A Clan in Need

A Clan in Need is the second book in the Ravenpaw's Path arc. Barley is the cat depicted in the center of the cover.

The Blurb

 * Ravenpaw and Barley have been driven away from their farm by a group of vicious cats. Now the two loners must turn to ThunderClan, led by Ravenpaw's friend Firestar, for shelter. Firestar takes them in promises to help them take back their home as soon as possible, but ThunderClan is in great danger. BloodClan cats have been launching raids on ThunderClan's territory and attacking Clan patrols. Can Ravenpaw and Barley help Firestar and his Clan fight off their enemies? And will they ever be able to get home again?

The Praise

 * "Jolley does a fine job of capturing the essence of Erin Hunter's Warriors series and integrating the numerous Clans with their differing codes and loyalties into a tightly paced plot. Readers unfamiliar with the earlier books can easily become immersed in the story, save for the slight confusion of Barley being the main focal point of the cover when Ravenpaw is the narrator. Otherwise, sharply drawn feral and ferocious expressions heighten tension whenever there is a standoff and add a proper dose of frenzy to the action scenes. The black-and-white drawings may have some children lamenting the chance to see the colors of the gloriously described cat fur, but ultimately it won't matter with Warriors fans clamoring for anything related to the series."
 * -Joanna K. Fabicon, School Library Journal

Detailed Plot Summary

 * The story starts out with Ravenpaw waking up in the Moonstone cave. Barley is asleep, dreaming. When he wakes up with a shriek, Ravenpaw wonders what is wrong. Barley tells his friend that he was dreaming of how, when he lived in BloodClan, he had three littermates. After leaving their mother to fend for themselves, Barley and his sister, Violet, continued living together. It is against BloodClan rules for families to stay together, so when they were caught, they were brought before Scourge. As a punishment, Violet was attacked and nearly killed by her and Barley's brothers, Jumper and Hoot, who had renamed themselves Ice and Snake.


 * After Barley is finished, Ravenpaw tells him that ThunderClan will help them. And with that they set off. But, as they are crossing WindClan territory, they encounter a patrol of warriors. At first, the patrol thinks that Barley and Ravenpaw have kidnapped Crowkit, a young gray kit that can't seem to keep out of trouble. When the patrol's leader, Mudclaw, sees that it's Ravenpaw and Barley, he tells the patrol that these cats are friends. Ravenpaw promises to help look for Crowkit and the patrol leaves. Ravenpaw suggests that they travel to ThunderClan through Fourtrees, that way Barley can see what it's like when there isn't a fight going on there. As they pass by the Great Rock, they find Crowkit struggling to climb to the top. Suddenly, there is a screech from nearby. Mudclaw's patrol has crossed the ThunderClan border to accuse Dustpelt's patrol of stealing Crowkit. A fight is narrowly avoided when Ravenpaw and Barley appear with the kit.


 * Their mission accomplished, the WindClan patrol leaves with Crowkit. Reluctantly, Dustpelt agrees to take Barley and Ravenpaw to Firestar. When they reach the ThunderClan camp, they are greeted by several cats including Brightheart. As they pass by the Nursery, they meet Sandstorm and her daughters,Squirrelkit and Leafkit. As Ravenpaw congratulates Sandstorm about the kits, Firestar appears. He is curious to know what has bought Barley and Ravenpaw to the Clan. They tell him everything, and Firestar tells them he will help, but first they must rest. As they are resting, somebody calls for Cinderpelt. Ravenpaw goes to Firestar to find out what's wrong, and he learns that BloodClan cats have been attacking patrols. Firestar must help ThunderClan before he can send anyone to save the farm.


 * The next morning, Ravenpaw and Barley go on a hunting patrol with Graystripe and Cloudtail. As they return, they are attacked by BloodClan cats. There is a short fight, during which one of the BloodClan cats, Snipe, seems to recognize Barley. When another ThunderClan patrol arrives, the BloodClan cats flee. The prey was ruined in the fight. When they return to camp, Barley hints to Ravenpaw that he might have known Snipe before. Shortly afterwards, Firestar and Graystripe ask Barley for help in finding BloodClan's home in the Twolegplace, as he might remember. Barley takes offense and runs off into the forest. Ravenpaw goes to him and tells him that he must tell Firestar anything he knows, because ThunderClan is starving.


 * The next morning, Rainpaw and Sorrelpaw leave to go hunting. As Ravenpaw tries to think of ways to coax information out of Barley, Rainpaw runs back into camp. He says that they were attacked by BloodClan and that Sorrelpaw is hurt. They find her and they bring her back to camp. Barley sees that what happened to him and Violet is happening to other cats. With that thought in mind, he goes to Firestar to tell everything he knows. Barley tells Firestar about Snipe and that he really doesn't know much more. Ravenpaw suggests that Violet might know more. After all, she still lives in Twolegplace. The next day, Ravenpaw and Barley leave to find her. When they do, she tells them that BloodClan may be getting organized again. Violet leads them to a friend of her's, Mitzi. Mitzi's son, Fritz, was kidnapped by BloodClan one moon before. She followed the cats when they took him and learned where their home was. She then gladly takes them there.


 * Violet, Barley, and Ravenpaw return to ThunderClan to tell Firestar where the BloodClan cats live. He gathers a battle patrol and tells them to show no mercy during the fight to come. The patrol slips out of camp and heads to the place that Mitzi showed them. When they arrive, they find all of BloodClan assembled before Ice and Snake. Violet and Barley's brothers are the new leaders of BloodClan and suddenly, surprisingly, Violet walks forward to them. She calls to them, telling them that their names are Jumper and Hoot and that she is their sister. Seeming to have forgotten about their kin, Ice and Snake are ready to let BloodClan slaughter her when Barley leaps up too. Upon sight of their brother, they are reminded of that day, seasons ago, when they tried to kill their sister. Now, they want to try again.


 * That's when Firestar gives the order to attack. BloodClan and ThunderClan become a single, fighting mass. And then, suddenly, the battle is over. Ice and Snake start walking over to them when suddenly Barley and Violet pounce, catching their brothers by surprise. Seeing that they are about to be beaten, they plead for mercy. Barley says that they've been attacking cats and stealing prey, so now they must pay. Ice and Snake try to wriggle out of punishment by claiming that they never did anything. It was the rest of BloodClan. With that, BloodClan turns on them and they drive their leaders away. Only one cat stays behind. It is Fritz, Mitzi's son. He, Barley and Violet leave to go back to Violet's housefolk and Fritz's housefolk. Firestar promises Ravenpaw that when his clan has rested, he will lead a patrol to drive Willie and his group of rogues from the farm.

Publication List

 * A Clan in Need (EN), HarperCollins (paperback),23 March 2010
 * Rabenpfotes Abenteuer (DE),Tokyopop (paperback), 12 May 2011
 * На подмогу племени (RU), OLMA Media Group (paperback) 2012