Warriors: The New Prophecy facts for kids
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Midnight Moonrise Dawn Starlight Twilight Sunset |
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| Author | Erin Hunter |
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| Illustrator | Wayne McLoughlin |
| Country | United Kingdom/United States/Canada |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature Fantasy |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Published | 10 May 2005 - 26 December 2006 |
Warriors: The New Prophecy is the second big story arc in the popular Warriors book series. These books are all about wild cats who live in four special groups called Clans. These Clans follow a set of rules, known as the warrior code, to keep peace among themselves.
This exciting story arc has six books. They were published between 2005 and 2006. The books are Midnight, Moonrise, Dawn, Starlight, Twilight, and Sunset. HarperCollins publishes these novels under the pen name Erin Hunter. This name is used by authors Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry, along with story editor Victoria Holmes.
The New Prophecy tells the tale of the Clans' long journey to find a new home. This happens after humans, whom the cats call Twolegs, destroy their old territories. The stories explore important ideas like forbidden love and how characters can be a mix of good and bad. The books have been very popular, even appearing on the New York Times Bestseller List.
Contents
Who is Erin Hunter?
The Warriors series is written by a team of authors using the name Erin Hunter. This pen name, or pseudonym, is used by Cherith Baldry, Kate Cary, Tui Sutherland, and the series editor Victoria Holmes.
They use one name so that all the books in the series are kept together in libraries. Victoria Holmes chose "Erin" because she liked the name. "Hunter" was picked because it fit the theme of wild cats. It also helped the books be placed near those by Brian Jacques, an author the writers enjoyed.
Where Did the Ideas Come From?
The authors got their ideas for the series from real places in the United Kingdom. The four Clans—WindClan, RiverClan, ThunderClan, and ShadowClan—live in a made-up forest. This forest is based on England's New Forest. Another place that inspired the setting is Loch Lomond.
The special herbs the cats use for healing come from information found in a book called Culpeper's Herbal by Nicholas Culpeper. The authors were also inspired by other writers like J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis.
Cherith Baldry, one of the writers, shared that it was sad to write about the death of Feathertail in Moonrise. They had to make sure it was written in a way that was okay for younger readers.
Story Overview
The New Prophecy arc follows a group of cats on a dangerous quest. They must find a new home for their Clans before humans destroy their forest.
Midnight: The Journey Begins
About a year has passed since the last book, The Darkest Hour. Firestar, the leader of ThunderClan, now has two kits, Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw. Squirrelpaw is training to be a warrior. Leafpaw is training to be a medicine cat.
One day, StarClan, the cats' spirit ancestors, sends a scary warning to Leafpaw's mentor, Cinderpelt. It shows a tiger running through fire. Cinderpelt thinks this means Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw are in danger. Firestar decides to keep them apart.
In a dream, StarClan tells Brambleclaw, Feathertail, Crowpaw, and Tawnypelt to listen to "midnight." These four cats begin a journey towards the setting sun. Squirrelpaw and Stormfur join them. They meet an old loner cat named Purdy. He helps them reach the "sun-drown place," which is the ocean.
There, they find a wise badger named Midnight. She tells them that humans will destroy their forest. The cats must leave or die. Midnight also says a dying warrior will guide the Clans to their new home.
Moonrise: The Mountain Tribe
On their way back from Midnight, the questing cats decide to travel through a mountain range. There, they meet a group of cats called the Tribe of Rushing Water. The Tribe has their own ancestors, the Tribe of Endless Hunting.
The Tribe cats have a prophecy: a silver cat will save them from Sharptooth. Sharptooth is a fierce cougar that has been killing many Tribe members. The Tribe believes Stormfur is the silver cat. He is expected to protect them.
The Clan cats work together to trap Sharptooth in a cave. Their plan to poison him goes wrong. Feathertail jumps onto a stalactite (a pointy rock hanging from the cave roof). She makes it fall, killing both herself and Sharptooth. The Tribe then realizes Feathertail was the silver cat in their prophecy.
The five remaining cats continue their journey home. Back in the forest, the Clans start to feel the effects of the humans. Their food is scarce, and cats are being taken away.
Dawn: Finding a New Home
Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, Crowpaw, Stormfur, and Tawnypelt return to their Clans. They bring the urgent message: the Clans must move. The forest is being destroyed, and food is running out. Humans are building a new road.
Cats are also being captured by humans. Leafpaw, a ThunderClan apprentice, is taken. A rescue team saves her and other cats. But Graystripe is captured while helping them escape.
It is hard for Firestar to convince ShadowClan and RiverClan to leave. ShadowClan finally agrees when a tree cut down by humans falls into their camp. Midnight had said a "dying warrior" would show the way. This turns out to be the spirit of Mudfur, the RiverClan medicine cat who died. Mudfur appears as a shooting star, showing the Clans that their new home is beyond the mountains.
The Clans travel together through the mountains. Stormfur chooses to stay with the Tribe of Rushing Water. He has fallen in love with a Tribe cat named Brook Where Small Fish Swim. At the end of the book, the Clans find a new forest around a beautiful lake.
Starlight: Settling In
The four warrior Clans find their new home around the lake. During a meeting, Firestar makes Squirrelpaw a warrior, naming her Squirrelflight. The next day, the leaders send Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight, Crowfeather, Tawnypelt, and Mistyfoot to explore. They need to find new camps for each Clan.
They find a perfect spot for RiverClan, good for fishing. Then they find a pine forest that suits ShadowClan. Squirrelflight finds a large, hollow stone area. It is a perfect, sheltered camp for ThunderClan. They also find a moorland that Crowfeather thinks is good for WindClan. The Clans decide to move the next day.
After moving, the WindClan leader, Tallstar, is dying. He tells Firestar that he wants Onewhisker to be the next leader, not his deputy Mudclaw. Tallstar dies soon after. This makes Mudclaw very angry. Onewhisker becomes the new leader.
Brambleclaw starts spending more time with his half-brother, Hawkfrost. This worries Squirrelflight. Brambleclaw has a dream where his evil dead father, Tigerstar, praises him and Hawkfrost. Tigerstar says he has big plans for them.
One night, Leafpaw, a ThunderClan medicine cat apprentice, is led by the spirit of Spottedleaf to a pool of water. This pool reflects the stars. Leafpaw realizes this is a new place to talk to StarClan. It will replace the Moonstone from their old territory. This new place is called the Moonpool.
Later, Mistyfoot tells Firestar that Mudclaw and Hawkfrost have been meeting secretly. She suspects they are planning an attack on Onewhisker's followers. A battle starts on WindClan territory. During the fight, Crowfeather saves Leafpool from ShadowClan warriors and confesses his love for her. Brambleclaw fights Mudclaw. Hawkfrost saves Brambleclaw. Mudclaw claims he and Hawkfrost had a deal for Hawkfrost to become deputy. Hawkfrost denies this. Suddenly, lightning strikes a tree, crushing Mudclaw. The fallen tree forms a bridge to an island, which becomes the new Gathering place for all the Clans.
Twilight: Love and Loss
ThunderClan is still recovering from the battle with Mudclaw. Onewhisker travels to the Moonpool and becomes Onestar, the new leader of WindClan.
Leafpool struggles with her feelings for Crowfeather. She knows their love is forbidden for a medicine cat. They meet in secret. Cinderpelt finds out and confronts Leafpool. Leafpool decides to run away with Crowfeather. But after a night away, they hear about a badger attack on the Clans from Midnight. They return to help.
During the badger fight, Sorreltail starts having her kits. Cinderpelt stays to help her. Cinderpelt is killed by a badger while protecting Sorreltail and her new kits. ThunderClan starts losing the battle. But WindClan arrives to help, called by Midnight. Together, the two Clans drive the badgers away.
Sunset: A New Deputy and a Betrayal
After the badger attack, ThunderClan's camp is damaged. Brook Where Small Fish Swim and Stormfur help rebuild it. Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw's love grows stronger again.
Leafpool is sad about Cinderpelt's death. She cannot see Cinderpelt in StarClan.
After a long wait, Firestar finally accepts that his friend Graystripe, who was captured by humans, will not return. StarClan sends a dream to Leafpool saying Brambleclaw should be the new deputy. Firestar agrees and appoints Brambleclaw. Some cats object because Brambleclaw has not mentored an apprentice yet. Firestar says Brambleclaw will mentor Berrykit when he is old enough.
Tigerstar, an evil cat who is dead, keeps visiting his sons, Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw, in their dreams. When Brambleclaw becomes deputy, Tigerstar reveals his plan. He wants Brambleclaw to take over ThunderClan and WindClan. He wants Hawkfrost to take over RiverClan and ShadowClan. Brambleclaw refuses, but agrees to make a plan with Hawkfrost.
During their meeting, Brambleclaw hears a cat in pain. He finds Firestar caught in a fox trap. Hawkfrost urges Brambleclaw to kill Firestar so Brambleclaw can become leader. Brambleclaw struggles but refuses. He frees Firestar from the trap. Hawkfrost attacks Brambleclaw for betraying their father's plan. Brambleclaw kills Hawkfrost with the trap's sharp stick. Before he dies, Hawkfrost claims another ThunderClan warrior helped him. He says their fight is not over.
