Warrior's Refuge

Warrior's Refuge is the second book in The Lost Warrior arc.

The Blurb

 * Graystripe and Millie's journey to find ThunderClan has only just begun when the pair is faced with a series of obstacles that seem insurmountable. Getting out of Twolegplace alive isn't nearly as simple as expected, and Millie's unfamiliarity with life in the wild makes it a challenge for Graystripe to keep them both moving forward. But just when a temporary refuge is in sight, conflict with a tribe of barn cats threatens to break the travelers apart for good!

The Praise

 * "Grade 5 and Up–Erin Hunter's Warriors series (HarperCollins) gets a manga-style treatment in this addition to the series. What makes it different from other prose-to-comics adaptations is that it isn't a straight translation but rather an entirely new story line that expands on the prose novels rather than merely supplementing them...fans of the novels and cat stories in general will be drawn to it..."
 * -School Library Journal

Detailed Plot Summary

 * The book starts with a short summary of the past events of the previous book, The Lost Warrior. Coming to the current time, Graystripe and his traveling companion, Millie, can see Highstones in the distance; however, Highstones is still quite far away. Even after days of nonstop traveling, they still have not reached Highstones. As they're traveling through a corn field, a larger-than-normal monster (combine) pursues them. Graystripe and Millie are separated as they flee from the monster.


 * Graystripe manages to get to a nearby barn. Living in the barn, he finds a few cats: Husker, Splash, Splash's sister Moss, and her four kits: Birdy, Pad, Raindrop and Little Mew. After a few minutes of indecision and debating, the barn cats agree to help Graystripe find Millie. It doesn't take long to find her. However, in her searching for Graystripe, the hard corn leaves cut and damaged Millie's eyes. Moss heals her. Despite Husker's insistence that the barn cats have already done their part, the others decide to let them stay. Husker explains to the two cats that they used to live in the nearby Twoleg nest, with two elderly Twolegs. Unfortunately, the two died, and a new family moved in. The new residents disliked the cats, so they were chased out. They had lived in the barn ever since.


 * The next day, Graystripe gets cornered by some of the Twolegs' dogs. Just when he thought it was over, Millie comes to the rescue. She can speak a little of dog language, and uses a few rough words to send the dogs out, which are obviously not as tough as they look. The barn cats are amazed by Millie's ability. They ask her to teach them how to do it. Millie accepts. The dogs are no longer a problem.


 * A few days later, Millie and Graystripe see one of the young Twoleg kits in pursuit of a frog. She approaches dangerously close to the edge of a pond, almost falling in. In the last moment, Graystripe manages to catch the child's attention, and leads her away from the banks. The Twoleg's parents are very grateful to him and Millie, who helped. They no longer chase Millie and Graystripe when they see them. Graystripe manages to lead all the Twolegs to the barn where Husker, Splash and Moss are. After some hesitation, the barn cats agree to go to the Twolegs. The Twolegs finally accept the barn cats. The Twoleg mother thanks Millie and Graystripe for showing them the other cats.


 * The two travelers continue their route towards home. However, when they arrive at the forest, they receive a crushing shock. Most trees are chopped down. They find The Great Sycamore still standing among the ruin, and they find the ThunderClan camp, but all is destroyed and the cats are long gone.

Trivia

 * It is strongly suggested that Millie is the cat depicted in the center of the cover.

Publication List

 * Warrior's Refuge (EN), HarperCollins (paperback), 26 December 2007
 * Warrior's Refuge (EN), HarperCollins (paperback alternate), 1 January 2008
 * Warrior's Refuge (EN), HarperCollins (paperback alternate), 31 January 2008
 * Warrior's Refuge (EN), HarperCollins (paperback alternate), 2008
 * Warrior's Refuge (EN), HarperCollins (paperback alternate), 1 June 2010
 * Warrior's Refuge (EN), HarperCollins (library binding), 3 April 2008
 * Die Zuflucht des Kriegers (DE) Tokyopop (paperback), 2009
 * Καταφύγιο του πολεμιστή (EL) Unknown, 2009
 * Válečníkův úkryt (CZ) Zoner Press (paperback), 2008
 * Savaşçı'nın Kaçışı (TR) Izmir (original cardboard cover), 2009
 * Refugiul Razboinicilor (RO) Nemira (Unknown binding), 2008
 * Warrior's Refuge (UK), HarperCollins (paperback), 2 June 2008
 * Прибежище воителя (RU), Tokyopop (paperback),14 October 2010