Journey to the mountains (PoT)

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"We have come to ask for your help. Stoneteller was wrong. The other cats are stealing all our prey, and the Tribe is dying of hunger."

— Talon to Stormfur and Brook in Outcast, page 106

Journey to the mountains
General information
Book	Outcast
Locations	The lake territories, the mountains
Duration	3 days
Participants	Stormfur, Brook, Talon, Night, Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight, Lionpaw, Hollypaw, Jaypaw, Tawnypelt, Crowfeather, Breezepaw
Outcome	The Clan cats help the Tribe drive away a group of rogues.
Chronology
Preceded by:	Battle against the badgers
Followed by:	The Great Battle

The journey to the mountains takes place in Outcast and the beginning of Eclipse and occurs when cats from each of the Clans have to go to the mountains to assist the Tribe.

Summary

Premise

When the Tribe is harassed by several rogues living in the mountains, they ask for help from Stormfur and Brook in ThunderClan, and the Clans send a patrol to help drive out the intruders.

Overview

The Tribe struggles with a group of rogues on their territory. Stormfur suggests using Clan tactics to drive them out, but when this fails, he is exiled and he and Brook join ThunderClan. After the Tribe continues to fail to drive out the rogues, they send Talon and Night to ThunderClan to ask Stormfur and Brook to come back. Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight, Lionpaw, Hollypaw, and Jaypaw ask to come too. They decide to go to WindClan and ShadowClan to ask Tawnypelt and Crowfeather for help as well, and the group travels to the mountains (along with Breezepaw). Stoneteller is initially outraged but eventually accepts that the Tribe needs help. The Clan and Tribe cats manage to drive off the rogues, and Stormfur and Brook are accepted back into the Tribe.

Description

Before the journey

A group of unknown cats come to the mountains and attack the Tribe. Stormfur, who had joined the Tribe to stay with Brook, suggests Clan tactics to deal with these strangers. A large battle takes place and the Tribe is defeated. Stoneteller blames Stormfur and banishes him. Brook is so loyal to her mate that she leaves with him too. Both cats travel to the Clans where they settle and stay with ThunderClan.

Later, the Tribe sends Talon and Night to ThunderClan to ask Stormfur and Brook to return, and they agree to come back. Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight ask to come as well, and Firestar allows them to journey to the mountains.

Original cats and the apprentices

Lionpaw, Jaypaw, and Hollypaw wish to come on the journey as well. They eavesdrop on a meeting between Firestar, Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight, Stormfur, Brook, Sandstorm, Leafpool, Talon, and Night discussing the journey. However, they are soon discovered. The apprentices beg Firestar to let them come, and Sandstorm, Leafpool, and Brambleclaw convince Firestar to give his permission.

Brambleclaw suggests bringing the cats from the journey to Midnight to the mountains as well. Firestar agrees, and Squirrelflight and Hollypaw go to WindClan to ask Crowfeather while Brambleclaw and Lionpaw go to ShadowClan to ask Tawnypelt. Tawnypelt and Crowfeather both agree to go, and Crowfeather brings his son Breezepaw along.

Old friend

When the group stops near a Twolegplace for the night, they wake the next morning to the scent of a nearby cat. The patrol is on edge at first, but when they see a plump old tabby tom emerge into the open, the cats from the journey to Midnight are ecstatic to see him again. The apprentices are confused, but the older cats explain that his name is Purdy and that he's important. The cats from the journey inform Purdy of what he missed, including Crowfeather's and Squirrelflight's warrior status and Feathertail's death. They introduce him to Brook, Night, and Talon, who set Purdy on edge when he learns that they're the strange cats from the mountains he heard about. Squirrelflight tells Purdy that Hollypaw, Jaypaw, and Lionpaw are her and Brambleclaw's kits, and Crowfeather adds that Breezepaw is his son.

Purdy asks them what they're doing there, and they tell him that they are going to help the Tribe and should be going now. Purdy wants to come with them, but they don't think it's a good idea. Purdy asks if they think he can't fight, but then laughs and says that he'll just come with them as far as the woods. Purdy reminisces with the cats from the journey while the apprentices and Tribe cats, irritated, must put up with the old tom. The cats pass through a farm, and Hollypaw picks up the tempting smell of mice from two large Twoleg nests. She asks to stop and hunt, but Purdy informs them that there are dogs in the dens. Lionpaw and Breezepaw sneak off and go in anyway, and Hollypaw comes with them. The apprentices end up alerting the dogs, and they attempt to flee but stop at a pile of hay. Purdy appears, and the apprentices manage to escape with his help. A couple of days later, the cats reach the foot of the mountains, and Brambleclaw says that they can't ask Purdy to travel any further from his home. The cats say their last goodbyes to Purdy before continuing their journey.

At the mountains

The Clan cats along with Talon and Night arrive at the Tribe of Rushing Water. After Stormfur and Brook tell the cats where they have been, the Clan warriors show the apprentices where the Tribe lives. Inside, Brambleclaw meets Stoneteller and greets him, but Stoneteller sharply asks why they are there. Stoneteller informs them that the Tribe's battle isn't theirs and tells them that they must leave the next day. In the night, Jaypaw roams to the Cave of Pointed Stones and overhears that the Tribe of Endless Hunting has lost all faith.

The next day, Stoneteller calls a Tribe meeting. He tells the Tribe that they must stay in the mountains and fight for their territory. Turning to Brambleclaw, Stoneteller asks what they should do next. Brambleclaw suggests assessing the situation, and seeing what the intruders are doing.

Intruders

The Clan cats' first encounter with the intruders is before they reach the Tribe of Rushing Water's cave. Flick, who appears to be the leader of the patrol, provokes Crowfeather, but Brambleclaw holds his friend back, telling the intruders that they don't want a fight.

Boundaries and training

The morning after Stoneteller left Brambleclaw in charge, the latter tells Breezepaw, Hollypaw, and Lionpaw to train every to-be in basic fighting moves. Before training the to-bes, Brambleclaw takes a patrol to make out and mark some borders, to make sure the intruders know what is and what isn't theirs. They set the markings, but while doing so, they run across a few intruders, who show disrespect to the scent marks.

Meanwhile, Hollypaw and Breezepaw train the to-bes, most of whom are cave-guards, but some prey-hunters as well. The two apprentices build off of what the Tribe cats already know, and this proves successful. While the apprentices train the to-bes, Stormfur and Squirrelflight train the older, more experienced Tribe cats. Soon after, a patrol of prey-hunters gets in a fight with the intruders, losing all the prey that they had caught. This brings more awareness to the importance of the situation.

Stoneteller believes that the best option for the Tribe is to leave the mountains, but Brambleclaw convinces him otherwise. Stoneteller agrees to come with Brambleclaw, Lionpaw, and a few others on a border patrol. Crowfeather takes another patrol around the border in the opposite direction. Here, they teach the Tribe cats how to mark borders, and Brambleclaw starts to lose his temper with Stoneteller questioning him at every move. Soon an icy rain begins to fall, and Pebble teaches Lionpaw and Breezepaw to roll in mud to keep the warmth in and the wind out. Their patrol meets up with Crowfeather's, and both patrols head back to the cave.

After marking the border, Brambleclaw decides to take a patrol at dawn to the trespasser's "camp." The patrol loses the trespassers' scent on the way, but Hollypaw is able to find the scent trail again and lead the patrol to the den. The trespassers confront the patrol, making it very clear that they will not respect the border and will continue to hunt where they please.

The patrol leaves the trespassers' den, but on the way back they encounter a group of trespassers on the Tribe's territory. They drive the trespassers off, but the confrontation leads Brambleclaw to decide to battle. Stoneteller disagrees with this decision, as they've done it before and failed, but ultimately decides to put it to a vote. The tribe votes in favor of battle, and Brambleclaw organizes final training and schedules the battle for that night.

Battle

At night, every available cat is ready to leave. Jaypaw pulls Hollypaw and Lionpaw over to the side to reveal the prophecy to them, but Brambleclaw pulls the others away before he can. As the moon climbs into the sky, they reach the camp. Crag and Brambleclaw divides up patrols such that the apprentices and to-bes will scare the intruders out into the open where the warriors and tribe cats surprise attack them.

Coming Soon

Return home

Coming Soon

Characters

Main characters:

• Jaypaw
• Hollypaw
• Lionpaw

Major characters:

• Stoneteller
• Stripes
• Flick
• Flora
• Pebble That Rolls Down Mountain
• Screech of Angry Owl

Characters that took part in the journey

ThunderClan

• Brambleclaw
• Squirrelflight
• Jaypaw
• Hollypaw
• Lionpaw
• Stormfur
• Brook Where Small Fish Swim

ShadowClan

• Tawnypelt

WindClan

• Crowfeather
• Breezepaw

The Tribe of Rushing Water

• Talon of Swooping Eagle
• Night of No Stars

Other characters:

• Outcast/Allegiances

Map

Coming Soon

Quotes

Stoneteller: "Stormfur, what have you to say?"

Stormfur: "What do you want me to say? The Tribe fought as well as it could've done. I couldn't hope to stand beside braver warriors. We must make another plan, so that—"

^{Outcast, pages 99-100}

Stoneteller: "How dare you come here! […] What have you done?"

Talon: "We... we went to find the Clans. We've brought help..."

^{Outcast, pages 216-218}

Stoneteller: "Greetings. What guidance have you come to give me?"

Tribe ancestor: "I have no guidance. Never in the Tribe's history have we tried to fight an endless battle. Until now, the mountains have been protection enough. We can see no end to it."

^{Outcast, pages 229-230}

Crag: "The Tribe has marked borders closing in our territory. Our scent will show you where they are. You are free to hunt in the rest of the mountains, but not to cross those borders. We—"

Stripes: "You have no right to any part of the mountains. You have no right to set borders. Any cat can take prey from where it likes."

^{Outcast, page 283}

See also

• Outcast/Cliffnotes
• Eclipse/Cliffnotes
• The mountains
• Tribe of Rushing Water