Fire and Ice

Fire and Ice is the second volume in the Original Series of six Warriors books. The cats on the cover are Fireheart and Graystripe.

The Blurb

 * "Fireheart is a ThunderClan warrior cat now, but danger still lurks in the forest - and possibly closer than he thinks. With the chill of winter setting in, the cats of rival RiverClan are growing restless, while WindClan is weak and facing threats from all sides.


 * "As tensions build up to an explosive climax, Fireheart faces not only imminent battle, but betrayal from within his own Clan.


 * "Fire alone can save our Clan..."
 * WHAT ABOUT CLOUDKIT!!! Thats what i pay attention to. And what about what happens to Cinderpaw? And what about Silverstream and Graystripe, hmmm?
 * WHAT ABOUT CLOUDKIT!!! Thats what i pay attention to. And what about what happens to Cinderpaw? And what about Silverstream and Graystripe, hmmm?

The Praise

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


 * "A suspenseful animal adventure that will leave readers eyeing Puss a bit nervously."
 * "Hunter’s world keeps getting more finely drawn, and her characters more complex. With enough backstory for newcomers to find their way, established fans will be on edge for the next title."
 * -Kirkus Reviews


 * "A fast-paced animal adventure. Recommend this series to fans of animal fantasies such as Redwall and Dark Portal."
 * -Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)


 * "Grade 5 Up-After having left his life as a kittypet, apprentice Firepaw of the ThunderClan has been given his warrior name of Fireheart and his first mission-to find the WindClan and assist them back to their traditional hunting grounds. While he and his friend Graystripe are successful in their quest, Fireheart knows that trouble is brewing, and he isn't sure that the ThunderClan's deputy can be trusted. As events escalate, a warrior from RiverClan is accidentally killed, an apprentice is injured, and Fireheart brings into the Clan a kittypet kitten-his nephew-without thinking of the consequences. Finally, he must decide who to trust and who to fight."
 * -School Library Journal


 * "Gr. 6-9. Firepaw, the former kittypet who became a ThunderClan warrior in Into the Wild, faces danger and treachery within and without his clan as he struggles with his identity. Because some clan members refuse to accept him, he feels like an outsider. Also, it appears that ShadowClan and RiverClan are forming an alliance to usurp land belonging to the displaced WindClan. ThunderClan's leader sends Firepaw and his friend Graystripe to lead WindClan back to its home, but intrigue among the clans and among individuals within them spells trouble for Firepaw. Characters remain true to their feline natures, adding to the plausibility of events in this tension-filled story. Readers will be happy to learn that another episode is in the works.
 * -Booklist

Detailed Plot Summary

 * The book begins where the first book, Into the Wild, ended, with the two new warriors, Graystripe and Fireheart finishing their nighttime vigil.


 * Bluestar then assigns the two warriors with the task of bringing WindClan, who were forced out of their home by Brokenstar, the former ShadowClan leader, back to their original home on the moor.


 * Graystripe and Fireheart journey into WindClan territory, running into some RiverClan cats. They find WindClan far past Highstones and in a tunnel under a tangle of Thunderpaths, where they spot Twolegs. The two warriors convince WindClan to come home, and are provided with a WindClan escort home. On their way back to ThunderClan, they decide to take a short cut by the gorge in RiverClan territory. They are caught by a RiverClan patrol, which forces them into a fight. A ThunderClan patrol arrives to help their fellow Clan mates. Graystripe is engaged in battle with Whiteclaw, a RiverClan warrior near the edge of the gorge. Graystripe nearly tumbles off the cliff, while his opponent Whiteclaw falls into the roaring river below, drowning. Fireheart also saves Sandpaw from falling off the cliff.


 * Later, Graystripe is given Brackenkit as an apprentice, and Fireheart is given Cinderkit to mentor.


 * One day, Graystripe, Fireheart, Brackenpaw, and Cinderpaw go out hunting. They rest at Sunningrocks for a while when Graystripe sees a vole out on the ice, and run out to catch it. The ice breaks beneath him, and he falls into the river. Fireheart tries to rescue him, but to no avail. Silverstream, a RiverClan cat and the daughter of Crookedstar, then saves Graystripe's life. When she asks Graystripe what he was doing, he replies, "Drowning?". Silverstream returns to her side of the border, and Fireheart and the two apprentices take Graystripe back to camp.


 * Fireheart later realizes Graystripe keeps slipping out of camp, and when Tigerclaw tells Fireheart to tell Graystripe that he's confined to camp because of his cold, Graystripe gets worried, now knowing Tigerclaw was noticing his disappearances. Eventually, Fireheart follows Graystripe out of camp, and is shocked to find out that Graystripe is actually meeting with Silverstream, his rescuer. Fireheart hides for a while and watches them, but then breaks his cover and tells them that their relationship has to stop. Silverstream returns to RiverClan, and Graystripe and Fireheart return to camp.


 * Fireheart tries to discourage them from seeing each other, but it doesn't work. Graystripe finally says that he will only meet her at Gatherings, but later on in the book, Fireheart realizes Graystripe has been seeing her secretly again.


 * Fireheart trains both Cinderpaw and Brackenpaw while Graystripe is absent, just to keep Brackenpaw out of camp in case cats start wondering.


 * One day, Dustpaw returns to camp, saying Tigerclaw had a message for Bluestar about ShadowClan stealing prey, wanting her to come see the proof. However, Bluestar is sick with greencough, and as Fireheart had to go gather catmint for her, he tells Dustpaw that he'd go get the catmint and then go tell Tigerclaw that Bluestar couldn't come. Dustpaw doesn't agree at first, saying Tigerclaw wanted Bluestar to come, but Fireheart is backed up by Yellowfang. Cinderpaw bursts out of the apprentice's den, saying she could go take the message to Tigerclaw. Fireheart tells his apprentice no, and goes to get the catmint. Fireheart leaves and gets the catmint from Twolegplace, but when he returns, he finds Cinderpaw to be missing. Immediately realizing that Cinderpaw had gone to take the message to Tigerclaw anyway, he runs to the Thunderpath, finding her having being hit by a Twoleg monster. He drags her back to camp, her hind leg broken.


 * When all the warriors are out on patrol with the exception of Fireheart, Brokenstar and his band of rogues attack the ThunderClan camp. Fireheart leads the defense and originally heads straight for Brokenstar, but then sees Clawface, the cat who murdered Spottedleaf. Clawface is in position to kill Fireheart until Graystripe, who arrived to get Tigerclaw, who was on patrol, because Bluestar found prey bones with Brokenstar's scent on them, kills Clawface by biting his spine. ThunderClan wins the fight, and drives out all except for Brokenstar, who loses a life and becomes blind. ThunderClan takes him in as a prisoner until his wounds heal.
 * A fight with WindClan against RiverClan and ShadowClan tests Fireheart's and Graystripe's loyalty to their Clan. Graystripe attacks only the ShadowClan warriors, and it is very clear that his loyalties have been divided. Silverstream attacks Fireheart thinking he is someone else. She lets him go when Graystripe cries "Silverstream! No!", but Fireheart instinctively pins her down afterward. He only lets her go when he sees a horrified-looking Graystripe. Unfortunately, Darkstripe sees him, and later tells Tigerclaw. At one point in the battle, Fireheart gets attacked by Leopardfur, RiverClan's deputy. Tigerclaw stood nearby, but did nothing except watch while Leopardfur prepares to kill Fireheart. Fireheart is certain now that Tigerclaw can never be trusted.
 * A fight with WindClan against RiverClan and ShadowClan tests Fireheart's and Graystripe's loyalty to their Clan. Graystripe attacks only the ShadowClan warriors, and it is very clear that his loyalties have been divided. Silverstream attacks Fireheart thinking he is someone else. She lets him go when Graystripe cries "Silverstream! No!", but Fireheart instinctively pins her down afterward. He only lets her go when he sees a horrified-looking Graystripe. Unfortunately, Darkstripe sees him, and later tells Tigerclaw. At one point in the battle, Fireheart gets attacked by Leopardfur, RiverClan's deputy. Tigerclaw stood nearby, but did nothing except watch while Leopardfur prepares to kill Fireheart. Fireheart is certain now that Tigerclaw can never be trusted.


 * Also, Fireheart is reunited with his sister, Princess, a kittypet living in Twoleg place early in the book. After Cinderpaw is crippled by her Thunderpath accident, Princess gives Fireheart her oldest kit, Cloudkit, to take into the Clan so that her brother can have another apprentice. Fireheart agrees to take the kit, but the rest of the Clan are reluctant to accept him because of his kittypet blood. The only cats to give Fireheart support are Frostfur and Graystripe, even though Fireheart and Graystripe didn't seem to be great friends at the time. Even so, Bluestar names Fireheart's nephew Cloudkit (without a naming ceremony) and allows him to stay, and Brindleface becomes his "foster mother." Brindleface is originally reluctant to feed Cloudkit, but gives in at the sight of the helpless kit. At the end of the book, Fireheart tells Graystripe that his relationship with Silverstream is his own thing to work out and that he won't try to interfere with it anymore, and their friendship seems to be back to normal again.