warriors: the prophecies begin

I really should have done this long ago, however as I started working on my book series page it never occurred to me how easily it would become overrun.

So, for the record, this is (so far) my favorite Warriors series. In part because it was my first but also because it is the most solid. It has a clear cut beginning (Rusty discovering the life of wild cats), middle (Firepaw/heart realizing something is going on with Tigerclaw and eventually outing him) and end (Firestar taking down Tigerclan followed by Scourge). Which, yes, Scourge was a tad thrown in but Tigerstar did have his revenge later on and it gave the warrior cats an epic throw down battle that didn't happen between Tigerclan and Lionclan - which very well could have destroyed the four clans if it had. And, Firestar was my favorite for a long time - certainly throughout this series. It is not often that the main character is my favorite (actually it is never - even here technically Whitestorm is my favorite) but this series manages to pull it off.

And, there were some very impressive twists and turns - and so much triumph and sorrow. Bluestar's kits. Bluestar losing her mind. The depths of Tigerclaw's treachery. Ravenpaw's escape. Brokenstar's revenge. Yellowfang finding a home. Yellowfang's secret. Brokenstar's murder. Dustpelt's rejection of Tigerclaw. Longtail choosing the correct side. Darkstripe refusing the correct side. Sandstorm's change of heart. Dustpelt calming down. Cinderpaw's accident. Spottedleaf's death. Tawnypaw rejecting Thundeclan. Bramblepaw's determination to make Thunderclan his home.

All in all this is (and probably always will be) my favorite Warriors series.

Warriors: The Prophecies Begin

1. Into the Wild
2. Fire and Ice
3. Forest of Secrets
4. Rising Storm
5. A Dangerous Path
6. The Darkest Hour

forest of secrets: part seven

Things wrap up very quickly these last four chapters. Fireheart realizes that Tigerclaw sent out a bunch of patrols that morning to leave the camp undefended. He sends Cloudpaw to go and find them. He arrives at the camp to watch as Tigerclaw pretends to attack the rogue cats. Brokentail attacks Dustpelt, who was guarding him. Fireheart realizes Tigerclaw is missing from the fight and arrives at Bluestar's room in time to hear the warrior tell Bluestar he will kill her as many times as is needed to save ThunderClan from a weak leader. Bluestar and Fireheart are able to stop him, but Bluestar is in shock. 

Graystripe bursts in looking for their leader. They are losing the fight and need her help. He sees Tigerclaw badly wounded and held down by Bluestar and Fireheart and asks what is going on. Fireheart quickly fills him in, leaving Graystripe to help Bluestar, going out to the fight himself. Suddenly help arrives. Leopardfur and her warriors appear out of no where, followed by Whitestorm. The rogue cats run, defeated. Leopardfur leaves, saying she had come to discuss the kits but will come back later. Tigerclaw's full betrayal is revealed to the clan and he shows no remorse, only anger at being thwarted. The clan is hurt, Bluestar is in shock, and Fireheart can't help but wonder if Thistleclaw would have been like Tigerclaw - and that is why Bluestar made her choice.

He is sentenced to exile. He makes the offer for three cats to go with him. Darkstripe turns him down - because Tigerclaw plotted without him. Longtail turns him down, insisting that he is loyal to ThunderClan. Lastly, Dustpelt turns him down because Redtail was his mentor. Tigerclaw leaves, informing the clan that he will be back for his revenge - especially against Fireheart. Fireheart goes to get Yellowfang and overhears her in her den talking to Brokentail. She confesses to him that she is his mother and Fireheart watches as she feeds Brokentail some poisonous berries. Brokentail dies his final death, murdered by Yellowfang. Fireheart keeps silent about what he had seen and Yellowfang tells him she tried everything but Brokentail died despite her efforts.

That night Fireheart dreams of Spottedleaf, who tells him that StarClan is calling him and not to be afraid. He awakens, wondering if Spottedleaf was foretelling his death. Outside the warriors den the cats are gathered and they are upset - dawn is approaching and Bluestar still has not named a new deputy, breaking with tradition of naming one under the moon. Suddenly Bluestar comes out and names Fireheart her new deputy - much to the shock of the clan, and the anger of quite a few cats.

Whitestorm supports Fireheart, for which he is grateful since Whitestorm was the logical choice to become deputy. Darkstripe, Longtail, and Dustpaw all angrily follow his orders and Whitestorm warns Fireheart to watch them. Cinderpaw goes to get a magpie for Bluestar from the fresh kill pile, but she immediately drops it because it is rotting from the inside out and full of maggots. Both Fireheart and Cinderpaw worry this means that Bluestar will rot from the inside. Leopardfur shows up asking for the kits yet again. Bluestar starts to argue with her when Graystripe speaks up and says the RiverClan cats can have them. Later he and Fireheart go to the border to give them away and Fireheart tries to talk him out of giving up his kits. But Graystripe is not giving them up, instead he leaves with them.

This was a sad ending to a sad book. It feels like Tigerclaw's betrayal is causing everything to fall apart. Bluestar looks old and weak - and does not announce a new deputy in time. Cinderpaw is recovering but for a while she was greatly depressed over Silverstream's death. Graystripe has left the clan to avoid a fight he knows ThunderClan has no heart for. 

Darkstripe, Longtail, and Dustpelt still all hate Fireheart. And their reasons for refusing Tigerclaw were interesting. Dustpelt's was the best. He denied Tigerclaw to honor Redtail, who he had been very close to. Finding out your hero murdered your other hero would have to be devastating. Longtail's reason was second best - he insisted that he was loyal to the clan. Fireheart thinks him a coward but I have to give Longtail the benefit of the doubt. He did save Fireheart when he was drowning. He could have let him die but instead he chose to follow the warrior code even though he hates Fireheart. Lastly there is Darkstripe. His reason I find disturbing. He denied Tigerclaw beause Tigerclaw plotted without him and did not confide in him. This bothers me. He wasn't angry over Redtail's murder like Dustpelt. He didn't claim loyalty to the clan like Longtail. He turned him back on Tigerclaw not because of his crimes, but because he was not privy to those crimes. Perhaps I am reading too much into this, but Darkstripe's answer worries me.

And lastly, could Bluestar have picked a worse deputy? I know Fireheart is the hero of this story, but he was the worse possible choice. Whitestorm would have been better. He is a calm, rational warrior. He has been a warrior for a long time and is well respected. And, perhaps most importantly, he is clan born. As much as the clan loves Fireheart, and as much as they see him as one of them, I imagine it is going to chafe picking not only an outsider, but an outsider who is so young. Fireheart is barely a warrior. I understand Bluestar feels she cannot pick Darkstripe or Longtail, but there had to have been better choices. Again, you know, Whitestorm leaps to mind.

forest of secrets: part six

Bluestar confesses that while she was Bluefur, she and Oakheart had an affair that resulted in kits, which she had intended to raise as ThunderClan kits. A new deputy was needed for her clan, the medicine cat had already told her that StarClan had a great destiny planned for her, and she had to make a choice. She could have never been deputy while having kits and the only other warrior who could become deputy was Thistleclaw - and he was ambitious and felt every problem could only be solved by fighting. Fearing what would happen to her clan if he became deputy - and possibly leader - she asked Oakheart to take the kits so she could become deputy instead. Oakheart took the kits and her clan searched for them, finally giving up, never realizing the truth.

The next day Fireheart sneaks out to go tell Mistyfoot what happened. Back at home, all the cats are angry at Graystripe and feel he is a traitor. Bluestar makes Fireheart mentor to Cloudkit. She also decrees that Silverstream's death is enough punishment for Graystripe, much to Tigerclaw's anger.

Fireheart begins training Cloudpaw over by Twoleg place. He still scents Tigerclaw in the area but cannot figure out why he is there. He also takes Cloudkit to see Princess and tell her the good news about him becoming an apprentice. After speaking to her they smell RiverClan cats in the area. Fireheart sends Cloudkit ahead to warn Bluestar.

Leopardfur arrives with a couple of warriors, asking for Silverstream's kits. Bluestar tells her she must think on this and will give her answer at the next Gathering. Leopardfur is upset but leaves with this news for Crookedstar. Cinderpaw goes to Mothermouth so she can formally start her apprenticeship. She is still upset over her inability to save Silverstream, but she is determined to become the best medicine cat ever so she never fails anyone else. Tigerclaw has Fireheart assess Cloudkit's hunting ability so Fireheart takes him over by Twoleg place. While there Cloudkit comes racing back to him to tell him that he sees Tigerclaw speaking to a group of rogue cats. Fireheart follows him and they watch helplessly and in fear as Tigerclaw brings the cats straight towards the ThunderClan camp.

Finally, a few plot points are beginning to wrap up. Bluestar is the mother to the RiverClan cats, which was so painfully obvious for so long it was a wonder Fireheart didn't figure it out before. While, personally, I disagree with what she did I can to an extent understand it. Thistleclaw sounds just like Tigerclaw - which really makes me wonder how she can not see that! And, in all honesty, in her desire to thwart Thistleclaw's ambition all she did was further her own so I don't really know that she deserves the high horse, here - even if she was the better choice.

And while I understand why Fireheart told Mistyfoot about Silverstream, I wish he had not mentioned the kits. I have a feeling RiverClan is not going to drop this easily.

And lastly, Tigerclaw's ambition is finally revealed - though I'm not sure how Fireheart is going to prove it. Unless everyone sees Tigerclaw arrive with the cats - which would defeat his entire plan of taking over the clan - everyone is going to assume he is on their side - which I am sure he is not going to fight on the side of the rouges but instead on the side of his clan. I now understand why he was talking to Brokentail, but he will have to kill him so Brokentail does not betray him. And this also does not ensure Bluestar's death. She could very well survive the fight - and Tigerclaw is not aware that this is her last life.

forest of secrets: part five

Nightstar and Tallstar (especially when Bluestar tries to remind him of bringing WindClan home) are angry with Bluestar. Crookedstar is willing to give Bluestar a chance to explain. She points out that the warrior code calls for compassion as well as strength. An argument ensues, alligences shift again, and once more the moon is covered cutting the fighting off. Tigerclaw angrily asks Bluestar if she is happy and she reminds him that this is no place to argue amongst themselves. Fireheart is shocked since he just saw Tigerclaw sharing tongues with Brokentail. As everyone leaves Nightstar informs them that they will not be allowed to pass through their territory on the way home. Bluestar is shocked. Crookedstar overhears this and gives ThunderClan safe passage. Bluestar takes this opportunity to talk to Mistyfoot and Stonefur - causing Fireheart to realize she how much alike the three look.

A couple of days after The Gathering, Fireheart takes Brackenpaw hunting. Brackenpaw scents ShadowClan and WindClan coming. A fight ensues in the camp as WindClan and ShadowClan try to reach Brokentail. They do not succeed, but after they leave there is clear dissension in the camp over sheltering Brokentail. As they clean up Fireheart realizes that Bluestar might be Mistyfoot and Stonefur's mother.

Graystripe had missed the fight because he was off with Silverstream and Tigerclaw is angry for this. Fireheart warns his friend to stay in the camp for the next few days where Tigerclaw can see him. He then recommends that Graystripe ask Bluestar to make Brackenpaw a warrior, because without him they never would have known the other clans were coming. Graystripe asks Bluestar and she agrees, giving Brackenpaw the warrior name Brackenfur. Everything is fine for a few days but then Graystripe sneaks out again. Fireheart follows him, telling everyone that they are going hunting. But when he reaches the two cats he finds Silverstream in pain and in need of a medicine cat. He runs back and unable to find Yellowfang instead grabs Cinderpaw. Realizing something is up Tigerclaw follows them, finding Cinderpaw trying to save a dying RiverClan warrior who is giving birth to kits. Silverstream screams like in Fireheart's dream and dies. Graystripe stays behind to mourn her while Cinderpaw and Fireheart carry the kits back to camp to the disbelief of Tigerclaw.

Graystripe buries Silverstream, with the assumption that her clan will want nothing to do with her now since she betrayed them. Bluestar asks Goldenflower to nurse the kits. Speckletail is angry - in her eyes both Silverstream and Graystripe are traitors, and their kits have bad blood. She feels the kits should be thrown out of the camp but Goldenflower agrees. In private, Fireheart asks Bluestar what will happen to Graystripe. She tells him she needs time to think on it. He asked her if she knew and she said she suspected, but that she had hoped Graystripe would come to his senses and remember his loyalty to his clan before anything serious happened. But she knew that one way or another it would have to end, and that she wasn't sure how Graystripe could have coped with watching his kits grow up in another clan. Fireheart finds himself asking Bluestar how she coped, and she confesses that yes, Mistyfoot and Stonefur are her kits. Meanwhile Cinderpaw is struggling with the death of Silverstream and blames herself for not saving her.

Tigerclaw's anger over Brokentail at The Gathering is further proof, in my mind, that something more is going on there - but I still cannot figure out what. It's not like Brokentail can help Tigerclaw kill Bluestar - and I doubt Brokentail would willingly sacrifice himself as a villain in her death. The clan would never forgive him and without Bluestar there to protect him he would definitely die (over and over if necessary) for his crime. 

As for Graystripe and Silverstream, like I said, I am glad to finally see this story line over. And I am glad the clan is taking the kits in - despite how angry some in the clan are. Their affair could not have gone on forever and was already causing divided loyalties.

forest of secrets: part four

Longtail has mentor duty with Fireheart and Graystripe and mocks them. Fireheart visits Yellowfang who tells him that she suspects Cloudkit is not properly caring for the elders but when Fireheart visits the elders they won't hear a word against Cloudkit. As he leaves the elders den he sees Tigerclaw sharing tongues with Brokentail and is shocked and is left  wondering if Tigerclaw is showing compassion to the fallen warrior.

Bluestar takes the young warriors off of apprentice duty and asks Tigerclaw to take Fireheart with him to find a safe way across the river. The Gathering is soon and all clans must go. Tigerclaw takes Longtail with them. He makes Fireheart cross a branch stuck on some rocks in the water to see if it is safe. Fireheart can tell by looking at it that it isn't but feels he has no choice but to obey. The branch knocks loose, the current sweeps him away, and Fireheart almost drowns but Longtail saves him. 

Fireheart wonders if Tigerclaw knocked the branch loose to kill him. Back at camp Tigerclaw talks about how brave - and foolish - Fireheart had been to attempt to cross the branch. Fireheart knows that is not the truth but says nothing. Bluestar sends him to see Yellowfang who has Cinderpaw diagnosis him. Cinderpaw finds him fine, just on need of rest, and Yellowfang asks if Cinderpaw would like to be a medicine cat. Cinderpaw happily accepts being Yellowfang's apprentice and Fireheart is happy his friend found a place in the clan. Bluestar announces it to all the cats and at the half moon Cinderpaw must travel to  Mothermouth to speak to StarClan.

Bluestar assembles the cats to go to The Gathering. They must follow the river to the Thunderpath, then cross into ShadowClan territory. They do so and are caught by Nightstar who is clearly angry with them. He "escorts" them to Fourtrees where he angrily tells all the cats that ThunderClan is harboring Brokenstar.

I am willing to bet that Tigerclaw tried to kill Fireheart but nothing says he actually knocked the branch loose himself. He could have just let the current do the job for him. I was surprised that Longtail saved him, but then again Longtail - despite his faults - is loyal to the clan. Unfortunately he is also loyal to Tigerclaw. Hopefully his clan loyalty outweighs that.

As for Bluestar, sometimes I think that by always trying to do the right things she sometimes invites trouble on herself. Yes, there is honor in caring for a badly wounded enemy who can do no more real harm, but if he was abandoned near Twoleg place perhaps that would have done just as well.

Lastly, I do not for one moment believe that Tigerclaw was showing compassion for Brokentail. He is up to something between the rogues and Brokentail but I don't know what.

forest of secrets: part three

Fireheart returns from hunting and immediately seeks Bluestar out. She is still upset with him and even more upset when she finds out he was hunting near the Twoleg place, questioning why he always chooses to hunt there. He tells her he smelled strange cats over there and Bluestar's anger faded away to be replaced with concern. He does not mention Tigerclaw's scent. Tigerclaw sends him to check on the RiverClan border so he takes Graystripe, Sandstorm, and Runningwind. They find the river flooded.

They return to report their findings to Bluestar. She is concerned that the flooding could hurt their clan so she orders extra patrols and Tigerclaw orders extra fresh-kill to be stockpiled. Worried, Graystripe needs to slip away to check on Silverstream. Fireheart goes with him but when they get to the river they see two kits about to drown.

They recuse the kits, who smell of RiverClan, and Leopardfur finds them. She is unsure about their story and brings them before her clan. The RiverClan camp is flooded and the enemy clan is seeking refuge elsewhere. Crookedstar accepts their story and while there they find out that the clan is starving. Twolegs poisoned their fish and now with the flood there is nothing to eat. Feeling bad for the cats the two warriors offer to hunt extra fresh-kill for them so they don't all starve but they worry that either Bluestar or Tigerclaw will catch them.

Fireheart and Graystripe keep their word, secretly hunting for RiverClan. One day Cloudkit catches them sneaking out but they send him away by telling him they are going on a secret mission. While in the RiverClan territory Graystripe finds out that Silverstream is pregnant and he will be a father.

Fireheart is shocked by Graystripe's announcement and sees only disaster. But Graystripe insists that everything will be okay. They go home to find out that Cloudkit followed them - and worse he announces all of this to Tigerclaw. Back at camp Bluestar orders Cloudkit back to helping the elders as punishment for sneaking out of camp yet again. Fireheart and Graystripe confess everything (but Graystripe and Silverstream's involvement) to her and she sentences them to apprentice duty. She acknowledges that while their hearts were in the right places they broke the warrior code.

Of all the worst things that could happen, Graystripe and Silverstream having kits is pretty high up there. While Silverstream does not have to say who the father is, Graystripe will have to watch his kits grown up as RiverClan warriors and as enemies. He would never be able to acknowledge them and might one day even have to fight them. Seeing each other in secret was bad enough but I see this ending very bad.

However, as far as their RiverClan activities it was only a matter of time before they were found out.

forest of secrets: part two

Fireheart goes back to camp and finds Graystripe, who had snuck off with Silverstream. Graystripe tells him that tomorrow they will go see Graypool. The next day Graypool refuses to speak to Fireheart in front of others. After they leave she admits that the kits Oakheart brought her smelled of ThunderClan but she does not know why he had them. She also insists that Mistyfoot and Stonefur are never to know the truth.

Fireheart immediately goes back to camp to talk to Bluestar. After Tigerclaw leaves he asks to speak with her. He tells her all about sneaking out to see Ravenpaw and Oakheart's accidental death - even admitting to getting the story verified by a RiverClan cat who was there. Bluestar is troubled and begins to believe him - until he mentions the ThunderClan kit story. She suddenly changes her attitude to one of fury and forbids Fireheart from ever speaking of this again.

He goes to collect herbs with Cinderpaw and Cloudkit and once again Cinderpaw tells Fireheart that she does not know what to do, but she cannot stay with Yellowfang for forever. Fireheart has no answers for her. That night, Fireheart dreams of a cat nursing her kits - but she fades away leaving her kits crying. Fireheart wonders if this dream is prophecy or what happened to Mistyfoot and Stonefur. Fireheart, Sandstorm, and Brackenpaw go out to hunt - and save Cloudkit from a badger. Tigerclaw blames Cloudkit even though it was an accident and sentences him to caring for the elders.

Yellowfang tries to make friends with Brokentail but he is uninterested. Fireheart sees Tigerclaw sneak out of the camp and decides to follow him. He fears that Tigerclaw might go to Twoleg place and attack Princess. He runs into Tigerclaw who angrily demands to know what he is doing there. Fireheart says hunting. Unable to prove him wrong, Tigerclaw angrily leaves. Fireheart tracks Tigerclaw's scent to an area with many scents of rogue cats, but he cannot prove that Tigerclaw was actually meeting with them so he leaves.

I feel more then ever now that those kits were Bluestar's - but why would she give them up? And I understand if she doesn't want anyone to know her secret but her attitude all around makes no sense. The only cat she seems to trust more then Fireheart is Tigerclaw. And in some ways she seems to trust Fireheart more. Fireheart knowing her secret should not be the end of the world, yet it seems to be to her. And it is making her willfully blind to his information about Tigerclaw. Up until he mentioned the ThunderClan kits Bluestar believed him. So why now is his story suddenly a lie? That makes no sense.

And I would like to know what Tigerclaw is doing at Twoleg place. He hates twolegs, he hates kittypets, and he hates rogues. What business could he possibly have there? And why should he be so upset over the possibility of Fireheart seeing him. That alone implies he is doing something wrong - though what I don't know.

As for Cloudkit and Cinderpaw he is a bit selfish and headstrong. Hopefully caring for the elders will make him realize he needs to be more of a clan cat then he is. And she needs to realize she does have a place in the clan - as Yellowfang's apprentice.

forest of secrets: part one

This book opens in the past, with Oakheart bringing kits to his clan from an enemy clan. Refusing to say where he got them or why, he asks Graypool to care for them. She agrees.

The story moves to the present with the cats getting ready for The Gathering. Fireheart decides to sneak away after The Gathering to see Ravenpaw and ask him again about what happened with Redtail. Graystripe agrees to go with him. When they arrive Fireheart asks what they should say about Brokentail. Bluestar says no one is to say anything - either about the attack on their camp or keeping Brokentail prisoner. She decrees this to be ThunderClan business and ThunderClan business alone. While at The Gathering, Fireheart hears the elders talk of a leaf-bare (winter) many years before, and how when the thaw came the river swelled so bad many cats and prey drowned - and also how Bluestar's kits disappeared. After The Gathering Fireheart lies to Sandstorm and tells her he and Graystripe are going to go look for fresh-kill.

They leave and reach Ravenpaw who tells them that Oakheart's death was an accident. While fighting with Redtail rocks crushed him. So while Redtail did kill Oakheart, it was an accident. Then Tigerclaw killed Redtail. Ravenpaw did remember one odd thing. While Redtail was fighting Stonefur, a RiverClan cat, Okaheart pulled him off saying no ThunderClan cat will harm that warrior.

They get back to camp but they are in trouble for eating mouse (with Ravenpaw) but not bringing anything back to the clan. They go to sleep and Fireheart dreams of Spottedleaf and a large body of water. Spottedleaf warns Fireheart that "water can quench fire." Fireheart awakens uneasy since Spottedleaf once told him that fire would save their clan.

Fireheart checks in with Cinderpaw and is glad she is adjusting well to living with Yellowfang, though he still feels sorrow over her accident and determination to bring Tigerclaw to justice. He and Graystripe sneak to the RiverClan camp to seek a cat that can tell them about Oakheart's death. Silverstream brings Mistyfoot to talk to Fireheart. She confirms that Oakheart's death was an accident, but she cannot shed any light on why he would say what he did about Stonefur - whi is her brother. But she offers to bring Graypool, their mother, to talk to Fireheart soon.

I feel like things are now in motion for Tigerclaw. All Fireheart has to do is get a RiverClan cat to tell Bluestar the truth about Oakheart's death. 

I also suspect that Stonefur and Mistyfoot are ThunderClan cats - though why Oakheart would have them I don't know. But perhaps these are Bluestar's missing kits?