of a new and very interesting group away from the four clans, or even as a bridge between

the first and second arcs that tells part of the story we skipped over, but as the first

super edition.

These longer form books have since become staples of the series, so it will be very

interesting to see where the tradition started, even if this isn't the most loved or hated

book in the series.

Firestar's Quest was released on August 21st of 2007, about 3 months after Secrets

of the Clans, and that difference along with the new lore given out in this book explains

the noticeable omissions from the first field guide.

This is yet another first for the series, the first super edition, which is a type of

supplemental material defined mostly by its length, significantly longer than a regular

main series book.

These super editions will most always have a single point of view character for the entirety

of their book times, and often focus on characters or time periods that didn't get explored

in the main series.

None of these, save for the length, are hard and fast rules, but they are things that came

to be expected from super editions over the years.

Firestar's Quest specifically was written by Cherith Baldry, and it must have been a

daunting task to take on the longest single piece of Warriors content so far, with 38

total chapters and 510 pages of writing.

We'll see how she did.

Because Firestar's Quest takes place in the space between the original series and

the New Prophecy, rather than comparing its allegiances to The Sight, I will compare them

to the allegiances from The Darkest Hour.

On that front, Graystripe replaced Whitestorm as deputy, Darkstripe left Thunderclan and

was killed, and Thornclaw and Ashfur were made warriors, with those changes, along with

a couple of she-cats joining the elders, Thunderclan has 9 warriors instead of 10.

Also, Mousefur is, for some reason, now listed above Longtail in the allegiances, as the

highest warrior on the list.

Remember, she was a new, young warrior in the first book.

With Thornclaw, Brightheart, Ashfur, and Ferncloud being promoted and Tawnypaw leaving to join

Shadowclan, Bramblepaw is now the only apprentice remaining from The Darkest Hour's group,

but Sorrelpaw, Rainpaw, and Sootpaw have joined him, apprenticed to Sandstorm, Cloudtail,

and Thornclaw respectively, though technically Longtail is mentoring Sootpaw for the first

couple of chapters.

Willowpelt has moved out of the nursery but Ferncloud and Brightheart have both moved

in, so there are two queens, and Frostfur and Goldenflower moved to the elders' den,

but Smallear passed away, so there are now five elders rather than four in Thunderclan.

In the other clans, Blackstar has taken over for Tigerstar as Shadowclan's leader with

Russetfur as his deputy, and Littlecloud took over for Runningnose as their medicine cat

since Runningnose became an elder.

Mudclaw became Windclan's deputy since Deadfoot passed away, and Mistyfoot became Riverclan's

deputy after Stonefur was murdered and Leopardstar back control of her clan.

There is also a curious addition to the allegiances of this book, clan listings for both the modern

and ancient versions of something called “Skyclan” along with ancient versions for the four clans

we're aware of.

I'll spare you the trouble of listening to every one of them in list format, since

they are all new characters that we'll be introduced to over the course of the book.

The cast size for this book was 75 cats, which is actually a pretty average size as far as

the super editions will go.

That said, it feels like a much smaller cast since only half of the book is spent with

each smaller cast, half in Thunderclan and half in the gorge.

The top ten characters here have 79% of the lines, and aside from Firestar having a massive

percentage of that, the rest of the lines are split pretty evenly across Sandstorm,

Cinderpelt, and a bunch of the new and prominent cats in the group this book introduces. 44%

of the cast is she-cats, and they get 34% of the lines, which is actually one of the

highest percentages that a tom-led super edition ever gets.

But a lot of the cast are cats we have never met before, so let's begin with the story,

and we'll meet them as we go along.

The prologue opens with a scene from ancient times when Redstar led Thunderclan, Birchstar

led Riverclan, Swiftstar led Windclan, and Dawnstar led Shadowclan.

A gathering occurred at Fourtrees and the fifth clan, Skyclan, was late.

When they, led by Cloudstar, did arrive, it turns out that they brought their entire clan

because twolegs have taken over too much of their territory and they can't live in it

anymore.

Cloudstar begs the other leaders to give up some of their own territories, but one by

one, they all refuse, Redstar especially, and Skyclan is instead driven out of the forest.

Cloudstar is forced to leave his mate Birdflight and his kits behind since they are too young

to travel, and he declares that Skyclan will never forget what the other clans, or Starclan

have done to them by ignoring them in their most desperate moment.

Back in the present-ish day, we meet Firestar once again, three seasons after he became

leader.

He is giving Bramplepaw his assessment and despite…somehow, still having lingering

worries about his parentage, Firestar agrees that he has passed.

On their way back to the ravine, though, he witnesses the pale shape of a gray cat who

disappears before Firestar can discern any details.

After a poor night of sleep, both Sandstorm and Graystripe are worried about him, especially

considering no one else has seen the cat that he did.

Firestar brushes it off, though, and makes Bramplepaw a warrior, naming him Brambleclaw

and choosing to honor his courage and loyalty.

But yet again, Firestar sees the gray cat, this time as a silhouette in the clouds, and

soon starts getting visions of a large group of cats in a territory he's never seen.

While he tries to track down a reason for this, we learn that Brightheart is expecting

kits, see Longtail's eyes scratched and swollen by a rabbit, and see Brambleclaw and

Tawnypelt's first gathering as warriors.

Firestar sees the whole group of cats again at the gathering and decides to go to the

Moonstone and ask Starclan directly about what's going on.

He visits Ravenpaw and Barley on the way, and then makes his way into Mothermouth.

Meeting with Bluestar, he is first asked if he would be willing to walk away without any

answers, which he is very much not.

But it turns out that, out of shame, Starclan has been hiding this information for generations:

the existence and exile of the fifth clan: Skyclan.

Firestar assumes that this must mean Skyclan has been appearing to him because they want

him to save them, but Bluestar argues against this.

Skyclan's territory is still gone, there isn't any room for them, and he couldn't,

as Thunderclan's leader, abandon his clan for a moon or more to chase after a long-dead

clan.

Bluestar tries to use the “four trees four clans” argument again, this time in favor

of keeping one of the clans away, and Firestar gets even angrier than he was before, definitively

making the choice to go and save Skyclan, somehow.

After Sandstorm and Graystripe try to ask what's wrong and we see Longtail isn't

getting any better, and is losing hope, Firestar has another dream of Skyclan, this time interrupted

by Spottedleaf who tells him that if he is meant to help Skyclan, he will be shown how.

The next morning, Smudge comes to say that he thinks he has to live in the forest with

Firestar since he's been getting dreams that Firestar recognizes as being about Skyclan.

Firestar reassures him that he can stay as a kittypet but decides to spend a night sleeping

in Smudge's yard, with the new kittypet Hattie who lives in his old home, to connect

better to the Skyclan cats.

This was once Skyclan's territory so Cloudstar is able to reach him, though he doesn't

give his name since it's been so long since anyone used it.

Cloudstar tells him his side of the story, with a fair bit more vitriol towards Starclan

and the other clans, and explains that Skyclan broke up and scattered a long time ago.

He asks Firestar to go and rebuild his clan from the loners, rogues, and kittypets whose

ancestors were Skyclan cats and says that he waited for Firestar specifically since

he needed a strong leader who wasn't born in the clans that drove Skyclan out and hid

their history.

Firestar returns to Thunderclan, approves of Thornclaw's offer to take over for Longtail

in mentoring Sootpaw while Longtail is healing, hopefully, and goes on a patrol where a badger

attack occurs and Willowpelt dies saving Sootpaw.

That night, in his dreams, Silverstream offers him a fish…which may or may not provide

any sustenance in the waking world, and also encourages him to go find Skyclan, subtly

and through analogy to her and Graystripe's relationship.

Longtail still isn't doing better, also agrees to Thornclaw training Sootpaw, and

Firestar takes Graystripe and Sandstorm into the forest alone to finally tell them all

that's been happening.

They briefly believe he's leaving them to go back to his twolegs, considering how he

slept in Smudge's yard, but he explains the truth of the situation and Sandstorm demands

to go along with him to help Skyclan, dropping in the insecurity she holds that he still

loves Spottedleaf more than her, an idea that Firestar really doesn't do a good job of

refuting.

Cinderpelt gives Sandstorm a crash course in healing herbs, Firestar tells the clan

he and Sandstorm are leaving, but not why, and that Graystripe is in charge until they

get back, and after a last goodbye with Graystripe, they set off.

Typical journeying ensues: some hunting, running from a dog, a quick conversation about whether

Firestar would give up Thunderclan territory now to house Skyclan in (he does not answer,

by the way), and lots of walking through fields, across Thunderpaths, and along a river.

Along the way, Firestar doesn't listen to Sandstorm's ideas multiple times and acts

closer to a mentor with a brand new apprentice than a mate when he does let her do things,

which makes Sandstorm angry, especially when not listening to her gets their shelter flooded

in the middle of the night.

Sandstorm again accuses him of not wanting her there, and wanting Spottedleaf instead.

Firestar says that they're both important to him…which, again, is not the right answer

but it's enough to make her stay, but then Sandstorm also gets trapped across the river

from him.

Her being lost leaves Firestar terrified and desperate and makes him realize how much he

loves her, more than he cares about their mission, even.

Firestar comes across a group of loners named Stick, Cora, Coal, Snowy, and Shorty in his

search to find Sandstorm, and it turns out that Shorty actually saw Sandstorm in a tussle

with a twoleg.

Thanks to the loners, he and Sandstorm reunite soon enough, just in time to save Firestar

from a couple of angry kittypets, and they continue onward, much more unified and happier

than before.

After some more travel and a couple of Skyclan dreams pointing the way, they arrive at a

gorge that shows evidence of cats having lived there.

They don't find anyone there now, though, until a couple of young, rude kittypets shoot

pebbles at them as they sleep, and then run away.

Failing to find anyone else other than a rogue that Firestar gets in a disagreement with

over prey, Firestar and Sandstorm decide to go see the kittypets the following morning.

It is now Chapter 17 and we will finally see the first conversation with a Skyclan cat

to-be.

These guys are a brother and sister named Boris and Cherry, and they apparently expected

someone else, an old cat who goes to the gorge every full moon that they call Moony.

When Firestar and Sandstorm learn that he talks about Starclan, and comes to the gorge

on the full moon, they quickly decide that they have to talk to this cat, and so, soon,

they do, after making Boris and Cherry promise to stop bullying cats.

Moony is the last descendant of Skyclan who follows their traditions thanks to his mother's

mother's teachings, and his real name is Sky.

After taking some time to himself, Sky shows them around and tells them more about Skyclan,

particularly the gorge and their resources.

Firestar is ready to leave, seeing as the clan is gone, but Sky demands that he stay

to rebuild Skyclan and Firestar eventually agrees, deciding to start with Cherry and

Boris and giving them a lesson in hunting, storing, and sharing your food.

It turns out they have long and powerful legs like ancient Skyclan did, so Firestar decides

they are good fits.

Cherry and Boris actually had lots of fun with it and return for more the next day,

so Sandstorm and Firestar each take one of them for the day's training, with Firestar

telling Cherry all about who he is sure are her ancestors: ancient Skyclan.

It takes a while for them to agree to leave their twolegs, but by the next morning they

do, and Skyclan has its first two apprentices.

Firestar and Sandstorm go out to search for more cats, coming across a mother named Clover

trying to protect her kits, Rock, Bounce, and Tiny, who doesn't want to fight at all,

a fierce, standoffish, and authoritative rogue who eventually gives his name, Scratch, who

seems to just want the power a clan could offer, Sky himself, who doesn't believe

in the cats Firestar has found so far, and then some kittypet connections from Boris

and Cherry, Oscar, who wants nothing to do with them, Bella, who doesn't want to leave

her twolegs, Hutch, who seems open to at least learning more, and Rose and Lily, who can't

imagine living without the comfort of blankets and cream chicken.