| "It's good to see you too, old friend. But you can't stay here. Go back to StarClan. ThunderClan is never far away. We keep you in our hearts and always will." |
| — Graystripe to Firestar in The Longest Night, part 4 |
The Longest Night is a non-canon short story written by Kate Cary and posted on her Facebook and BlogClan from December 18th to December 25th. It features ThunderClan celebrating the Longest Night set before A Vision of Shadows.[1]
Summary[]
- In the middle of leaf-bare, ThunderClan prepares to celebrate the Longest Night by decorating their dens and preparing gifts for each other; Lilyheart's three kits, Leafkit, Honeykit, and Larkkit, are especially eager to receive gifts and help decorate. However, Bramblestar calls a Clan meeting with dire news that Clear Sky has informed Jayfeather of a warning: the Longest Night will not end until you have found the star.
- Days later, a blizzard continues to ravage the forest and results in prey being scarce. With a temporary relief in the snowstorm, Graystripe and Bramblestar go hunting. However, they struggle to find any prey, and Graystripe urges his Clan leader to return to camp. Now alone, Graystripe finds Firestar's spirit wandering in the forest. Despite being delighted to see his old friend, Graystripe is confused why Firestar isn't in StarClan. The ginger tom elaborates how much he's missed Graystripe and his Clanmates, and Graystripe encourages his best friend that he must return to StarClan where he belongs. As Firestar fades away, the blizzard ends and Graystripe realizes he's found the star. Despite missing Firestar, Graystripe resolves to keep his memory in his heart as resumes hunting.
Trivia[]
Interesting facts[]
- The Longest Night celebration appears to be inspired by the holiday season, and it takes place during the winter solstice on the shortest day of the year. In ThunderClan, Clan cats decorate their dens with holly and pinecones, and cats exchange gifts, such as moss-balls with catmint and fresh prey, under their nests. Kits are especially excited to receive gifts and are told that StarClan won't send gifts to troublesome kits.[2]
- Albeit fanfiction, this short story marks the first appearance of Snowbush and Lilyheart's kits in the series.[2]
Mistakes[]
- Honeykit is mistakenly called white.[2]
- Clanmates is not capitalized.[2]
- Skystar is referred by his early settler name, Clear Sky.[3]
- Graystripe recalls how he had hunted with Firestar during a snow storm when they were apprentices,[4] but he and Firestar were named warriors before leaf-bare had arrived.[5]
See also[]
External links[]
- The short story on Kate's Facebook
- The short story on BlogClan
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Revealed on Kate's Facebook (backup link)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Revealed in The Longest Night, part 1
- ↑ Revealed in The Longest Night, part 2
- ↑ Revealed in The Longest Night, part 4
- ↑ Revealed in Fire and Ice, page 5