diary of a wimpy kid: dog days

Favorite Scene Honorable Mention: Greg and the barber shop ladies.

Favorite Scene: Greg trying to find Manny in the public shower with his eyes closed.

Least Favorite Scene Honorable Mention: That public shower. *shudder*

Least Favorite Scene: The trip Greg took with the Jeffersons. Sharing an ice cream cone? Refusing to actually do anything that didn't involve the hotel room? I felt for Greg during all of that. Worst. Vacation. Ever.

200 books: april 2019

So this month was a little disappointing - but like I said it was a bad cold followed by the stomach bug followed by a fever followed by the stomach bug again with Easter thrown in. So I think it's okay that this month had a disappointing turn out (for everyone except Vampire Kitten who crushed it).

Vampire Kitten met his goal. Little Legs fell one short (there was a lot of sleeping and stomach clutching going on), and I am 60% of the way along. No family books were read and Lone Wolf has no where but up to go. So, despite our lack of reading this month we did do pretty good.

April's books:

1. Notebook of Doom: Charge of the Lightning Bugs - Vampire Kitten
2. Notebook of Doom: Slappy's Tales of Horror - Vampire Kitten
3. i Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 - Vampire Kitten
4. I Survived the Battle of D-Day, 1944 - Vampire Kitten
5. Notebook of Doom: Rumble of the Coaster Ghost - Vampire Kitten
6. Notebook of Doom: Snap of the Super-Goop - Vampire Kitten
7. Notebook of Doom: Sneeze of the Octo-Schnozz - Vampire Kitten
8. The 52 Story Treehouse - Vampire Kitten
9. The 65 Story Treehouse - Vampire Kitten
10. Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy - Vampire Kitten
11. Wings of Fire: The Lost Heir - Vampire Kitten
12. Explorer: The Hidden Doors - Vampire Kitten
13. Explorer: The Lost Islands - Vampire Kitten
14. The Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl - Vampire Kitten 
15. Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune - Lone Wolf
16. Wings of Fire: Moon Rising - Lone Wolf
17. The Walking Dead: What We Become - Lone Wolf
18. Notebook of Doom: Charge of the Lightning Bugs - Little Legs
19. Notebook of Doom: Rumble of the Coaster Ghost - Little Legs
20. Mighty Jack - Wandering Falcon
21. Mighty Jack and the Goblin King - Wandering Falcon
22. Poptropica: Mystery of the Map - Wandering Falcon
23. Goosebumps: Slappy's Tales of Horror - Wandering Falcon
24. How to Be Cool and Other Things I Definitely Learned from Growing Up - Wandering Falcon
25. Wheel of Time: A Memory of Light - Wandering Falcon
26. Ghostopolis - Wandering Falcon
27. Explorer: The Hidden Doors - Wandering Falcon
28. Explorer: The Lost Islands - Wandering Falcon
29. Solve It Yourself Mysteries: The Sherlock Holmes Casebook - Wandering Falcon
30. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters - Wandering Falcon

The breakdown:

Vampire Kitten: 14

Lone Wolf: 3

Little Legs: 2

Wandering Falcon: 11

Family: 0

Total: 164

Vampire Kitten: 56/50

Lone Wolf: 28/25

Little Legs: 12/13

Wandering Falcon: 64/100

Family: 4/12

Total: 155/200  

diary of a wimpy kid: the last straw

Favorite Scene Honorable Mention: The "stolen" dictionary and all the chaos it caused. I mean, who on earth reads a dictionary?!?

Favorite Scene Honorable Mention: Roderick and Greg making up swear words.

Favorite Scene: I totally knew it was the dad stealing the snacks!

Least Favorite Scene Honorable Mention: Greg falling for the comic book adds.

Least Favorite Scene Honorable Mention: The word "ploopy." It is unreal what Manny gets away with.

Least Favorite Scene: The valentine Greg got from Natasha. That was just sad.

diary of a wimpy kid: roderick rules

Favorite Scene Honorable Mention: Roderick locking Greg in the basement during the party as well as Greg trying to help Roderick cover up the party (swapping the doors) even though he wasn't part of it.

Favorite Scene Honorable Mention: Everything involving Magick and Monsters. Especially the campaign Roderick wrote.

Favorite Scene: Greg needs to do a school assignment and hasn't. He asks his dad for help but he shows no mercy. Roderick overhears all of this and offers to sell Greg his old school assignment. Greg agrees, assuming their dad wrote it (since he usually writes Roderick's papers). Only he finds out on the bus to school the next day that their dad didn't write it and Roderick had flunked! That was just hilarious!

Least Favorite Scene Honorable Mention: Reading Rowley's diary. Not cool.

Least Favorite Scene: The prank on Chirag. That was just mean.

diary of a wimpy kid

So, I read "Old School" last year and meant to get around to reading all the other books in the series but somehow never did. Well, I told Vampire Kitten that I was finally going to make time for the books and I am glad I did because they are pretty hilarious. After I finished this book (actually, I have read a few by now) Vampire Kitten asked me for my favorite part and least favorite part. After he did this for the next few books I realized I should do some blog posts on "Diary of a Wimpy Kid." So here we are, not with a plot over-analyzed and broken down my chapter (because let's be honest, there is no plot) but by most and least* favorite parts. With a few honorable mentions.

Favorite Scene Honorable Mention: Roderick's metal magazine with the half naked girl that Manny brought to preschool. Roderick is most definitely my favorite character in the books and movie (I have only seen the first one) and this is one of my favorite scenes involving him. I love how his mom makes him write out that apology to women everywhere!

Favorite Scene Honorable Mention: Greg covering for Rowley when it came down to the cheese. Way to go Greg! Looks like you aren't always an entitled jerk...

Favorite Scene: Definitely the play. Roderick trying to tape it, Greg throwing the apple at Patty, all hell breaking loose. The whole scene is hilarious an I love it!

Least Favorite Scene: Greg's father not letting him get the Barbie Dream House.

*Nothing with Greg acting like an entitled jerk - especially towards Rowley. For crying out loud that is the entire book series. And nothing about Fergley. That kid. *shudder*

200 books: march 2019

Shout out to Lone Wolf who met his goal for the year this month!!! I wanted him to have the goal of 50 books but he argued that since he had moved past easy chapter books and was reading harder books he should have an easier goal. He has been alternating between Percy Jackson and Wings of Fire and we figured if he read two a month that would be 24 books a year, so he picked the goal of 25. He has not read 25 Percy Jackson and Wings of Fire books (I'm not even sure if there are 25 books in the two series total) but he has mainly focused on those with some graphic novels here and there. He met his goal in three months and I am proud of him!

Meanwhile, Vampire Kitten is only 8 books short and Little Legs is only 3 books short, both of which are also incredibly impressive since it is only March. I haven't totaled up April yet so I don't know if they met there goal yet or not. As for me, I reached the halfway point which is also impressive. All in all March has been a good month for reading!

As for family books we are lagging but we are working on it. I am determined we reach 12 by the end of the year - even if it means we do nothing but read some weekends!

April update in a few days. Now onto March.

March books:

1. Star Wars: Chewbacca - Vampire Kitten
2. Star Wars: Mara Jade By the Emperor's Hand - Vampire Kitten 
3. Star Wars: Union - Vampire Kitten
4. Plants vs Zombies: Lawnmageddon - Vampire Kitten
5. Notebook of Doom: Attack of the Shadow Smashers - Vampire Kitten
6. I am Pusheen the Cat - Vampire Kitten
7. Notebook of Doom: Chomp of the Meat Eating Vegetables - Vampire Kitten 
8. Notebook of Doom: Whack of the P-Rex - Vampire Kitten
9. Notebook of Doom: Pop of the Bumpy Mummy - Vampire Kitten
10. Notebook of Doom: Flurry of the Snombies - Vampire Kitten
11. Benjamin Franklinstein Meets the Fright Brothers - Vampire Kitten
12. Scooby Apocalypse Volume 3 - Lone Wolf
13. Scooby Apocalypse Volume 4 - Lone Wolf
14. Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero - Lone Wolf
15. The Walking Dead: Here We Remain - Lone Wolf
16. I am Pusheen the Cat - Lone Wolf
17. Dear Austin: Letters from the Underground Railroad - Lone Wolf
18. Dragon Masters: Rise of the Earth Dragon - Little Legs
19. Notebook of Doom: Whack of the P-Rex - Little Legs
20. Notebook of Doom: Pop of the Bumpy Mummy - Little Legs
21. Notebook of Doom: Flurry of the Snombies - Little Legs
22. The Walking Dead: Here We Remain - Wandering Falcon
23. One Trick Pony - Wandering Falcon
24. I am Pusheen the Cat - Wandering Falcon
25. How to Enchant a Man - Wandering Falcon
26. Magical Housekeeping - Wandering Falcon
27. The Adventure Zone: Here There be Gerblins - Wandering Falcon
28. The Time Museum - Wandering Falcon
29. The Boy Who Knew What the Birds Said - Wandering Falcon
30. Picture Tales from the French - Wandering Falcon
31. Picture Tales from Holland - Wandering Falcon
32. Pictures Tales from Spain - Wandering Falcon
33. Picture tales from the Italians - Wandering Falcon
34. Old Dame and Her Silver Sixpence - Wandering Falcon
35. The Wheel of Time: Towers of Midnight - Wandering Falcon
36. The Sisters Grimm Magic and Other Misdemeanors - Family
37. Who Was Blackbeard - Family

The breakdown:

Vampire Kitten: 11

Lone Wolf: 6

Little Legs: 4

Wandering Falcon: 14

Family: 2

Total: 134

Vampire Kitten: 42/50
Lone Wolf: 25/25
Little Legs: 10/13
Wandering Falcon: 53/100

Total: 134/200 

the sun trail: part seven

Petal and Fox stand over their dead mother as a badger walks away. They don't know what to do now. They are still kits and don't even know how to properly hunt. They bury their mother under some leaves and, determined to stick together and help each other out, go off in search of food. They don't find food but they do find some other cats. They approach them, hoping the cats will be friendly and take them in but instead they are hostile and make it clear if the kits don't leave now they will attack. They leave the cats and find a squirrel but before they can pounce the very cats that just chased them away attack them and steal their prey. Petal realizes these cats don't care if some kits starve to death. 

Moons pass, and Petal and Fox are barely surviving. One day while out hunting they see a group of the tribe cats in the trees. Since they have had negative run ins with these cats in the past they try to avoid them, but suddenly they are spotted. Terrified, Petal and Fox run away.

Two of the tribe cats chase after them as Petal and Fox try to get away. They reach the water and despite being terrified of it, Fox insists they must cross. They try to cross but it doesn't work. The tom that chased them calls out to them, telling them they won't hurt them. Realizing they have no choice Petal and Fox head back. But Petal slips and the current carries her away. The tribe tom helps get her out of the water and introduces himself as Clear Sky and his friend as Falling Feather. Clear Sky hunts for them while Falling Feather tells Fox what to do so they can warm Petal up.  While Clear Sky is gone Falling Feather asks the cats about themselves. She also invites them to come live with them. When Clear Sky gets back Fox is reluctant to agree but Petal can tell he has feelings for Falling Feather and Petal herself wishes to join the group. It is decided they will join and for the first time Petal feels good.

So why only three chapters here? These chapters are from a short story added to the end of this novel.

I have to say, I hated Fox immensely during the novel, but now I can see, thanks to the short story, that it wasn't all his fault. Two children, barely older then babies, forced to either die or survive in a hostile, uncaring world. The clans would have been a wonderful thing for them if the clans were not just birthing themselves and such a mess. Instead of getting someone like Firestar, they found Clear Sky, who clearly is also a mess and instead just fed Fox's hatred and hostility. This short story was a sad ending to an already sad novel.  

the sun trail: part six

A half moon goes by and Dappled Pelt returns. She is full of complaints about Clear Sky's camp and is happy to be home. As the cats talk it is clear that there is some hostility towards Clear Sky, which upsets Gray Wing. Everyone goes out hunting and the ground gives out under Rainswept Flower. The cats rescue her and discover a series of old rabbit tunnels. Everyone begins to see the benefits of the tunnels - especially if there is a battle with Clear Sky, which upsets Gray Wing who refuses to believe that could happen. They get Tall Shadow who is excited over the tunnels. She feels they should live in them during the winter for protection. Over the next few days all the cats move in and Gray Wing privately admits to himself that living in the tunnels would offer protection if they have to fight other cats.

One day Gray Wing sees Frost and Jagged Peak approaching their camp. He calls out a greeting to them but Jagged Peak looks miserable and Frost ignores him. Frost leaves and an embarrassed and hurt Jagged Peak explains that because he can no longer hunt and contribute Clear Sky told him that he cannot live with them. He begs Gray Wing to let him come back to the tribe's camp because with winter coming he will not survive on his own. Gray Wing is furious and assures Jagged Peak that he will always have a home with them. After bringing Jagged Peak to Tall Shadow, Gray Wing confronts Clear Sky. But Clear Sky stands by his decision, infuriating Gray Wing and causing him to attack. Clear Sky easily beats him and tells Gray Wing he is no longer welcome in the camp. As he leaves Storm tells him that Clear Sky really does feel he is doing the best thing, but she seems worried. Gray Wing, however, is still upset and heads back to camp. Everyone is making Jagged Peak feel welcome and Cloud Spots is determined to figure out how to help him. Time passes and one day Gray Wing is out hunting a squirrel when Fox attacks him, accusing him of stealing prey. Gray Wing tries to talk to Clear Sky but Fox's attacks are so ferocious Gray Wing fears he will be killed. In desperation he fends off Fox's attacks and accidentally kills him. Clear Sky is furious, disowning Gray Wing. He won't listen to anything Gray Wing has to say in his defense. Storm finally speaks up, telling Clear Sky she has had enough. She tells Clear Sky she is tired of the way he treats her and blames him for Fox's death. She apologizes to Gray Wing and leaves.

Gray Wing begs Clear Sky to go after Storm, but Clear Sky refuses feeling that Storm has made ber choice. When he asks after Jagged Peak, Gray Wing becomes hopeful, but again Clear Sky disappoints him. Clear Sky feels that Storm and Jagged Peak are in the past and he must take care of his cats. Gray Wing invites Clear Sky to visit them whenever he wants, but privately he wonders if Tall Shadow would actually allow that.  Days pass and Hawk Swoop prepares to have her kits. This makes Gray Wing think of Storm and he decides to go to Twoleg place and find her. A dog chases him and Turtle Tail saves him. She is thrilled that Gray Wing has come to visit her but he embarrassedly admits he is there for Storm. This upsets Turtle Tail who pretends she doesn't know where Storm lives but Bumble tells Gray Wing that they do know. She takes Gray Wing to see Storm but Storm refuses to talk. She feels these are her kits and she wants nothing to do with Gray Wing and Clear Sky. Gray Wing is upset but accepts her decision.

Gray Wing returns home, feeling he is doing the wrong thing. When he wakes up in the morning he resolves to talk to Storm again. He heads towards Twoleg place and runs into Turtle Tail who tells him to come quickly, Storm is in danger. They reach her den to find a monster destroying it. Gray Wing is unable to save Storm, who dies telling Gray Wing that she just wanted to keep her kits safe. All the kits but one are dead. Turtle Tail helps Gray Wing carry the kit away. Turtle Tail names the kit Thunder and tells Gray Wing to bring it to his father. Gray Wing brings him to Clear Sky, much to the annoyance of Clear Sky's guards, but Clear Sky refuses to take the kit in. He feels he only brings suffering to those he loves. Gray Wing is furious with his brother but Clear Sky won't back down and admit he is wrong. Their relationship dies and an angry Gray Wing brings the upset kit, who doesn't understand why his father doesn't want him, to his camp. The arrival of Thunder causes some debate. Some cats fear that Clear Sky will use this as an excuse to attack their camp. Gray Wing threatens to leave if they kick the kit out. In the end it is decided that Thunder should stay. Gray Wing tells Thunder not to worry, that from this moment forward he will be his father.

I am in complete shock. I mean, I knew things were going to get bad, but this is worse then I imagined. Clear Sky kicking out Jagged Peak, writing off Gray Wing, and refusing to take in his son Thunder. This is awful. And reading as Gray Wing slowly comes to the realization that his brother is not the man he grew up with. This ending is so sad. And I guess I'm just in so much shock because I am used to ThunderClan being the heroes of the story, while Clear Sky is so clearly not a hero as he makes every single wrong decision that he possibly can.

However, I am willing to bet that Thunder becomes the Thunder of ThunderClan - and I bet that clan is Clear Sky's group. I am willing to bet that when Thunder grows up he goes back to his father's clan to lead it and change it. And I bet that Gray Wing's group will become WindClan. I can't wait to start the next book and find out what happens.

the sun trail: part five

Gray Wing goes off in search of Turtle Tail in Twoleg place. He cannot find her but he does run into the cat who warned him about the wasp nest. She tells Gray Wing her name is Storm, then she shows him where Bumble's home is. Gray Wing collects Turtle Tail but they get into another fight when Gray Wing discovers just how much she likes Bumble's home and twolegs. Later, while walking through the trees, Gray Wing comes across Storm fighting with some rogues who are accusing Storm of trespassing. Gray Wing comes to her rescue and shows her where he lives. She meets Turtle Tail but she and Gray Wing get into another fight over Bumble. Storm agrees to meet Gray Wing again tomorrow and leaves. Rainswept Flower admits to overhearing Gray Wing and Storm and teases Gray Wing for falling in love with a rogue.

Thinking about Storm, Gray Wing goes out for a run. When a rabbit crashes into him he instinctively kills it. Then he sees Wind and Gorse racing over and realizes what he has done. He apologizes but they aren't upset. Instead, they invite him to share the rabbit. He invites them back to his camp and they bring the rabbit along. At first Tall Shadow is cool towards them but she allows them to stay and even warms up to them a little. Turtle Tail comes back and Gray Wing is immediately suspicious of her visiting Bumble. But when he finds out she was out collecting herbs with Cold Spots he apologizes and admits he has no right to tell her where she can and cannot go. The next day Turtle Tail asks Gray Wing to go hunting with her but he tells her he is looking for Storm. Turtle Tail leaves hurt and Gray Wing is left confused. He meets up with Storm and takes her to meet his brothers, but when they approach the area where Clear Sky lives they are stopped by some rogues who tell them they are trespassing. Gray Wing insists he is Clear Sky's brother so the rogue escorts them to camp, clearly not believing him. The rogue, Fox, is shocked when Clear Sky confirms Gray Wing's story. Gray Wing is shocked that Clear Sky has rogues living with them, but Clear Sky points out that they are rogues too. Storm and Clear Sky act odd around each other and Storm promptly leaves. When Gray Wing asks if he can see her the next day she brushes him off. Gray Wing is confused by both Storm and Clear Sky's behavior.

Gray Wing waits for Storm but she never comes. Turtle Tail comes along, asking him to hunt, but he tells her he is waiting for Storm. Turtle Tail is upset, even more so when Gray Wing admits he wants Storm to live with them. She takes off towards Twoleg place. Tall Shadow arrives next and tells Gray Wing that maybe Wind and Gorse should be invited to live with them. Gray Wing is shocked, though privately he wants Storm to do that. Tall Shadow is unsure, but she feels if the tribe had more cats it would be stronger. Days pass and Gray Wing runs into Wind and Gorse again. They want to visit the camp but Gray Wing tells them they can't right now. He is worried about upsetting them but they accept his answer without complaint. He then runs into Storm but she is evasive and clearly doesn't want to talk to him. Then he runs into Turtle Tail and they get into another fight. Turtle Tail leaves then comes back to tell Gray Wing that she is going to live with Bumble. Gray Wing is shocked and hurt, but respects her choice. After that he runs into Storm and is finally ready to tell her how he feels but instead Storm tells him that she is going to go live with Clear Sky. Gray Wing is hurt, but feels maybe he owes his brother since it is his fault Bright Stream is dead.

Jackdaw's Cry tries to visit Falling Feather but is turned away by a large cat who made it clear he would fight. Gray Wing feels there must be some sort of misunderstanding so he goes to Clear Sky's camp himself however the rogues stop him. They decide that Gray Wing is just using his relationship with Clear Sky and an excuse and decide to attack him for stealing prey but Storm comes along and puts a stop to it. She tells Gray Wing she is pregnant and even though the news hurts him he congratulates her. At the camp Clear Sky and Storm fight over her going out to take a walk. Gray Wing tries to talk to him about Jackdaw's Cry being turned away but Clear Sky isn't interested. He insists that the tribe cats are welcome to visit but that there have to be clear boundaries. While there Jagged Peak falls out of a tree and hurts himself. Gray Wing races off to get help and Dappled Pelt comes back with him. She works on Jagged Peak's leg but decides she needs to stay for a bit, even though she is clearly unhappy about being in Clear Sky's camp.

Poor Gray Wing. Storm was so clearly in love with Clear Sky. And poor Turtle Tail. It is so sad that she decided to go live with Bumble but really, how many times every day can you stand getting your heart broken?

Meanwhile, I have a really bad feeling about Clear Sky and his group. The borders, the hostile rogues, the way he treats Storm. I think things are about to get really bad really fast.

the sun trail: part four

Gray Wing, Clear Sky, and some others are out hunting when they hear Moon Shadow being attacked. They race to help him and fight off the rogues, but they only win because they outnumber the rogues. The tribe cats have no real fighting skills and the rogues realize this. Back at camp Tall Shadow is yelling at Moon Shadow for refusing to listen when it comes down to the forest. The next day Moon Shadow wants to go hunting so Clear Sky goes with him. Gray Wing doesn't want to go so Turtle Tail asks him to go for a walk with her. They go to the four oaks and lie on the great rock. While there a kittypet named Bumble comes over and introduces herself. They talk for a bit then part ways. Another day Gray Wing decides to go running. While out he sees Wind and Gorse chase a rabbit. He keeps back because he doesn't want to get into another argument with them. But when the rabbit runs into its burrow - and Wind follows - Gray Wing goes over to find out what is going on. He is fascinated by Wind running into the burrow and catching the rabbit. He asks Wind if he can do it too, so she goes into the tunnel with him. While down there he has a panic attack and Wind helps him out. The cats part ways wary but no longer hostile.

Cloud Spots and Dappled Pelt ask Gray Wing to go with them in their search for herbs. He does and as they return to camp he finds Turtle Tail talking to Bumble. Bumble is happy to see him but Turtle Tail acts guilty. Bumble invites them to see her home sometime and leaves. After she goes Gray Wing tells Turtle Tail that she shouldn't be so friendly with a kittypet. Turtle Tail seems upset by his judgment. That night while everyone is asleep Gray Wing smells the same scent from the dog like creatures from before. He realizes the camp in under attack and calls out a warning to everyone to wake them up.

Gray Wing, Clear Sky, and Turtle Tail attack the foxes together, helping to drive them out of the camp. After the attack, both Gray Wing and Clear Sky realize they need to learn how to fight. The next day Clear Sky and Moon Shadow announce that they want to leave and live under the trees. Tall Shadow calls a vote to see if the cats should split up. Clear Sky and Moon Shadow lose, but they argue it isn't fair to keep them there when they want to leave. Tall Shadow sadly tells them they can leave then.

Clear Sky, Moon Shadow, Jagged Peak, Falling Feather, and Quick Water all leave. The leaving cats assure the ones who are staying that they will remain friends and that their paths will cross all the time. Cloud Spots asks Gray Wing to go hunting. While out Cloud Spots tries to assure Gray Wing that things will be fine, but Gray Wing has a feeling that everything is changing. Later on, Gray Wing walks through the woods and runs into Turtle Tail. When she admits she has been to Bumble's Twoleg den the two of them get into a big fight. They part ways, angry, and then Gray Wing runs into his brothers. They invite him back to their camp, where Falling Feather tells him they might invite some rogues to live with them. On his way back to his camp Gray Wing runs into a hostile rogue, but he decides to be nice to her, prompting her to warn him about a wasp nest. Gray Wing goes back to camp and tries to smooth things over with Turtle Tail by inviting her hunting. However Turtle Tail lets a rabbit get away, causing them to fight again. Turtle Tail leaves and doesn't return to camp that night.

Now I really do feel like I am seeing the beginning of WindClan and ThunderClan. I do not see any good from Clear Sky leaving the tribe's camp. I have a feeling things are about to get very bad. However, inviting some of the rogues to live with them could be a good idea. It is better to live in peace with the rogues then to drive them out of their own territory. As for Turtle Tail, if Gray Wing doesn't return her love soon then she just might end up leaving to become a kittypet...

the sun trail: part three

They find an abandoned monster den (garage) to spend the night in. The cats are hungry and weary, causing then to snap at each other. The cats doze fitfully. At one point Moon Shadow tells Gray Wing he is going to go hunting. Gray Wing dozes off and is woken when he hears cats fighting. He and some others find Moon Shadow being attacked by three kittypets. They quickly join the fight, though they don't really know what they are doing since they have never had to fight another cat before. The kittypets run off, telling them that rogues are not welcome here. Back at the den the cats report what happened. Shaded Moss feels they need to leave as soon as they can. Everyone wonders what a rogue is. The next day their journey continues and they leave Twoleg place. They hunt but capture too much prey for everyone to eat. Feeling guilty they leave it behind. Gray Wing sees an animal steal the remainder of their prey. He doesn't know what the animal is, though it does resemble a dog, but he feels it looks mean. They cross some water and find a large den that is dry. Rainswept Flower asks if this could be their new home.

The cats consider her words and even Shaded Moss agrees it is possible. Shaded Moss also feels that they are so close to the mountains they could visit their kin. Everyone can smell a strange scent in the den, but since it does not smell like a predator no one is concerned. Gray Wing disagrees but he seems to be the only one. Turtle Tail even points out to him that everything outside of the mountains would feel strange. Gray Wing wakes up to a strange sound. No guard has been set since everyone felt so safe. Suddenly he realizes what is wrong and yells at everyone to wake up. The den floods with sheep and everyone races to get out. Hawk Swoop gets injured in the escape, but thankfully Cloud Spots knows how to reset her leg. They rest there for the day even though it means being stuck out in the rain. Gray Wing tries to talk to Clear Sky, but his brother wants to be left alone. They continue on their journey and it is hard going. One day Jagged Peak insists that someone is watching them. Gray Wing tells him he is imagining things but then another cat confronts them. The cat seems surprised to see so many cats, but he isn't hostile. He asks where they are from and he misunderstands, thinking they are from Highstones, but Highstones is their end journey. The cats move on and as they go they scent dogs. Everyone scatters. Gray Wing goes through some bushes and finds a thunderpath. Shaded Moss follows him and runs out onto the thunderpath before he can stop him. A monster comes racing by and hits Shaded Moss.

Gray Wing stops anyone else from making the same mistake. Tall Shadow runs out to collect Shaded Moss but there is nothing that can be done for him. They decide to bring his body to the other side of the thunderpath and bury him. After they bury him everyone speaks about their memories of him. Some of the cats are ready to give up but Gray Wing reminds them they need to continue on for Bright Stream and Shaded Moss. After resting the cats go forward, crossing another thunderpath. Jagged Peak panics and Clear Sky has to save him, which causes Clear Sky to lose his temper. Gray Wing notices that all the excitement over almost reaching their new home is subdued again.

Gray Wing and the cats reach what they hope is their new home. Everyone takes turns exploring with different ideas on where to live. Some, like Jagged Peak, want to live in the trees while others, like Gray Wing, want to live on the plains. One day while out chasing a rabbit two rogues attack Gray Wing, causing him to lose the rabbit. When he calls them out on it Wind and Gorse, the rogues, claim he screwed up on his own by crashing into them. Tall Shadow and Hawk Swoop come along and tell the rogues to leave or else. Gray Wing worries that they might have to fight for the right to hunt. Eventually Tall Shadow declares she is in charge,  claiming it was Shaded Moss's wish, and says everyone must hunt in pairs.

Turtle Tail tells Gray Wing that he needs to speak with his brother about Bright Stream. When Clear Sky leaves camp alone Gray Wing realizes he will never have a better opportunity. He follows Clear Sky to the water and calls out to him as he starts to climb down. This causes Clear Sky to lose his footing. Gray Wing races forward and catches him, helping him back up, saying he won't lose Clear Sky too. Clear Sky asks him what he means and Gray Wing admits he feels Bright Stream's death is his fault. Clear Sky is surprised, since he has been blaming himself. The brothers make up and explore the rocks next to the water. A rogue tells them that they are not welcome and then jumps into the water, swimming away. After exploring there they explore in the trees. Clear Sky admits to wishing to live in the trees while Gray Wing admits to prefering the open. Gray Wing feels they are being watched but Clear Sky doesn't care. Back at camp Tall Shadow and Moon Shadow are arguing again over the trees. Tall Shadow wants everyone to stay out of them and Moon Shadow wants to hunt there. Hawk Swoop breaks up their argument by suggesting hunting. As the cats hunt they easily catch prey and act excited over it, but Gray Wing feels the excitement is forced.

I feel like I am reading about the birth of WindClan, which is odd because the story has always followed ThunderClan. But maybe their birth story is in here too? Clear Sky and some of the others long for the trees. But this is Gray Wing's story, and he would definitely be a WindClan cat. Though, some cats would favor RiverClan for certain. However, we have also met a female cat named Wind. I cannot remember if the ancient Wind was male or female, but maybe this Wind is the ancient one? Will she somehow wind up living with the tribe? I have so many questions now that they have reached their home. How do they split up into four groups? Well, five, actually. If this is Wind then where is Thunder, Shadow, River, and Sky? Clear Sky cannot be Sky since he clearly prefers the trees. I always assumed the tribe cats would shorten their names and lead their respective clans, but maybe the answer lies with the rogues like Wind. I need to go back and look at previous posts. I want to find out more about the original clan leaders (Thunder and company) even though little was mentioned and I seem to remember there was a tie between SkyClan and ThunderClan involving a father and son. I need to go back and refind that information - limited as it was.

the sun trail: part two

A blizzard comes and Gray Wing insists he must leave anyway. Quiet Rain and the others overrule him, pointing out that Jagged Peak will have to wait for it to pass as well. After the storm passes Quiet Rain walks with him for a bit. When they reach rushing water only one cat can cross the ice, which is breaking apart. Gray Wing says goodbye to his mother and crosses, but as he does the ice breaks, plunging him into the strong current. He gets out immediately and tries to tell Quiet Rain he is fine, but the water is too loud and a mist blocks his view. He has to hope that she knows he crossed. He starts to follow the path of the other cats but he cannot scent Jagged Peak. He realizes Jagged Peak probably didn't cross the ice and went around instead, so he looks around for him. He sees an eagle above and quickly realizes the eagle is after Jagged Peak. He races over and attacks the bird but gets caught himself. Jagged Peak attacks the eagle, saving his brother.

Gray Wing assures Jagged Peak that he isn't taking them home and they settle down for the night. When they wake they go on their journey and try to reach the other cats. Jagged Peak struggles but does a good job despite how young and small he is. They find the path the other cats took and Jagged Peak follows it since he is the better tracker. They settle down and Gray Wing dreams he can hear the cats talking. When he wakes up he realizes he can still hear the other cats. He excitedly wakes up Jagged Peak and they immediately find their tribe mates. Everyone is happy to see them.

As they continue on their journey they learn things about themselves that they never knew. Having lived in the cave there were skills they never needed to try before, and now that they have an opportunity to try them they are discovering what they are good at (such as fishing) - which they find very eye opening. While crossing a dangerous part an eagle attack occurs. Gray Wing saves Dapppled Pelt and then everyone takes shelter. The eagle won't leave and more arrive, so Clear Sky puts forward the idea of attacking the eagles. His plan has some cats luring the eagles away while others attack the distracted birds. Clear Sky is in the group who will attack while Gray Wing and Bright Stream (who is pregnant, but no one knows this other then herself, Clear Sky, and Gray Wing) are placed in the group who will lure the birds away. Everything goes fine until Gray Wing stumbles because he was paying more attention to Clear Sky then to what he was doing. Bright Stream saves him but gets grabbed by an eagle herself.

Gray Wing tries to save Bright Stream but cannot reach her. Cloud Spots and Turtle Tail stop him from running off of the mountain edge. Clear Sky arrives, triumphant that his plan worked, and looks for Bright Stream. Gray Wing tries to tell him what happened but it is Turtle Tail who has to break the news. In shock, Clear Sky insists on going after her since she is carrying his kits. This revelation shocks everyone. Everyone comforts Clear Sky since nothing can be done. Turtle Tail comforts Gray Wing, who blames himself for the loss of Bright Stream. The next day the cats get ready to leave. Shaded Moss asks Clear Sky if he wishes to return home, but he wants to move forward. Gray Wing cannot find the words to talk to his brother. They eventually leave the mountains and as they go they discover new skills (swimming and running fast). Gray Wing catches a squirrel, to the amazement of his tribe mates, but no one is hungry enough to finish it. As they leave the remainder of the rabbit they are shocked that there is so much food in this land that they cannot eat it all.

The cats reach their first thunderpath. Clear Sky and Gray Wing help everyone to cross, and Gray Wing hopes that this will heal their relationship, but once everyone is across the strain returns. Shaded Moss announces that they are going to a group of stones in the distance. Everyone is amazed at both how far they have to go still as well as how far they have come. Clear Sky and Tall Shadow decide to climb a tree to scout ahead. Everyone is shocked over how well they do it. When Clear Sky and Tall Shadow come back down Gray Wing notices they are evasive in their answers about what lies ahead. The cats push on, crossing paths with a dog. This leads them to Twoleg place, which Gray Wing realizes they must have seen from the top of the tree and decided not to mention. The cats realize they need to find a warm, dry place the spend the night. In the morning they will continue their journey.

I did not expect Bright Stream to die like that, but she should never have agreed to help with the eagles. However, that is clan logic so maybe it isn't tribe logic? But everyone was pretty horrified when they found out she had been pregnant. I understand Gray Wing blaming himself but of course Bright Stream tried to save him - just like if their positions were reversed he would have tried to save Bright Stream.

I wonder how much longer they have to travel for? And what will they find when they reach there? This is supposed to be the birth of the clans but I'm not seeing much of that so far. However, they are still on their journey. Brambleclaw's journey annoyed me with how long it dragged out for. Hopefully this one doesn't drag so much.

the sun trail: part one

Stoneteller (Half Moon) lies in the cave with the other cats. Everyone is hungry and there is not enough food to go around. A hunting patrol returns, but they didn't find enough food to bring any back. Stoneteller can sense everyone's despair and wonders what to do before they all die from starvation. Lion's Roar hints to her that maybe the cats should leave, but she can't agree. She feels this is where Jay's Wing sent them so this is where she must stay. Suddenly she sees a vision of golden light. No one else can see it and she realizes it means that some cats must leave so that those who stay can survive.

Gray Wing and Clear Sky, brothers, are out hunting for the tribe. They catch a hawk which Clear Sky wants to eat. Gray Wing, however, thinks back to the starving cats in the cave and insists they bring the prey back. The tribe is thrilled to see so much food and are grateful to Gray Wing and Clear Sky for bringing it back instead of eating it themselves. Lion's Roar makes a comment about the mountains having fed them enough and Gray Wing sees Stonetellet shoot him a look. Quiet Rain, Gray Wing's mother, comes over to ask him to eat too. He insists he will later as he watches his younger siblings play. Jagged Peak, his brother, is a strong, young cat but Fluttering Bird, his sister, looks weak and tiny by comparison. Shaded Moss announces that Stoneteller will speak. Some cats wonder if Stoneteller will finally announce a successor in Shaded Moss but instead she speaks of a vision of a new land with plenty of prey. She then announces that Shaded Moss will go there with whomever wishes to travel with him. The cats are shocked but what is even more shocking is how many immediately volunteer to go with them. Clear Sky wishes to go, and wishes Gray Wing to come with him, but Gray Wing is unsure. Jagged Peak and Fluttering Bird wish to go as well but Quiet Rain insists that they stay with her as they are too young for the journey. Bright Stream is unsure and Clear Sky asks her to go with him. As everyone discusses the idea a hunting party returns without food. Turtle Tail excitedly asks Gray Wing if he will go with her but he looks around the cave, unsure if he can leave it.

Hunger wakes up Gray Wing. He sees Clear Sky and Bright Stream discussing the future. Bright Stream is unsure if she wants to go and decides to go hunting with Gray Wing. They catch a rabbit and share it. Bright Stream realizes Gray Wing intends to stay and asks him. He admits it. As they bring the rest of the rabbit to the tribe they see the cats who will leave head off to look at the path they will take. They invite Gray Wing to join them but he makes an excuse of bringing the rabbit back to the cave. Inside Quiet Rain cannot wake Fluttering Bird. Gray Wing rushes to get Stoneteller but there is nothing to be done. After Fluttering Bird dies Clear Sky asks his mother to join them but she refuses. However, after Clear Sky leaves she tells Gray Wing that he must leave. She tells him that while she doesn't want him to go she cannot bear to lose another of her children like this. She feels Jagged Peak is too young for the journey so he must stay, but her other sons should leave.

Gray Wing approaches the group of cats who are leaving and admits he is considering changing his mind. Clear Sky and Turtle Tail are happy he might be joining him. Suddenly there is a commotion as Dewy Leaf realizes Moon Shadow is planning on leaving. She is furious since she is pregnant with their kits. This leads to a debate over whether or not Moon Shadow has the right to go. Stoneteller intervenes and tells the cats about the vote to leave the lake. She proposes a vote to see if any cat who wishes to leave has the right to leave. Jagged Peak wants to vote as well but Quiet Rain tells him no. However Stoneteller says every cat must vote. When it is Gray Wing's turn to vote he votes to stay, feeling that this is their home. Stoneteller counts the rocks and gives everyone the answer. The cats who wish to leave can.

Everyone is outside. Stoneteller and Shaded Moss speak about the upcoming journey and the dangers. Clear Sky tells his family goodbye. The cats part ways and the tribe adjusts to their new life without their tribe mates. Jagged Peak wants to learn to hunt and a reluctant Quiet Rain agrees after Gray Wing points out that if he isn't trained he will try and train himself. Gray Wing takes Jagged Peak out and watches as his brother catches a rabbit - Gray Wing did have to save him from hawk, but he is proud of his young brother's accomplishment. The next day Quiet Rain cannot find Jagged Peak anywhere. Gray Wing asks the elder, Misty Water, to help him find his brother. Misty Water used to be the best tracker of the tribe. She finds his trail following the cats who have left. They return to the cave where Gray Wing breaks this news to his mother. She insists Gray Wing go after Jagged Peak. He doesn't want to, insisting that Jagged Peak can look after himself, but Quiet Rain gets her way in the end.

Okay, I'm going crazy over here. I know that the clans were named after their founders - Thunder, Shadow, Wind, River, and Sky. None of these cats have those names. Tall Shadow is a female and could, potentially, be the also female Shadow but she is really the only one who fits the criteria. I'm dying to figure out how these tribe cats become the clan cats. Also, I figured the clan cats were related to the tribe cats since some of them have lived in the past with the tribe and in the present with the clans, but I never figured they were so closely related as to actually be tribe cats. How did their tribe code turn into the warrior code? They are so very different. How did they lose their pacifist ways? Although, the tribe clearly isn't established in their ways yet. They are still on their first Stoneteller and don't place feeding the tribe before feeding the hunters. That was so shocking, to see the hunters eating and then bringing their scraps back to the elders and queens. Something like that would never happen in the current tribe or clans.

As for Jagged Peak, I am not surprised he ran off, after wanting so badly to go! I am sure Gray Wing will find him, but since this book is Gray Wing's story he clearly has to leave - and he just as clearly does not wish to.

200 books: february 2019

So, where have I been? I needed a break from blogging (the rest of February), which then turned into needing some more time off (all of March), which then turned into a nasty cold followed by the stomach bug followed by a weird fever followed by the stomach bug again with Easter thrown in there too (April). It was crazy. Either way, here I am now. And back with a new book series, too. I've been giving "Wings of Fire" a closer look. But anyway, that is not what this post is about. Before I get to the list and the stats I want to take a moment and say BOTH Vampire Kitten and Lone Wolf have reached the halfway mark, AND that Little Legs fell one book short of the halfway mark. I am only a third of the way along, and our family goal is only one sixth of the way along, however, overall, we are only three books short of the halfway point. All in all a pretty impressive month, I do have to say. Anyway, on to February.

February's books:

1. Amulet: Firelight - Vampire Kitten
2. Amulet: Supernova - Vampire Kitten
3. The Walking Dead: Here We Remain - Vampire Kitten 
4. Notebook of Doom: Rise of the Balloon Goons - Vampire Kitten
5. Notebook of Doom: Day of the Night Crawlers - Vampire Kitten
6. Pandora's Legacy - Vampire Kitten
7. Scooby Apocalypse Volume 3 - Vampire Kitten
8. Scooby Apocalypse Volume 4 - Vampire Kitten
9. One Trick Pony - Vampire Kitten
10. Catwing's Return - Vampire Kitten
11. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Battle of the Labyrinth - Lone Wolf
12. Wings of Fire: Dark Secret - Lone Wolf
13. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian - Lone Wolf 
14. Fire and Stone: Predator - Lone Wolf
15. Wings of Fire: The Brightest Night - Lone Wolf
16. Owl Diaries: Eva's Treetop Festival - Little Legs
17. Notebook of Doom: Chomp of the Meat Eating Vegetables - Little Legs 
18. Owl Diaries: Eva Sees a Ghost - Little Legs
19. Owl Diaries: A Woodland Wedding - Little Legs
20. Goddess Girls: Athena the Brain - Wandering Falcon
21. Goddess Girls: Persephone the Phony - Wandering Falcon
22. Warriors: Code of the Clans - Wandering Falcon
23. Warrior: Cats of the Clans - Wandering Falcon
24. Amulet: Firelight - Wandering Falcon
25. Amulet: Supernova - Wandering Falcon
26. The Wheel of Time: Knife of Dreams - Wandering Falcon
27. Kleptocats: It's Their World Now - Wandering Falcon
28. The Wheel of Time: The Gathering Storm - Wandering Falcon
29. Scooby Apocalypse Volume 3 - Wandering Falcon
30. Scooby Apocalypse Volume 4 - Wandering Falcon
31. They Came to Baghdad - Wandering Falcon
32. Destination Unknown - Wandering Falcon
33. 4:50 From Paddington - Wandering Falcon
34. After the Funeral - Wandering Falcon
35. Fire and Stone: Predator - Wandering Falcon
36. Redwall - Wandering Falcon
37. Everyday Witch A to Z - Wandering Falcon
38. The Sisters Grimm: Once Upon a Crime - Family
39. Where is the Bermuda Triangle - Family

The breakdown:

Vampire Kitten: 10

Lone Wolf: 5

Little Legs: 4

Wandering Falcon: 18

Family: 2

Total: 97

Vampire Kitten: 31/50

Lone Wolf: 19/25

Little Legs: 6/13

Wandering Falcon: 39/100

Family: 2/12

Total: 97/200 

the dragonet prophecy: part eight

Cattail doesn't care that Clay is there and wants nothing to do with him. She tells him that she sold his egg to the Talons of Peace for some cows. She also tells him she has no clue who his father is. She doesn't care about Clay and informs him that this is normal for MudWing life. Cattail leaves them - Clay is crushed and Glory is furious. As Clay and Glory make their way out they overhear a SandWing asking after four dragonets. They realize they need to get out quick. As they go to leave though, someone calls out after them.

The dragonet calling out to him is a sibling of the missing egg. The whole group comes forward happy to have Clay back. They introduce Reed as their big wing, but then realize it should have been Clay. The big wing hatches first and helps the other siblings to hatch. The big wing is also the leader in battle. Clay's siblings are torn. He can see they want him to join them but they also fear losing Reed as their big wing - and Reed fears losing his place. Clay tells them that he is happy to have met them, but he has to stay with his friends. Glory pips up, saying that Clay is their big wing. Clay parts ways with his siblings, hopeful to see them again in his future.

The four dragonets talk over what to do next. Clay insists they have to find Starflight just as Morrowseer drops him off and flies away. Starflight says Morrowseer wouldn't let him return, giving the impression that there is something wrong in the NightWing kingdom. He also tells them that Morrowseer has no intention of returning them to the Talons of Peace since he is pretty upset with them right now. Clay feels they should go to the SeaWing kingdom next. He tells Starflight that Tsunami is Queen Coral's daughter. Starflight is shocked and excited. Tsunami is nervous but happy.

Morrowseer, Kestrel, and Blister meet on the side of a cliff. Kestrel can't hear what the other two are saying, but Morrowseer is telling Blister that it has been decided she will be the next queen. Blister is worried about the dragonets, but Morrowseer tells her that Starflight has his orders to see to it that this is the way it happens. Blister is thrilled that the dragonets have a traitor in their midst. Kestrel asks what is going on, screaming to be heard over the waves below. Morrowseer tells her that she has failed and is no longer needed. At that, Blister kills her. Morrowseer warns Blister that a dragon named Webs could ruin everything. Blister says she has no problem stopping Webs so long as she gets the throne.

Well that turned dark, quick. Clay's parents want nothing to do with him and his siblings have to let him go because it would hurt too much if he stayed. And now Morrowseer is trying to get Starflight to betray his friends. I certainly hope Starflight disappoints Morrowseer - but we will have to see. I am sure ultimately he will, but that doesn't mean he won't betray his friends at first.

And to be honest, I'm not sure any of the SandWing queens deserve the throne. They all seem cruel and greedy - through, the only one we have really met is Burn. It would be amusing if Sunny wound up queen in the end, but I have a feeling it will be a different SandWing we have not met yet.

the dragonet prophecy: part seven

In the confusion Peril helps the dragonets break Kestrel free. Guards show up to stop them and Peril attacks them. Clay saves one of the guards from Peril and he can see how upset this makes her. The dragons all regroup and talk over what to do next. Glory suggest that maybe Peril is the fifth dragon, which excites Clay and Peril. Kestrel tells the dragonets that she isn't. She also tells them how to reach her if they need to and what little she knows about their eggs. She asks Peril to come with her but Peril declines.

Clay invites Peril to join them again but she decides she needs to figure things out on her own. She also acknowledges that she isn't the type of dragon they write heroic stories about. It is decided they will see out Clay's family first so decide upon an escape plan and part ways with Peril.

After placing some distance between themselves and the SkyWing territory the dragonets settle down for the night. Clay realizes Glory is upset with him but she won't tell him why. When he wakes up he realizes Glory is gone. Tsunami tells him it is his fault for wanting to replace Glory with Peril. Clay argues that he never wanted to replace Glory, just add Peril to their group. Glory reappears, having been camouflaged all along. Clay and Sunny are upset over the trick but they move on. They reach MudWing territory and find a field filled with dead dragons.

It is decided that just Clay and Glory (disguised as a MudWing) will go looking for Clay's parents. They ask the first dragon they see but talks to them with words they don't understand. However, she does point them in the direction of Clay's mother. Glory realizes that the MudWings are very militaristic and are only close with those they fight with. They reach the den they were sent to and ask after Clay's mother, Cattail. She comes outside.

While it would have been nice for Peril to be the fifth dragon, I can see why she is not. I just hope her story isn't over yet since she has done some serious growing since Clay has come into her life. And that was a pretty lousy trick on Glory's part. I get that she doesn't feel welcome thanks to their guardians, but the dragonets have never made her feel anything but welcome - despite her continued insistence that she isn't. Really, it is very annoying and needlessly dramatic.

Also, I figured they would meet Clay's family in the next book, which made me wonder how they would do five families in four books, but now it seems to be rushed into this book. Not sure how I feel about this.

the dragonet prophecy: part six

The next day Tsunami is brought to the arena while Clay and Starflight are brought to sit with Scarlet and Burn. Tsunami has to fight another SeaWing named Gill, only months before Gill tried to lead a revolution and was punished by being denied water. He is now insane. Tsunami defeats him and asks queen Scarlet for a pardon for him, but Scarlet denies the request. Tsunami kills Gill but makes it clear she wishes it were Scarlet she were killing.

Scarlet is disappointed that Tsunami won while Burn is upset that all the dragons seem to love Tsunami now. Scarlet orders Starflight brought to the arena. Vermilion announces that Tsunami and Starflight will now fight, only they refuse to. Instead Starflight opens his wings and Tsunami rests her head on his shoulder. Scarlet orders scavengers to be sent into the arena. Burn is annoyed and Scarlet snidely informs her that a scavenger did kill the previous queen. Tsunami places herself between Starflight and the scavengers. Tsunami deals with the scavengers and only one attacks Starflight but he deals with it. Scarlet decides it is a boring fight and orders the IceWings brought in. Clay counts at least eight IceWing prisoners and begs Scarlet to join the fight, knowing his two friends will never survive against that many. But before anything can happen the sky darkens as NightWings fill it. Morrowseer separates from the rest and lands on the arena floor.

Morrowseer lays claim to Starflight - and Starflight alone - but Scarlet isn't having it. Suddenly NightWings drop out of the sky, killing all the IceWings. Morrowseer declares Scarlet's IceWing problem taken care of, grabs Starflight, and leaves. Starflight calls out for his friends to be rescued but Morrowseer ignores him. Queen Scarlet is furious. Tsunami and Clay are upset to be left behind. Queen Scarlet decides it is time for Kestrel's fight and sends Clay to the arena. Clay sees the look on Scalet's face and realizes she knows he and Peril are friends.

As Clay and Peril fight physically they also fight verbally. Peril tells him how she wanted to save just him, how she wanted to be the only dragon important to him. Clay counters that his friends are important to him too. He tells Peril that he doesn't want to fight, and that maybe the dragonets of the prophecy are supposed to show other dragons how to resolve their problems without violence. He realizes the dragons in the audience are listening in, but Scarlet doesn't hear them. Instead she calls out to Clay to use his venom attack. Peril and Clay look at each other shocked. They know they didn't use the venom and if Scarlet didn't either that only leaves Glory. Clay looks to Scarlet in time to see Glory rear up and open her mouth. Burn shoves Scarlet in front of herself and flies away as Glory spits venom all over Scarlet's face. Everyone scatters in the panic and confusion. Peril breaks Clay's chains and they, along with Tsunami, reach Glory. Clay convinces Peril to help Tsunami with her chains then they all go to rescue Sunny. Glory and Sunny escape while Clay, Tsunami, and Peril go back to rescue Kestrel. On the way Clay saves a scavenger who is trying to escape, even though he knows they need to act fast, before Burn returns.

So, these chapters were pretty awesome. Things are seriously moving along. Of course Tsunami and Starflight were going to refuse to fight. And of course Morrowseer saves Starflight and Starflight alone. And while I agree with Scarlet that she needs to destroy the dragonets it is nice to see her plans blow up in her face as the audience comes to love the dragonets. And Clay trying to talk things out with Peril and accidentally getting his message through to the audience was a nice touch. However my absolute favorite moment, hands down, was when Glory spit acid all over Scarlet's face. To bad she didn't also get Burn.

the dragonet prophecy: part five

Clay hides Peril and they listen to the trial together. The prosecution is led by Vermilion, who is queen Scarlet's son, and the defense is led by Osprey, an old dragon who is Peril's only friend. As they listen the true story of Peril's birth comes out, how the queen ordered Kestrel to kill both eggs, how Kestrel tried to take them and run away, how the queen caught her and gave her the option to kill one egg and keep the other, how Kestrel killed Peril's brother, how the queen then changed her mind and ordered a trial for Kestrel, and finally how Kestrel tried to escape with her daughter but was wounded by Peril in the process so instead she fled alone. Annoyed, the queen orders Kestrel's death. Peril flies over to the trial, offering to stand for her mother as is her legal right.

Furious that Osprey told Peril about a loophole in the law in which the queen's champion can stand for someone, Scarlet kills Osprey. Unable to help her only friend because if she touches him she will burn him, Peril watches him die. Queen Scarlet decides everything isn't a total waste and says the fight will happen tomorrow. Knowing they are running out of time, Clay wonders if they can plan on Kestrel helping them escape, then decides they cannot and they have to figure out how to get away on their own. Peril never comes back and as the sun sets Clay sees queen Burn and her entourage arrive. Queen Burn angrily circles the three dragonets before going inside. Clay decides he needs to get Peril's attention immediately. They need to leave before Sunny is handed over to Burn and possibly killed. One of the chains tying him down has broken so he plays with it, trying to figure out a way to use it to get Peril's attention. When he moves the chain across another it starts to make music. The only song he knows is the song about the dragonet prophecy so he plays it. His plan doesn't work and he wonders what to do next when suddenly he hears other dragons starting to sing the song. Scarlet and Burn come out, furious with the prisoners. Scarlet orders the three dragonets brought inside.

Scarlet kicks Peril out of her room and moves Clay and his friends in. Burn argues with her, telling her that they should just kill them. Scarlet counters that this way they can destroy the dragonets in the arena because if they just kill them then the people will hold out hope. Burn argues that the prophecy is already broken since there is no SkyWing. Scarlet keeps silent on Glory, and Clay realizes she hasn't told Burn the entire truth. Scarlet locks them in the room by placing black stones in front of the doorway and then setting them on fire. The queens leave and Peril returns. Clay is happy to see her but Tsunami isn't as trusting. Clay convinces her to help them and Starflight announces he knows how they can escape.

Starflight asks Peril to move the black stones and she agrees - though, she does not remove their chains. The four of them sneak off together. Peril keeps asking Clay questions about their plans and how important the other dragons are to him. He is very honest in his answers which annoys both Tsunami and Peril - Tsunami because he is clearly giving away too much information and Peril because she clearly has feelings for him and he is talking about how important his friends are to him. Tsunami tells him he is a "handsome idiot," much to his confusion. They wind their way through the tunnels and pass the feast. The dragonets see Sunny in a cage above the room but are currently unable to help her. Peril sends them along the passage towards a place where they can hide and escape later. When they reach it they hear the queen coming. Clay pushes on Peril, telling her to hide. Everyone is shocked that he doesn't burn. Scarlet arrives and dismisses Peril. Peril leaves, looking upset.

Scarlet sends them back to Peril's room and posts guards outside. The dragonets talk about how Clay must have powers that make him immune to fire. Tsunami and Starflight both believe that Peril has betrayed them. Clay, however, feels sorry for Peril and he is sad that she won't help them rescue Sunny.

I have to say, this is a very dark and shallow world. Queen Scarlet is truly awful, and I feel it is not just her. One tyrant alone would not be able to rule. Others would pull them down since their own rule would be threatened. And with the arrival of Burn and her behavior I am willing to bet all the queens are tyrants. Clay constantly talks about all of them going home and finding their families. I am also willing to bet they won't like what they find when they finally do go home.

However, as much as I don't like queen Scarlet she is correct. She needs to destroy the dragonets, not just kill them.

Lastly, I saw Peril's betrayal coming from a mile away, but I was hoping she would see sense in the end. So much for that. Hopefully she is redeemed by the end of the book.

the dragonet prophecy: part four

Clay watches Peril fight a SandWing dragon named Horizon. Horizon has won four previous fights but he doesn't try to attack Peril, just run away. Clay is confused until he sees Peril attack Horizon. All she does is touch him but Horizon screams in agony. When Peril pulls away Clay sees that her claw has burned Horizon. He also realizes that the burn is very similar to the ones that Kestrel has on her claws. He wonders if Kestrel fought Peril and that is how she became injured. Desperate, Horizon attaches himself to Peril and dies quickly. Peril is shocked at what he has done and Queen Scarlet is not amused, calling the fight boring. She assures the crowd that tomorrow they will see something they have never seen before. Clay fears this means they will make Starflight fight, and Clay knows that Starflight will never survive, especially since he does not have the telepathy that NightWings are supposed to have. Queen Scarlet leaves and her guards wheel Glory's tree after her. Glory is still asleep and Clay worries that she might be drugged or something.

Clay wakes up to find Peril waiting to talk to him. He tries to be friendly while figuring out what to do. Peril confuses him. She is upset that Horizon is dead, but not because she killed him. She is upset because he didn't even try to fight. She is also upset because Queen Scarlet blames her for the poor fight since it is her job to make the fights interesting. Clay asks Peril why she is so loyal to the queen. Peril tells him it is because no one else wants her. She has too much fire inside so normally those eggs are smashed. Bitter, she tells Clay that her own mother was going to smash her egg. But instead the queen saved her and killed her mother. Clay begs her to prevent Starflight from fighting but since the queen is already angry with her Peril doesn't think she will be able to stop the fight. Clay volunteers to fight instead, explaining that Starflight's telepathy isn't fully developed yet, and Peril agrees to talk to the queen. She also admits to Clay that she has been forbidden to speak with him but she does anyway.

The next morning guards show up to take Clay to see the queen. He goes with them peacefully, then sees Tsunami fighting her guards and wonders if he should have done the same. They pass Peril's room which is completely devoid of anything. Clay realizes if she tried to read a scroll she would probably burn through it. But it gets him wondering, if Peril really is only good for fighting why hasn't the queen sent her to fight in the war? Why keep her as her private champion? As they move along Clay also passes Kestrel in a cage but he is ushered past her quickly. They reach the throne room where Starflight is already. Tsunami is brought in and a genuine debate happens between queen Scarlet and the dragonets. As they talk the dragonets realize they really know nothing about the war or how to end it, while queen Scarlet points out that a lot of dragons are happy about the war. They ask after Sunny and queen Scarlet says that queen Burn collects oddities so she is giving Sunny to her. Clay also asks what is wrong with Glory that she keeps sleeping and queen Scarlet laughs, telling him that nothing is wrong with Glory, RainWings are just naturally lazy. She asks who will fight in the arena next and both Clay and Tsunami volunteer but Clay puts forward a better argument so he is chosen while the rest are sent away.

Clay is placed in the arena against an IceWing named Fjord. He tries to talk peacefully with him, but Fjord isn't interested since that will get them both killed and he wants go survive. As they move around each other Clay sees Starflight trying to give him hints about Fjord's attacks. Clay does fight Fjord, and Fjord is surprised that Clay does not use MudWing fighting techniques. The fight drags on and the queen gets impatient, threatening to kill them both Fjord gains the upper hand and Clay wonders if he is going to die.

Tsunami tries to break free and help Clay, causing queen Scarlet to send her guards to go deal with her. Everyone is distracted and Clay realizes he is going to die when suddenly black drops appear on Fjord. The drops burn, causing Fjord to scream and die and making Clay the winner of the fight. Clay tries to figure out who could have attacked Fjord, but the only ones with an opportunity in the correct position are queen Scarlet (who is pleased), Glory (who is asleep), and Peril (who looks scared). Back in his prison, Clay feels awful about the fight, his friends imprisonment, and about Fjord's death. Peril comes to visit him, asking about his secret attack, but he insists it wasn't him and it must have been the queen. Peril is unsure, though she does admit the queen doesn't mind cheating. Peril has information about Sunny, but she will only give it in exchange for Clay's help. Clay tells her he would help her anyway but Peril doesn't believe him. She tells him there is a trial tomorrow and she has been forbidden from watching it and she doesn't understand why. She knows the dragon is just going to be found guilty anyway so she doesn't understand the secrecy. She wants to watch the trial hidden behind Clay. Clay agrees, telling her that the warmth from her helps his injuries, and she helps him heal his IceWing wounds with mud and heat. As they talk he finds out that Peril doesn't wish to challenge queen Scarlet for the throne and that she must eat small black rocks every day to survive. As she leaves to get Clay food he realizes that the reason she forbidden to watch the trial is because Kestrel is probably her mother.

So, first of all, I think Clay is right and Kestrel is Peril's mother. Second, despite Clay's so called murderous tendencies when he was first born he is clearly a pacifist. Third, he is also an idiot because Glory is clearly faking being asleep and I bet anything she is the one with the secret poison attack. There is no way she would let Clay, who has always defended her, get slaughtered. And no one knows anything about RainWings so anything is possible when it comes down to her.

Lastly, and perhaps more importantly, queen Scarlet is very correct - the dragonets have no clue about the political state of the world. Which, of course, the dragonets wanted to leave the cave and see the world but were forbidden from doing so. But it is interesting that one of the queens they have been raised to stop is pointing this out to them. And it makes me question the Talons of Peace - and more specifically Morrowseer since he appears to be in charge. What good are a bunch of dragonets who can't actually fulfill a prophecy because pertinent information has been kept from them? The answer is no good, which means the Talons of Peace are trying to play the very dragonets they are placing their faith in. They are trying to manipulate their own prophecy. I could be wrong, but after queen Scarlet's conversation with Clay, Tsunami, and Starflight that is all I can think of.

the dragonet prophecy: part three

A scavenger bursts through the trees and Clay and Tsunami are disappointed in how small and unimpressive they are. The scavenger has treasure, which Tsunami takes from him. While Clay and Tsunami debate over how to divide up the treasure a new dragon comes along. She kills the scavenger and lays claim to the treasure. Clay realizes they are in danger and tries to get Tsunami to leave. Before they can, though, the new dragon reveals herself to be Queen Scarlet of the SkyWings.

Queen Scarlet tries to figure out why a MudWing and SeaWing are traveling together. Since she is allied with the MudWings she tries to get information out of Clay but he has none. Tsunami realizes that they are in danger and when she and Clay exchange a look she attacks Queen Scarlet. They race away and find their way back to the caves. After looking for a few minutes they find the entrance and Clay realizes he is looking at his prison from the outside.

They break into the caves where they find Sunny waiting for them. She leaves to get Starflight while Glory comes out of her hiding place. Starflight arrives with a sack of scrolls that everyone says have to be left behind. Glory says they need to leave before Kestrel comes back when a new voice pips up. It is Queen Scarlet with her guards. She is furious with the young dragonets and she is looking for Kestrel.

Queen Scarlet realizes they are the dragonets of the prophecy when Dune comes out of his room to see what all the commotion is. He calls for Webs and a fight breaks out (with Kestrel returning in the middle of it), but the dragonets and their guardians quickly lose. Queen Scarlet kills Dune and orders her guards to take everyone else prisoner. Before she can be stopped Kestrel pushes Webs into the water so he can escape. As everyone leaves the caves Clay sees Morrowseer flying up above. He knows, however, that Morrowseer won't actually help them because NightWings like to get others to do their work.

Clay is in the SkyWing prison, which is in the sky. All the dragons are kept separate but they are chained to each other. This way all the dragons would have to work together to fly away and since there are a hundred of them that would be impossible before the guards stopped them. A SkyWing brings him food and is overly nice to him. She is excited at the prospect of fighting a MudWing. Since they are allies in the war she has never fought one before. She cheerily tells Clay she doesn't want him to die before their fight. As they talk Clay finds out that the SkyWing's name is Peril, and she is the queen's champion. She fights dragons in the arena. All the prisoners fight each other in staged fights. If you win enough you get to go free - but if you win too many you go up against Peril, who has never lost. So far no one has earned their freedom. She tells him where Tsunami and Starflight are being kept (they are also in the prison) but she doesn't know where Glory and Sunny are. Peril leaves for the arena and the upcoming fight - and Clay notices that all the dragons deliberately stay out of Peril's way. Queen Scarlet arrives with her new "art" - which is Glory chained to a tree - and Peril prepares to fight.

I feel a bit bad for these dragons. They had a shitty upbringing and the Talons of Peace clearly did not prepare them for the real world - or the politics it. I have to say, Clay and his friends seem like the only normal ones to me. Everyone else is a complete wacko. Look at Peril. She is chatting up Clay and being super friendly to him while talking about how she is looking forward to killing him! And none of these dragons know how to work together, which is why it so clearly catches them off guard when the dragonets do. And now Glory is chained to a tree as "art?" It is like a world populated by only psychopaths.

the dragonet prophecy: part two

Starflight and Morrowseer leave the room they were in, their talk done for now. Morrowseer leaves while Clay tries to find out what is going on from his friend. Starflight is upset, but is refusing to talk about it. But Clay does find out from him that Morrowseer says he will "deal" with Glory. Starflight thinks that means Glory will get to go home but privately Clay disagrees. The dragonets are supposed to be a secret, and Glory knows all about that secret. Just then they hear a commotion as Sunny is demanding loudly to know what is going on. Clay and the others find the guardians chaining up Tsunami. She fights back but Kestrel threatens to chain up her friends as well. The guardians go back to their room and Clay enters the pool of water to spy on them. He overhears them talking about how they have to kill Glory before Morrowseer returns the next day.

Clay reports back to the others. Sunny doesn't want to believe the truth and Glory keeps insisting it is fine if she dies so long as the others don't get hurt. However, in the end, it is agreed that everyone should escape. Tsunami admits that she has a plan, to enter the pool and follow the flow of water. Clay has to do it now since he is the only other dragon who can swim and hold his breath underwater. Glory, meanwhile, shows off her ability to blend in with the rocks and hide.

Clay follows the current. He passes through a couple of underground caverns where he is able to catch his breath but he really can't see anything because he doesn't have night vision. The last cavern he enters he loses consciousness after some leech like creatures attack him.

Clay wakes up to find Tsunami rinsing some white stuff that was hurting him off of his scales. She tells him that between Sunny and Starflight they were able to get their fire hot enough to melt the chains so Tsunami could escape. They follow the current of the river and escape, coming out through a hole in the rock and Clay flies for the first time.

Clay sees Tsunami struggling to fly. One of her wings are not working correctly. He goes over and helps her the best that he can, the two of them crash landing. As they recover they hear something racing through the forest towards them.

Okay, so this story just got a lot better. I knew something bad was going to happen because the story line was just too dark, but I can't believe they actually decided to kill Glory. At least Clay and Tsunami were able to find a way to escape, and I am sure they will get their friends out next. Glory won't actually die and everyone will go on an adventure, but I am curious what this adventure will be.

However, I do want to know what was said between Morrowseer and Starflight. I have a bad feeling about that meeting...

the dragonet prophecy: part one

Hvitur clutches his stolen SkyWing egg, hiding from the dragons searching for him. Queen Burn and her dragons find him, capturing him and the egg. Queen Burn realizes that Hvitur is from the Talons of Peace and he believes this SkyWing egg will fulfill a prophecy about young dragons that will the end the war that is raging across Pyrrhia. Queen Burn and Hvitur argue about the war and Queen Burn decides to take matters into her own hands. Much to Hvitur's horror, Queen Burn drops the egg off of the side of a cliff. She believes that if the Talons of Peace do not have all five of the correct eggs then the prophecy cannot come to pass. Queen Burn kills Hvitur, then she and her dragons leave. In the caves, Kestrel, Dune, and Webs meet. Unsure what to do now that the SkyWing egg has been lost, Webs leaves to steal and RainWing egg in the hope that they can salvage the prophecy.

Six years later, Clay, a MudWing, is practicing fighting moves with Kestrel but it isn't going well. Kestrel feels like Clay isn't giving it his all but Clay doesn't feel like a fighter. Tsunami, a SeaWing, comes to his rescue when Kestrel has him cornered. Kestrel mocks Tsunami for coming to Clay's rescue, especially since when Clay hatched he attacked Tsunami's egg along with everyone else's. Clay hates this story since it makes him feel guilty, but everyone sees it as a sign that he must be a great fighter. However, he doesn't feel like a great fighter. Disgusted, Kestrel leaves. Tsunami playfully knocks Clay into the water with her. As they swim she tells Clay that Kestrel will pay when Tsunami becomes queen of the SeaWing's. Clay points out to her that you have to be related to the queen to become queen yourself. Tsunami responds that maybe she is a lost princess like in their favorite story. Clay thinks on the story and how their only link to the outside world is the stories that the Talons of Peace let them have. He wonders what his parents are like while Tsunami wonders if any of their parents are even alive. Lost in their thoughts, Tsunami hints to Clay that maybe the dragonets should run away.

Clay is cleaning up from dinner when Sunny, the SandWing, startles him. Sunny isn't like most SandWings. She is too small, her coloring is off, and she is missing the poisonous barb at the end of her tail. But her egg fit the prophecy so the Talons of Peace took her. Kestrel often calls Sunny "harmless." This gets Clay thinking about Glory, the RainWing whose egg replaced the broken SkyWing egg, and how the adult dragons always call her a mistake. Sunny tells him that Dune wants them to study before bed. On the way to the study room he tries to budge the rock blocking the main entrance but has no luck. He hopes that one day he will be strong enough to move it. They meet up with the other dragonets, including Starflight the NightWing, and act out the current war of succession for the SandWings that is currently tearing their world apart. The playacting leads to some bickering amongst the friends but then they are interrupted by Kestrel, who is furious to find them playing instead of studying. Tsunami stands up for her friends and is punished for it. Kestrel knocks over the scrolls on her way out of the room and Tsunami asks Sunny to clean them up. With Sunny distracted, Tsunami talks to the other three about escaping. They agree they need to keep it a secret from Sunny until it is time to leave.

The dragonets hear a commotion in another room. Tsunami and Clay go to investigate. They go into the pool of water so they sneak into their caretakers room and find out what is going on. They hear Webs tell the others that Morrowseer, the NightWing who gave the prophecy, is on his way. He does not know about the broken SkyWing egg or their "defective" SandWing.

Morrowseer arrives and looks over the dragonets, displeased. He is furious to find Glory instead of a SkyWing and feels the lot of them are pretty pathetic. Tsunami stands up to Morrowseer, telling him that their guardians mistreat them. Dune begs Tsunami to be quiet but she refuses. Morrowseer attacks Tsunami and Clay tries to help her. When Morrowseer breaks off his attack he declares that Clay and Tsunami will do. Looking at Sunny he says they will have to see about her. He assumes that Starflight read his mind and knew that Morrowseer was never going to hurt Tsunami and that is why he too didn't attack. He says he wants to speak with Starflight in private. As for Glory, he says they will discuss her later. Morrowseer leaves with Starflight and Tsunami and their guardians get into an argument. However, the guardians leave to discuss things and the other dragonets assure Glory that she is their fifth dragon. As they go their separate ways Clay asks Sunny what she thinks of leaving but Sunny believes they should listen to their guardians, follow the prophecy, and then everything will be okay.

So I have mixed feeling about this book. I don't want to say I hate it, because that is certainly not true, but it is not a very pleasant story. Clay and his friends are hated by their guardians, locked away in a cave, and forbidden to know anything about the outside world unless the Talons of Peace want them to know it. Tsunami is right, they ARE treated like prisoners. And now that Morrowseer is here - and so clearly disdainful of them - I don't foresee things getting better. And I am worried about Glory. Morrowseer clearly hates her for no reason whatsoever. He also doesn't like Sunny, but she at least fits into the prophecy.

And I understand that the dragons want an end to the war, but they all clearly hate each other. Clay and his friends don't, but that seems to be an exception to the rule. And how exactly are the dragonets supposed to end the war with limited information and while locked away in a cave? The idea seems absurd. The more of this book I read the more convinced I am that Tsunami is correct and they should run away. I will have to see what happens next... because I have a bad feeling that as bad as things are they are about to get worse...