Midnight (book)/Cliffnotes

These notes are brief, noting major events and minor events in Midnight that will be of consequence later. They are intended to be used as a reference for those looking for specific events for re-reading and the likes.


 * In StarClan, Bluestar speaks about a new prophecy, foretelling that the Forest will be destroyed
 * Four cats are chosen by StarClan, one from each of the four Clans, to go on a quest, attempting to save them
 * Brambleclaw of ThunderClan is chosen by Bluestar
 * Tawnypelt of ShadowClan is chosen by Nightstar
 * Feathertail of RiverClan is chosen by Oakheart
 * Crowpaw of WindClan is chosen by Deadfoot


 * Brambleclaw's perspective
 * Brambleclaw receives a message from Bluestar in his dream. She tells him that a new prophecy must be fulfilled and he must meet three other cats at the new moon to listen what Midnight has to tell them
 * Ferncloud's second litter of kits are born
 * Brambleclaw goes on a hunting patrol with Cloudtail, and Sandstorm goes hunting with Squirrelpaw and Sorrelpaw
 * Sorrelpaw receives her warrior name, Sorreltail
 * Brambleclaw discusses with Firestar. He wonders if he should tell the leader about her dream, but in the end he decides against


 * Brambleclaw's perspective
 * Brambleclaw goes on the dawn patrol with Thornclaw and Ashfur to check Snakerocks
 * Brambleclaw discovers that Squirrelpaw, Firestar's daughter, has followed them. Thornclaw lets her stay with them and they move on
 * The patrol discovers a badger living at Snakerocks and they return to the camp to report it to Firestar
 * Dustpelt tells of Squirrelpaw for leaving the camp without permission and reveals that Firestar took a patrol to search for her. She must look after the elders as punishment, and Brambleclaw helps her


 * Leafpaw's perspective
 * Leafpaw, Firestar's other daughter has become a medicine cat apprentice
 * It is revealed that Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw have a special connection, able to sense each other's thoughts and feelings
 * A Gathering takes place
 * Leafpaw meets Stormfur and Feathertail, Graystripe's kits who are now warriors
 * Leopardstar grants WindClan permission to enter her territory and drink from the river. She also announces that RiverClan has two new warriors, Hawkfrost and Mothwing, their mother being a rogue, and Mothwing wishes to become a medicine cat
 * The other Clans protest at hearing this
 * Brambleclaw's perspective
 * Brambleclaw discovers that his sister, Tawnypelt, has had the same dream, except that Nightstar came to her. They agree to meet at Fourtrees on the new moon


 * Brambleclaw's perspective
 * Firestar and Brambleclaw plan to go on a patrol to check on ShadowClan
 * Brambleclaw makes the suggestion that WindClan are probably more likely to cause trouble, as they are short of prey because of the dry weather. Squirrelpaw disagrees and the two almost fight, but are separated by Firestar
 * Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw and Dustpelt head for the RiverClan border
 * They discover a WindClan patrol of three cats, Mudclaw, Onewhisker, and Crowpaw, on ThunderClan territory, stealing RiverClan prey. Crowpaw attacks Brambleclaw but Onewhisker stops the apprentice. The WindClan cats leave with the stolen prey
 * On the new moon, Brambleclaw heads to Fourtrees; he is followed and confronted by Squirrelpaw


 * Brambleclaw's perspective
 * Tawnypelt shows up awhile later, then Feathertail and Stormfur of RiverClan, and finally Crowpaw of WindClan
 * They all share their stories and discover that they had the same dream
 * Stormfur admits that he did not have the dream but knew about it from Feathertail
 * Crowpaw almost starts a fight, but he is stopped by the others
 * When nothing happens at midnight, the cats leave and promise to meet up at the next Gathering
 * Brambleclaw promises to tell Squirrelpaw everything he learns


 * Leafpaw's perspective
 * Leafpaw shows her special connection with Squirrelpaw, knowing her sister was up to something at night
 * Ravenpaw comes to ThunderClan to speak with Firestar about the recent Twoleg activity
 * He meets Ferncloud's kits who want to play with him
 * Leafpaw confronts Squirrelpaw, asking where she was at night, and Squirrelpaw says she was hunting. Leafpaw knows her sister is lying, and is worried about her
 * Brambleclaw's perspective
 * Brambleclaw has a dream where he is drowning in salty water. He sees a cliff that opens up into a cave, and the sun setting in the water. When he wakes up, his mouth is salty
 * He talks to Ravenpaw, and finds out that the sun-drown-place he saw in his dream is real and can be reached by walking towards the setting sun
 * Brambleclaw wonders if StarClan wants him to visit the place in question


 * Brambleclaw's perspective
 * Brambleclaw visits RiverClan to tell Stormfur and Feathertail about his dream
 * He suggests that they should go to the sun-drown-place. They agree to leave the day before half moon
 * The next day, Brambleclaw, Stormfur and Feathertail visit WindClan to speak with Crowpaw
 * He is hostile, but finally agrees to come
 * Brambleclaw travels to ShadowClan to meet Tawnypelt
 * She agrees willingly enough to go to the sun-drown-place


 * Leafpaw's perspective
 * Leafpaw and her mentor Cinderpelt are on a herb-gathering expedition
 * They see a piece of Twoleg rubbish set aflame. Leafpaw runs away but stops to see that Cinderpelt has not moved. The fire dies away and Cinderpelt tells her that she saw a tiger in the flames, and that it was an omen from StarClan
 * The two cats tell Firestar what they saw, and Cinderpelt thinks that it means the fire and tiger will destroy the forest
 * They conclude that fire represents Squirrelpaw, Firestar's daughter, and the tiger is Brambleclaw, Tigerstar's son
 * Firestar decides that Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw must be kept apart


 * Brambleclaw's perspective
 * Brambleclaw begins to wonder if he did something wrong when Firestar gives him a hard stare and then orders Squirrelpaw to a patrol when she comes over to Brambleclaw
 * The next day, he is ordered to watch Brackenfur train Whitepaw
 * He wonders why does Firestar want to keep him apart from Squirrelpaw and starts to believe that Squirrelpaw told a cat about the dreams from StarClan
 * He manages to tell Squirrelpaw that he needs to talk to her about the dreams. She agrees and they go behind the nursery
 * Before Brambleclaw can tell her anything, Firestar appears, clearly upset. He sends Brambleclaw away to do apprentice duties and tells Squirrelpaw to stop hanging around such an inexperienced warrior
 * Brambleclaw knows he didn't do anything wrong, but has lost his leader's trust


 * Brambleclaw's perspective
 * Brambleclaw goes hunting with Mousefur and her apprentice Spiderpaw, not even trying to talk to Squirrelpaw anymore
 * When Spiderpaw chases after a squirrel, Mousefur follows him, leaving Brambleclaw alone
 * He finds Squirrelpaw stuck in a gorse bush. He helps her free and Firestar finds them.
 * Firestar is angry to see that Brambleclaw is disobeying his orders, making Squirrelpaw angry. Firestar and Squirrelpaw go at it until Graystripe appears
 * Firestar orders the two cats to carry on with his orders or they may not be fit to be warriors
 * Brambleclaw tells Squirrelpaw of his dream and that he is leaving. He is reluctant to let Squirrelpaw come but then agrees.


 * Brambleclaw's perspective
 * On the eve of the journey, Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw get away from the camp and head for the Thunderpath
 * They sleep near the Thunderpath under a monster that is unusually large
 * The next morning, while traveling to Fourtrees, Leafpaw shows up with traveling herbs
 * Leafpaw reveals that she knows that they are about to leave on a dangerous journey
 * Brambleclaw thinks that Leafpaw would tell Firestar but then lets it go
 * Squirrelpaw tells Leafpaw everything about the dreams they have had, and that trouble is coming to the forest


 * Leafpaw's perspective
 * Leafpaw heads back to camp and finds the rest of the Clan noticing Brambleclaw's and Squirrelpaw's disappearance
 * Initially, they think that they went off hunting by themselves
 * By midday, the Clan are worried about the two missing cats
 * Sandstorm tells Firestar that he was too rough on them, and his annoyance turns to worry when he thinks that he might have scared them away
 * Sandstorm tells him that she thinks the prophecy might mean something else, that fire and tiger might save them instead of causing trouble. Firestar notices her point and decides to go on a patrol to find them
 * Firestar later comes to the medicine den to talk to Cinderpelt, telling her he found nothing. Cinderpelt tells him not to worry; that Squirrelpaw has Brambleclaw to look after her


 * Brambleclaw's perspective
 * When the two cats reach Fourtrees, they discover that they are the last to arrive
 * They have a brief dispute over Stormfur and Squirrelpaw coming along but then set out on their journey
 * They stop at Barley's barn for a good night's sleep and to talk to Ravenpaw more about the sun-drown-place
 * They set out in the morning, and Ravenpaw escorts them to Highstones
 * Ravenpaw tells them everything he knows about the land. They thank him and move on.


 * Brambleclaw's perspective
 * The chosen cats make their way through a sheep field, talking more about the prophecy
 * Squirrelpaw rounds on Crowpaw when the WindClan apprentice is being unfair to Brambleclaw
 * Brambleclaw feels responsible to the other cats, and vows to protect them
 * The cats soon approach a Thunderpath. They agree to keep running past the hedge when they reach the other side
 * On Brambleclaw's word they race across the Thunderpath
 * When they get through the hedge, the cats are separated
 * Brambleclaw manages to find Feathertail. The two travel through the Twoleg nests in search of the four other cats
 * They finally find them, but they are in trouble


 * Leafpaw's perspective
 * At the half moon, the medicine cats set out for Highstones. Leafpaw and Cinderpelt meet up with Littlecloud of ShadowClan and Mudfur and Mothwing of RiverClan.
 * Leafpaw is happy to see Mothwing but put off when Mothwing treats her like a lower specimen
 * Once they get talking, Mothwing relaxes more and tells Leafpaw of the sign StarClan sent, a moth's wing in the medicine den
 * They meet up with Barkface and continue towards Highstones
 * At the Moonstone, Mudfur performs Mothwing's medicine cat apprentice ceremony
 * The cats share tongues with StarClan. Leafpaw sees the forest being destroyed, a group of cats trekking through snow, then finally Squirrelpaw and several other cats with her


 * Brambleclaw's perspective
 * Stormfur and Crowpaw are cornered by two kittypets
 * Squirrelpaw and Tawnypelt appear and attack the kittypets; they flee
 * The six cats continue their journey, and sleep near a ruined wall
 * Tawnypelt has her salt water sign, lapping up water from a puddle and finding it tasting of salt


 * Brambleclaw's perspective
 * At dawn, Squirrelpaw tells Brambleclaw that Feathertail and Crowpaw are missing. The two cats appear soon, bringing fresh-kill
 * The next three days, the cats travel through farmland
 * They see horses and cows
 * They see a wheat field with a monster harvesting the crop and avoid it
 * Crossing under a fence, Squirrelpaw gets stuck
 * Feathertail and Tawnypelt free her by chewing up dock leaves and spreading it on her pelt
 * Feathertail has her saltwater sign, dreaming about drinking salty water


 * Leafpaw's perspective
 * Leafpaw and Sorreltail go out to find celandine
 * They meet Firestar, returning from a patrol after looking for Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw
 * Brackenfur remarks that they likely left the territory days ago, and Firestar decides that there is no point in sending out more search patrols
 * Leafpaw and Sorreltail reach the river and see WindClan being chased out from RiverClan territory
 * They talk to Mistyfoot and find out that Feathertail and Stormfur have left
 * Leafpaw reports to Firestar about the missing cats. She suspects that they went with Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw
 * She tells Firestar about her vision at the Moonstone that showed that Squirrelpaw is alive


 * Brambleclaw's perspective
 * Running from a dog, the six are saved by a loner.
 * Feathertail is still trapped on the ground; she is saved by Crowpaw
 * A Twoleg shows up and collects the dog
 * The loner introduces himself as Purdy, and takes the cats to food
 * They enter a Big Twolegplace
 * They fish for golden fish in a pool
 * Crowpaw has his saltwater sign
 * Purdy joins the questing cats


 * Brambleclaw's perspective
 * Purdy takes the cats to a Twoleg Nest for kittypet food
 * Feathertail is taken by surprise and picked up by a Twoleg Kit
 * Squirrelpaw and Stormfur get the kit to let go of her
 * They continue through the Big Twolegplace
 * When the weather clears up, they notice that the setting sun is behind them, and they are walking in the wrong direction
 * They argue with Purdy, but have no choice but to follow him
 * The next day, they are attacked by rats
 * They defeat the rats, but Tawnypelt gets an infected bite on her shoulder


 * Leafpaw's perspective
 * Leafpaw senses that Squirrelpaw is in trouble, and asks Cinderpelt if they have burdock root
 * At the Gathering, Leopardstar takes back his permission of letting WindClan cats drinking from the river in RiverClan territory and Tallstar agrees
 * Hawkfrost proclaims that he saw WindClan stealing prey
 * Firestar stops the dispute, saying that Hawkfrost could have been mistaken
 * Firestar announces that ThunderClan has lost two cats
 * The other three leaders say that they have lost cats as well
 * They wonder if there is a new enemy in the forest
 * The leaders report increased Twoleg activity along the Thunderpath
 * Leafpaw eats some burdock root, sensing that her sister needs it, and trying to send her a sign


 * Brambleclaw's perspective
 * Tawnypelt's condition worsens
 * Crowpaw and Feathertail argue with Purdy, believing they got lost
 * Purdy ignores him and shows the cats a forest.
 * Feathertail and Tawnypelt stay behind while everyone else hunts
 * Squirrelpaw senses her sister's message and brings back burdock root for Tawnypelt
 * The six cats say good-bye to Purdy and continue in the direction of the setting sun
 * Squirrelpaw smells salt


 * Brambleclaw's perspective
 * The six cats reach the sun-drown-place
 * They start to climb down a cliff, but the soil gives way and Brambleclaw falls into the ocean
 * Squirrelpaw and Stormfur save him
 * They enter the cave Brambleclaw saw in his dream
 * They find a badger


 * Brambleclaw's perspective
 * The badger appears to be friendly and introduces herself as Midnight
 * She leads them deeper into the cave and treats Tawnypelt's injury
 * The cats ask why they had to travel all the way here just for a message
 * Midnight replies that cats from different Clans must understand the importance of working together and trusting each other
 * She tells them that the Clans must leave the forest to survive, as it is about to be destroyed by Twolegs
 * The six cats must lead the Clans to another place to live, and that a dying warrior will show the way


 * Leafpaw's perspective
 * Firestar, Graystripe, Cloudtail, Sandstorm, Leafpaw are on a patrol
 * They find that the destruction of the forest had begun.