dawn: part one

Firestar and his clan head to the Gathering. They are a mixture of desperate and afraid - and Sandstorm is worried that their daughters will be unable to find them. Firestar insists that at this Gathering the other clans must finally listen to him, but when they reach Fourtrees they see a horrible sight: the Twolegs are cutting the four trees down.

The clan cats return home and are worried about returning to their leaders. They cross into WindClan and a patrol finds them. The patrol looks like they are starving to death and threaten to attack the cats even though they clearly are in no condition to fight. Crowpaw says he must see Tallstar but the cats seem indifferent to both his return and his insistence to see their leader. The cats plan to meet at Fourtrees the next night and Webfoot, who overhears them, tells them that Fourtrees is destroyed. Crowpaw leaves the group and they move forward. They see the damage at Fourtrees and Tawnypelt leaves to return to her clan. Stormfur goes on with Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw, wishing to tell his father about Feathertail.

Leafpaw awakens in a cage stacked with other cages. Some have cats in them, some are empty. She thinks she hears voices she recognizes but falls back asleep. When she wakes up again the cat in the cage next to her, Cody, tells her that they plan to escape. Leafpaw finds Brightheart, Cloudtail, Mistyfoot, and Gorsepaw (a WindClan apprentice that Mistyfoot was chasing). The Twolegs arrive with another cage and in it is Sasha.

Squirrelpaw, Brambleclaw, and Stormfur arrive at the ThunderClan camp but it is empty, and the clan scent is stale. As they search for the missing cats Cinderpelt attacks Squirrelpaw, not realizing who she is. Cinderpelt tells Squirrelpaw that Leafpaw has been taken and the camp has moved. She is shocked to find out that StarClan spoke to Brambleclaw and three other cats and insists the cats come with her to tell the clan.

Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw find their clan weary from hunger. Some cats are angry at them for leaving, others are relieved the cats are back. Firestar and Graystripe arrive, and Stormfur has to break the news of his sister's death to their father. Graystripe is devastated. Stormfur leaves Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw to report to their clan. They speak of Brambleclaw's dream and their journey - and how a dying warrior will show them the way at a great rock. Firestar decides to go with the cats when they next go to the Great Rock to meet the others. Some are shocked at the thought of leaving the forest, but Firestar is determined to hear StarClan out.

So clearly the forest is done here. WindClan has been starving to death for a while now, Blackstar is having his cats eat diseased rats, and ThunderClan is going hungry and has moved. Only RiverClan seems to be untouched - but I imagine that is just a matter of time. But, I imagine that the clans will not see a sign at the Great Rock unless RiverClan is ready to leave - plus the captured cats have to be rescued first. I wonder if this book will largely be sitting around waiting for a sign.

This book seems to be from Squirrelpaw's point of view. I had thought that six cats, six point of views but Feathertail is now dead without one and the books have always been ThunderClan books - but it was nice to hear from Stormfur for a change. But he has always been half ThunderClan because of how deeply he is attached to his father.