Warriors (arc) facts for kids

Warriors: The Prophecies Begin is the very first series in the popular Warriors book collection. It's all about wild cats living in a forest! This first adventure has six books, published between 2003 and 2004. The books are: Into the Wild, Fire and Ice, Forest of Secrets, Rising Storm, A Dangerous Path, and The Darkest Hour.

These exciting stories are published by HarperCollins under the name Erin Hunter. This name actually belongs to a team of authors: Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, and their editor Victoria Holmes. The series tells the tale of Rusty, a housecat who decides to join ThunderClan. ThunderClan is one of four groups of wild cats living in a forest next to his human town. The books explore big ideas like forbidden friendships, whether nature or how you're raised shapes you, and that characters can be both good and bad. The Warriors books have even appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List!

The World of Warriors

In the Warriors world, four main groups of feral cats live in a big forest. These groups are called Clans: ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan. Each Clan has its own special hunting grounds and learns skills that fit their home. For example, RiverClan cats are good at fishing! The authors got ideas for the forest from real places like the New Forest in England, and also Loch Lomond and the Scottish Highlands in Scotland.

Meet the Clans

There's also a group called BloodClan. They are stray city cats who appear later in the story. BloodClan isn't considered a "true" Clan because they don't follow the same rules or believe in the spiritual ancestors that the other Clans do. They are seen as "rogues," meaning wild cats who don't respect the Clan ways.

StarClan: The Warrior Ancestors

StarClan is a special group of all the Clan cats who have passed away. They guide the living Clans from the spirit world. Most Clan cats join StarClan after they die. StarClan is said to be seen in the Milky Way (which the cats call Silverpelt), with each star being a spirit of a warrior. They often send messages and warnings to the Clans through dreams or other signs. Medicine cats, who are like healers, often go to a place called the Moonstone to talk with StarClan. The authors have said that StarClan can only "get glimpses" of the future, which they sometimes share.

The Main Story: Rusty's Journey

Warriors: The Prophecies Begin starts with a housecat named Rusty. He dreams of the wild forest beyond his backyard. One day, he bravely goes into the forest and is invited to join ThunderClan. He says yes and gets a new name: Firepaw!

As Firepaw grows, he becomes a warrior named Fireheart. He soon finds out that Tigerclaw, a powerful warrior in ThunderClan, wants to become leader by hurting the current leader, Bluestar. Fireheart eventually becomes the Clan's second-in-command after Tigerclaw fails and is sent away.

Later, Bluestar dies protecting her Clan from dangerous dogs. Fireheart then becomes the new leader, gaining nine lives and the name Firestar. Tigerstar (the former Tigerclaw) tries to take over all four Clans. He brings in BloodClan, a fierce group of city cats, to help him. But BloodClan's leader, Scourge, turns on Tigerstar and kills him! Scourge then tries to take over the forest himself. The four Clans must unite to fight BloodClan. Firestar loses one of his lives fighting Scourge, but he defeats him, saving the forest.

Book 1: Into the Wild

The story begins with a prophecy: "Fire alone can save our Clan." Rusty, a house cat, meets a young ThunderClan cat named Graypaw. ThunderClan's leader, Bluestar, sees how brave Rusty is when he stands up to Graypaw. She invites Rusty to join ThunderClan. Many cats don't trust him because he was a house cat, but Rusty accepts. He loses his collar and Bluestar renames him Firepaw. He becomes great friends with Graypaw and Ravenpaw. Firepaw soon learns that Tigerclaw, a strong warrior, secretly killed the previous second-in-command to get closer to becoming leader. Tigerclaw wants to silence Ravenpaw, who saw the crime. Firepaw and Graypaw help Ravenpaw escape to a safe barn. Later, Firepaw helps rescue stolen kits from another Clan. Because of his bravery, Bluestar makes him a warrior, naming him Fireheart. Graypaw also becomes a warrior, named Graystripe.

Book 2: Fire and Ice

Fireheart and Graystripe are now warriors! Their first big task is to find WindClan, another group of cats who were forced out of their home. They find them near busy roads and help them return. One day, Graystripe almost drowns while hunting near the river. He is saved by Silverstream, a warrior from RiverClan. They fall in love, even though it's against the warrior code (the rules all Clan cats follow). Fireheart tries to warn them, but they keep meeting.

Tigerclaw sets a trap for Bluestar near a road, hoping a car will hit her. But a young apprentice, Cinderpaw, gets hurt instead. She can no longer be a warrior, so she trains to become a medicine cat. Fireheart also meets his sister, Princess, a house cat. She gives him her first kit, Cloudkit, to raise in the Clan. Many Clan cats don't like Cloudkit because he has house cat blood, but Fireheart and Graystripe welcome him.

Book 3: Forest of Secrets

Fireheart is determined to prove that Tigerclaw is not to be trusted. This is risky, as Bluestar might think Fireheart is the disloyal one! Meanwhile, Graystripe continues his secret relationship with Silverstream from RiverClan. Sadly, Silverstream dies while giving birth to their kits. ThunderClan finds out about their forbidden love and struggles to trust Graystripe.

Later, Tigerclaw brings a group of rogue cats to attack ThunderClan camp, pretending to defend it. During the fight, Tigerclaw tries to kill Bluestar. Fireheart arrives just in time to save her! Tigerclaw is defeated and banished from the Clan. Bluestar is very shaken by Tigerclaw's betrayal. She then makes Fireheart the new second-in-command, even though it's late at night, which is against tradition. Fireheart isn't sure he'll be a good leader, but he knows this isn't the last he'll see of Tigerclaw.

Book 4: Rising Storm

Fireheart is now ThunderClan's new second-in-command, but he still worries about Tigerclaw. Bluestar also becomes very suspicious of her own Clan after Tigerclaw's betrayal. One day, Bluestar and Fireheart go to a special place to speak with StarClan. On their way, they are stopped by WindClan cats. Bluestar fears StarClan sent WindClan to stop them, making her even more paranoid.

During a hot summer, Fireheart struggles with his nephew, Cloudpaw, who is disrespectful. Cloudpaw secretly goes to humans for food and is eventually taken by them. Fireheart and Sandstorm rescue Cloudpaw. Fireheart keeps Cloudpaw's secret, and he is allowed back into the Clan. The forest gets hotter and hotter, and a huge fire sweeps through, destroying ThunderClan's camp. Two older cats and the medicine cat, Yellowfang, die in the fire. At a meeting of all the Clans, it's revealed that Tigerstar is now the new leader of ShadowClan.

Book 5: A Dangerous Path

A pack of wild dogs starts causing trouble in the forest. Fireheart suspects Tigerstar, ShadowClan's new leader, is behind it. He asks Brightpaw, a cat badly hurt by the dogs, what she remembers. She can only say "Pack, pack, kill, kill." A trail of dead rabbits is found leading to the camp, ending with Brindleface, a ThunderClan cat, who was killed by Tigerstar. The Clan is shocked and moves to a safer place.

Fireheart and the older warriors plan to lead the dogs over a cliff into a gorge. The plan works, with cats leading the pack closer and closer. Fireheart is the last one, keeping the dog leader close. Suddenly, Tigerstar appears and pins Fireheart down, leaving him to be killed by the dogs! As the dog gets very close, Bluestar bravely slams into it, saving Fireheart. Both the dog and Bluestar fall into the gorge. Fireheart jumps down and saves Bluestar from the river. Bluestar's secret kits, Stonefur and Mistyfoot from RiverClan, help pull her out. Bluestar asks them to forgive her for keeping their secret, and they do. Bluestar then tells Fireheart that he is the new leader of ThunderClan, saying, "You are the fire that saved my Clan." After this, she loses her last life. Fireheart is very sad. Mistyfoot and Stonefur offer to help carry Bluestar back to camp.

Book 6: The Darkest Hour

Firestar is now the leader of ThunderClan! He receives his nine lives from StarClan. During this special ceremony, Bluestar gives him a new prophecy: "Four will become two, Lion and Tiger will meet in battle and blood will rule the forest." Tigerstar tries to unite all four Clans, saying it will make them stronger. Leopardstar of RiverClan agrees, but Tallstar of WindClan and Firestar refuse to join this "TigerClan."

Firestar, Graystripe, and Ravenpaw visit RiverClan. They find that Graystripe's kits, Stormpaw and Featherpaw, and Bluestar's kits, Mistyfoot and Stonefur, are prisoners because they have mixed Clan blood. Firestar, Graystripe, and Ravenpaw rescue Mistyfoot, Stormpaw, and Featherpaw. Sadly, Stonefur is killed protecting the young cats.

Tigerstar tries to force Tallstar and Firestar to join him by showing them his alliance with BloodClan, a fierce group of rogues from the city. When the leaders still refuse, Tigerstar orders BloodClan to fight. But Scourge, BloodClan's leader, says he's in charge. Firestar then tells everyone about Tigerstar's cruel past. Scourge decides there will be no battle. Enraged, Tigerstar attacks Scourge, but Scourge quickly kills him, taking all nine of Tigerstar's lives at once! Scourge then gives the forest Clans three days to leave. To face this danger, the four Clans unite, forming "LionClan." Firestar kills Scourge in battle, though he loses one of his own lives. Without their leader, BloodClan scatters. The forest returns to normal, and the four Clans become independent again.

Book Details

All the books in Warriors: The Prophecies Begin have been released in both hardcover and paperback. They were first published in the United States and the United Kingdom. The books are also sold in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. They have been translated into many other languages, like Czech, Finnish, Japanese, French, Russian, and Korean. Some Chinese versions of the books even came with cool 3-D trading cards of the cats!