These are the warriors who live in a forest somewhere north. Yes, these characters know what everything is.


ALLEGIANCES

...

FINCHCLAN

LEADER LAVENDERSTAR — mousy-gray tabby she-cat with green eyes

DEPUTY HAZELSHINE — brown she-cat with yellow eyes

MEDICINE CAT HONEYSPECK — mottled tortoiseshell tabby she-cat with amber eyes

WARRIORS (toms, and she-cats without kits)

FOGPELT — pale gray tom with blue eyes
APPRENTICE, WARBLERPAW

PINEHEART — brown-and-white tom
APPRENTICE, RIPPLEPAW

DUSKBREEZE — black tom with yellow eyes

WOLFSTORM — big, pale gray-and-white tom
APPRENTICE, FURLEDPAW

PETALFROST — ginger-and-white she-cat

LITTLEWHISKER — mottled brown tom with short whiskers

MARIGOLDFUR — golden-brown tabby she-cat

WHITEFLOWER — white she-cat with green eyes

CARDINALFLIGHT — fiery ginger tom with green eyes

DRIFTINGWIND — gray-and-white tabby she-cat

APPRENTICES (over six moons old, in training to become warriors)

RIPPLEPAW — dark gray tabby tom with blue eyes

FURLEDPAW — dark ginger tabby tom with green eyes

WARBLERPAW — golden-brown tabby tom

QUEENS (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

FALLOWFEATHER — dusty brown pelt, blue eyes, mother to Duskbreeze's kits: Mintkit (dark gray tom), Foxkit (ginger she-cat), and Darkkit (white tom with a flash of black on his throat)

FERNSHADE — pale gray queen with bright green eyes, mother to Pineheart's kit: Willowkit (white she-cat with green eyes

ELDERS (former warriors and queens, now retired)

GORSEJAW — black tom with sharp teeth

MILKTAIL — cream-furred tom with blue eyes

PANSYTAIL — dark ginger she-cat

HAWKCLAN

LEADER FLINTSTAR — dark gray tabby tom

DEPUTY DEWFOOT — black-and-white tom with yellow eyes

MEDICINE CAT DUCKLINGTAIL — golden-brown tabby tom with a stumpy tail

WARRIORS

MINNOWSTEP — short-legged mottled brown tom
APPRENTICE, BRANCHPAW

DUSTTAIL — pale brown tabby tom

LEOPARDBELLY — mottled brown tom with white paws
APPRENTICE, HOLLYPAW

STORKWING — white tom with green eyes

ACORNWHISKER — dark brown-and-white tabby tom

BRISTLEPELT — thick-furred black tom

BLAZECLAW — ginger tabby tom

POPPYPELT — tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

APPRENTICES

BRANCHPAW — long-legged golden-brown tabby tom

HOLLYPAW — tortoiseshell she-cat

QUEENS

SILVERSTRIPE — silver-gray tabby queen

APPLEFALL — dark brown with yellow eyes

HALFEAR — white queen with shredded ears

ELDERS

WASPFANG — golden-brown tom with darker stripes

TANGLETAIL — long-furred black tom

OWLCLAN

LEADER BEECHSTAR — cream-furred tom

DEPUTY CRAGPELT — black-and-white tabby tom with green eyes

MEDICINE CAT DOWNFEATHER — fluffy, mottled, speckled gray tom with blue eyes

WARRIORS

SAGEFUR — ginger she-cat

LARCHPELT — dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes
APPRENTICE, LILYPAW

MOOSECLAW — big, dark brown tabby tom
APPRENTICE, SNOWPAW

PINECONETAIL — dark brown tabby she-cat with a fluffy tail
APPRENTICE, BUSHYPAW

ELKLEAP — white tom with brown flecks

APPRENTICES

BUSHYPAW — reddish-brown tom with green eyes

LILYPAW — cream-furred she-cat

SNOWPAW — small white tom

QUEENS

PRIMROSEFUR — golden-brown queen with green eyes

ELDERS

RYEFROST — dark brown tabby tom

HERONCLAN

LEADER SPECKLESTAR — flecked brown tom with amber eyes

DEPUTY BATWING — dark brown tabby tom with large ears
APPRENTICE, CLOUDYPAW

MEDICINE CAT SQUIRRELNOSE — pale brown tom

WARRIORS

SPIDERHEART — silver-gray tabby tom

OLIVEWHISKER — dark brown tabby she-cat
APPRENTICE, BEARPAW

YELLOWBIRD — golden-brown tom with blue eyes

THRUSHFEATHER — gray-and-white tom
APPRENTICE, WHISKERPAW

APPRENTICES

CLOUDYPAW — white-and-gray tom

BEARPAW — dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

WHISKERPAW — black tom

QUEENS

MISTYTAIL — ash-gray tabby

BRIGHTEYES — white she-cat with round, green eyes

ELDERS

BOULDERTOOTH — dark gray tabby tom

BLIZZARDPELT — very pale gray tom

HENWING — plump white she-cat

BLACKLEAF — jet black she-cat with blue eyes

PROLOGUE

Wind carried in heavy snow and dropped it on the forest. The trees rattled and cracked as they were weighed down. A sheet of ice began to form on the Giant River, and the stones began slippery and unstable.

"Looks like it'll be a bad leafbare."

The clouds were dark gray and hung low. From their sitting spot, two FinchClan cats looked across the valley. On the other side, those clouds hid another set of towering mountains.

"FinchClan will remain strong." Lavenderstar wasn't new to the leafbares this forest brought. She knew it would be difficult to come through with the same amount of warriors the Clan had now. But she wouldn't give up hope.

"I fear more threats from HawkClan." Honeyspeck curled her tail around her white paws. She ducked down, shivering as her belly touched the cold Meeting Rock. Her whiskers twitched; the tiny waterfall that ran from the rock was now a line of glistening ice. "They'll want to come into our territory for food."

"Prey won't be easy to come by here. They'll have better luck hunting in OwlClan's trees." Lavenderstar ruffled her pelt. "We'll have our own shortages to deal with."

"Let's see how well they deal with being turned away." Honeyspeck gave a sigh. Her breath turned into a cloud before her. "I think I mostly fear for the elders this season. Poor Gorsejaw is getting a cough. My herbs won't grow properly in this weather." A wave of silence fell over the two cats. Their ears pricked forward as a loud, hacking cough rumbled from the elders' den. The medicine cat shook her head. "I'll have to move him to my den soon," she mumbled.

The leader flicked her tail against the other she-cat's flank. "Don't worry. You're a gifted medicine cat. You'll know what to do."

"Thanks, Lavenderstar." Honeyspeck purred gratefully.

The snow began to come slower. Honeyspeck lifted her head to the sky, her eyes wide with curiosity. A single snowflake fell gently from the gray clouds and landed softly on the tip of her nose. The medicine cat studied it in awe; it wasn't melting! She gave a small gasp.

"Is something wrong, Honeyspeck?" Lavenderstar meowed.

"I-I think it's an omen." she replied in shock.

"An omen? About what?" the leader asked.

"StarClan sent it! It's an omen about —" she stopped, turning her attention towards the silent nursery nestled under the upturned roots of an old oak tree. Lavenderstar tried to follow her gaze, but had no idea what she was looking at.

"About what?" the gray cat pressed once more.

Honeyspeck answered in a whisper, "Willowkit."