Hawkfrost said it would be a perfect place for the RiverClan camp. Imagine! One Clan taking the whole Island! And anyway, how would their kits and elders manage the swim from the lakeshore? But StarClan had other plans. They wanted the Island to be the place of Gatherings, a neutral place for the Clans to meet, like Fourtrees.
A huge storm blew in. Mudclaw tried to snatch the leadership of WindClan away from Onewhisker, but we chased him off, down to the lakeshore. Then a bolt of fire struck a tree on the Island and brought it crashing down on the lakeside, crushing Mudclaw.
Onewhisker was the rightful leader of WindClan, and to prove it, StarClan had sent us a way to get to the Island for Gatherings.
Now every full moon, the Gathering takes place in the clearing at the center of the Island, surrounded by bushes and trees. The leaders look down on all the Clans from the branches of a tree, with their deputies on the roots below.
It’s a strong and safe place. And best of all, it belongs to all the Clans now.
Sun-Drown-Place
Not far from the Clan’s new lakeside home, there is a vast expanse of water known as the sun-drown-place. Here the sun sinks into the sea every night as if it were being swallowed up. The water is strangely salty and roars as it beats the shore. This is where Midnight the badger lives. This is where the questing cats were sent to learn that the Clans had to leave the forest and travel to a new home.
Icould barely lift my paws to follow the others. The air was filled with the smell of salt, and beneath the shrieking of strange birds I could hear a distant roaring sound. I thought the giant cats of LionClan were prowling out of sight.
Then we reached the top of a cliff, and there below us was a sandy slope stretching down to the water. I didn’t know there was room in the world for so much water. We couldn’t even see the end of it. It was frothing and roaring and leaping up onto the sand. The sun was a flame-red ball on the horizon; we watched it sink into the water, leaving the world dark.
Brambleclaw led the way along the cliff, which slanted closer to the water the farther we went. The edge of the cliff was jagged. I could see the frothing water through cracks in the rock. It was through one of these cracks that Brambleclaw fell, with Squirrelpaw and me tumbling after him.
The salty water got into our mouths and stung our eyes. It wanted to drag us away. But we swam to dry ground. This was the cave we’d been looking for.
Of course, Feathertail found a better way down, using a series of ledges along the cliff wall. That’s how Midnight gets in and out.
Who’s Midnight? Oh, she’s a badger. But we’ll get to her story later…
Ceremonies
Leaders
Clan leaders are the heart of the Clan; their personality affects how the Clan operates and how their warriors treat one another and the world around them. It is up to the Clan leaders to set a good example and guide their Clanmates along the path of the warrior code. They are responsible for calling Clan meetings, appointing warriors, mentors, and apprentices, and deciding Clan policy and strategy with the help of their deputy and any cats they choose to consult for advice (usually the medicine cat, the elders, or senior warriors).
When a cat becomes Clan leader, he or she must travel to the Moonstone (or after the Clans moved to the lake, the Moonpool) and share tongues with the warrior ancestors of StarClan. The Clan’s medicine cat accompanies them on the journey but leaves them alone for the ceremony, in which the leader is granted eight extra lives and a new name with “star” at the end (Bluestar, Firestar, etc.).
This process can be surprising and painful, but it is important for leaders to be able to fight fiercely for their Clan and live long enough to pass along their wisdom and prepare a new leader.
During the ceremony, each life is given to the new leader by a cat whose life was significant to the new leader in some way (see Firestar’s Nine Lives).
When a leader loses a life, she or he blacks out for a short period of time, during which that cat visits StarClan and speaks with its warrior ancestors. On returning to consciousness, the leader must still recover from the injury or illness that felled him or her. Medicine cats can usually tell how many lives a leader has left, although the number is kept secret from rival Clans.
Firestar’s Nine Lives
Lionheart The brave former ThunderClan deputy gave Firestar a life with the gift of courage, to defend his Clan in battle.
Redtail Firestar ever met Bluestar’s first deputy, but he worked hard to uncover the truth about Redtail’s murder. For this reason, Redtail gave him a life with the gift of justice, to judge his Clanmates fairly.
Silverstream The beautiful RiverClan tabby, the love of Graystripe’s life, gave Fireheart the gift of loyalty to what he knows to be right. This understanding would guide him even beyond the reach of the warrior code.
Runningwind The swift ThunderClan warrior presented his life with the gift of tireless energy, so Firestar could serve his Clan to the utmost.
Brindleface With this life, Brindleface gave Firestar the same desire to protect his Clan that a mother has for her kits. He expected this to be a warm, nurturing feeling, but instead he felt it as the fiercest anger burning in his claws, ready to slash and kill to defend his Clanmates.
Swiftpaw This young apprentice strayed from the Clan into the jaws of a dog pack. He gave Firestar the gift of mentoring.
Yellowfang Compassion was Yellowfang’s gift, the compassion of a medicine cat for all those who need her help. It is an important gift for a leader, who must be mindful of cats weaker than himself.
Spottedleaf With her life, the young medicine cat gave Firestar love, signaling her approval of his love for Sandstorm.
Bluestar Firestar’s leader and mentor gave him his last life, along with the gifts of nobility, certainty, and faith, so that he would be able to lead his Clan in the way of the warrior code for all nine of his lives.
Deputies
“I say these words before the body of Redtail, so that his spirit may hear and approve my choice. Lionheart will be the new deputy of ThunderClan.”
AClan’s deputy is chosen by the leader, to assist in taking care of the Clan. To qualify, a warrior must have had an apprentice and must be strong and brave, with the qualities needed to take on leadership of the Clan if necessary.
The deputy presides over Clan meetings when the leader is absent, stands in for the leader at Gatherings if the leader is ill, organizes daily patrols, and oversees the training of apprentices.
According to the warrior code, when a deputy dies or steps down, the leader must announce a new deputy before moonhigh.
Deputies stop being deputies if:
✥ the Clan leader dies, leaving the deputy to take over as leader.
✥ the deputy retires and becomes an elder.
✥ the deputy commits a crime against the warrior code and is demoted or driven from the Clan.
✥ the deputy dies or is killed in battle.
Apprentices
“By naming apprentices, we show that ThunderClan will survive and remain strong. Birchkit, from now on you will be known as Birchpaw… Ashfur, you are ready for an apprentice. You will be Birchpaw’s mentor.”