Into the Wild

Into the Wild is the first book in The Prophecies Begin arc, formerly known as the Original Arc. Firepaw is the cat depicted in the center of the cover on the original cover, and the reprinted one.

The Blurb

 * Fire Alone Can Save Our Clan...


 * For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their warrior ancestors. But the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger, and the sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying - and some deaths are more mysterious than others.


 * In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary house cat named Rusty... who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.

The Praise

 * "The author has created an intriguing world with an intricate structure and mythology, and an engaging young hero. The supporting cast of players is large and a little confusing, but there are standouts who give dimension to the tale. The difficult life of a feral cat is described in some detail, and a fair amount of violence is included. The ending is left ambiguous-there is definitely more to come. This is not as elegantly written as Brian Jacques's "Redwall" series (Philomel), but it's another option for fans of animal adventure / fantasy stories."
 * -Mara Alpert, School Library Journal


 * "In this first spine-tingling episode in the planned Warriors series, Firepaw learns the ways of the wild life, facing many dangers and treachery both within and without his new clan. Intelligence notwithstanding, the cat characters are true to their feline nature, making this sure to appeal to fans of Clare Bell's long-popular Ratha's Creature (1983) and its sequels and also to followers of Brian Jacques' ongoing Redwall series."
 * -Sally Estes, Booklist


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


 * "A suspenseful animal adventure that will leave readers eyeing Puss a bit nervously ."
 * -Kirkus Reviews

Detailed Plot Summary

 * In the prologue, a group of feral cats known as ThunderClan are battling against their rival, RiverClan, by a river for control over a territory called Sunningrocks, to which both Clans have equal claim. Redtail, ThunderClan's deputy, soon realizes ThunderClan is badly outnumbered and orders the battle patrol to retreat. Tigerclaw, a ThunderClan warrior, reluctantly follows the order, angered that RiverClan should be allowed to win territory so quickly. In the ThunderClan camp, Bluestar, leader of ThunderClan, is trying to seek answers from StarClan, troubled by that night's defeat. At that moment, Spottedleaf, the medicine cat of ThunderClan, receives a prophecy from StarClan, echoing to Bluestar that "Fire alone can save our Clan." But Bluestar is confused, for fire is feared by all Clans, until...


 * A kittypet named Rusty wanders into the woods after dreaming about hunting a mouse in the wild. He is briefly attacked by Graypaw, a ThunderClan apprentice. Instead of fleeing, Rusty turns and fights back. Unbeknownst to the two young cats, two warriors from ThunderClan are watching - Lionheart, Graypaw's mentor, and Bluestar, ThunderClan's leader. Impressed after having seen Rusty and Graypaw fight, Bluestar offers Rusty a chance to join their Clan of feral cats and train as an apprentice.


 * The next day, Rusty is escorted to the ThunderClan camp by Lionheart and another ThunderClan cat, Whitestorm. Most of the cats disagree with a kittypet joining their ranks, especially Longtail, who relentlessly taunts Rusty. Rusty attacks Longtail after being persuaded by Lionheart to prove his loyalty and worth to the Clan. Rusty's collar snaps off during the fight, which is taken as an omen from StarClan that Rusty belongs in their Clan. Bluestar renames him Firepaw, after his flame-colored pelt, and officially appoints him as a Clan apprentice. Suddenly, another apprentice, Ravenpaw, rushes into camp with the news that Redtail has been killed in a skirmish near Sunningrocks. Tigerclaw soon follows with Redtail's body, claiming Redtail to have been killed by Oakheart, the RiverClan deputy, who Tigerclaw says he has killed in vengeance. Lionheart is made deputy in Redtail's place.


 * Firepaw is not immediately assigned a mentor of his own and instead trains with Ravenpaw and Graypaw and their mentors, Tigerclaw and Lionheart, respectively. Firepaw soon learns that kittypets are traditionally thought to be weak and useless amongst Clan-born cats. He is steadily able to adjust to his new life despite being seen as an inferior. He trains hard to become a respected member of the Clan, hoping to eventually earn full warrior status.


 * On his first solo hunting assignment, Firepaw comes across Yellowfang, a medicine cat who has been exiled from ShadowClan. He immediately attacks, knowing rogue cats are not tolerated in enemy territory. After realizing the old cat is starving, however, he hunts a rabbit for her out of pity and eats the remains himself, breaking the Warrior Code. When a patrol lead by Bluestar arrives, the ThunderClan leader recognizes Yellowfang as ShadowClan's former medicine cat, and the Clan brings Yellowfang into camp as a prisoner. After appointing herself as Firepaw's mentor in order to speed up apprentice training, Bluestar puts Firepaw in charge of nursing Yellowfang back to health as punishment for eating before his Clanmates are fed.


 * At a Gathering, Brokenstar, the leader of ShadowClan, reports that ShadowClan has recently driven out a cat who has murdered ShadowClan kits. He makes it clear that this rogue should be killed as soon as any cat finds her and urges the Clans to keep a close eye on their kits. He also states that since ShadowClan are the strongest and most thriving Clan they require more territory to support themselves, and that they drove WindClan out of their territory and claimed it for their own after they refused to surrender it willingly, explaining that Clan's absence from the Gathering. Crookedstar, RiverClan's leader, announces that he has allowed ShadowClan hunting rights on the edge of their territory. After the Gathering the ThunderClan cats rush back to camp, suspecting Yellowfang to be the cat Brokenstar warned them of, but Bluestar orders that Yellowfang shall not be harmed. Bluestar argues since there is no proof Yellowfang is the culprit, and since she has not yet done anything wrong to ThunderClan, Yellowfang will remain in camp. She puts the Clan on battle-readiness as they are now the only ones standing up to Brokenstar.


 * Sometime later, ShadowClan launches an attack on ThunderClan's camp. Lionheart is killed in the battle and Tigerclaw is appointed as the new ThunderClan deputy. Ravenpaw, Tigerclaw's apprentice who had witnessed the earlier events at Sunningrocks, confesses to Firepaw that it was Tigerclaw, not Oakheart, who killed Redtail, presumably in his ambition to become deputy. Tigerclaw suspects his secret has been discovered and begins to secure his status in the Clan by harassing Ravenpaw and making sure no cats, not even his Clanmates, trust the apprentice.


 * Soon after, Frostfur's litter of kits vanish, and Spottedleaf is found dead near the nursery. Firepaw, who had developed a close bond with the medicine cat, is devastated. When Yellowfang is discovered to be missing as well, Tigerclaw immediately blames her for the disappearance of the kits as well as the death of Spottedleaf. Tigerclaw proceeds to make the assertion that Ravenpaw helped Yellowfang steal the kits, prompting Frostfur to chase him out of the nursery when he attempts to check up on the other kits. Firepaw and Graypaw, realizing their friend is in great danger as long as he remains in the Clan with Tigerclaw, furtively sneak Ravenpaw out of the Clan to a new home with a well-known loner named Barley who lives in a barn outside of WindClan territory.


 * Firepaw, determined to prove Yellowfang innocent, goes with Graypaw to find and rescue the missing kits from ShadowClan. When they find her, Yellowfang tells the apprentices she left camp as soon as she discovered the kits were missing and smelled the scent of Clawface, a ShadowClan warrior, in the nursery. Yellowfang reveals that Brokenstar has been mercilessly training kits early so that ShadowClan could have more warriors and be the most feared Clan in the forest. With the help of a ThunderClan patrol, led by Whitestorm, and a ShadowClan patrol, made up of senior warriors who are against their leader, they raid ShadowClan camp. The patrols drive out the blood-thirsty leader along with his followers, but not before Brokenstar reveals himself as the killer of the ShadowClan kits for whose death Yellowfang had been blamed, as well as the killer of Raggedstar, the previous ShadowClan leader and Brokenstar's father, whose death had been attributed to an ambush by a patrol from another Clan. ThunderClan promises to leave ShadowClan in peace for one moon while they adjust and find a new leader. The ThunderClan cats, including Yellowfang, return with the kits to their camp, where Firepaw and Graypaw inform the Clan it was Clawface, not Yellowfang, who had stolen the kits and killed Spottedleaf. When Ravenpaw's absence is noted, Firepaw, for Ravenpaw's safety, tells the Clan he has been killed by a ShadowClan patrol. Bluestar asks Yellowfang to be ThunderClan's new medicine cat, and she accepts.


 * After the battle, Firepaw and Graypaw are promoted to warriors and receive their warrior names - Fireheart and Graystripe. Just before their vigil is supposed to begin, Fireheart attempts to speak to Bluestar about Tigerclaw's betrayal, but she silences him by reminding him about his vigil. Tigerclaw locks his eyes with Fireheart, and they glare at each other. Fireheart realizes that he has made a powerful enemy, but is ready for the challenge. He and Graystripe guard the camp until dawn.

Trivia

 * In the allegiances, Firepaw is listed as an apprentice, even though he doesn't join ThunderClan until later in the book.
 * Kate has stated that she thinks that the cats in the background of the cover are Graypaw and a cat from another Clan.

Publication History

 * Into the Wild (EN), HarperCollins (hardcover), 21 January 2003
 * Into the Wild (EN), HarperCollins (paperback), 1 January 2004
 * Into the Wild (EN), Collins UK (paperback), 5 April 2004
 * Na Wolności (PL), Amber (paperback), 2004, translated by Agnieszka Różańska
 * Retour à l'état sauvage (FR), Pocket Jeunesse (unknown binding), 17 March 2005, translated by Cécile Pournin
 * Divoké Kočky (CZ), Albatros (hardcover), 2 October 2006, translated by Peter Petráková
 * Into the Wild (EN), HarperCollins Children (paperback), 3 April 2006
 * Į tyrus (LT), Garnelis (unknown binding), 2006, translated by Danguole Žalytė
 * Vào Trong Hoang Dã (VI), Da Nang (paperback), November 2006, translated by Huong Lan
 * ファイヤポー、野生にかえる (JA), Komine Shoten (unknown binding), 22 November 2006, translated by Kanehara Rui
 * Hív a vadon (HU) Egmont (paperback), 2007, translated by Andrea Márton
 * 야생 속으로 (KR), Gimyoungsa (unknown binding) 30 January 2007, translated by Gimyiseon
 * Стань диким! (RU), OLMA Media Group (hardcover), 2008, translator unknown
 * In die Wildnis (DE), Verlagsgruppe Beltz (paperback), September 2008, translated by Klaus Weimann
 * 荒野新生 (ZH-TW), MorningStar Press (paperback), 31 October 2008, translated by Gao Mei
 * In die Wildnis (DE), Verlagsgruppe Beltz (audiobook), January 2009, translated by Klaus Weimann, narrated by Ulrike Krumbiegel
 * ファイヤポー、野生にかえる (JA), Komine Shoten (unknown binding), 20 February 2009, translated by Kanehara Rui
 * 呼唤野性 (ZH-CN), China Children's (unknown binding), 1 March 2009, Zhao In
 * De wildernis in (NL), Baeckens Books (hardcover), 7 January 2009, translated by Huberte Vriesendorp
 * Into the Wild (EN), HarperCollins (e-book), 13 October 2009
 * Villiin luontoon (FI), Art House (unknown binding), October 2009, translated by Vesa-Matti Paija
 * Vahşi Doğa (TR), Artemis (unknown binding), 2009, translated by Barbaros Bostan
 * V divjino (SI), Mettis Bukvarna (hardback), 6 May 2009, translator unknown
 * Na Floresta (PT), Wmf Martins Fontes Ltda (paperback), 2010, translated by Marilena Moraes
 * Ritorno Nella Foresta (IT), Sonda (unknown binding), 2010, translated by Sarah Kaminski and Maria Teresa Mliano
 * V divočine (SK),Mladé léta (paperback), 2011, unknown translator
 * U divljini (HR), Znanje (Paperback), 9 November 2011, translator unknown
 * Ud i vildnisset (DK) Sohn (unknown binding), 2011, translated by Gabriela Lundbye
 * Metsikusse ellu (EE), Tiritamm (paperback), 21 November 2011, translator unknown
 * En territorio salvaje (ES), Salamandra (paperback), March 2012, translated by Begoña Hernández Sala
 * De wildernis in (NL), Baeckens Books (paperback), 26 March 2012, translated by Huberte Vriesendorp