The Darkest Hour/Cliffnotes

These notes are brief, noting major events and minor events in The Darkest Hour that will be of consequence later.

These are intended to be used as a reference for those looking for specific events for re-reading and the book discussions.

Prologue

 * Tigerstar and Boulder go to Twolegplace to look for Scourge and his Clan. They want to make a deal with BloodClan. They meet the BloodClan deputy, Bone, and Tigerstar is surprised to see how small the BloodClan leader is

Chapter 1

 * Fireheart, Stonefur, and Mistyfoot are carrying Bluestar's body back to camp
 * Graystripe appears and goes to tell the Clan that they can come back to camp
 * Whitestorm tells Fireheart it was his fault that Bluestar was dead

Chapter 2

 * Frostfur finds the two RiverClan warriors, Mistyfoot and Stonefur in Bluestar's den
 * The two cats leave after telling ThunderClan that Bluestar is their mother
 * They have the dead leader ritual for Bluestar
 * Fireheart accidentally falls asleep when he is beside Cinderpelt and Whitestorm on a vigil

Chapter 3

 * The elders bury Bluestar
 * Fireheart and Cinderpelt travel to the Moonstone, encountering a patrol of WindClan cats
 * Fireheart lies down in front of Moonstone

Chapter 4

 * StarClan come to him and begin his leader ceremony
 * Fireheart receives his nine lives and his name
 * A massive hill of bones appears, interrupting the ceremony
 * All of the StarClan cats vanish except for Bluestar, who gives him the prophecy, Four will become two. Lion and Tiger will meet in battle, and blood will rule the forest" 
 * A river of blood flows towards Firestar

Chapter 5

 * Firestar wakes up and quickly leaves the cave, shaken by the prophecy
 * The two cats sleep at Ravenpaw's barn

Chapter 6

 * Cinderpelt and Firestar return to camp
 * ThunderClan warmly greets the new leader, but Firestar has to explain to Sandstorm about his new position
 * Firestar appoints Whitestorm as deputy

Chapter 7

 * Firestar visits the Twolegplace with Bramblepaw secretly trailing him
 * The two cats talk about loyalty

Chapter 8

 * Darkstripe is talking to Sorrelkit
 * Sorrelkit collapses with deathberries in her mouth
 * Graystripe pins down Darkstripe, and the two argue if Darkstripe was feeding Sorrelkit deathberries
 * While Cinderpelt attends Sorrelkit, Firestar doubts if she will survive

Chapter 9

 * Firestar asks One-eye how to change Lostface's name
 * Thornpaw and Firestar scent rogues in their territory
 * Thornpaw's warrior ceremony takes place, becoming Thornclaw
 * Firestar changes Lostface's name to Brightheart
 * Sorrelkit awakens

Chapter 10

 * Sorrelkit tells Firestar how Darkstripe fed her deathberries after she spied on him talking to Blackfoot, the ShadowClan deputy
 * Firestar confronts Darkstripe
 * Darkstripe is exiled from ThunderClan
 * Firestar appoints Longtail as Fernpaw's new mentor

Chapter 11

 * Mistyfoot tells Firestar that Tigerstar has been visiting RiverClan
 * Firestar chooses Fernpaw, Ashpaw, Thornclaw, Sandstorm, Graystripe and Frostfur to take to the Gathering

Chapter 12

 * The Gathering takes place
 * Tigerstar announces that ShadowClan and RiverClan have formed TigerClan
 * Tigerstar invites WindClan and ThunderClan to also join; both Clans refuse
 * Firestar tries to tell the cats about Tigerstar's treachery, but Tigerstar flees

Chapter 13

 * ThunderClan returns home
 * Firestar and Bramblepaw train
 * Cloudtail shows Firestar his training with Brightheart
 * Firestar sees a roaring lion as his reflection when he goes to get a drink of water
 * Spottedleaf appears at the other side of the stream,telling him to "Take heed of what you've seen. Learn what you must be"
 * Firestar tries questioning her, but she's vanished

Chapter 14

 * Smallear offends Tawnypaw
 * Graystripe frets about his kits
 * Ravenpaw shows up to pay respects to Bluestar
 * Firestar, Graystripe, and Ravenpaw sneak to RiverClan to check on Graystripe's kits
 * They find Tigerstar on top of a hill of bones
 * Tigerstar has Stonefur and Graystripe's kits as prisoners

Chapter 15

 * Tigerstar has imprisoned Mistyfoot, Stonefur, Featherpaw, and Stormpaw because they were half-Clan
 * Tigerstar commands Stonefur to kill Featherpaw and Stormpaw
 * Stonefur refuses, so Darkstripe tries to kill him
 * When Darkstripe fails, Blackfoot finishes off Stonefur

Chapter 16

 * Tigerstar ends the meeting
 * Stormpaw and Featherpaw go back to their prison
 * Ravenpaw tricks the guard, Jaggedtooth, into leaving his post
 * Graystripe and Firestar rescue the prisoners
 * TigerClan is alerted of the prisoners' escape

Chapter 17

 * Graystripe, Firestar, Ravenpaw, Mistyfoot, Featherpaw, and Stormpaw hurry to the stepping stones
 * TigerClan cats chase the escaping prisoners
 * A ThunderClan patrol frightens away the ShadowClan cats
 * The cats return to camp to find that Tawnypaw has disappeared

Chapter 18

 * Firestar organizes a patrol to find Tawnypaw
 * They find her scent trail, but soon lose it and suspect that Tawnypaw left on purpose
 * Ravenpaw leaves
 * Mistyfoot, Featherpaw, and Stormpaw are welcomed into ThunderClan
 * Mudclaw arrives begging for help, since TigerClan is attacking WindClan

Chapter 19

 * ThunderClan goes to help WindClan
 * The cats arrive too late, and find Gorsepaw dead, and the rest of WindClan severely injured
 * Firestar sends a few ThunderClan cats on patrol for WindClan


 * Tallstar and Firestar decide to meet Tigerstar at Fourtrees

Chapter 20

 * Firestar and Sandstorm patrol

Chapter 21

 * Firestar arrives at Fourtrees and meets Tallstar
 * Firestar leads both Clans to meet Tigerstar


 * Tigerstar asks the two Clans once again to join TigerClan
 * Tallstar and Firestar both reject Tigerstar's offer to join TigerClan


 * Bramblepaw sees Tawnypaw standing among the ShadowClan cats
 * Tigerstar says that she left willingly


 * Rows and rows of stranger cats wearing collars like kittypets appear from the bushes at Blackfoot's signal

Chapter 22

 * Tigerstar introduces the new cats as BloodClan
 * Tigerstar says that he and BloodClan will rule the forest
 * Tigerstar orders the BloodClan cats to attack, but no cat moves


 * Firestar finally tells the cats about Tigerstar's treachery
 * Scourge says that only he commands his Clan, and there will be no battle today
 * Tigerstar attacks Scourge
 * Scourge wounds Tigerstar
 * He loses all of his nine lives, one after the other


 * Scourge announces that he and BloodClan are staying in the forest
 * He gives the Clans three days to make a choice: either flee or fight

Chapter 23

 * Firestar is shaken by Tigerstar's death, feeling, to his surprise, grief.
 * He and Tallstar agree to fight BloodClan


 * ThunderClan returns to camp, and prepares for the battle.
 * Sandstorm and Graystripe begin training a training schedule, with Sandstorm training the kits

Chapter 24

 * Ravenpaw and Barley turn up
 * Barley tells Firestar that he was once part of BloodClan
 * Barley tells Firestar Scourge's weakness; they don't believe in StarClan, but Firestar does not understand
 * Ravenpaw and Barley decide to fight against BloodClan, too


 * Longtail reports that BloodClan is in ShadowClan territory
 * Cloudtail and Firestar go to warn Princess about BloodClan

Chapter 25

 * Whitestorm asks Firestar that whether it is even worth fighting BloodClan, because even if they win, they would be left with very&#160;few survivors
 * Firestar sees the cats who gave him his nine lives along with Stonefur and Gorsepaw in a dream
 * Bluestar tells him, that StarClan do not rule the forest.
 * She tells him that StarClan care for every cat in the forest

Chapter 26

 * Firestar thinks that he can ask RiverClan and ShadowClan to fight BloodClan
 * Graystripe, Sandstorm, Cloudtail, and Bramblepaw come looking for him
 * He tells them that he will ask RiverClan and ShadowClan to fight with them
 * They go into RiverClan territory
 * Bramblepaw asks if he can talk to Tawnypaw there


 * He asks Leopardstar to fight with them
 * Leopardstar asks him if he will lead them
 * Darkstripe appears and asks if Leopardstar is mad, asking a kittypet to lead them
 * Darkstripe blames Firestar for Tigerstar's death
 * Boulder tells Firestar why Tigerstar brought BloodClan into the forest


 * Tawnypaw arrives and tells Firestar why she left
 * Leopardstar and Blackfoot agree to fight
 * Darkstripe refuses to fight, and leaves

Chapter 27

 * Firestar tells Speckletail that she is not coming with them
 * Whitestorm tells Firestar that he has been proud to serve as his deputy

Chapter 28

 * Firestar tells Scourge that there is no need to fight and that they will let him go back in peace
 * The fight begins
 * Darkstripe attacks Firestar, and is killed by Graystripe
 * Whitestorm is killed by Bone
 * Firestar makes Graystripe the deputy
 * Featherpaw, Stormpaw, Bramblepaw, Tawnypaw, and Ashpaw kill Bone
 * Firestar sees Scourge attacking Onewhisker and attacks him
 * Firestar loses his first life

Chapter 29

 * Firestar sees a pale outline of himself join StarClan.
 * He sees Whitestorm in StarClan.
 * StarClan tell him that there were always five Clans in the forest.
 * Firestar revives.
 * He sees Scourge attacking Cloudtail.
 * He attacks Scourge, and after a brief fight, kill him.

Chapter 30

 * Leopardstar and the RiverClan cats come to thank him.
 * He learns that Mistyfoot is the new deputy.
 * Featherpaw and Stormpaw go back to RiverClan.
 * Blackfoot comes to say that he will now be the Shadow Clan leader and that they won the battle after all.
 * Tallstar comes and tells Firestar that they chased BloodClan out of the forest.