A Dangerous Path facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | Erin Hunter |
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| Cover artist | Wayne McLoughlin |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Warriors |
| Genre | Children's literature Fantasy novel |
| Published | 1 June 2004 (Avon) |
| Media type | Print (Paperback and Hardcover) |
| Pages | 336 |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-052565-1 |
| Preceded by | Rising Storm |
| Followed by | The Darkest Hour |
A Dangerous Path is an exciting fantasy novel. It's the fifth book in the popular Warriors series. A group of writers called Erin Hunter wrote it. Cherith Baldry wrote this specific book. The story is about a brave cat named Fireheart. He is the second-in-command of ThunderClan. Fireheart tries to keep his Clan safe. He works with his leader, who is very sick. They also face dangers from other cat Clans and wild dogs.
The book first came out in the US on June 1, 2004. It was a hardcover book. Later, it was also released as a paperback and an e-book. A Dangerous Path has been published in many countries. It has also been translated into other languages, like French and Chinese. Reviewers liked the book. They said it was full of tension and moved very fast.
Synopsis
Setting the Scene
The story happens in a make-believe forest. Four groups of wild cats live there. They are called ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan. Each Clan has its own area to live and hunt. They protect themselves from other Clans and wild animals. This book mostly follows Fireheart and his adventures in ThunderClan.
The forest in the book was inspired by real places. These include the New Forest in England. Other places like Loch Lomond and the Scottish Highlands also helped create the book's world.
What Happens in the Story
Trouble starts when prey begins to disappear from ThunderClan's land. Fireheart, the deputy, thinks Tigerstar is behind it. Tigerstar is the new, tricky leader of ShadowClan. Meanwhile, ThunderClan's leader, Bluestar, is very troubled. She believes the spirits of dead Clan cats, StarClan, have turned against her. She declares war on them, which shocks her Clanmates.
Bluestar makes Cloudpaw a warrior. She does this because he doesn't believe in StarClan. She ignores other young cats who are ready to become warriors. Two of these young cats, Swiftpaw and Brightpaw, decide to find the missing prey. They want to prove themselves worthy. But the "prey-stealers" are actually a huge pack of wild dogs. Swiftpaw is killed by the dogs. Brightpaw is badly hurt and loses part of her face. Bluestar thinks Brightpaw will die. She gives Brightpaw the warrior name Lostface, which is meant to shame her and StarClan.
Graystripe returns to ThunderClan from RiverClan. Some Clanmates wonder if he is still loyal.
Life in the Clan goes on, but Fireheart worries about the dogs. He asks Lostface what she remembers. She can only recall the words "Pack, pack, kill, kill." Whitestorm, an older warrior, tells Fireheart that dogs were smelled near Snakerocks. Fireheart goes to investigate.
On his way, Fireheart finds a trail of dead rabbits. The trail leads back to the ThunderClan camp. At the end of the trail is the body of Brindleface. She was a kind queen (mother cat) in ThunderClan. Tigerstar killed her to make the dogs want cat blood. Fireheart orders a patrol to remove the rabbits. Brindleface's death shocks everyone. After her quick burial, the camp is moved to Sunningrocks. This is to keep everyone safe from the dogs. Bluestar is still very troubled. So, it's up to Fireheart to protect ThunderClan and get rid of the dogs.
Fireheart and the older warriors come up with a plan. A group of cats will lead the dogs to a nearby gorge. Then, they will try to make the dogs fall off the edge. The plan works! Each cat successfully leads the pack closer to the gorge. They break away when it's time for the next cat to take over. Fernpaw and Ashpaw help lead the dogs. They do this to honor their mother, Brindleface. Fireheart is the last cat in line. He keeps a safe distance from the lead dog. Suddenly, Tigerstar jumps out and pins Fireheart down. He wants the dogs to catch Fireheart. Just as the lead dog gets very close, Tigerstar leaps away. He leaves Fireheart to be killed.
But then, Bluestar, with a clear mind again, crashes into the dog. She makes it let go of Fireheart. She also knocks the dog – and herself – over the edge of the gorge. Fireheart jumps down the cliff into the river to save Bluestar. He manages to grab her, but it's hard to keep their heads above water. Then, Bluestar's children from RiverClan, Stonefur and Mistyfoot, find them. They help drag Bluestar and Fireheart to the riverbank. There, Bluestar asks her kits to forgive her for hiding who their parents were. They forgive her. Bluestar then tells Fireheart that she realized her Clanmates were not all traitors. She also tells him that he is now the leader of ThunderClan. She says he was the "fire" who saved her life. With that, she loses her last life. Her spirit goes to StarClan to be with her mate and lost kit.
Fireheart is very sad. Mistyfoot asks if she and Stonefur can help carry Bluestar back to ThunderClan camp. They want to sit vigil for her.
Main Characters
- Fireheart: A young and brave deputy of ThunderClan.
- Tigerstar: The leader of ShadowClan. He used to be in ThunderClan. He attacked ThunderClan and was exiled.
- Bluestar: The troubled leader of ThunderClan.
- Stonefur: The deputy of RiverClan. He is Mistyfoot's brother and Bluestar's son.
- Mistyfoot: A warrior of RiverClan. She is Stonefur's sister and Bluestar's daughter.
- Cloudpaw (later Cloudtail): Fireheart's apprentice and nephew. He was born a housecat.
- Swiftpaw: A young apprentice who dies fighting the dog pack.
- Brightpaw (later Lostface): An apprentice who is badly hurt by the dog pack.
- Sandstorm: Fireheart's mate.
- Whitestorm: A senior warrior of ThunderClan.
- Brindleface: A kind ThunderClan queen (mother cat) who is killed by Tigerstar.
- Cinderpelt: ThunderClan's medicine cat. She has a permanent limp.
- Graystripe: Fireheart's best friend.
