Moonrise

Moonrise is the second volume in the second series of six warriors books, called the New Prophecy. Feathertail is the cat on the cover.

The Blurb

 * Darkness, air, water, and sky will come together...and shake the forest to its roots

Several moons have passed since six cats set out from the forest on an urgent journey to save all their Clans. Now those six are traveling home again, but on their way through the mountains, they meet a tribe of wild cats who seem to have their own set of warrior ancestors. . . and their own mysterious prophecy to fulfill. Stormfur can't understand their strange fascination with him, but he knows the danger they face is real.


 * Meanwhile, back in the forest, Firestar's daughter Leafpaw watches ThunderClan's world crumble around her, as the humans' terrible machines destroy more and more of their home. Will the questing cats make it back in time to save the Clans, or will they be too late?

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

"A suspenseful animal adventure."
 * -Kirkus Reviews

"The series is patterned in the style of classics by J.R.R. Tolkien or Brian Jacques. Read this, and you'll never look at your plain old tabby the same way again.
 * -Cleveland Plain Dealer

Detailed Plot Summary

 * The book is called moonrise because it is mentioned throughout the book. Several moons have passed since six cats set out from the forest on an urgent journey to save all their Clans. The six cats are now traveling home again. From fear of the dangers that they encountered in the first book Midnight, they decide to travel back through the mountains to return to the forest. In the midst of the snowy danger, the six cats, Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, Crowpaw, Feathertail, Stormfur, and Tawnypelt, stumble across a group of wild tribal cats, who belong to a home which is known as the Tribe of Rushing Water.


 * The friendly Tribe takes the questing cats in to shelter them and feed them. But the Tribe cats have their own prophecy to fulfill. They see Stormfur as their only hope, the silver cat mentioned in the prophecy of the Tribe of Endless Hunting, the Tribe cats' spiritual ancestors. Stormfur is forced to protect the Tribe from Sharptooth, a blood-thirsty mountain lion cat with a taste for the smaller cats' blood. Together, Stormfur and his friends help get rid of Sharptooth by anguishing him and leading him into a trap. However, as they duel the wild cat, it is revealed that Feathertail, Stormfur's sister and the daughter of Graystripe, is the real silver cat. In order to save Crowpaw from being killed, Feathertail loosens a rock spike from the roof of the cave, and plummets to the floor with it, crushing Sharptooth, yet Feathertail herself also dies from the impact.


 * Feathertail is later buried at the base of the Cave of Rushing Water's waterfall, and the remaining five cats continue traveling home towards their Clans. During their stay, Stormfur fell in love with Brook Where Small Fish Swim (Brook), a Tribe prey-hunter, and is forced to say goodbye to her and Feathertail.


 * Meanwhile, Leafpaw, the ThunderClan Medicine Cat apprentice, has to deal with the threats at home. The destruction of the forest has begun, and the whole forest is being uprooted by the Twolegs. During the near end of the book, she enters into what seems to be a Twoleg trap for cats. Sorreltail tried to to call out for her but she was too late. Leafpaw was captured by the humans.


 * The book ends with Squirrelpaw noticing Highstones at the edge of WindClan territory and exclaiming, "Highstones! We're almost home!"