Dawn of the Clans

"The past is the past. The future is fresh. You must forget all you have known, no matter how much you loved it, and choose paths that will carry you to a new dawn."

— Bright Stream to the early settlers in A Forest Divided, page 315

Dawn of the Clans
Release date
5 March 2013
Authors
Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry
Books
The Sun Trail, Thunder Rising, The First Battle, The Blazing Star, A Forest Divided, Path of Stars
Resources
Artwork • Characters
Chronology
Navigate to Warriors books for all arcs.
Followed by:	The Prophecies Begin

Dawn of the Clans is a prequel arc, and the fifth arc, of the Warriors series. It follows the early settlers as they move from the mountains down to the forest and start the five Clans: ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, SkyClan, and ShadowClan. It features Gray Wing, Thunder, and Clear Sky as the main protagonists.

Concept development

"This prequel arc is the perfect introduction for new Warriors readers—and a long-awaited tale of the origins of the Clans that will thrill dedicated Erin Hunter fans!"

―Blurb for The Sun Trail

Shortly before the release of Bluestar's Prophecy, Victoria Holmes revealed that the team is planning on a super edition that follows the early Clans, though it ended up becoming the sixth arc after Omen of the Stars.

More Coming Soon

Box set blurb

SEE HOW THE WARRIOR CLANS CAME TO BE...

For many moons, a tribe of cats has lived near the top of a mountain, where prey is scarce and seasons are harsh. Then a mysterious vision reveals a land filled with prey and shelter, and a group of brave young cats sets off in search of a better home. But in this unfamiliar world, great dangers await them... and threaten to divide them. The traveling cats must find a new way to live side by side—or risk tearing one another apart.

Summary

In the mountains, the Tribe cats are starving, and some decide to leave to search for a better home. These cats, led by Shaded Moss, start searching for a place they can permanently settle. After Shaded Moss dies after being hit by a monster, Tall Shadow takes his place and the group eventually arrives at a moor. They meet Wind and Gorse, who join the group. Soon, Clear Sky leaves the moor and leads a few cats to the nearby forest. There, he falls in love with a rogue named Storm. Jagged Peak, Clear Sky's brother, falls from a tree and permanently injures his leg, and is exiled from Clear Sky's camp. Turtle Tail leaves the moor to become a kittypet. After seeing how Clear Sky treats his other brother, Gray Wing, Storm leaves. She gives birth in a collapsing Twoleg den and dies, and Gray Wing takes her only surviving kit, Thunder, to Clear Sky. However, Clear Sky decides not to raise him, so Gray Wing brings Thunder to Tall Shadow's camp. Turtle Tail comes back to the moor pregnant with a kittypet named Tom's kits. A fire rages through the forest, and Thunder saves Clear Sky and goes to live with his father afterward. Moon Shadow, Tall Shadow's brother, dies of burns from the forest fire, and Tall Shadow lets Gray Wing become leader while she grieves. After Clear Sky leaves Frost out to die because he could not contribute much to the group due to his injuries, Thunder leaves with him and goes back to the moor.

A few cats visit Clear Sky to invite him to a meeting during the full moon to discuss his obsession with protecting his borders. Turtle Tail's kits, Sparrow Fur, Pebble Heart, and Owl Eyes, get kidnapped by their father, Tom, who takes them to his Twoleg den. Thunder, Lightning Tail, and River Ripple rescue them, but also find Turtle Tail dead on the Thunderpath. At the meeting, Clear Sky starts a battle and kills Rainswept Flower. However, he cannot force himself to kill his brother, Gray Wing, and ends the battle. Spirit cats appear and lecture Clear Sky and tell the cats to unite or die, and Clear Sky apologizes. Acorn Fur then joins Clear Sky's camp, Dew joins River Ripple's group, and the cats go home.

After the death of her kits, Wind Runner makes her own group on the moor. A rogue named One Eye and Tom join Clear Sky's group. When Sparrow Fur tries to visit her father, One Eye almost kills her but Tom takes his killing blow, and One Eye is exiled from the group. Soon, One Eye chases Clear Sky out of his camp. Clear Sky takes refuge on the moor, and they construct a plan to kill One Eye. Meanwhile, Thunder falls in love with a rogue she-cat called Star Flower, who seems to like him back. When the battle with One Eye comes, it is revealed that Star Flower is One Eye's daughter and was using Thunder to spy on the group. Nevertheless, Clear Sky wins and takes the forest back. When he returns, Petal dies of an illness. However, every other sick cat, from both the forest and the moor, is cured using a plant called the Blazing Star.

A few moons later, the moor cats cast stones to decide where they would like to live. Clear Sky lets Star Flower live in his camp, and they become mates after a while. Thunder, who chose to live with Clear Sky, leaves to make his own group in the forest. Quiet Rain, Clear Sky, Gray Wing, and Jagged Peak's mother arrive at the forest with Sun Shadow. Quiet Rain is ill, and when Clear Sky confesses what he has done, she disowns him. Right before she dies, she tells Clear Sky that she forgives him. Gray Wing returns to the moor. Later, Star Flower, who is pregnant with Clear Sky's kits, is kidnapped by Slash. After all the groups develop a plan and rescue Star Flower, she gives birth to Dew Petal, Tiny Branch, and Flower Foot and starts training the cats for a battle with Slash's group. Several cats are recruited from Slash's camp, and they join Tall Shadow, River Ripple, Wind Runner, or Thunder's groups. Bee and Ember return to Slash, while all other cats are given double names to match the mountain cats. Slash kidnaps Gray Wing and Slate's kit, Black Ear, and leaves him on the Thunderpath. Clear Sky saves his brother's son and brings him back to Gray Wing. Gray Wing renames Clear Sky's group to SkyClan, Tall Shadow's group to ShadowClan, River Ripple's group to RiverClan, Wind Runner's group to WindClan, and Thunder's group to ThunderClan, then dies shortly after.

Books

The Sun Trail

The Tribe of Rushing Water struggles with a starvation crisis. After Stoneteller receives a vision from their ancestors, the cats split into two, with one group deciding to stay in the mountains and the other setting out to find a new, better home. Gray Wing joins the journeying cats to look after Jagged Peak despite initially staying behind. After multiple losses throughout their travels, the cats come across Highstones, the supposed destination shown in Stoneteller's vision. They thoroughly explore the territories that lie beyond it, and they soon split into two groups, due to some cats preferring the forest to the moor. Storm, a rogue that Gray Wing has shown interest in, moves to the forest with Clear Sky and falls pregnant with his kits. After she dies by falling debris in the Twolegplace, only one of her kits survives: Thunder. Clear Sky rejects Thunder, so Gray Wing officially adopts Thunder as his son.

Thunder Rising

Turtle Tail returns to the moor after having previously left to become a kittypet. Tension starts to rise in the hollow regarding leadership; although Shaded Moss had named Tall Shadow his successor, some cats want Gray Wing to lead instead, who refuses the responsibility. All the while, Thunder starts feeling more and more drawn to the forest, grappling with the feelings of his father's abandonment of him. The forest catches on fire, and all cats join together to try and save Clear Sky's group. However, the aftermath only leads to more separation: Thunder officially joins Clear Sky in the forest after having finally proven himself to his father. After Moon Shadow passes away from his wounds sustained in the fire, Gray Wing and Tall Shadow take up co-leadership.

The First Battle

The divide between the forest and moor cats grows wider as Clear Sky continues to enforce his ever-changing borders. Gray Wing attempts to talk some sense into his brother, giving Clear Sky a lot more grace than the rest of the moor cats do. Turtle Tail is threatened by the presence of Tom, the father of her kits, and he soon kidnaps Pebble Heart, Sparrow Fur, and Owl Eyes. Although they get returned to the moor, Turtle Tail dies in the process. At the four trees, where Gray Wing, Tall Shadow, and Thunder hope for a peaceful discussion about borders and territory, Clear Sky leads an ambush. The resulting battle results in many deaths—but also the reveal of spirit cats, who put an end to the fight and urge the living to do better.

The Blazing Star

Coming Soon

A Forest Divided

Coming Soon

Path of Stars

Coming Soon

Characters

Main characters

• Gray Wing
• Clear Sky
• Thunder

Major characters

• Stoneteller
• Tall Shadow
• Jagged Peak
• Shaded Moss
• Turtle Tail
• Dappled Pelt
• Quiet Rain
• Cloud Spots
• Wind Runner
• Gorse Fur
• Storm
• Petal
• Lightning Tail
• River Ripple
• Sparrow Fur
• Pebble Heart
• Owl Eyes
• Holly
• Star Flower
• One Eye
• Slate
• Sun Shadow
• Slash

Supporting characters

• Bright Stream
• Shattered Ice
• Rainswept Flower
• Moon Shadow
• Hawk Swoop
• Jackdaw's Cry
• Falling Feather
• Frost
• Bumble
• Fox
• Leaf
• Acorn Fur
• Tom
• Thorn
• Dew
• Alder
• Nettle
• Night
• Snake
• Moth Flight
• Dust Muzzle
• Mouse Ear
• Mud Paws
• Pink Eyes
• Fern Leaf
• Milkweed
• Raven Pelt
• Splinter
• Beetle
• Red Claw
• Willow Tail
• Bee
• Ember
• Black Ear
• White Tail
• Silver Stripe

Important events

Book	Event
The Sun Trail	Stoneteller receives a vision that urges the Tribe to leave their home. The Tribe of Rushing Water is split, with the majority of cats deciding to pursue the Sun Trail. Tall Shadow's camp and Clear Sky's camp are established.
Thunder Rising	A fire ravages through Clear Sky's forest. Gray Wing takes over leadership from Tall Shadow. Pebble Heart receives an omen about the Moonstone.
The First Battle	Tension rises as Clear Sky continues to harshly lead his cats and set borders. Turtle Tail dies while trying to find her kidnapped kits. A deadly battle at four trees breaks out, stopped by the spirit-cats ordering the survivors to unite or die.
The Blazing Star	The spirit-cats deliver a second message, telling the groups to grow and spread like the blazing star. A sickness ravages through the forest and moor. After losing a second kit, Wind Runner decides to establish her own separate camp in the moor. Clear Sky's group is annexed by a rogue named One Eye. The blazing star is discovered as a cure to the sickness. One Eye is killed, but his daughter Star Flower remains in Clear Sky's group. The spirit-cats reiterate their message of growing and spreading, and the cats decide to divvy themselves into more groups.
A Forest Divided	Stones are cast by cats assigning themselves into new groups. River Ripple's group becomes established as an equal to the others, and Tall Shadow moves her group to the pine forest. Thunder makes his own group made up of cats who disagree with Clear Sky. They settle in another part of the woodland. Quiet Rain and Sun Shadow arrive in the forest, but Quiet Rain passes away soon after. A rogue named Slash begins to threaten the groups and kidnaps Star Flower.
Path of Stars	The groups gather to plot a way to defeat Slash. Star Flower is rescued, and Slash is defeated. Many rogues defect from Slash's group, and join the settlers. Gray Wing dies rescuing Clear Sky's kit. On his deathbed, Gray Wing and his kits establish the Clans, giving each group a Clan name.

Publication history

• Dawn of the Clans (EN), HarperCollins (Kindle box set), 26 August 2014
• Dawn of the Clans (EN), HarperCollins (paperback box set), 20 September 2016
• Het ontstaan van de Clans (NL), Pelckmans (paperback box set), 25 October 2021

Trivia

Interesting facts

• A six-book box set consisting of the original covers made by Wayne McLoughlin has never been released due to him passing away.

Author statements

• In Erin Hunter Chat 4, Victoria Holmes teased a potential Super Edition featuring the first Clans in 2011 that would have featured five point of view characters, one from each of the five Clans.
• According to James Noble, an editor at Working Partners who assisted with the development of Dawn of the Clans, Gray Wing was originally supposed to die at the end of The Sun Trail but was pushed off to Thunder Rising due to the catalyst event happening too soon in the arc. However, Gray Wing's death was pushed again to The First Battle so the story could focus on Thunder's relationship with Clear Sky and Gray Wing. His death was pushed again to the end of the arc to continue the potential for emotional conflict and the editor team's attachment for Gray Wing.

See also

• Erin Hunter
• Warriors books
• Arcs
• Dawn of the Clans arc
• Mistakes

External links

• The cats of Dawn of the Clans on the Warriors official website (backup link)
• Who are the cats on Dawn of the Clans book covers? on the Warriors official website (backup link)
• Dawn of the Clans characters - a visual guide on the Warriors official website (backup link)

Notes and references

Author references