Dark River (Warriors)
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| Dark River | |
 Cover of Dark River |
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| Author | Erin Hunter |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Warriors: The Power of Three |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Publication date | December 26, 2007 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 322 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 978-0-06-089205 |
| Preceded by | The Sight |
| Followed by | Outcast |
Dark River is the second installment of the third series of Warriors, Warriors: The Power of Three by Erin Hunter. It continues the adventure of the ThunderClan cats, Jaypaw, Lionpaw and Hollypaw, which began in The Sight and continues in Outcast. It takes place in a fictional forest surrounding a lake, where the four Clans, ShadowClan, RiverClan, ThunderClan and WindClan, make up the protagonists.
Contents |
[edit] Publication history
Dark River was published as a hardcover on December 26, 2007 in the USA by HarperCollins.[1] The UK received the novel on March 1, 2008.[2] It was released early in Canada on December 13, 2007.[3] The book was released in eBook format as well.[4]
[edit] Plot summary
[edit] Fallen Leaves' Story
In Dark River's prologue, it is revealed that there are hidden caves beneath the moorland. Fallen Leaves, a mysterious cat not seen before in any of the books, enters this cave, meeting an ugly old cat by the name of Rock, who explains to him that to be a "sharpclaw", apparently an equivalent to the Clans' warriors, he find a way out of the tunnels and onto the moor. Unfortunately, when Rock asked if it would rain, Fallen Leaves said no, because he was afraid that Rock would make him wait until another day if he said yes. Fallen Leaves enters the tunnels and appears to be heading in the right direction when he comes to a dead end just as it begins to rain. Unable to escape, the young cat drowns in the flooding tunnels.
[edit] Jaypaw's Story
ThunderClan medicine cat apprentice Jaypaw finds a washed up stick when he is out gathering herbs with his mentor, Leafpool. It has odd scratches on it, some that are crossed out and some that aren't. He doesn't know why but the stick feels very important, to the point that he half drowns himself to save it from the depths of the lake. As he struggles to figure out what it means, he has a dream in which he experiences what Fallen Leaves experienced. Jaypaw then understands what the scratches mean and that the last uncrossed one was Fallen Leaves' mark. Cinderpaw then falls from the Sky Oak, breaking her back leg. He soon discovers that his mentor, Leafpool, is determined to save the apprentice's leg. As the medicine cat's determination begins to border on an obsession, he begins to wonder why. One night, he falls asleep and he wakes up in a strange forest. There he meets Cinderpaw, unhurt, who leads him to a camp filled with familiar smells. Cinderpaw describes how she once lived there before the Great Journey and asks Jaypaw to tell Leafpool that she is proud of her, and that she has learned far more than she could have ever taught her. By then Jaypaw is officially confused, but when looking into the Cinderpaw's eyes, he sees a series of flashbacks from her previous life. Jaypaw realizes that when Cinderpelt died she reincarnated as Cinderpaw, without Cinderpaw herself knowing it. Jaypaw tells Leafpool what he has discovered and his mentor agrees with him. However, when Cinderpaw wakes she doesn't remember the dream (only that Jaypaw had been able to see in it.)
[edit] Lionpaw's Story
Lionpaw becomes best friends with Heatherpaw, a beautiful WindClan apprentice, and begins meeting her at night. Hollypaw discovers their secret and Lionpaw begins to be wary of his "nosy" sister. Afterwards, Heatherpaw and Lionpaw begin meeting in hidden tunnels that no Clan cat has ever seen before (the same tunnels that Fallen Leaves drowned in). They name their play Clan DarkClan, of which 'Heatherstar' is leader and 'Lionclaw' is deputy. They met together every night they can. Tigerstar, who meets Lionpaw in ghostly apparitions, like he did to Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw, starts teaching him additional battle moves that even his mentor, Ashfur, doesn't know, though Brambleclaw seems to recognize them. When Lionpaw starts to teach the moves to Heatherpaw, Hawkfrost scolds him for showing battle moves to the enemy, and under pressure, Lionpaw must choose between his love of Heatherpaw, and loyalty to the warrior code and ThunderClan. He chooses to remain loyal to his Clan and leaves Heatherpaw, who is extremely hurt and betrayed, though she understands his decision in the end.
[edit] Hollypaw's Story
During a gathering, RiverClan reveals that their Clan is facing a "small problem" and that they are being forced to live on the Island for a short while. Though Leopardstar is fiercely protective of her Clan and refuses to elaborate, Hollypaw knows something is not right, because her friend Willowpaw and the rest of RiverClan are acting extremely nervous. She informs Firestar about her concerns. However, he does not believe this is ThunderClan's problem and refuses to take action. He and the rest of the Clan continue preparing for a battle against WindClan even though it is not certain that a battle will ever occur. Hollypaw heads out to RiverClan on her own. When she arrives, Willowpaw shows her how Twoleg kits (children) are attacking their camp. Hollypaw is kept with RiverClan so she cannot tell anyone about their secret. However, her brother Jawpaw has a dream that reveals her location, and Squirrelflight (the trio's mother) comes to retrieve her.
[edit] Conclusion
Near the end of the book, all three stories come together: Jaypaw and Leafpool must go to WindClan to take Onestar a message from Firestar about not shedding unnecessary blood in a battle over something that may never happen, when Hollypaw convinces Mousefur and Firestar to do something. When they arrive, Gorsetail's (a WindClan queen) kits (Sedgekit, Thistlekit and Swallowkit) have gone missing and WindClan blames RiverClan, saying that there will be a battle if RiverClan does not return the kits. Jaypaw and Leafpool return to camp and Lionpaw tells his brother and sister about the tunnels, where he thinks the kits may have went. They enter the caves, meeting up with the WindClan apprentices Breezepaw and Heatherpaw, who share their motive for being there. Jaypaw is guided by the spirit of Fallen Leaves and the group find the kits behind a boulder that blocked the tunnel. It starts raining and the tunnel floods, but Jaypaw figures a way out just in time and they return the kits, saving the Clans from an unnecessary battle. The tunnel is blocked during the flood, and Lionpaw states that it ended the most significant friendship (with Heatherpaw) he ever had.
[edit] Secrets
The main plot revolves around the three apprentices' secrets. The three keep their secrets away from one another, which separates them as friends and siblings and makes them feel awkward around each other. These are some of the secrets in the book:
- Hollypaw learns of RiverClan's true problems.
- Jaypaw learns the story of the stick and that Cinderpaw is the reincarnation of Cinderpelt, ThunderClan's former medicine cat.
- Lionpaw secretly meets with Heatherpaw in the tunnels, and also secretly meets with with Tigerstar in ghostly appapirations.
[edit] Critical reception
Dark River climbed up the bestseller lists after its release, reaching #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Dark River (Warriors: Power of Three #2): Erin Hunter: Books. Amazon.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-17.
- ^ Dark River - Power of Three (Warriors) (Hardcover). Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-04-17.
- ^ Warriors: Power of Three, Book 2: Dark River (Hardcover). Amazon.ca. Retrieved on 2008-04-17.
- ^ Warriors: Power of Three #2: Dark River AER. HarperCollins.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-17.
- ^ Erin Hunter AuthorTracker Message Archive. www.warriorcats. Retrieved on 2088-04-17.
[edit] External links
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