by Erin Hunter
Stoneclaw stood up, his ears pricked. What was that? A rustle in the gorse. A whisper of paws in the grass. A gleam of eyes in the darkness. What was that beyond the bushes? Should he sound the alarm?
Too late! A shadow appeared before him, and sharp claws slashed his throat. Thrushwing turned to see her brother lying on the ground, the life bleeding out of him. She shrieked a warning to the Clan, but the air was knocked out of her lungs by the weight of a large cat, and her voice died. Pinned to the ground, she felt the large cat’s teeth stab at her neck as enemy cats poured past her into the clearing, moving swiftly, melting into the shadows.
Onewhisker was woken by Thrushwing’s call. Beside him, Tornear and Deadfoot scrambled to their paws, and all three rushed into battle, sounding the WindClan warrior yowl.
“ShadowClan!” hissed Mudclaw from Tallrock. “I can smell their stink!” He launched himself off the boulder into the thick of the fighting, barreling into a hefty white tom.
“You’re in no condition to fight!” Ashfoot growled at Morningflower, shoving the pregnant queen back into the nursery.
“But I want to fight!”
“Stay here and protect my son. I will fight.”
Morningflower curled around the trembling gray shape of Eaglekit and licked the top of his head as comfortingly as she could. Ashfoot’s enraged howls came from outside the tangle of branches.
Another WindClan warrior howled in fear, his belly sliced open by a ShadowClan claw. Thrushwing had rejoined the battle and, in spite of an injured leg, fought like TigerClan to avenge the death of her brother. The bodies of two elders slumped next to a fallen apprentice. Deadfoot pounded over to Tallstar, his lame paw sending stabs of pain through him.
“They’re going to kill us all!” he yowled. “We have to escape!”
“And abandon our camp?” Mudclaw hissed. “I’d rather die fighting than let these crow-food-eaters drive us out.”
“Deadfoot’s right,” Tallstar meowed, his tail lashing furiously. “We’ve lost too many already. If we lose any more, there will be no more WindClan.”
“Let’s go, now,” Deadfoot panted.
Tallstar ordered Onewhisker to fetch Morningflower and Eaglekit from the nursery. Then, the WindClan warriors and apprentices circled the queen and the two surviving elders and fought their way to the edge of the clearing. Morningflower was first to break through the gorse wall and run into the darkness, Ashfoot’s kit bumping against her legs in terror. Thrushwing was next, supported by Onewhisker. One by one, the rest of WindClan followed, tearing through the gorse, their blood spattering the ground, until only Tallstar remained.
“This isn’t the last of WindClan, Brokenstar,” spat Tallstar.
“Wherever you run, I will find you,” the enormous ShadowClan tabby hissed back at him.
And with that, Tallstar disappeared into the bushes, and WindClan left their home and fled into the night.
WINDCLAN LAKE TERRITORY
(1) Moonpool stream: This tumbling stream leads along the edge of the WindClan border and up into the hills to the Moonpool (see Beyond the Territories, the Moonpool).
(2) WindClan camp: A shallow scoop in the ground, open to the sky. Unlike other cats, WindClan warriors prefer to sleep out in the open; in really bad weather, they retreat into underground burrows left by foxes and badgers.
(3) Horseplace: Hear that thundering? It’s the pounding of horses’ hooves! Stay on this side of the fence!
WINDCLAN LAKE CAMP
Can’t you keep up? It must be true what they say about WindClan cats being faster than other cats! Come on, hurry!
Now, rest here and look down. See where my tail is pointing? That’s our camp. It doesn’t look protected, does it? You don’t see any trees or rocks around it. But don’t get any ideas! See how many heads are lifted down there? Half the warriors in our camp are watching you, sharpening their claws. No cat comes over these hills without being seen!
You might as well know that I’m Crowfeather and I brought WindClan to this place.
Let’s go. Quickly! Follow me down—if you can keep up!
Now you are inside. Keep quiet and look only where I tell you.
This giant boulder is Tallrock, where Onestar makes his speeches. Yes, I know there are plenty of other boulders, but this is the biggest. Stop asking mouse-brained questions! Stop asking any questions!
This gorse bush against the boulder is the nursery. Move along—you’ll scare the kits! Now, see this boulder? See the large crack in it? Smells like mouse bile, doesn’t it? Our medicine cat, Barkface, is treating a tick problem in the camp. WindClan cats must have picked them up on the journey—all that hanging around among trees and swamps. Blech! Anyway, Barkface keeps his supplies in here. Any sick cat can sleep there too. If you ask me, fresh air is the best medicine. But what do I know?
See the tunnel under this gorse bush in the corner? It leads to an old badger set. You wouldn’t catch me sleeping inside. It still stinks of badger. I sleep under the sky, near my warrior ancestors. Don’t stick your nose in there! Rushtail might claw it off. It’s the elders’ den now.
So, that’s the camp. You can tell Onestar I did as he asked. Now leave! Head straight up the hill and keep going until you see a bunch of large galumphing creatures with hooves. Horses, they’re called. Past there is RiverClan territory—maybe they’ll share their secrets with you next.
And remember … I’ll be watching you go!
SIGNIFICANT LEADERS
WINDSTAR
Wiry brown she-cat with yellow eyes.
Proud, wily, stubborn, and fastest cat in the forest.
Founder of WindClan—worked with Thunder, Shadow, and River to develop warrior code.
Many of her descendants run with Clan today, including current deputy, Ashfoot, and Ashfoot’s son Crowfeather.
Deputies: Gorsefur (later Gorsestar)
Apprentices: Unknown
GORSESTAR
Thin gray tabby cat.
Remembered for his bravery and devotion to Windstar, his mate.
Deputies: Unknown
Apprentices: Unknown
TALLSTAR
Black-and-white tom with long tail and amber eyes.
One of the wisest and longest-lived WindClan leaders.
Unusually close to ThunderClan and particularly their leader Firestar.
Watched over Clan as they were forced out of home by ShadowClan.
One of first cats to argue for leaving the forest, according to the prophecy. (See Prophecies and Omens.) Frail and on last life, he led Clan to new home.
On his deathbed, Tallstar changed his deputy from Mudclaw to Onewhisker—a wise choice in the long run.
Deputies: Deadfoot, Mudclaw, Onewhisker (later Onestar)
Apprentice: Morningpaw (Morningflower)
ONESTAR
Small, mottled-brown tabby tom.
Loyal, devoted, strong, and compassionate.
Guided Clan through time of terrible tension after Tallstar made him leader in Mudclaw’s place.
Survived rebellion against him.
First leader to receive nine lives at the Moonpool.
Took warriors to save ThunderClan when the badgers attacked.
Deputy: Ashfoot
Apprentices: Whitepaw (Whitetail), Gorsepaw
SIGNIFICANT MEDICINE CATS
MOTHFLIGHT
Soft white fur and stormy green eyes.
First WindClan medicine cat.
Loyal and true to her Clan, her restlessness, curiosity, and dreaminess were at first deemed unwarriorlike.
These qualities gave her a new destiny, leading her to the Moonstone.
THRUSHPELT
Stone-gray she-cat with flecks of darker brown fur.
Warrior for several moons before becoming medicine cat.
Interpreted signs with immense confidence.
Expert herb finder.
Temperamental and quick to fight.
Took care of Clan through a sick-
rabbit epidemic.
BARKFACE
Brown tom with stumpy tail.
Reliable, practical, and efficient.
Long, dependable service.
Received prophecy foretelling death at Gorge after WindClan returned home. (See Prophecies and Omens.)
RIVERCLAN
LEOPARDSTAR ON RIVERCLAN
There is a Clan unlike any other—a Clan with all the strength, brilliance, and beauty of water. Welcome to RiverClan. I am Leopardstar, the leader here. Can you hear the river? In its flowing current you can see what makes us the greatest Clan in the forest. Nothing can stand against the force of water, just as nothing can defeat RiverClan warriors when we rise up together. But when trouble comes, RiverClan knows how to weave through the dangers, adapting to the changed world, just as the river flows around rocks and over waterfalls. We are grace. We are power. We are RiverClan.
* * *
Clan character: Contented, sleek, well fed. Long fur and glossy coats. They love beautiful things and often collect rocks, shells, and feathers for their dens. They do not fear water.
Prey: Mainly fish but also water voles, shrews, and mice.
Hunting skills: Strong swimmers, moving silent and scentless through water. They scoop fish out of the water from the bank—a skill most cats in the other Clans cannot master.
* * *
RIVERCLAN FOREST TERRITORY
(1) RiverClan camp: This well-drained island is circled by gently rustling reeds instead of thorns, but the other Clans’ hatred of water means that it has never been attacked.
(2) The gorge: See WindClan Forest Territory.
(3) The river: It is a source of prey and protection to RiverClan, yet it is as changeable as the moon. Sometimes it is quiet, gentle, and murmuring, but sometimes it froths and roars like a Twoleg monster.
(4) Twoleg bridge: A safe way to cross the river and get to Fourtrees when the water is high.
RIVERCLAN FOREST CAMP
Hi, I’m Feathertail. You’ll have to get your paws wet if you want to see our camp. It’s on an island! Don’t be afraid of crossing; just listen to the murmur of the river—it’s very soothing.
Under these long, trailing branches, that’s right. They are willow trees. You should see them in leaf-bare after a frost. They sparkle like frozen raindrops!
All right, shake your paws, duck your head, and follow me through the reeds. The whole camp is surrounded by reeds, murmuring in the breeze. I love the sound they make, under the burble of the water. Look! It’s our camp!
Here, in this central clearing, we lie in the sun and share tongues. In the mornings, I lie here and dry my fur after an early patrol. It’s my favorite spot in the whole camp.
Here’s the warriors’ den, in this tangle of reeds. It’s next to the nursery to protect the kits. Poke your head inside—it’s all right; all the warriors are on patrol.
Look up at the roof of the den. See how we’ve woven feathers into the branches? And along the edges are sparkling rocks and shells from the river. They make the den shimmer, don’t they? I love to lie in here, watching the lights and colors. It’s just as beautiful in the nursery.
See how close the river comes to the nursery? Here, it’s shallow and safe, but once before I was born, the river rose up suddenly and swept away the floor of the nursery and two kits—my mentor’s kits. Now the walls are stronger. We like to have the kits living near water. They inherit our love of it and learn to swim quickly. Oh, look, they are practicing now!
You are doing wonderfully, kittens! Soon you’ll be swimming faster than I can!
Across the clearing are the other dens, including Mudfur’s—he’s our medicine cat. Peek inside. You’ll see that he makes small caves in the earth for the herbs. Now the kits can’t scatter them when they run through his den chasing frogs.
On the other side of the island, a couple of rocks stick out of the river when the water isn’t too high. They soak up the warmth of the sun. My favorite days begin with hunting with my brother, Stormfur, and end in the sun on those rocks. But you have to be fast. There is space for only a couple of cats, and if senior warriors or elders want them, you’re out of luck. Our whole Clan could fit on Sunningrocks, where we used to bask. There was even room left for chasing prey and play-fighting. But I won’t get into that now!
Uh-oh, it looks like rain. I’m going to curl up in the warriors’ den and listen to the raindrops on the roof.
You should probably go too. But thank you for visiting!
FLOOD!
It was the coldest leaf-bare many cats could remember. The river turned to ice, trapping frosted reeds and cutting off RiverClan warriors from the fish. Prey on land was scarce.
With spring came the relentless drip-drip of melting ice. Cats grumbled about the soggy ground and the puddles in camp. But the worst was yet to come.
A young warrior, Silverstream, was on night watch. She listened to the roar of the river. It had been louder than usual for two days. The sun would be rising soon, and then she could nap. She stood up and stretched, padding off to patrol the boundary.
Sploosh! Silverstream jumped back. In the dark, she thought she had accidentally wandered off the island. No … the river must have risen. She padded over to her father’s den.
“Crookedstar,” she whispered. “There’s something you should see.”
The RiverClan leader followed his daughter to the camp entrance. The stream that separated them from the mainland had become a ribbon of dark, frothing water.
“The water is already moving fast,” Silverstream meowed. “Should we evacuate the island?”
“It may go down again,” Crookedstar meowed gruffly.
As the day went on, the water kept on rising, swirling through the reeds surrounding the camp. Mudfur moved his medicine cat supplies to a high rock, and the other cats watched the river nervously.
Leopardfur called Stonefur and Blackclaw to join her on patrol. “We’ll see how far the floodwater reaches.” The three warriors left the camp.
A yowl came from the end of the island.
Silverpaw and Shadepaw were scrabbling at the earth to try to block off a stream of water that had broken through the reeds. Loudbelly and Mistyfoot ran to help them.
“It’s too strong!” Shadepaw yowled as the water burst into the camp.
Mistyfoot raced back toward the nursery. “Silverstream!” she yowled. “Help me!”
They scrambled inside to see brown water bubbling through the reeds and, in a corner, two kits mewled piteously, clawing at each other’s fur. “My kits,” Mistyfoot wailed, searching for the other two.
“They’re gone!” Silverstream meowed above the sound of the rushing water. “But these two still need you!” She seized one kit in her jaws and backed out of the nursery.
Mistyfoot nudged the other kit. He opened his mouth and gave a small wail. She licked him, then picked him up and followed Silverstream to the river crossing.
The river gives us life, she thought, looking back at the flooded camp. But now it’s destroying us. She placed a paw into the fast-moving water. Oh, StarClan, how could you let this happen?
Mudfur and Loudbelly stood downstream of the long line of cats, ready to catch them if they slipped or fell. No cat dared swim. The moment they lifted a paw off the pebble bed of the stream, the current tugged it away. Dark water swirled above their stomachs.
Crookedstar was last to cross. We’re no more powerful against this river than any other Clan, he thought. Everything that makes us RiverClan has been taken away from us.
Mistyfoot and Silverstream scrambled out, the kits dangling from their jaws. The apprentices helped the elders ashore.
“Where do we go now?” Silverpaw meowed.
Crookedstar shook his fur. “The river is our home,” he meowed. “StarClan will look after us.” He nodded up the hill. “For now, we will rest in those bushes until Leopardfur’s patrol returns.”
Not long after they had settled in the shelter of the b
ushes, a yowl sounded from outside. Silverstream scented the air. ThunderClan! Graystripe!
She scrambled to her feet and pressed through the bushes to see the solid gray shape of the cat she loved best. Graystripe was sitting next to Fireheart. His eyes lit up when he saw her, and his tail flicked. Then she noticed the dripping bundles at the paws of Stonefur and Blackclaw.
Silverstream dashed to get Mistyfoot. “It’s Fireheart and Graystripe,” she panted. “They have your kits.”
Silverstream had to compose herself before returning to Graystripe. She was so proud of him, and she was sure the other cats would sense it. She had to look as if he meant no more to her than any other cat.
Crookedstar listened to the story of the kits’ rescue. Is this how StarClan chooses to help us? By using enemy cats? His throat was tight with injured pride that ThunderClan warriors could see the desperation of his Clan. But he knew that he could not refuse their help. It was a sign from StarClan. He would do whatever it took to save his Clan, and the river would be their home again soon.
RIVERCLAN LAKE TERRITORY
(1) RiverClan camp: Safely tucked away on a triangle of land between two streams, this camp is well sheltered from weather and enemy attack, with easy access to a constant source of prey.
(2) Greenleaf Twolegplace: A bees’ nest of Twoleg activity during greenleaf! Twoleg kits jump into the lake with loud splashes and shrieks. Some of them can swim like RiverClan cats but more noisily.
(3) Halfbridge: A most peculiar bridge that ends halfway out in the water. It doesn’t seem to go anywhere! Twolegs tie their “boats” to it.
