Dark River/Cliffnotes

Contents

These notes reflect a bulleted list of major and minor events in Dark River that can be easily navigated. They are intended to serve as a reference for those looking for specific events in re-reading and book discussions and include links to the relevant chapter subpages further detailing each chapter's events.

Prologue

• Fallen Leaves’ point of view.
• The ancient cat Fallen Leaves prepares to undergo the trial to become a sharpclaw, navigating a series of underground tunnels.
  • A cat mentions that it may rain, but Fallen Leaves insists the sky is clear and he enters the tunnel.
• Fallen Leaves meets Rock, an ancient cat from the tunnels who shows him a smooth stick with marks etched into it.
  • Rock explains the marks on the stick represent each cat that has entered the tunnels, and whether they had safely made it out of the tunnels or not.
• Fallen Leaves asks Rock for advice, but Rock says he cannot help him, insisting that Fallen Leaves' destiny is in his own paws.
• Rock suddenly asks Fallen Leaves if he believes it will rain.
  • Fallen Leaves promises the sky is clear, then ventures into the tunnels, hopeful he will be a sharpclaw by dawn.

Chapter 1

• Lionpaw's point of view.
• Lionpaw, Hollypaw and Jaypaw are pretending that ShadowClan is attacking, and ambush Brambleclaw outside the warriors' den.
  • Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw tell them not to play around in front of the den, as they may destroy the reinforcements Stormfur and Graystripe built.
  • Squirrelflight tells them to clean up as they are leaving for the Gathering soon, which they are all excited for as it will be the three's first Gathering together.
• On the way to the Gathering, Lionpaw looks forward to seeing Heatherpaw, his friend in WindClan.
  • Jaypaw and Berrypaw almost slip into the water from the tree-bridge, but Leafpool and Brackenfur save them, respectively.
• Lionpaw meets up with Heatherpaw, but Breezepaw and Crowfeather butt in, preventing them from getting a moment alone.
  • RiverClan arrives, and Hollypaw remarks that they seems on edge.
• During the Gathering, Blackstar announces that Tawnypelt and Rowanclaw have had three kits named Flamekit, Dawnkit and Tigerkit.
  • The older warriors are surprised at the name Tigerkit, reminded of painful memories of Tigerstar.
• Lionpaw meets up with Heatherpaw as the Clans are leaving the Gathering, and Heatherpaw suggests meeting secretly at night before the next Gathering.
  • Lionpaw hesitates, then assures himself he won't fall behind in his duties, and agrees to the meeting.

Chapter 2

• Hollypaw's point of view.
• Hollypaw dreams that she is chasing Willowpaw through a rainy forest.
  • Hollypaw repeatedly calls out to Willowpaw to stop, but Willowpaw refuses, ignoring Hollypaw's questions.
• Hollypaw wakes up to find Lionpaw soaking wet in his nest and suspects that he must have been out in the forest.
  • Hollypaw recalls Lionpaw's strange behavior of frequently leaving the den at night when Cinderpaw wakes up as well.
• Cinderpaw and Hollypaw go to the fresh-kill pile together and are disappointed to find the remaining prey was soaked by the heavy rain.
• After eating, Brackenfur takes Hollypaw hunting while Cinderpaw stays in camp to clean the elders' den.
  • Hollypaw worriedly asks her mentor if she would ever have to fight her new ShadowClan kin, Tigerkit, Dawnkit, and Flamekit.
    • Brackenfur replies that the Clan comes before kin, and encourages her to focus on hunting instead of worrying.
• After returning from the hunt, Hollypaw is irritated to find Lionpaw still asleep in their den, asking if Ashfur had any jobs for him.
  • Lionpaw is shocked to learn that he slept halfway through the morning, remarking he didn't sleep well, yet Hollypaw knows there is something he isn't telling her.
• Hollypaw goes to see Jaypaw and asks him about Lionpaw's strange behavior.
  • Jaypaw is dismissive and unsure of why Lionpaw is acting so strange. Hollypaw also asks Jaypaw if he believed something was wrong with RiverClan, to which he replies he knows how he can find out.
• Hollypaw is increasingly suspicious of Lionpaw sneaking out, so she decides to follow him out of the den one night, and Cinderpaw comes with her.
  • Hollypaw and Cinderpaw discover that Lionpaw and Heatherpaw are meeting, and Hollypaw is outraged.
    • Hollypaw threatens to tell Firestar about their meetings unless Lionpaw promised to stop seeing her.
    • Lionpaw is furious that Hollypaw would threaten them and storms off, making the rift between the littermates even greater.

Chapter 3

• Jaypaw's point of view.
• Jaypaw and Leafpool travel to the Moonpool with the other medicine cats.
• Jaypaw enters Willowpaw's dream, intending to find out what is wrong with RiverClan for Hollypaw.
  • Jaypaw sees Willowpaw talking with Mudfur, and he learns that RiverClan is in danger of losing their home.
  • Yellowfang enters the dream as well, and accuses Jaypaw of spying. She encourages him to find out why he was given his powers before recklessly using them.
• Jaypaw informs Leafpool of RiverClan's troubles while they walk back to camp. Leafpool is dismayed that Jaypaw can walk in others' dreams so easily, and makes him promise to keep his abilities a secret, to Jaypaw's annoyance.
• They head back and Leafpool tells Firestar about the dream of RiverClan in danger.
  • Firestar decides to keep ThunderClan out of their business, and does not take action.
• Jaypaw runs into Hollypaw and he tells her that RiverClan may have to find a new home. Both are unhappy with Firestar's inaction.
  • Feeling discouraged, Jaypaw heads to his den and falls asleep.

Chapter 4

• Jaypaw's point of view.
• Leafpool and Jaypaw go out to collect mallow.
• On the way to the lake shore, they run into a hunting patrol of Mousepaw, Birchfall, Spiderleg, Ashfur, and Lionpaw.
  • Mousepaw chases a squirrel up a tree, but it gets away.
• Jaypaw finds an unusual stick by the lakeshore.
  • He notices that unnatural lines had been etched into it and all the bark had peeled off, convincing Jaypaw it is a special stick.
• Jaypaw cannot carry both the mallow and the stick back to camp, so he tucks it under a root and leaves with Leafpool.

Chapter 5

• Lionpaw's point of view.
• Lionpaw has a nightmare that Hollypaw had turned into a fox and pounces on him.
  • Lionpaw wakes up and becomes annoyed at Hollypaw and Cinderpaw for constantly hanging around him.
• He heads to the training hollow with Ashfur, Brackenfur, and Hollypaw to practice fighting techniques to use against the different Clans.
  • Hollypaw keeps annoying Lionpaw, and then they practice fighting each other.
    • Lionpaw unsheathes his claws and scratches Hollypaw's back, but Brambleclaw intervenes and breaks them up.
• Brambleclaw pulls Lionpaw aside and they walk together.
  • Lionpaw tells him that he is tired at having to prove himself to Hollypaw when he knows he is loyal to ThunderClan.
    • Brambleclaw connects with him, saying he felt the same way since he was the son of Tigerstar.
• One night, Heatherpaw sneaks into the ThunderClan camp to find Lionpaw.
  • Lionpaw meets up with her and she shows him underground tunnels where they can meet at night without anyone knowing, not even Hollypaw and Cinderpaw.
    • They come up with their own Clan, called DarkClan, and pretend that Heatherpaw is Heatherstar, the leader of DarkClan. She makes Lionpaw deputy.
• The next morning, Lionpaw and Heatherpaw head back to their Clans, having fallen asleep in the cave.

Chapter 6

• Hollypaw's point of view.
• Firestar calls a Clan meeting to give Millie her warrior name and officially make her a part of ThunderClan.
  • Hollypaw frets that a kittypet becoming an official warrior might stir up more hostility in the other Clans.
• Millie interrupts Firestar in the middle of the ceremony, explaining that she would be loyal to ThunderClan, but wished to remain Millie.
  • The Clan is surprised, but Daisy and Brook vouch for her and explain their pride in their given names shouldn't interfere with their loyalty to ThunderClan and the warrior code.
• Right after the meeting, Mousepaw, Cinderpaw, and Hollypaw go out on a hunting assessment.
  • Determined to catch a squirrel, Mousepaw climbs the Sky Oak, but gets stuck.
  • Cinderpaw goes up after him to help, but loses her balance while trying to keep Mousepaw steady, and falls to the ground with a sickening thud.

Chapter 7

• Jaypaw's point of view.
• Jaypaw is removing a thorn from Birchfall's pad when Hollypaw rushes into the clearing and announces that Cinderpaw has fallen out of Sky Oak.
  • Leafpool is frozen with fear, and Jaypaw has to snap her out of her daze. They gather herbs for broken bones and run to help Cinderpaw.
    • To Leafpool's horror, Cinderpaw broke her hind leg. Jaypaw is confused at her intense reaction. The warriors take Cinderpaw to camp.
• Leafpool sets Cinderpaw's break in the medicine den and lets her sleep. Jaypaw curls up beside her and enters her dream.
  • He discovers that Cinderpaw is the reincarnation of Cinderpelt.

Chapter 8

• Lionpaw's point of view.
• Lionpaw is playing with Heatherpaw in the tunnels at night.
• The ghosts of Tigerstar and Hawkfrost appear to him for the first time as he leaves the tunnel.
• After a brief nap, Lionpaw goes on the dawn patrol with Sandstorm, Dustpelt, Honeypaw, and Hazelpaw.
  • While on patrol, Lionpaw watches the WindClan apprentices Breezepaw and Harepaw almost cross the border while they are chasing a squirrel.
• Back at camp, the patrol reports the WindClan apprentices hunting a squirrel. ThunderClan discusses why the apprentices were hunting squirrels.
  • Hollypaw asks Lionpaw if he thinks Firestar should challenge Onestar at the next Gathering. Lionpaw fears he may have to face Heatherpaw in battle and says he doesn't think ThunderClan should fight WindClan.

Chapter 9

• Hollypaw's point of view.
• ThunderClan arrive at a Gathering to find every cat in RiverClan on the island.
  • Leopardstar tells the other Clans that RiverClan has a small problem and had to temporarily evacuate their camp.
• Hollypaw agrees to meet Willowpaw later to find out what the trouble is.

Chapter 10

• Jaypaw's point of view.
• Jaypaw decides to test Cinderpaw to see if she remembers ever being Cinderpelt.
  • Leafpool stops him and tells him that Cinderpaw must find her own destiny without interfering.
• Cinderpaw asks Jaypaw what it is like to be blind.
• Leafpool takes him out to look for herbs.
  • Jaypaw finds the unusual stick again.
    • He is unable to take it back with him due to an incoming storm.
• The next morning, Jaypaw finds Lionpaw awake early.
  • They take a walk down to the lake.
    • Jaypaw finds the stick again.

Chapter 11

• Lionpaw's point of view.
• Ashfur gets frustrated with Lionpaw for missing prey.
  • Honeypaw defends him in front of the other cats.
    • Lionpaw refuses Honeypaw's help, and ends up missing another vole.
• Later, Lionpaw and Ashfur go out for battle training with Berrypaw and Brambleclaw.
  • Lionpaw is put up against Berrypaw but loses quickly.
• Ashfur expresses disappointment in Lionpaw and sets him to work on a move while he helps with Berrypaw.
  • Tigerstar comes to Lionpaw and shows him a better way to do the move.
• He shows it the other cats, who are impressed.
  • Brambleclaw is troubled, having recognized Tigerstar's move.

Chapter 12

• Hollypaw's point of view.
• Hollypaw is disappointed to see that the Clan was preparing for battle against WindClan.
• Brackenfur tells her that they would be battle training instead of hunting.
  • Hollypaw goes to Firestar and tells him that he can't let the preparations for battle to happen.
    • Firestar tells her that they must be ready in case WindClan attacked.
• Hollypaw decides that she needs to speak with Willowpaw.
  • She goes through WindClan territory and into RiverClan.
• She finds Willowpaw and Mothwing.
  • Willowpaw shows her that Twoleg kits had started coming to RiverClan camp, but they were working on the problem.

Chapter 13

• Hollypaw's point of view.
• Hollypaw promises not to reveal RiverClan's problem.
• Willowpaw starts to take Hollypaw back to the border so she could go home.
  • A dog chases them, and they find a RiverClan patrol.
• The patrol is caught by WindClan after accidentally crossing the border.
  • They let the RiverClan cats and Hollypaw return to their territory with threats of battle.
• Reedwhisker takes Hollypaw to see Leopardstar.
  • Leopardstar refuses to let her go home.

Chapter 14

• Jaypaw's point of view.
• The Clan begins to notice Hollypaw's absence.
  • They begin to think that WindClan took her hostage.
    • Brambleclaw and Firestar calm the Clan and decide not to attack WindClan.
• Leafpool tells Jaypaw to try and dream where she was.
  • He refuses, saying that he wasn't even tired.
• Jaypaw goes down to the lake and finds the stick.
  • He has a vision about what happened to Fallen Leaves.
    • It begins to rain, and the tunnels flood.
      • Jaypaw sees that Fallen Leaves drowned in the tunnels and never came back out.

Chapter 15

• Lionpaw's point of view.
• Lionpaw continues to practice Tigerstar's moves in the tunnels while he waits for Heatherpaw.
  • Heatherpaw arrives and tells him that Gorsetail's kits almost saw her going into the tunnels.
• Lionpaw shows Heatherpaw the battle moves he was practicing.
  • He teaches them to Heatherpaw.
• The next morning, Hawkfrost stops Lionpaw returning to camp.
  • He tells Lionpaw that he is a traitor for teaching the enemy battle moves that she might use on him one day.
• Lionpaw arrives back at camp to learn that WindClan had crossed the border and killed prey over it.
  • He joins the battle patrol and they head to the border where fighting was about to start.
• Lionpaw defeats Breezepaw in battle with the help of Poppypaw.
• Ashfoot calls the retreat for WindClan.
• Leafpool and Jaypaw begin to treat the wounded cats.
  • Lionpaw tells them that WindClan doesn't have Hollypaw, as he learned through Heatherpaw.
• Lionpaw sneaks out of camp to meet with Heatherpaw.
  • He tells her that they can no longer meet anymore.
    • Heatherpaw grows angry and tells him that she hopes being a warrior is worth it.

Chapter 16

• Hollypaw's point of view.
• Squirrelflight arrives at the island holding RiverClan to bring Hollypaw home.
  • Leopardstar allows Hollypaw to return home with Squirrelflight.
• On the way back to ThunderClan, Squirrelflight scolds Hollypaw for wasting the Clan's time and disobeying Firestar.
  • She also tells Hollypaw about the border skirmish.
    • When Hollypaw asks, Squirrelflight tells her that Jaypaw dreamed she was with RiverClan.
• Back at camp, Hollypaw desperately tries to convince Firestar not to attack WindClan.
  • She is given the punishment of taking care of the elders and staying in camp for one day.
• She talks to Mousefur and tells her that they wouldn't have to fight if they just talked to each other.
  • Mousefur becomes interested in talking to the other Clans and not guess about what might happen.
• Cinderpaw begins to take short walks around camp, showing how her leg was recovering.

Chapter 17

• Jaypaw's point of view.
• Firestar comes to the medicine den to speak with Leafpool and Jaypaw.
  • He tells them that he wants both of them to travel to WindClan tomorrow to speak with Onestar.
• The next day, a patrol escorts them to the border.
  • They meet a WindClan patrol of Nightcloud, Tornear, Owlwhisker, and Harepaw.
    • The WindClan cats reluctantly allow Leafpool and Jaypaw to come with them.
• Leafpool speaks with Onestar, asking if they were in trouble.
  • Onestar denies that they were.
• She then asks him if RiverClan had invaded their territory.
  • Onestar tells her that they haven't yet, but might still.
• Gorsetail suddenly finds that her three kits have disappeared.
• Ashfoot with Breezepaw and Heatherpaw return to the camp, announcing that RiverClan had crossed their border.
• Onestar forces Leafpool and Jaypaw to leave, telling them that WindClan would attack at once to get their kits back.

Chapter 18

• Lionpaw's point of view.
• Ashfur congratulates Lionpaw on his improved hunting skills as they return to camp.
  • They find that the Clan is busy preparing for attack after what WindClan declared.
• Lionpaw learns that three WindClan kits went missing.
  • He thinks that they might have gone into the tunnels.
• Lionpaw goes down to the lake where Jaypaw and Hollypaw were.
  • He tells them about the tunnels and admits that he had been seeing Heatherpaw there.
• The three of them go into the tunnels.
  • Jaypaw begins to get worried since it was raining.
    • They find Heatherpaw and Breezepaw in there as well.
• Jaypaw picks up the lost kits' scent.

Chapter 19

• Jaypaw's point of view.
• Jaypaw begins to lead the way into the tunnels.
  • Fallen Leaves comes to him and begins to lead him to the kits.
• He leads them to a boulder.
  • The apprentices find the kits stuck behind it.
• They go back to the main tunnel but find that the river has been flooded, blocking the escape.
• Jaypaw sees Rock and learns of a way out.
  • The cats must let the river carry them out the river.
    • They all jump into the river.

Chapter 20

• Hollypaw's point of view.
• The cats make it into the lake and swim to shore.
• After a brief rest, they move as fast as they can to the border where the battle was going to start.
• They arrive at the border just in time and announce that they found the kits.
  • Instead of telling the Clans about the tunnels, Hollypaw lies that they were on the shore of the lake to cover up for Lionpaw.
    • Sedgekit, Swallowkit, and Thistlekit return to WindClan.
• Heatherpaw goes over to Lionpaw and warmly thanks him for his help.
  • Flatly, he tells her they would have done the same for any cat.
    • Heatherpaw is pained by his decision not to be with her but tells him he will make a great warrior.
• Hollypaw decides that she can no longer be friends with Willowpaw anymore since she is not a medicine cat.

Chapter 21

• Lionpaw's point of view.
• Lionpaw leaves camp and goes back to the tunnels one last time.
  • He says good-bye to Heatherpaw and knows that they would be free to do what they wanted in StarClan.
• Outside, Tigerstar and Hawkfrost come to him.
  • They tell him he made the right decision.
    • Tigerstar tells him that friendship was worthless and he would become so powerful that he would not need friends, and then he would never regret that he chose to become a warrior.