Dark River

Dark River is the second volume in the Power of Three series.

The Blurb
The three children of Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw, grandchildren of the great leader Firestar, have thrived in their apprenticeships: Lionpaw's strength and energy serve him well as a warrior in training, Hollypaw hones her understanding of The Warrior Code, and Jaypaw explores his mysterious powers and connection to StarClan as a medicine cat apprentice.

With more experience comes both power and danger: Lionpaw makes a friend – and a discovery – that must be kept hidden; Jaypaw learns a secret that could benefit ThunderClan by damaging others; and Hollypaw knows something that could avert a battle, if she could convince the rest of her Clan.

The three are torn apart as each discovers darkness: in themselves, in the Clans, and in the past. And, as conflict begins over what it means to be a warrior, rising tensions threaten to overflow, washing away the peace that has existed for many moons.

Detailed Plot Summary
The prologue starts out with a cat from ancient times named Fallen Leaves, doing his ordeal to make him a 'sharpclaw', (presumably a warrior.) He goes down into some long winding tunnels, and finally into a cave, where he meets a tattered old tom named Rock. Rock asks if it is raining outside, but Fallen Leaves says no. Fallen Leaves now has to escape onto the moorland to complete this challenge.

Lionpaw's Story
Lionpaw strikes a small relationship with the young WindClan apprentice Heatherpaw, and the two sneak out nightly to meet. After being discovered by Hollypaw, they can't meet anymore. But soon, Heatherpaw discovers a series of tunnels leading into a cave with a river underground, and one of the tunnels leads onto ThunderClan territory. She and Lionpaw start meeting there where no cat can find them. One morning, when going back to camp, Lionpaw meets Tigerstar and Hawkfrost who say that they have been watching him, and are happy that he's becoming a warrior. One day, when exhausted during a training session with Ashfur, and ready to give up, Tigerstar motivates him, and shows him a fighting move. After a small border battle between ThunderClan and WindClan, Lionpaw realizes that he could have been fighting Heatherpaw there, and breaks off the relationship with her that night.

Hollypaw's Story
Hollypaw finds out at a Gathering that something is wrong with RiverClan. She wants to help, especially because of her friend Willowpaw, but Leopardstar, doesn't admit to anything happening in her Clan. She discovers Lionpaw's relationship after following him out with her friend Cinderpaw, and is angered about it. One day, while out on a hunting assessment with Cinderpaw and Mousepaw, Cinderpaw falls off of the Sky Oak and breaks her leg. At the next Gathering, RiverClan announces that they are temporarily forced to leave their camp and live on the island, but they don't say why. Hollypaw agrees to meet Willowpaw later, so they can talk about it. Everyone in ThunderClan is thinking that WindClan will invade them because RiverClan will invade WindClan, and Hollypaw seems to be the only one to not believe so. She sneaks off to talk to Willowpaw, and after finding her, she takes Hollypaw to the old camp, where Twoleg kits have invaded it. Willowpaw says that they plan to have dealt with the problem by the next Gathering, and not to worry. But after being discovered by the other RiverClan cats, she is confined to the temporary RiverClan camp until the problem is fully dealt with. A few days later, Squirrelflight comes to take her home.

Jaypaw's Story
One day while collecting herbs for Leafpool, Jaypaw discovers a stick with some notches on it, vertical and horizontal. He feels that it will be important later, and puts it in a sheltered spot so he can get it later. He has to care for Cinderpaw now that she is injured, and soon discovers that she is Cinderpelt. He decides to test Cinderpaw to see if there is any of her former medicine cat knowledge, but is stopped by an angry Leafpool. While he is back getting the herbs for her, he remembers the stick, which is still where he left it. It is raining right now, so Jaypaw leaves the stick and heads back for camp. He takes Lionpaw out when the rain stops to find it again, and finds it in the lake, after being guided by a voice he doesn't recognize. When Hollypaw is discovered missing, Leafpool asks him to ask StarClan where she is, but Jaypaw doesn't want to be used just as a device to talk to their warrior ancestors. He goes out by the lake, and has a dream about the stick. He sees Fallen Leaves from the prologue going into some tunnels and talking to Rock. Jaypaw sees that Rock has is holding the stick right now. Fallen Leaves is sent back out to escape from the tunnels, but it starts raining, and soon the tunnels flood and Fallen Leaves drowns. Jaypaw finally realizes what the notches in the stick mean. They signify all of the cats who went into the tunnels, but never came out. Firestar asks Leafpool and Jaypaw to talk to WindClan to show that they don't want to fight. As the two of them are talking to Onestar, a WindClan queen says that her kits are missing and that RiverClan must have stolen them.

The Ending
News about the kits has spread through ThunderClan, and Lionpaw realizes that they must be in the tunnels. He, Jaypaw, and Hollypaw all set out for them, and realize that Heatherpaw and Breezepaw are looking in the tunnels as well. Jaypaw hears Fallen Leaves's voice saying that he can lead them to the kits. Jaypaw takes the lead, and follows Fallen Leaves. They find the kits, and prepare to leave the tunnels. Rain starts to fall, and Jaypaw realizes that they are going to die if they don't get out soon. Fallen Leaves fails to lead them out, and soon they are trapped in the cave. Jaypaw meets Rock, and Rock promises them that they will survive. They jump into the river in the cave, as the stick had used the river to flow into the lake, and the eight cats are all in the lake. They safely get them back to Onestar just as WindClan are about to attack RiverClan, and it is assumed that RiverClan move back from the island. The Clans are at peace again. Lionpaw confesses to Tigerstar, after seeing him again, that he misses Heatherpaw. Tigerstar says that he will teach Lionpaw how to be the greatest warrior ever.