Rising Storm

Rising Storm is the fourth book in the Original arc. The cat on the left of the cover is Cloudpaw.

Dedication

 * To Denise - this is as close to a song as I could get

The Blurb

 * Fire Alone Can Save Our Clan...


 * Fireheart's traitorous enemy Tigerclaw has been vanquished and exiled from ThunderClan, but Fireheart can't shake the feeling that he's lurking out there in the forest, waiting for the chance to strike.


 * That's not the only problem facing the young ThunderClan deputy in these blazing summer months, as he struggles to handle ominous omens, a disrespectful apprentice with a shocking secret, and a devastated Clan leader who is a shell of her former self.


 * Meanwhile, the forest gets hotter and hotter... and everyone braces for the coming storm...

The Praise

 * "Hunter once again tells a good, suspenseful adventure story that urges readers onward, and teens may find their own journey toward adulthood echoed in the protagonist's struggles and self-doubts. Although background from earlier books may be useful, this can be read on its own; a handy list of characters at the beginning of the book will help readers keep track of Hunter's large cast."
 * - Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)


 * "Certain to please any young reader who has ever wondered what dreams of grandeur may haunt the family cat."
 * - Publishers Weekly

Detailed Plot Summary

 * In the prologue, Runningnose, the ShadowClan medicine cat, is watching over Nightstar, as he is gravely ill, and so are many other ShadowClan cats. Runningnose then hears the terrifying screech of an owl, he is worried, because owls are an omen of death. As he searchs the night sky for Silverpelt, he realises the swath of stars is covered with clouds, and he wonders if their warrior ancestors had abandoned them because of the sickness. Then, the clouds shift to reveal a single star and a frail beam of light is sent through the den as Nightstar breathes a long and steady breath. Runningnose is hopeful that StarClan is still watching ShadowClan. As he raises his head and gives silent thanks to StarClan, he hears spirits whispering in his head, telling him about a glorious future for ShadowClan.


 * Then, the owl that had screeched earlier, flies over the den roof, covering the star and plunging the den into blackness, and scratching the den roof with its talons. Runningnose shrinks down onto his belly. He thinks the owl must have scented the sickness on Nightstar, and come looking for easy prey; however, the owl then flies away, but the star disappears. Runningnose hears cats fretting about the owl, asking if it took any kits and why it had come so close to the camp, and leaves the den to calm them down. He then tells them about ShadowClan's glorious future.


 * Fireheart is ThunderClan's new deputy, but the exiled Tigerclaw still haunts his dreams. He wonders if ThunderClan would be ready if Tigerclaw attacked. Most of the cats are still shocked about Tigerclaw's disloyalty and many warriors are badly injured after the fight with the rogues led by Tigerclaw. The elders are worried about the broken deputy ceremony, and agree that Fireheart's deputyship will be a dark time for the Clan.


 * Bluestar does not seem like herself, her spirit and pride had been damaged by the shock of Tigerclaw's betrayal. She refuses to do the required leader duties, and Fireheart has to watch over the Clan and organize everything, from organizing patrols to appointing mentors. At one point, Bluestar decides to visit the Moonstone to get advice from StarClan, but a WindClan patrol does not let her pass, being hostile to ThunderClan since they sheltered Brokentail. As a result, Bluestar slips into further paranoia, concluding that StarClan does not want to help her Clan.


 * Soon, mysterious ShadowClan scents are found on the territory. Two ShadowClan warriors, Littlecloud and Whitethroat, both reeking with sickness, stumble to the ThunderClan camp asking for herbs. Yellowfang immediately recognizes the sickness and sends the two cats away. Not long after, Fireheart finds Cinderpelt treating to the ShadowClan warriors in secret, her compassion helping her find the right herbs to heal the two cats. He makes her promise to send them away once they recovered.


 * Fireheart must also put up with his disrespectful nephew and apprentice Cloudpaw, who does not care for The Warrior Code, and frequently visits Twolegplace to accept food from a Twoleg. One day, Cloudpaw is caught by a Twoleg, put in a monster, and taken away. The Clan cats conclude that Cloudpaw willingly chose to return to his kittypet life. Later, Ravenpaw comes to ThunderClan and announces that he saw a white cat locked in a Twoleg Nest close to his territory. Fireheart and Sandstorm conclude that it must be Cloudpaw and, along with Ravenpaw, got to rescue him. When they find Cloudpaw, he decides to rejoin the Clan, and Bluestar allows him to do so. During the summer months, the relationship between Sandstorm and Fireheart grows even more.


 * Tigerclaw and a group of Brokentail's old rogues attack a ThunderClan patrol near the Thunderpath. When Fireheart leads a patrol to investigate what happened, they discover Runningwind's body with Whitethroat bending over him. Thinking he killed Runningwind, Fireheart attacks Whitethroat and chases him onto the Thunderpath, where he is hit by a monster and dies. Tigerclaw reveals himself and fights Fireheart, promising to destroy ThunderClan. The rogues show up as well, but a RiverClan patrol, comprising of Graystripe, Leopardfur, Blackclaw, and Webfoot appears to help ThunderClan. Fireheart tells the Clan that Tigerclaw and his rogues want revenge, and he makes sure the camp is guarded day and night.


 * Meanwhile the weather gets hotter and drier, and eventually a fire sweeps through the forest. The cats evacuate the camp and head for the river. When they discover that Halftail, Patchpelt and Bramblekit are missing, Fireheart and Yellowfang return to the camp to search for them. Fireheart rescues Patchpelt and Bramblekit, but Yellowfang and Halftail get trapped by a burning tree and Fireheart is forced to leave them. The cats cross the river to be safe from the fire, and Crookedstar lets them shelter in RiverClan territory.


 * After the fire is put out, Fireheart and Graystripe go and see what is left of the ThunderClan camp. They find the forest blackened and charred, with no undergrowth, and no prey. In the camp, Fireheart finds Yellowfang still alive, and before she dies, she reveals that Brokentail was her son, and that she has killed him. Later, ThunderClan returns to their own territory, and the warriors are hard at work trying to rebuild their destroyed camp. They hope the forest will grow back and prey will return soon.


 * At the next Gathering, Bluestar refuses to go, and Fireheart leads the ThunderClan party. They learn that after both Nightstar and Cinderfur died from a sickness, Tigerclaw becomes the new leader of ShadowClan, much to Fireheart and the rest of ThunderClan's shock.

Publication History

 * Rising Storm (EN), HarperCollins (hardcover), 4 January 2004
 * Rising Storm (EN), HarperCollins (paperback), 1 January 2005
 * Бушующая стихия (RU), OLMA Media Group (hardcover), 12 May 2005, translated by Veronica Maximova
 * Rising Storm (EN), HarperCollins Children (paperback), 2006
 * Bão Nổi (VI), Da Nang (unknown binding), December 2006, translated by Huong Lan
 * 폭풍전야 (KR), Kyobo (unknown binding) 5 February 2007, translated by Kim Yi Seon
 * Avant la tempête (FR), Pocket Jeunesse (paperback), 15 March 2007, translated by Aude Carlier
 * ファイヤハートの挑戦 (JP), Komine Shoten (hardcover), 15 June 2007, translated by Yukako Takabayashi
 * 風暴將臨 (ZH), Morning Star (unknown binding), 15 November 2008, translated by Gao Mei
 * 风起云涌 (ZH), China Children's Publishing (paperback), 1 January 2009, unknown translator
 * ファイヤハートの挑戦 (JP), Komine Shoten (hardcover), 20 May 2009, translated by Yukako Takabayashi
 * Vor dem Sturm (DE), Verlagsgruppe Beltz (hardcover), August 2009, translated by Klaus Weimann
 * Rising Storm (EN), HarperCollins (e-book), 13 October 2009
 * Vor dem Sturm (DE), Verlagsgruppe Beltz (audiobook), November 2009, translated by Klaus Weimann, narrated by Marlen Diekhoff
 * Kyla audra (LT), Garnelis (unknown binding), 2010, translated by Danguole Žalytė
 * Myrsky nousee (FI), Art House (hardcover), September 2010, translated by Vesa-Matti Paija
 * Voor de storm (NL), Fantoom (hardcover), 27 November 2010, translated by Huberte Vriesdorp
 * Uvejret kommer (DK) Sohn (hardcover), 11 May 2012, unknown translator