SkyClan's Destiny/Prologue

"We are defeated. I cannot bear to lead my Clanmates into one more battle, to watch them starve through another leaf-bare, afraid of every noise, every stirring leaf. We have become prey. The rats have won. SkyClan is no more."

— Spiderstar to SkyClan in SkyClan's Destiny, page 4

SkyClan's Destiny
Chapter number:	Prologue (of 35)
Page numbers:	1-10
Point of View:	Spiderstar
Chronology

Below contains in-depth information for the prologue of SkyClan's Destiny. If you are looking for a shorter summary of the entire book, please check the main article.

Chapter Number: Prologue (of 35)

Page Numbers: 1-10

Chapter description

A patrol of SkyClan cats return, broken and bruised, from their battle with the rats. Spiderstar, their leader, calls to the medicine cat, Brackenheart, and asks if his den is ready, as there are many injured cats. Nightfur, one of the Clan elders, asks if they won the battle, to which Spiderstar asks what he thinks. Annoyed, Swallowflight confronts his leader, although he is stopped by Honeyleaf, SkyClan's deputy. She says that they had to fight, and SkyClan still has their pride.

As her, Frostclaw, and the others are discussing their Clan, Rowanfur, a young tom, asks if they are going to have ceremonies for Fallensnow and Sunpelt. An elder, Oakstep overhears this and asks where the bodies are. Spiderstar sadly replies that they had to leave the bodies behind, and Swallowflight says because they were too busy saving their own lives. Both Brackenheart and Frostclaw tell Swallowflight that their Clanmates would understand, and that they are with StarClan now. Oakstep tries to go and get his fallen Clanmates' bodies, but is stopped by Spiderstar, who says that SkyClan is no more. This causes a major rift within SkyClan, or what used to be of it, and it upsets Mousefang and the other elders. Infuriated, Honeyleaf exclaims that she's worked her paws off for SkyClan, to which Spiderstar tells her she would have made a great leader.

Nightfur asks how they are to live as loners, if they cannot live as a Clan, and this causes Frostclaw and Rowanfur to admit they have been taking food from Twolegs. Honeyleaf and Swallowflight are disgusted at the thought of their Clanmates becoming kittypets, but the two are joined by other SkyClan cats looking for an easier life. Honeyleaf and Swallowflight leave as well, but not to become kittypets. Spiderstar, Brackenheart, and the elders decide to stay in what is left of SkyClan's camp, and they wish the departing SkyClan cats good luck, and ask StarClan to watch over them.

After they leave, Spiderstar and Brackenheart wonder if there will be another Clan to settle in the gorge, and Brackenheart thinks so, although he says that SkyClan will need deeper roots if they are to survive, and greenleaf will only come after a storm.

Characters

Major

• Spiderstar
• Brackenheart

Minor

• Frostclaw
• Swallowflight
• Rowanfur
• Nightfur
• Honeyleaf
• Oakstep
• Mousefang
• Unnamed black and white tom
• Unnamed gray she-cat
• Unnamed queen
• Unnamed kits

Mentioned

• Sunpelt
• Fallensnow
• Cloudstar

Important events

Deaths

• Fallensnow: Killed by rats
• Sunpelt: Killed by rats

Others

Ancient SkyClan is driven to disbandment, leaving only the former medicine cat, leader, and elders to live out their lives. The deputy, and many warriors leave the Clan because they feel they would not survive.

Errors

• In the prologue, the elder Mousefang states that she was a kit when SkyClan left the forest. However, in Battles of the Clans, she is shown as a warrior during a battle with ThunderClan in the forest, and she is listed as a warrior in Firestar's Quest and in Cloudstar's Journey.
• A queen is described as she "gathers her kits" in the present tense, while the rest of the surrounding sentences are in the past tense.