tries to prevent the battle, even if it means he has to disobey his leader, going against the warrior code. He arranges a meeting between Bluestar and Tallstar, and the battle is averted, but Bluestar becomes angry at Fireheart and states that he betrayed her. She punishes him by doing nothing, so there would be a traitor leading ThunderClan. Bluestar believes most of ThunderClan are traitors at this point.At the Gathering, it is revealed that Crookedstar has died, and that Leopardstar has risen to the rank of RiverClan leader. During the Gathering, Bluestar accuses WindClan cats of prey-stealing, and she also acts strangely friendly towards Leopardstar and RiverClan.Leopardstar's first action is to try and retake Sunningrocks due to the debt ThunderClan owes them since they sheltered them from the fire in the previous book, but the ThunderClan cats drive RiverClan out. Graystripe is exiled from RiverClan, as he helped Fireheart during the battle and refuses to fight him, and rejoins ThunderClan. Fireheart reveals to Mistyfoot and Stonefur that Bluestar is their mother during the battle when they are attacking her. Stonefur is initially skeptical of Fireheart's claims but Mistyfoot believes him and convinces her brother that Fireheart speaks the truth.Cloudtail is made a warrior, but Bluestar refuses to promote any other apprentices because the rest do not lack faith in StarClan, like Cloudtail does. Swiftpaw and Brightpaw are offended, and plan to go to Snakerocks and find out who is stealing prey, hoping that they would become warriors after their brave actions. The Pack of dogs attacks them; Swiftpaw is killed and Brightpaw is seriously injured, losing an eye. Bluestar gives her the name Lostface at her dying apprentice ceremony, to show the Clan what StarClan took from Lostface. She later recovers, but cannot recall anything about the attack except the words "pack pack, kill kill."Meanwhile, Tigerstar's kits are apprenticed, and are named Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw. Fireheart decides to mentor Bramblepaw, and gives Tawnypaw to Brackenfur. Fireheart has Brackenfur mentor Tawnypaw because he is afraid of what Tigerstar will do to claim his kits. He doesn't want to put Sandstorm in danger, despite the fact Brackenfur was less experienced than her. Tigerstar claims that his kits should be in ShadowClan, and asks Darkstripe to bring them to him, but Fireheart stops them each time. Sandstorm is angry with Fireheart, as she wasn't chosen to mentor Tawnypaw, and their friendship suffers. Fireheart later tells Sandstorm that he loves her and she admits that she loves Fireheart as well.The dogs are finally sighted by Longtail. He reports that there are several enormous dogs living at Snakerocks, not just a single dog as they initially believed, and that he saw Tigerstar feeding them a rabbit. Fireheart thinks that Longtail is lying and is plotting with Tigerstar, but after consolation from Cinderpelt, he listens to him. Tigerstar plans to use the dogs to take revenge on ThunderClan; he lays a trail of rabbits to the ThunderClan camp, with Brindleface's dead body at the end of the trail. The ThunderClan cats notice it in time, and Fireheart forms a plan to take the dogs to the gorge, and lure them over the edge. He chooses some warriors and apprentices to lead the dogs, while the rest of the Clan go to Sunningrocks.Fireheart is the last in the line of cats that lure the dogs to the gorge, and he almost succeeds, but Tigerstar appears and pins him down until the dogs catch up. The pack leader grabs Fireheart by his scruff and shakes him, but Bluestar comes out of nowhere and drives the leader down the gorge where he dies, and the rest of the dogs scatter. However, Bluestar falls in the river as well. Fireheart jumps down to save her, and is helped by Mistyfoot and Stonefur. The two RiverClan cats recognize Bluestar as their mother, and forgive her. Bluestar reconciles with StarClan, and names Fireheart as her successor, appointing him the leader of ThunderClan while revealing that he was the fire that would save ThunderClan.#6Tigerstar travels with Boulder to make a deal with Scourge, leader of a group of alley cats from Twolegplace who call themselves BloodClan. Although surprised by how small Scourge is, Tigerstar offers him a share of the forest territory in return for BloodClan helping him to become leader of all four Clans.Fireheart becomes the leader of ThunderClan, receiving his nine lives and the name Firestar from StarClan. His leadership ceremony is interrupted near the end when a hill of bones appears in his dream, followed by a river of blood. Bluestar, former leader of ThunderClan, gives him this prophecy: Four will become two. Lion and tiger will meet in battle, and blood will rule the forest. Upon returning, Firestar turns his suspicions to Darkstripe, a former ally of Tigerstar, who has been showing signs of alliance with ShadowClan. Later, Firestar finds Sorrelkit poisoned with chewed up deathberries in her mouth. She later recovers and reveals that Darkstripe fed the berries to her, telling her they were a treat, so she would not tell Firestar about a meeting she'd witnessed between Darkstripe and Blackfoot, the ShadowClan deputy. Darkstripe is exiled from ThunderClan and is suspected to join his former ally, Tigerstar, in ShadowClan.At the next Gathering, Tigerstar proposes to unite the other three Clans with ShadowClan to form one larger Clan, TigerClan, and reveals that Leopardstar has already agreed to join RiverClan with ShadowClan. ThunderClan and WindClan refuse the proposal, and Firestar begins to tell the cats of Tigerstar's treachery, but he is stopped as clouds move in, covering the moon, and lightning flashes. Tigerstar interprets this as a sign from StarClan that the meeting is finished.Graystripe worriedly wants to check on his kits in RiverClan, Stormpaw and Featherpaw. As Firestar and Graystripe go to leave, they bump into Ravenpaw, who had come to pay his respects to Bluestar. Ravenpaw joins them on their mission. The three cats go to RiverClan and find not only Graystripe's kits, but Mistyfoot and Stonefur being held as prisoners. Tigerstar accuses them of being half-Clan cats and therefore traitors. He orders Stonefur to prove his loyalty to TigerClan by killing the two apprentices, but Stonefur refuses, and is ordered to be killed by Darkstripe. Despite being half-starved and weakened from his imprisonment, Stonefur is able to overpower Darkstripe until Blackfoot jumps in and finishes him off. Stormpaw and Featherpaw are taken back to their prison. Ravenpaw convinces the guard, Jaggedtooth, that he is a RiverClan cat and that Tigerstar has a message for him, and while the guard leaves, the group attempts to escape with the prisoners, but are caught by a TigerClan patrol. The rescuers and the prisoners are saved by a ThunderClan patrol consisting of Cloudtail, Sandstorm, and Thornclaw. TigerClan later that day attacks WindClan and Tigerstar kills an apprentice, Gorsepaw, as a warning while surrounded by his warriors so no cat could reach them.When time runs out for Tigerstar's offer to join TigerClan, Firestar and Tallstar prepare to fight. They are shocked by the appearance of BloodClan, a "Clan" from Twolegplace. Tigerstar orders BloodClan to fight for him, yet they make no move. Scourge tells Tigerstar that he is the only cat in charge of BloodClan. Firestar takes the chance to make an impression on Scourge by announcing to the cats of every Clan Tigerstar's bloodthirsty history. Hearing everything, Scourge decides that there will be no battle and he will think about what Firestar had said. Enraged by Scourge's refusal to cooperate, Tigerstar attacks him. Scourge counters his attack and slays Tigerstar easily by slicing him open from chin to tail with his enormous claws, which are reinforced with dog teeth. This devastating blow wipes out all of Tigerstar's nine lives at once. Scourge then gives all of the forest Clans three days to either leave or fight BloodClan for their home in the forest. To face this danger, the four Clans unite and call their alliance LionClan, going into battle against BloodClan. During the battle, Darkstripe ambushes Firestar and intends to kill him to avenge Tigerstar, but is in turn killed by Graystripe. Meanwhile Whitestorm, the ThunderClan deputy, is killed by the BloodClan deputy Bone. Grief and sadness sweeps over Firestar like a wave, seeing his deputy and friend die in front of him. Whitestorm's last wishes were to appoint Graystripe as deputy of ThunderClan, saying that Graystripe was always Firestar's rightful deputy, with which Firestar complies.At the end of the battle, Firestar loses his first life to Scourge. He is revived by StarClan, much to Scourge's shock, and kills the BloodClan leader. After Scourge's death, the BloodClan cats scatter in confusion and fall back with no motivation to keep fighting. The last to go are followed in pursuit by Tallstar and a few of his Clanmates. The Clans disband and become independent once more, and the balance of power in the forest is returned to normal.