SkyClan's Destiny

SkyClan's Destiny is the third volume in the Super Edition Series. It is a follow-up to the first Super Edition, Firestar's Quest and features what happened to Modern SkyClan after Firestar and Sandstorm helped them come together again. Leafstar is thought to be the cat on the bookjacket and cover.

The Bookjacket
Will peace come for SkyClan?

It has been six moons since Leafstar took over as leader of the newly reunited SkyClan. But beneath the calm surface there are whispers of dissent from within, and Leafstar soon finds herself surrounded by unseen enemies, fighting for her Clan's survival.

The Blurb

 * The return of a long lost Clan . . .


 * Many moons ago, five warrior Clans shared the forest in peace. But as Twolegs encroached on the cats' territories, the warriors of SkyClan were forced to abandon their home and try to forge a new life far away. Eventually, the Clan disbanded—forgotten by all until Firestar was sent on a quest to reunite its descendants and return SkyClan to its former glory.


 * Now, with Leafstar in place as leader, SkyClan is thriving. Leafstar is desperate to believe that her Clan will survive where the ancient SkyClan cats failed. But threats continue to plague the Clan, and as dissent grows from within, Leafstar must face the one question she dreads: Is SkyClan meant to survive?

The Praise

 * "The characters are skillfully developed and Hunter provides a satisfying conclusion. ‘Warriors’ aficionados will bury their noses in the super volume and won’t emerge until they have whetted their appetites for the next installment."
 * School Library Journal

Detailed Plot Summary

 * The book begins with a step into the past right before SkyClan breaks up. Ancient SkyClan cats have fought another battle against the rats and lost. After some discussion, the Clan breaks up into a collection of loners and kittypets. Only the elders stay behind, claiming they are too old to leave their home. Spiderstar, the Clan leader and Brackenheart, the Clan's medicine cat, remain behind with them. Brackenheart claims that there is hope for a future SkyClan to return to the gorge and make their lives there. He says that SkyClan needs deeper roots if it is to survive.


 * Leafstar wakes from a dream about the gorge flooding and SkyClan being washed away by the waters. SkyClan is thriving however with new kits and warriors. Bouncepaw, Rockpaw and Tinypaw have their warrior ceremony, taking the names Bouncefire, Rockshade and Tinycloud. Although Tinycloud is very unhappy with her name, Leafstar assures her that it doesn't matter what her name is, it's what she does that counts. Leafstar reflects upon Skywatcher and all he did for the Clan that is now thriving, having survived leaf-bare.


 * Soon enough, we are introduced to the daylight warriors, kittypets that chose to be part of SkyClan, but spend their nights at home in their Twoleg nests. Most of the SkyClan cats disapprove of the daylight-warriors, most notably Cherrytail and SkyClan's own deputy, Sharpclaw. Leafstar doesn't like that her warriors disapprove of the daylight warriors, and she tries her best to avoid conflict between the two groups. This doesn't work, because more then enough times, Sharpclaw excludes the daylight-warriors from the basic warrior duties, like patrols.


 * Not all of the Clan cats disapprove of the daylight-warriors, however. Fallowfern's kits, Nettlekit, Plumkit, Rabbitkit, and Creekkit, take a liking to Billystorm, one of the daylight-warriors and Snookpaw's mentor. Billystorm teaches the young kits defensive moves, saying that a hawk or another animal won't leave them alone because they are kits. At first Fallowfern is reluctant, but, decides to let Billystorm teach the kits, provided that they stay away from the water.


 * Spottedleaf visits Leafstar in a dream, warning her that there will be storms to come and showing her a vision of the ancient SkyClan. Leafstar suspects this is a prophecy: "This is the leaf-bare of my Clan. Greenleaf will come, but it will bring even greater storms than these. SkyClan will need deeper roots if it is to survive." Speaking to Echosong about it, she discovers that the medicine cat had the same dream she did. Leafstar refuses to tell the Clan when the two she-cats cannot work out what the dreams mean - especially when they decide Leafstar's floodwater dream is connected, but decides they will talk again if they have more dreams.


 * Leafstar faces more trouble when she is forced to banish two daylight-warriors, Harveymoon and Macgyver, from the Clan for behaving badly and not honoring what it means to be a warrior. Feeling troubled by her decision, she talks with the elders and finds support from Tangle.


 * Sagepaw falls off the cliff, despite Sharpclaw's attempt to help him. Echosong works out that he has dislocated his leg and puts it back in to place, earning respect from her Clanmates. Patchfoot reveals that Sagepaw's fall was his fault for teasing him about his ancestry and Leafstar worries that the Clan are too concerned with being descended from SkyClan cats. She calls a meeting and talks to the Clan about every cat having an equal claim to be part of SkyClan. The meeting is interrupted by intruders who turn out to be the rogues, Stick, Cora, Shorty, and Coal whom Firestar and Sandstorm met when they were trying to rebuild SkyClan. They ask to learn from the SkyClan cats and after pressure from her deputy, Leafstar agrees.


 * Sharpclaw leads a training session with many of the cats alongside the newcomers. This helps to bring the Clan closer together and Leafstar is pleased. Later, when the daylight-warriors return home, the visitors question them and Leafstar shares a suspicion with Sharpclaw that they are there for reasons other than learning how to take care of themselves. She assigns some SkyClan cats to sleep with them in the new dens.


 * In a flashback, Stick and the other rogues are having trouble with newcomers who fight and steal prey from them. There is a battle in which one cat loses an eye and another is missing.


 * Back in SkyClan territory, Leafstar invites the visitors to join the patrols and they agree, joining Patchfoot's border patrol. Leafstar joins the patrol, and scents rats.


 * Leafstar decides to check it out instead of going back to camp. They see a whole pile of Twoleg waste, which horrifies the patrol. They discover that the heap of waste is infested with rats.


 * When they get back to camp, Sharpclaw explains the battle with the rats to the rogues. They ask Sharpclaw if they can help, informing him that they had hunted rats in their past. They come up with a plan to drive the rats out of SkyClan territory. Leafstar goes to Echosong and informs her of her misgivings towards Sharpclaw, but Echosong's advice doesn't seem to help.
 * The attack patrol is getting ready to attack the rats. The cats battle the rats, and SkyClan turns out to be victorious. However, Waspwhisker and Cora are injured badly.


 * When they get back to camp, the daylight-warriors seem to be affronted since they battled the rats without them. Billystorm isn't as infuriated as the others, however.


 * In Stick's perspective, Stick is worried about Red. Misha and Skipper hunt a Twoleg's rabbit, but when the rabbit is killed, Stick is blamed for the death of the rabbit.


 * Now back to SkyClan, it is shown that Frecklepaw continuously helps Echosong with her duties, and that Echosong wants her as an apprentice, but there is some conflict as that Frecklepaw is a daylight warrior. Leafstar talks with Billystorm, and Billystorm tells Leafstar that he had seen SkyClan warriors with Stick in Twolegplace, but Leafstar is sure it is nothing serious. Harverymoon and Macgyver are back from their one-moon exile, and the Gathering takes place.


 * Leafstar and Cora go out hunting together. Stick, Shorty, Cora, and Coal would like to become full warriors of SkyClan, and Leafstar agrees. She performs the ceremony, but it is interuppted three times, which was a bit disruptive. Harveymoon is annoyed that they are now warriors. When Leafstar goes to sleep, she is introduced to Bluestar, Snowfur, and Whitestorm. The whole of StarClan had gathered to celebrate SkyClan's survival. Spottedleaf tells Leafstar to "seize the moment. Destiny will arrive."


 * Leafstar agrees to go with Billystorm to Twolegplace and to find Snookpaw. They come across Hutch, who had used to be a SkyClan warrior. Billystorm and Leafstar get inside Snookpaw's house, and are able to see Snookpaw, but not retrieve him. His Twolegs come, and the two visiting cats leave quickly. A patrol discovers a loner hunting in SkyClan's territory. Leafstar thinks he is a descedant of SkyClan, and offers him a posistion in the Clan. The loner rejects it.


 * Ebonyclaw points out to Leafstar that she suspects that Shrewtooth feels left out. Trying to coax him, Leafstar goes hunting with him. They come across a Twoleg nest and Shrewtooth panics. When Leafstar brings him back to camp, Shrewtooth tells her that he had been captured and abused by the Twolegs that mistreated Petalnose. Petalnose hears this, and determined to get back at the Twolegs, she suggests that they scare them. Leafstar agrees. Leafstar organizes a patrol, and gives the attack cry. The SkyClan cats again are victorious, succeeding in frightening the Twoleg.


 * When the daylight warriors come to camp the next day, the Clan is excitedly talking about the Twoleg's defeat. The daylight warriors are furious that they are left out of another attack. Concerned, Leafstar goes and talks to Echosong. The medicine cat tells her to beware her own feelings. On another note, Snookpaw still hasn't returned.


 * In Stick's point of view, he is shown not to trust her daughter since she had left for Harley and his friends. Wandering the Twolegplace, Stick finds a cat named Onion and is suspicious that she is a friend of Dodge's. He attacks her, and Onion is forced to tell where Dodge is.


 * Snookpaw finally comes back to SkyClan. The other daylight warriors are overjoyed to see him. Leafstar joins a patrol with Cherrytail, Snookpaw, and Billystorm. While on the patrol, Billystorm comes to the point where he reveals his hidden feelings for Leafstar. Leafstar does the same. The loner we've seen when Leafstar and Billystorm had traveled back to camp appears again. His name is revealed to be Egg and with some persuasion, he joins SkyClan as Sharpclaw's apprentice.


 * In Stick's perspective, Red is angry because Stick is too protective. She runs away, but Stick follows her, only to find out that she is now residing with Harley and all his friends. When Stick comes back, he comes back to figure out that the Twolegs had taken Percy.


 * Egg is made an official SkyClan cat, however he keeps his name, which is a shock to the Clan since daylight warriors usually keep their first name as their perfix and a new name as the suffix, but Egg stays as Egg. It is revealed that Sharpclaw had lied to Egg, to get him to join SkyClan. It is revealed that Egg had confined in Sharpclaw about a fox that was living in his territory, and Sharpclaw lies to him, saying that the fox will live there forever and he will be much safer if he lives in SkyClan. Leafstar scolds Sharpclaw, saying that he can't recruit other members with lies.


 * Leafstar and Echosong's argument continues. When Leafstar offers to get Shrewtooth to help Echosong, Echosong bitterly retorts that he never wanted to become a medicine cat, but Frecklepaw obviously wanted to change her apprenticeship. Leafstar reminds her that they can't have a daylight warrior for their medicine cat. Suddenly Echosong asks Leafstar how Billystorm is. When Leafstar requests a reason, Echosong points out that the two are very...close. Echosong reminds Leafstar not to show favortisim towards the daylight warriors. Leafstar confesses that she wants to be mates with Billystorm. Echosong tells Leafstar she can't, at least while things are so tense. Leafstar tells Echosong that she can cope, but Echosong informs her she has a destiny, a path she must walk alone.


 * Angry about her argument with Echosong, Leafstar silently hates Firestar for a moment, wondering why he didn't tell her that leaders couldn't have mates. Billystorm asks Leafstar if they can go into Twolegplace, to see if they can spot one of Sharpclaw's patrols. Leafstar realizes that she can't, and harsher than she sounds, she refuses. Billystorm is in astonishment, wondering why Leafstar is so rude to him. Leafstar tells him that her Clanmates need her, but Billystorm points out that he's her Clanmate, too, and that Leafstar doesn't want to get close to him because she's a kittypet. Leafstar tells him he doesn't know everything, and Billystorm leaves the den.


 * Leafstar sees a vision of Ancient SkyClan, seeing what happened when they first came to the gorge, the lack of prey, their lack of belief in StarClan. She sees the pale brown tom say the same words he had stated in the prophecy: This is the leaf-bare of my Clan. Greenleaf will come, but it will bring even greater storms than these. SkyClan will need deeper roots if it is to survive. Leafstar realizes that she must be one of those roots.


 * Leafstar takes a hunting patrol that consists of Macgyver, Harveymoon, and Egg. Echosong tells them to find her some borage on the way. They come back to camp, Macgyver and Harveymoon catching one small sparrow but Egg managing to catch two squirrels and a pigeon. Leafstar compliments him on how he is picking up SkyClan hunting techniques quickly. When they reach camp, the Clan is gathered. Fallowfern tells Leafstar that Plumkit and Nettlekit had heard a weird sound, and now the entire Clan had heard it.


 * Leafstar takes a patrol to the gorge, past the training area, to investigate. They discover that it is a Twoleg kit, lying among the rocks with her hind leg splayed at an awkward angle. Leafstar reveals to the patrol that the Twoleg she-kit had fell over the cliff. Echosong comforts the kit by purring and acting like a kittypet. She tells Leafstar that she doesn't want to frighten her. Echosong tells Leafstar that her leg is broken, and Echosong comes up with the idea to lure the Twolegs to the Twoleg kit so that they can treat her. Leafstar agrees.


 * Leafstar asks Billystorm and Snookpaw if they know where the Twoleg had come from, considering that they live in the Twolegplace. Snookpaw answers Leafstar, telling her exactly where the Twoleg had come from. Snookpaw leads the way to the Twoleg kit's nest. Snookpaw gets lost a couple times, but they reach the Twoleg nest. When Snookpaw tries to convince the Twoleg that they know where their kit is, the Twoleg doesn't understand, often screeching back in reply. The Twoleg throws a flowerpot at Snookpaw, and the patrol ends up having to leave. Leafstar consults in Echosong.


 * Echosong tells Leafstar that the Twoleg had fell asleep. Leafstar decides that they have to use the way cats think instead of the way Twolegs think, and announces that the Twoleg were hunting for the kit, and that the cats will just have to help them.


 * Frecklepaw finds some stuff that belongs to the Twoleg kit. She points out a backpack, a hanky, and a hairband. There is another object, but Frecklepaw cannot detect it. Leafstar decides that they use the objects to lay out a trail for the Twoleg adults towards their kit. The Twolegs find the trail, and the patrol is overjoyed. Leafstar goes back to Echosong, but the Twolegs aren't near their kit yet. They hear the Twolegs shouting for their kit, and the cats answer for the Twoleg. The Twolegs see the kit, and are about to come to get her. The cats head back to camp.


 * Leafstar is thinking that she had done the wrong thing that day, of bringing Twolegs and Clan cats too close to each other. Echosong insists that she had done the right thing, but Leafstar sees a shadow behind her eyes, telling her that Echosong was worried. Leafstar wonders what will happen now that they brought the Twolegs close.


 * Noticing that the cats of SkyClan are subdued towards the entire Twoleg incident, Leafstar decides to cheer them up by making Snookpaw a warrior. He is given the name of Snookthorn, but almost right after the ceremony is finished, he confesses that he can't stay in SkyClan, that the incident with the flowerpot throwing Twoleg the other day made him know he didn't want to be an enemy of Twolegs - therefore, a warrior of SkyClan. He parts. Snookthorn doesn't even look back.


 * Leafstar sees the kits, Plumkit, Nettlekit, Rabbitkit, and Creekkit, play a game. Plumkit is giving Nettlekit his warrior name, Nettlewhiskers. Obviously Nettlekit doesn't like that, so he bats at Plumkit's face. Eyes stretched wide in dismay, Plumkit asks him what's wrong. Nettlekit replies by saying he doesn't like the name, and he wants to be a kittypet instead. Leafstar comes in, and tells them that's fine, if they don't want to learn how to climb, or hunt, or border patrols. They turn to Leafstar and beg her, telling her they want to be apprentices, and that it was just a game. Leafstar lets them of the hook.


 * Leafstar suddenly sees Sharpclaw, Stick, Shorty, Cora, and several other of her warriors, with Coal, on guard duty, in Twolegplace. Leafstar realizes that Billystorm was right. Leafstar eavesdrops on them. Stick is teaching them about techniques and other stuff, but Leafstar isn't sure what it's for.


 * Billystorm appears and asks Leafstar if she believes him now. Leafstar silently thinks that Billystorm doesn't have the right to interrogate her. Leafstar decides to do more eavesdropping, and maybe confront them. Billystorm deems that he's coming. Leafstar disagrees, but they don't argue. Leafstar follows them, then appears and asks what they were doing. Leafstar and Sharpclaw quarrel. Cora tells Stick that it's time to tell the truth, but Stick snaps at her. Shorty agrees with Cora, so Stick tells Leafstar that they didn't come to join the Clan, they need their help.


 * In Stick's view, Stick sees Velvet. Velvet asks why he is here, and Stick tells her that he needs to see Red. Velvet is revealed to be Stick's mate. Stick confides in Velvet about their daughter. Velvet leaves, and Shorty appears. Shorty tells Stick that he found a place where they can spy on Dodge's camp. They hear some of the cats, some of the cats being Misha and Skipper, doubting Red's loyalty. Dodge comes over and asks Red for information about Stick and his friends. Stick is about to stop them, but Shorty coaxes Stick, telling him that they can't stop them. They decide to find the cats that live downstream, which comes into the present, and is SkyClan.


 * In the present, Stick is describing the betrayals and the battles that he encountered in Twolegplace. Stick brought his story to a close and asks Leafstar if she can help them. Leafstar tells Stick that she'll think about it. Sharpclaw argues with Leafstar, saying that she should help them considering Stick and his friends had been very loyal to SkyClan. Leafstar makes it clear that it's her decision, not Sharpclaw's.


 * Leafstar is about to go to sleep, but not getting comfortable, she pads to the sandy circle, and sees Skywatcher. It appears that this is a dream, and that she is actually asleep. Skywatcher tells Leafstar that she is troubled, and he helps Leafstar decide. Swallowflight appears, and argues, saying that SkyClan cannot leave the gorge. He tells Skywatcher that it isn't a real Clan, and Skywatcher and Swallowflight battle. Leafstar wakes up, and realizes it was just a dream.


 * Leafstar goes on patrol with Shrewtooth, Sharpclaw, Ebonyclaw, and Frecklepaw. Frecklepaw spots honey and bees, and Frecklepaw decides to collect some. Suddenly the bees come out and attack the cats. The cats make a dash for the camp. They come to the pool where the bees leave. Leafstar reminds Echosong that she has to take care of the cats. Echosong calls Leafstar up and removes her sting. Echosong tells Leafstar that the swarm of bees was not just a bee attack, but a sign. Echosong tells her it's a battle they need to fight before it comse to them.


 * Leafstar is shown to agree with the attack on Dodge. Egg comes, but Leafstar forbids apprentices to come. Egg tells Leafstar he wants to prove his loyalty to SkyClan, and Leafstar lets him come. Billystorm apologizes to Leafstar, and asks to come, too. Leafstar agrees but relcluantly.


 * They spot some cows, but Shorty tells them they aren't a threat. They see a dog while they travel, and they run away safely.


 * They come to Twolegplace, in Dodge's camp. Percy is back, and it is revealed that he might have been taken to the Cutter. Leafstar questions the group of cats, to get to know more about Dodge and what their mission is. Billystorm catches a squirrel, and Leafstar and Billystorm share it together.


 * Stick says it's time. Billystorm tells Leafstar that he's ready. Stick leads them into Twolegplace. Sharpclaw organizes an attack plan. Snowy steps back in fear, and tells Leafstar she can't do this. She walks away, but the Clan attacks the camp as planned. Leafstar sees Coal and Shorty getting ready to attack a queen with her kits. Leafstar stops them, and Coal asks Leafstar if she is betraying them. Leafstar doesn't answer, but gets the kits to safety. A cream colored she-cat pounces on Leafstar and the entire world goes black.


 * Leafstar sees her body, with the cream colored she-cat crouched over her. Spottedleaf tells her that she is loosing a life, but she will return to her body soon. Leafstar does. She sees Stick quarrel with Red, and he snaps at Harley, telling him that he tricked Red. He attacks Harley, but Red gets in his way, resulting in her death. The battle is ended, with SkyClan and Stick's friends victorious, once more. Cora runs up to them as they are going home, and thanks them.


 * As they are walking home, Sharpclaw is behind Leafstar, and Leafstar thinks he is going to challenge Leafstar again. Leafstar tells him that she will fight for the rest of her life to keep her leadership, for the good of SkyClan, and that no cat can be apart of SkyClan if they cannot be loyal to their leader. Sharpclaw tells her that he didn't execpt anymore, that they need a leader with faith in herself so the other cats can have faith in her.


 * Leafstar quotes: "SkyClan's destiny is that we will never live in isolation from other cats. We're not like the forest Clans, we can't shut ourselves off entirely from kittypets and rogues. And visitors will be welcome." She makes conditions to visiting cats, that they must hunt everyday, and they won't train them for fighting unless they had spent one moon with SkyClan.


 * She walks over to Billystorm, and asks if they can go on a walk. Leafstar says that they need to talk.


 * The end of the book brings us to the magna. Billystorm is seen training Rabbitpaw. Leafstar organizes a patrol to take out the dog that had been terriozing the cats in Twolegplace. A kittypet suddenly asks why they're there, and Leafstar introduces herself. When Leafstar tells her about the dog, the kittypet tells her where the dog lives. They follow her directions, but the barking is behind Leafstar and the patrol. They run back to the kittypet and are furious. The rest of the patrol run to Billystorm, and ask if he will join them. Leafstar and Rabbitpaw are trapped. The patrol comes, and attacks the dogs. At the end of the book, Leafstar gives Plumpaw, Creekpaw, Plumpaw, Nettlepaw, and Rabbitpaw their warrior names. Nettlepaw becomes Nettlesplash, Creekpaw becomes Creekfeather, Plumpaw becomes Plumwillow, and Rabbitpaw becomes Rabbitleap. Leafstar tells Rabbitpaw he had proven himself to be a worthy warrior of SkyClan, beyond any doubt, and that Leafstar is proud to be his leader.