River Chell

The River Chell is the Twoleg name for the river that runs through the old forest in the first and second series of the Warriors books. It runs from the old forest all the way into the SkyClan gorge far away from the forest. To the Clans, it is known only as "The River."

Description
The river serves as a boundary between ThunderClan and RiverClan territories, and also between the RiverClan and WindClan territories, where it flows through a steep gorge. SkyClan made its camp near the source of the river in Firestar's Quest after being driven out of the forest by the four other Clans. The river is huge, as big as the ThunderClan camp. In greenleaf, Twolegs bring their boats, and their kits frighten all the fish, making it harder for RiverClan to feed themselves.

Location History
The river changed its bed during a flood, long before the plotline of the books. Sunningrocks used to be on the RiverClan bank, but after the bed change, ThunderClan claimed it, and the two Clans have feuded over its ownership many times before they were forced out of their home.

Crookedstar's Promise

 * The river becomes flooded from heavy rain that occurs during a storm. It floods the camp, forcing RiverClan to move to hoigher shelter. This alters the camp so much that they are forced to rebuild. Duskwater is swept away in the flood, and it is highly assumed that she drowned. After the floods, leaf-bare frosts grip the rver every night. Stormkit falls in the river, and it is revealed that the flood had killed so many fish that river prey was now scarce.


 * To complete Volekit's dare, Stormkit walks along a slippery branch over the river. A magpie arrives, knocks him off balance, and he falls in. Meanwhile, leaf-bare frosts grip the river every night. Hailstar comments that the flood had battered the fish on rocks or left them stranded on the land, and now river prey was scarce. When deciding whether to fight ThunderClan, Bramblebery adds that the flood took away all her herbs, and her store will stay empty until newleaf. Rippleclaw is mad, and says thatRiverClan might as well give up the rest of their territory. Echomist says that ThunderClan would never try to cross the river. ThunderClan takes control over Sunningrocks, which angers Stormkit. When he and Oakkit venture out of camp, they see Goosefeather on the other side of the river. When he frightens them, Stormkit falls off the stepping stones and into the water, causing his life-altering injury.


 * Crookedkit crosses the stepping-stones to go visit the Moonstone, and passes by the cliffs. Petalpaw tells Graypaw that the river gets frozen in leaf-bare, and it is possible for a cat to walk on the ice if a warrior has tested it first. When Crookedpaw and Willowpaw are fishing in the river together, ThunderClan warriors arrive, and say that they should enjoy the river while it's still theirs, threatening to take that, too. However, they never execute this threat.


 * RiverClan are seen many times swimming in the river, catching prey, and relaxing in the waters. The river is noted to be fairly abundant in fish.

Bluestar's Prophecy

 * On Bluepaw's and Snowpaw's first day as apprentices, Sparrowpelt promises to take Snowpaw to the river. Bluepaw can't imagine what it would look like, as the only water she had seen was from puddles and moss. She only knows that the river is wide and flows through the wind like trees. On the day of the battle between ThunderClan and WindClan, they follow the river near the Gorge and to the camp. Bluepaw notes that it is as big as the ThunderClan camp itself, and stretches endlessly in both directions. There is so much water tumbling in the depths. They soon get to the gorge, and Stonepelt explains to her that the Gorge is where the river falls down from the moorland and cuts between two cliffs of rock. Along it is the path to WindClan territory.


 * When RiverClan tries to take control of Sunningrocks, ThunderClan refuses, and battles them. They drive them back against the icy river, and defeat them.


 * There is a battle between RiverClan and ThunderClan at Sunningrocks. When Bluefur takes Snowfur out of the nursery, they play fight, and Snowfur tumbles into some berries that stain her fur. Bluefur offers to take her down by the river to wash it off, as she wants to make sure Oakheart hadn't come back. Snowfur consents, as she could use a drink. Once they get there, Snowfur presses Bluefur to tell her about her chasing off a RiverClan warrior, and she quickly finds out theat Bluefur likes him, running away from Bluefur.


 * Sunstar leads a patrol to RiverClan totell them Sunningrocks is theirs, and he leads a patrol across the river. Bluefur is scared of the water, and as she jumps on the stepping stones, she remembers the prophecy that water will destroy her. As Thrushpelt lands near her, he comments that that wasn;t so bad, and he doesn't know why RiverClan cats bother with swimming. Later, when Bluefur is expecting kits, she looks into RiverClan territory to see if she can see Oakheart, and notes that the far bank of the River had been stripped by leaf-bare frosts. After Bluefur gives birth, she gives her kits names that remind her of the River. Later, Bluefur meets Oakheart near the river and turns over two of her three kits: Mistykit, and Stonekit. However, Mosskit dies in the snow on the way to the river.

Firestar's Quest

 * Firestar and Sandstorm sit watching the river whisper past, dappled with starlight. Firestar happily looks at the rocks, then seeing that there were cats in the river, desperately swimming, being washed away by the swirling current. He blinks, and the vision is then gone. At a later Gathering, Leopardstar reports that Twolegs bring boats onto the river, and their kits scare off all the fish. However, the river is low this season, and not many Twolegs are there.


 * Firestar gets a vision of SkyClan following the river, and the familiar tang tells him that this river is the same as the one in the territories. As he watches, one of the kits falls in and gets swept away by the current.


 * Firestar and Sandstorm follow the river to its source to find SkyClan. Along the way, a flood separates the two, but fortunately they are able to locate each other. They find that at the river's source is where Ancient SkyClan broe apart and where the new SkyClan must live.

SkyClan's Destiny

 * While Nettlekit, Plumkit, Creekkit, and Rabbitkit play, Nettlekit strays too far and collapses into the river. His father, Waspwhisker, saves him.


 * Later on, during the bee attack, all the cats have to jump into the river to avoid getting stung. Tangle refuses to go under, but Lichenfur dunks him anyways.

Into the Wild

 * There is a fight for Sunningrocks in which the warriors Redtail and Oakheart die in.


 * At the battle at Sunningrocks, RiverClan warriors swim across the river to attack the fighting ThunderClan warriors. Brokenstar claims ShadowClan needs RiverClan's fish in the river during the Gathering, because they have so many cats to feed.

Fire and Ice

 * Nightpelt still believes that ShadowClan needs the fish in the river, but Crookedstar says that his offer does not stand any longer.


 * When Deadfoot and Onewhisker bring Firestar and Graystripe back home, they run into a RiverClan patrol. It turns into a fight, where the ThunderClan and WindClan cats are greatly outnumbered. A ThunderClan patrol ends up finding them and turns the tide against the RiverClan cats. During the battle, Fireheart notices Graystripe and Whiteclaw tussling too close to the gorge. Whiteclaw slips at the edge of the gorge, and falls to his death in the river; Graystripe's attempts to save him fail. Leopardfur tells the ThunderClan and WindClan cats that the battle would be settled another day.


 * Later in the book, Graystripe falls into the river while chasing a water vole. He is rescued by Silverstream of RiverClan. She remarks that RiverClan "doesn't like having their river poised by dead cats". The two begin to start to have feelings for each other after that.

Forest of Secrets

 * On a patrol to find a way to get to the Gathering, Fireheart attempts to cross the flooding river on a flimsy branch. Tigerclaw yowls for him to watch out, but a wave sweeps Fireheart into the river. It is then apparent that the river is unsafe to cross.


 * Later in the book, Fireheart has to cross the river to meet with Mistyfoot and Graypool. He and Graystripe end up saving Mistyfoot's young kits in the flood. They would have been lost if the warriors had not braved the waters to rescue them.

Rising Storm

 * Fireheart leads ThunderClan across the river to escape the fire in the ThunderClan camp.

A Dangerous Path

 * Graypool runs into Tigerstar near the Twoleg Bridge across the river, and accidentally falls off when she becomes frightened, hitting her head on a rock and dying.


 * When threatened by the dog pack, ThunderClan lays a trail to the gorge where the last cat on the trail would lure the pack into the gorge to drown. Fireheart was the last cat in line and was almost to the cliff when he was attacked by Tigerstar. The ShadowClan leader escaped after the dogs caught up, and Fireheart was caught. Fireheart would have died, but Bluestar appeared and hurled herself at the lead dog, who went over the edge. The dog dragged Bluestar in with him. Fireheart leaped into the gorge to rescue his drowning leader, almost drowning as well, but Mistyfoot and Stonefur came to their aid. The RiverClan cats pull Bluestar and Fireheart out of the river onto the shore to safety, and stay by the river as Bluestar dies. Goosefeather's prophecy becomes true as she is "destroyed by water".

The Darkest Hour

 * Firestar, Graystripe, and Ravenpaw all cross the river into RiverClan territory to rescue the half-Clan cats that are being held prisoner by TigerClan. A ThunderClan patrol fights the TigerClan patrol on the stepping stones in the middle of the river.

Midnight

 * The river is mentioned briefly when Leopardstar allows WindClan to drink from, but not fish in, the river. Hawkfrost is a bit hostile to WindClan.

Moonrise

 * Mudclaw, Tornear, and an unknown tabby tom are chasing Leafpaw and Sorreltail so that they purposely cross onto RiverClan territory, in an attempt to get back to ThunderClan territory. Mothwing scares the WindClan cats away and treats their wounds near the water.


 * Later in the book, Reedpaw falls into the river, where he hits his head and receives a gash on his shoulder. Leafpaw saves him with the help of Spottedleaf.


 * The river is also mentioned when Mothwing is teaching Leafpaw how to fish. However, Hawkfrost comes and Leafpaw runs away to avoid a conflict.

Dawn

 * The river is seen for a few brief moments, as the cats are leaving the forest. When it was last seen, it was almost empty because of the Twoleg activity.

Code of the Clans

 * A patrol of RiverClan cats is patrolling along the gorge area of the river when they see three kits hanging on to the opposite side of the cliff. The three kits fall and drown in the foaming waters. Later, the patrol comes back and fishes the three kits' bodies out of the river to take them back to WindClan. This event brought about the law in the warrior code that states, "A warrior must never ignore a kit in danger."