The wild cats have flourished in their new home on the banks of the lake for several seasons, and the Clans are growing strong and healthy with new kits. The time has come for three kits of Thunderclan to become apprentices.
Hollypaw, Jaypaw and Lionpaw spring from a strong legacy : children of Squirrelflight and Branbleclaw, two of the noblest ThunderClan warriors, and grandchildren of the great leader Firestar himself. All three young cats possess unusual power and talent and seem certain to provide strength to the Clan for the next generation.
But there are dark secrets around the three, and a mysterious prophecy hints at trouble to come. An undercurrent of rage is rising against those who are not Clanborn, and the warrior code is in danger of being washed away by a river of blood. All the young cats' strength will be needed if Clans are to survive.
The three children of Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw, grandchildren of the great leader Firestar, have thrived inn their apprenticeships : Lionpaw's strength and energy serve him well as a warrior in training, Hollpaw hones her understanding of the warrior code, and Jaypaw explores his mysterious powers and connection to StarClan as the medicine cat apprentice.
With more experience comes both power and danger : Lionpaw makes a friendship - and a discovery - that must be kept hidden; Jaypaw learns a secret that could benefit ThunderClan by damaging others; and Hollypaw knows something that could avert a battle, if she could convince the rest of her Clan.
The three are torn apart as each discovers darkness : in themselves, in the Clans, and in the past. And, as conflict begins over what seems to be a warrior, rising tensions threaten to overflow, washing away the peace that has existed for many moons.A secret prophecy shapes the lives of Firestar's grandchildren, but only one of the three knows about it. Jaypaw is captivated by the power it promises, and he believes the key to that power may lie buried in the distant past -with the ancient cats who once walked these woods and now prowl through his dreams.
His search for answers leads him toward the mountains - the home of the Trive of Rushing Water. Lionpaw and Hollypaw feel drawn to the mountains too, but for different reasons.
But the mountains hide secrets as well as answers, and if the three cats find a way to get there, they may discover more than they ever expected.Firestar's three grandchildren have learned of the powerful prophecy that foretells their destinies, and the responsibility if deciding the Clans' future weighs heavily on the three apprentices. But each secretly yearns for power : Lionpaw dreams of being undefeatable in battle, while Hollypaw longs to be a great leader and Jaypaw knows only he can see the true past and future for them all. Their stengths are tested when ThunderCaln is suddenly attacked - and all four Clans are thrown into a battle unlike any the cats have ever seen.
Then a dark shadow falls across the forest, and a mysterious stranger warns the Clans of more trouble to come. For the first time, it appears that StarClan does not hold the answers the cats need.The Clans are in turmoil. ShadowClan has turned its back on StarClan and pledged to follow the dark predictions of Sol, the strange cat who foretold the solar eclipse. But not all the cats have lost faith in their warrior ancestors...
Jaypaw is convinced that StarClan still holds an important place in th warrior code, and his search for answers leads him far back into the past, farther back than even Starclan can remember Lionblaze, tortured by violent dreams and bloody visions, wishes he had never been prophesied to be one of the three but to turn his back on his littermates would be the ultimate betrayal. And Hollyleaf is terrified that once the Clans lose their faith, the warrior code will fall apart. She's willing to fight tooth and nail to preserve it - whatever the cost.
And when murder stalks into the heart of ThunderClan, the cats realize that the darkest shadows don't always lie outside the territory.
A mysterious murder in the ranks has ripped ThunderClan apart. But more secrets still remain to be discovered.
Jayfeather is determined to find out who his real parents are. But he'll have to trample through a forest of lies in order to uncover the truth. Hollyleaf is shocked by her Clan's disobedience of the warrior code, and distraught enough to strike out at someone she's always admired. And Lionblaze must bear horrified witness to events that will change everything he believes.
In the harshest days of leaf-bare Clanmate turns upon Clanmate, danger lurks behind familiar faces, and one more warrior may be lost forever...