Secrets of the Clans/Mythology

"The story is never the same twice, and parts grow uncertain, or they become suddenly clear in the telling." This article contains information mainly from the 2007 field guide, Secrets of the Clans. While based on canonical information, the book has been repeatedly retconned as the series progressed, and thus its credibility is questioned.

Secrets of the Clans
Chapter number:	Mythology (of 15)
Page numbers:	159-165
Point of View:	Multiple
Chronology

Below contains in-depth information for the Mythology chapter of Secrets of the Clans. If you are looking for a shorter summary of the entire book, please check the main article.

Chapter description

The narrator introduces that Clans have their own legends of their ancestors, but every Clan knows the stories of the giant ancient cats that lived in the forest. LionClan had flowing manes, LeopardClan were fast-running and had black spots, and TigerClan were night hunters who had black stripes and darkness in their hearts. Although these giant cats are gone, they have passed down their talents to their warrior descendants.

How LeopardClan won the River

The three Clans hold a Gathering in the leaf-bare, and the leader of LionClan, Goldenstar, steps forward. He roars that there is a wild boar in the forest, but Swiftstar, the LeopardClan leader, dismissively replies that there are many wild boars. Goldenstar growls that this one is very large, has tusks the size of branches, hair like thorns, and also killed an apprentice. Shadestar, the TigerClan leader, rumbles that she knows of the boar, and they call him Rage. Rage had escaped a TigerClan hunting party, and fought extremely fiercely. A LeopardClan warrior, Fleetfoot, boasts that the boar would be no match for her Clan, as they can outrun, outsmart, and kill him. Shadestar and Goldenstar growl for her to do what she says, and Fleetfoot responds that she will. Swiftstar then adds that if Fleetfoot succeeds, LeopardClan may claim the river, to which the other two leaders agree to.

When LeopardClan leaves, Shadestar turns to Goldenstar and says that they did not tell Fleetfoot something. Goldenstar meows that the LeopardClan warrior will find out soon and they will not have to give up the river. That night, the hunt begins, and Fleetfoot tracks Rage to an oak tree. She leaps at him, and then chases after the boar. Before he can stop, he falls off a cliff, and Fleetfoot leaps into the water. She pins him underwater, and as the sun rises, the leopardess and Rage wash up, and the boar is dead. When Fleetfoot stands up, she sees Rage’s mate, Fury, who is even bigger and fiercer. Fury rarely leaves her den, as Goldenstar and Shadestar know. They fight for two days, and finally, she drives the boar into the river, and Fury drowns. Goldenstar and Shadestar are ashamed of their treachery, and give LeopardClan the river forever.

How Snakes Came to the Forest

A giant snake, Mouthclaw, lives in a cave by Snakerocks, and is the only snake in the forest. She can swallow a cat whole and spit venom, and all the Clans are forbidden to go to Snakerocks, as the leaders do not want to lose more cats. However, a LionClan warrior, Sunpelt wants to earn respect from the Clans by killing Mouthclaw. He leaves the camp before dawn, and calls for Mouthclaw to fight him outside her cave. Sunpelt then kicks stones into the cave, and the enormous snake slithers out. She bares her fangs with pleasure and lunges, but the young warrior is too fast and leaps between rocks, and the snake spits poison. They fight all day, but she does not succeed in killing Sunpelt.

Mouthclaw finally stops and hisses that if Sunpelt spares her, she will grant the warrior a wish. Sunpelt asks for her to shrink to the length of a cat’s tail, and then she can stay at Snakerocks. Mouthclaw asks if that is all, and Sunpelt replies that it is, as he thinks a tiny snake would be no danger. The giant snake begins to writhe, and when the dust settles, the LionClan warrior recoils. A thousand snakes are now on the ground, spitting poison. Sunpelt is horrified and races back to camp and confesses to his leader, Goldenstar. The leader is angry at first, and growls that Sunpelt should know better, but then meows that the warrior has done a great service for the Clans. The smaller snakes are dangerous, but not as dangerous as Mouthclaw, so Goldenstar forgives Sunpelt.

How TigerClan got Their Stripes

When the big cats first lived in the forest, TigerClan and LionClan both had pure golden fur. However, TigerClan is jealous of LionClan for their manes and LeopardClan’s ability to run fast. This makes them bitter, and they start hunting at night and staying in the shadows. One warrior, Thorntooth, is extremely bitter and starts stealing the other Clans’ kits and prey. Shadestar knows of this, but does nothing to prevent it. One day, when Thorntooth returns with a lion cub, Shadestar is furious and roars that it is Petalkit, Goldenstar’s daughter. He smugly replies that he stole Petalkit, and drops the kit. Shadestar snarls that it will lead to war, as LionClan will not rest until they get Petalkit. The warrior angrily answers that TigerClan can fight them, and the leader hisses that TigerClan warriors will die for nothing, and she will return Petalkit immediately.

Shadestar calls a Gathering that night and gives Petalkit back to LionClan. Goldenstar and Swiftstar demand for her to end Thorntooth’s raids, but the warrior protests that it isn’t fair as TigerClan has nothing special and should have something to set them apart like the other two Clans. Goldenstar snarls that TigerClan must be punished, and for the next moon, they cannot be seen during the day or speak with the other Clans. After a moon, TigerClan goes to the Gathering, and the other cats gasp when they see them. They spent so long in the shadows that their pelts now had black stripes, and from then on, all TigerClan cats had stripes.

Characters

Major

• Rage
• Fleetfoot
• Sunpelt
• Mouthclaw
• Thorntooth

Minor

• Goldenstar
• Swiftstar
• Shadestar
• Fury
• Petalkit