The Heart of a Warrior/Main article

The Heart of a Warrior is the third and final book in the Ravenpaw's Path arc. Ravenpaw and Barley are the cats depicted in the center of the cover.

Blurb

 * Ravenpaw and Barley helped their friends in ThunderClan defeat the vicious BloodClan cats in Twolegplace. Now they're ready to fight to reclaim their home on the farm. Firestar has promised to send a warrior patrol to assist them, but Ravenpaw worries that it won't be enough to chase out the invaders. He knows that he must find his courage and fight like a warrior - or lose his home forever.

Detailed plot description

 * This book continues right where the last book, A Clan in Need, left off. Firestar has kept his promise and he decides to send a patrol to drive off the invaders that had been threatening Ravenpaw and Barley's peace and their barn, which includes Firestar himself, Graystripe, Cloudtail, Brightheart, Brackenfur, and Bramblepaw. Ravenpaw and Barley are also included in this patrol.


 * As they are about to leave, Firestar's daughters, Squirrelkit and Leafkit come out of the nursery, with their mother, Sandstorm right behind them. The young kits say that they want to come along with the patrol too. The kits' commotion awakens the rest of the camp, something that Firestar's patrol did not want to do, fearing it would cause a huge fuss within the camp. However, it does the opposite, and all of the ThunderClan cats wish Ravenpaw and Barley well and good luck. It is noted by Ravenpaw that Barley is handling the attention very well.


 * During their travels to Ravenpaw's home, they run into a WindClan patrol, headed by their deputy, Deadfoot. At first, Graystripe thinks that they should be careful, but Firestar tells him that the WindClan patrol means no harm to the traveling cats. The patrol bids their farewells to Ravenpaw and Barley, wishing them good luck. They continue to travel with no interruption or danger and they reach the barn.


 * Once the cats reach the barn, Firestar orders Cloudtail to take out a hunting patrol, telling them to keep their distance from the barn. He still wants the patrol's presence there to remain unknown by the BloodClan cats. The rest of the cats go with Firestar and they take shelter in a smaller barn on the farm. They soon discuss a battle plan for confronting the BloodClan cats.


 * During the night, they commence the battle plan. However, this proves to be unsuccessful, as BloodClan is alerted of the attack by the squawking of the chickens, whom Snapper is still tormenting. During the battle, it is revealed that there are a lot more cats then first thought, and Firestar's patrol is outnumbered. Soon enough, the battle is heard by the farmer and he comes in and causes all of the cats to scatter.


 * ThunderClan then regroups in the smaller barn that they are staying in. Barley is distraught at the fact that his brothers are everywhere he goes. Ravenpaw then states that both of Barley's brothers are being called by their loner names, meaning that they "must not think of themselves as BloodClan anymore." Ravenpaw then goes on to say how he and Barley deserve to live at the farm just as much as the Clan cats deserve to live in their forest home.


 * The next morning, Firestar, Graystripe, and Ravenpaw are sitting on the roof of the barn, planning another battle plan. This is when they notice Snapper and Pounce leaving the farm, possibly leaving because they are scared of the Clan cats. The three cats finally come up with a plan and it is executed later on that evening. The plan starts with Brackenfur and Bramblepaw releasing the chickens from their cage and this causes a diversion, allowing the Clan cats to sneak on the roof of the other barn. They then rip a hole in the roof and sneak into the barn, all while Brackenfur and Bramblepaw are opening up the doors to try and startle the BloodClan cats.


 * The battle looks like it is going well for ThunderClan; they succeed in pushing the cats outside and surrounding them. However, just when Ravenpaw thinks that the battle is won, his worst fear comes true: the two cats he saw running away from the barn went and got backup. They are now outnumbered even more than they first were and the battle rages on. An unexpected ally helps the cats: the dogs heard the noise the cats were making, and they managed to break free from their chains.


 * Just as Ravenpaw is about to attack Willie, he is interrupted by Jumper and Hoot calling for help. Barley comes to their rescue and the battle is finally won. Willie says that this isn't over as he flees from the barn. Jumper and Hoot ask their brother if they can stay at the barn, and Barley allows them. This is the start of a rift between Ravenpaw and Barley, as his two brothers seem to be very lazy and make Ravenpaw do everything for them (including hunting). This proves to be more than enough to frustrate Ravenpaw, since Barley takes everything his brothers say to heart, ignoring what he says. Once Barley sees through his brothers' laziness though, he finally snaps and kicks his brothers out of the barn. Ravenpaw seems glad that this happened. The story ends with the two best friends gazing out at the barn they risked their lives to get back.

Interesting facts

 * In an Erin Hunter Chat, it was revealed that Firestar did lose a life in the battle with BloodClan, but it was edited out.
 * It should be noted that while this book is referred to as 'manga', it is not, as it did not originate in Japan and was not drawn by Japanese mangaka.
 * It's confirmed that Tess, Snapper, and Pounce appear on the cover.

Mistakes

 * Brambleclaw is incorrectly called by his apprentice name, Bramblepaw, despite him gaining his warrior name at the beginning of Firestar's Quest before Squirrelkit and Leafkit are born.

Publication list

 * A Heart of a Warrior (EN), HarperCollins (paperback),3 August 2010
 * Rabenpfotes Abenteuer (DE),Tokyopop (paperback), 12 May 2011
 * Сердце воителя (RU), OLMA Media Group (paperback) 2012
 * Med hjerte for klanen (NO), Juritzen Jr. (unknown binding), 15 June 2018
 * The Heart of a Warrior (EN), HarperCollins (paperback; colored reprint), 26 June 2018