The Forgotten Stories by Sparrowstrike

Sparrowstrike shares the short stories that even the most dedicated of Warriors readers might’ve missed.

Hi guys, I’m Sparrowstrike (Detective Sparrow, whose mighty detecive skills were a great help today/jk:)), and welcome back to another article! Today, I am going to tell you about some stories in the Warriors universe that were forgotten. Let’s get started!

So, Warriors became 20 years old this year, and during these two decades, the series became almost infinite. Currently, there are more than SEVENTY books in the series, and that includes every regular series book, Super Edition, Novella, Manga and Field Guide. But if you dive deeper into Warrior Cats, you might find some short stories that are even shorter than Novellas-but what are those stories?

1. After Sunset: The Right Choice?

Summary: Leafpool and Brambleclaw discuss Brambleclaw’s deputyship after Hawkfrost’s death.

Timeline: after Sunset

Plot: The story describes a conversation between Leafpool and Brambleclaw after the death of Hawkfrost, seen from Leafpool’s point of view.

Leafpool is walking in the forest toward the lake.
As she walks up to the lake, she sees Brambleclaw, staring out at the lake. She greets him, and he turns around, his amber eyes clouded with grief and his voice flat. Brambleclaw gets up to leave, but Leafpool tells him to stay. Brambleclaw listens to her and stays. He closes his eyes, and Leafpool asks what’s wrong. Not getting a response, she asks if he was thinking about Hawkfrost, and Brambleclaw confirms that he was.
She pushes Brambleclaw to talk to her. He states that the rest of ThunderClan hates him, that he should have never become deputy. He then says that Firestar’s accident was his fault. Leafpool shakes her head, telling him he was a hero. Brambleclaw states that it’s bad luck he hadn’t had an apprentice when he became deputy.
Brambleclaw explains that no matter what he did, he felt like he was going to destroy ThunderClan from the inside. Leafpool, shivering, believes his words might become a prophecy.

2. After Sunset: We Need to Talk

Summary: Crowfeather and Leafpool meet at the border between the two Clans. They try to exchange words, but two patrols arriving prevent Leafpool from revealing a secret she has to Crowfeather.

Timeline: after Sunset

Plot: This is a short play written by Victoria Holmes.

Leafpool and Crowfeather meet on the border between ThunderClan and WindClan, and Leafpool attempts to tell him what she has been holding inside, but he refuses to let her.
Crowfeather and Leafpool are found by patrols from their respective Clans, the ThunderClan patrol consisting of Brambleclaw, Berrypaw, and Cloudtail, and the WindClan patrol consisting of Onestar, Tornear, and Harepaw.
Onestar greets the ThunderClan cats calmly, and asks what they’re doing so near the border. Despite Onestar’s serenity, Tornear acts as if the ThunderClan cats were trying to start an unfair fight with Crowfeather. Onestar, still trying to keep peace, tells his Clanmates to continue the patrol, and Brambleclaw does the same with his cats, both trying to prevent an unnecessary fight.
The two patrols leave for their own territories, and Leafpool is seen murmuring a goodbye to Crowfeather.

Interesting facts:
-The important thing Leafpool wanted to tell Crowfeather was likely that she was carrying his kits, or to tell him they had already been born.
-This story was confirmed to be canon.
-Chronologically, this is Harestar’s first appearance in the Warriors series.

3. Brightspirit’s Mercy

Summary: Jaypaw, Lionblaze, and Hollyleaf struggle between choosing between what is right and loyalty to their Clan when other Clans are starving, but ThunderClan has prey to spare.

Timeline: Somewhere during Long Shadows

Plot: “Brightspirit’s Mercy” is a small play written by Cherith Baldry. It revolves around three StarClan spirits, and how they teach Jaypaw, Hollyleaf and Lionblaze that the Warrior Code isn’t everything.

The play begins on an extremely cold night, during a Gathering in leaf-bare. Blackstar admits severe weakness by saying ShadowClan is starving to death. The other Clans all agree that they are starving, with the exception of ThunderClan who wisely say they are being challenged to find food when in reality, they are not. Hollyleaf and Lionblaze have a brief argument about whether or not this was a wise decision, before Jaypaw comes over. Lionblaze explains to Jaypaw that Hollyleaf is worried about a battle with the other Clans, before being interrupted by Brambleclaw.
The next scene begins at ThunderClan camp at dawn. Jaypaw is concerned about the other Clans and if they have enough food, but is told by Brambleclaw that it was not ThunderClan’s problem. Jaypaw heads down to the lake, and attempts to speak with Rock using the stick. Hollyleaf and Lionblaze find Jaypaw as he is attempting to speak with Rock, but he accuses them of following him. As they begin to argue, Brightspirit, Braveheart and Shiningheart appear from behind them.
Brightspirit and Shiningheart ask Jaypaw to aid the other Clans, but Jaypaw insists that he couldn’t because it is not part of the Warrior Code. Braveheart argues by telling Jaypaw that they don’t do everything by the code, such as eating and drinking. After introducing Hollyleaf and Lionblaze to the spirits, they convince him to help the other Clans. Lionblaze then accuses the spirits of being ShadowClan, saying that they’re attempting to weaken ThunderClan, so the rest of the cats can invade. Jaypaw then knows that they must feed the other Clans until Newleaf comes. After barely convincing his littermates, Jaypaw and his siblings prepare to hunt for the other Clans.
Scene Three begins with the cats hunting, then head towards WindClan because they are the closest to ThunderClan. They stop at the border, and wait for the next patrol to come. The patrol then arrives, with Ashfoot, Whitetail and Breezepaw. Ashfoot questions the cats, before taking the gift. Breezepaw says that he is not eating any of the fresh-kill the ThunderClan cats brought, though Ashfoot orders him to take it all back to camp. As the patrol leaves, the ThunderClan cats begin to head back to camp. Jaypaw pauses, and briefly speaks with Brightspirit before leaving. The play ends with the trio of StarClan cats discussing Jaypaw and the difficult path ahead of him.

Interesting facts: The character Brightspirit was originally created as a memorial to a girl named Emmy Cherry, who had died on February 5, 2008, along with her parents, when a tornado struck her home. She was said to be the greatest fan of Warriors and made all of her family read the books. When Vicky heard the tragic news, she decided that Emmy deserved to have a place in the books she loved so much, thus creating the character Brightspirit to honor the deceased girl along with her parents.

4. The Elder’s Concern

Summary: The ThunderClan elders debate about Bluestar’s choice for deputy and the broken law of the warrior code.

Timeline: right after Bluestar chose Fireheart as her deputy, so during Forest of Secrets

Plot: The story describes a confrontation between the ThunderClan elders regarding Fireheart’s deputy ceremony.

Halftail gathers his fellow elders, Dappletail, Patchpelt and Smallear to discuss Fireheart’s deputy ceremony. They debate, mostly on how Bluestar broke the warrior code. Patchpelt points out they couldn’t do anything about it. Smallear deems Bluestar shouldn’t lead the Clan after she broke the warrior code like that, and ThunderClan would be doomed. They wonder why Fireheart was chosen, saying that he wasn’t the best hunter or fighter, and Dappletail says that there must be something special about him that Bluestar isn’t telling.
Dappletail suggests that Bluestar broke the code with making a kittypet Clan deputy. Halftail says that if Bluestar broke the code on purpose, then she must not care about what the warrior ancestors thought. Dappletail says that Bluestar can’t turn her back on StarClan, but Patchpelt says that she already has, by bringing a kittypet into the Clan and appointing him as deputy after moonhigh. Patchpelt assures the elders that Fireheart isn’t a real deputy, that he is only a kittypet. Halftail tells them he won’t give up on his Clan, and that if they treated Fireheart rightfully, StarClan would forgive Bluestar and accept Fireheart. Smallear shakes off the suggestion and confirms to Halftail that he won’t forgive Bluestar. Dappletail and Patchpelt agree. Halftail is left in dismay, wondering what will be in store for ThunderClan.

5. Spottedleaf’s Honest Answer

Summary: Spottedleaf describes her feelings on Firestar and Sandstorm’s relationship.

Timeline: Somewhere between Spottedleaf’s death and her spirit death, so somewhere between Into The Wild and The Last Hope.

Plot: This is a short story that is narrated by Spottedleaf. She explains how she feels about Firestar and Sandstorm, and their relationship.

Spottedleaf welcomes the reader to StarClan.
The former medicine cat starts with explaining about Firestar’s history, but then breaks off when she realizes that the reader already knows all that. She says that she loves Firestar as much as she ever did, and will watch over him forever, knowing that he will never belong to her, but will belong to Sandstorm and ThunderClan. Spottedleaf explains that it wasn’t love at first sight. She hadn’t noticed him until he asked to care for Yellowfang and saw past the fact that she had been born in ShadowClan.
Spottedleaf said that, had she lived, and been cut off from him as a medicine cat, she would have walked with him, as he became a warrior, deputy, and then leader. Instead, she had to watch from far away, and sometimes she was cut off from seeing him. Spottedleaf also said that she wanted to wail like an abandoned kit when he told her that he couldn’t be in love with a memory anymore. However, she realizes how special Sandstorm is to him, and watches protectively over his kits Squirrelflight and Leafpool.
The story ends with Spottedleaf saying it is time for the reader to go, asking Cherrypaw to show the reader to the border.

Interesting facts: Cherrypaw is the same as Cherrypaw, who is the daughter of Fuzzypelt and Robinwing who perished from a fox wound on her second trip out of camp.

6. The Clans Decide

Summary: It is a harsh leaf-bare and all the Clans are starving, so they try to make a plan to survive; they vote on whether they should have one leader and work together to survive, or stay separate.

Timeline: Somewhere between Long Shadows and The Fourth Apprentice

Plot: This is a short story that depicts Firestar and what would happen if he became the leader of the Clans for a short time.

The story begins with Firestar finding two injured RiverClan warriors, Pouncetail and Otterheart, on the ThunderClan-ShadowClan border, barely alive, being chased by a ShadowClan patrol for trespassing on their territory. Firestar takes them to the ThunderClan camp.
He calls a Gathering, and asks the Clans to share the leftovers from their fresh-kill piles. He is challenged by many cats.
Firestar decides to leave, when Mosspelt comes to him and tells him to come back. Firestar hesitantly comes back and sees Blackclaw and Tornear fighting. He interrupts. The cats start arguing again, when Jayfeather interrupts, saying that they could have a vote and each cat could decide their own future. He explains that each cat has a chance to put a stone in a pile. One pile for cats who support Firestar, and one pile for cats who support being led by individual leaders. He puts a stick on the ground and tells them that cats supporting Firestar may put their stones on one side of the stick, and the cats supporting individual leaders on the other side. Blackstar starts the voting, voting for individual leaders, and the rest of ShadowClan does the same, until Rowanclaw reaches the stick. He votes for Firestar, and Snowbird and Tawnypelt do the same.
From RiverClan, Mistyfoot, Otterheart, Mosspelt and Pouncetail vote unsurprisingly for Firestar, while other unexpected supporters are Mintfur and Reedwhisker. Leopardstar puts her stone on the other side of the pile.
From WindClan, Onestar votes for Firestar, saying that if Firestar could show them a way to survive without prey stealing, he would listen. Tornear, Nightcloud and Ashfoot vote for individual leaders.
From ThunderClan, Sandstorm, Squirrelflight, and Brambleclaw vote for Firestar, and Dustpelt, Thornclaw, Cloudtail, and Brightheart vote for individual leaders.
Jayfeather, Barkface, Littlecloud, and Mothwing lay out the stones in two lines, and Firestar’s line stretches just longer. He thanks them, and tells the cats that they will meet at every quarter moon to share leftover prey, and if they didn’t take exactly what they needed, or if they saved the leftover fresh kill for their own Clanmates, StarClan would be their judge, and when the first green bud would appear on the ThunderClan trees, the Clans would have four leaders again.

Interesting facts: Fans could vote for their favorite leader on the official site, and the one with the most votes, which ended up being Firestar, would have a short story written about them.

7. The Death of Bright Stream

Summary: When Clear Sky suggests a plan to lure the eagles down to the cats so they can launch an attack, Bright Stream faces her final moments of life when she gets carried away.

Timeline: During The Sun Trail

Plot: This is a short story narrated by Bright Stream about Clear Sky’s plan to lure the eagles towards the ground to attack them, which results in Bright Stream’s death as she is carried away by one of the eagles.

Bright Stream, a young she-cat from the Tribe of Rushing Water, is the main character of the story. She and several of her Tribemates are following the sun trail in the search for a new home with plenty of prey. The cats are trapped in a cave by a group of hungry eagles who see them as easy prey. After a day of hiding, the cats become hungry and restless. Eventually, Bright Stream’s mate Clear Sky declares that enough is enough, and they would show the eagles who the real hunters were. He and Gray Wing devise a plan to attack one of the eagles and draw the rest away from the cats. Bright Stream is chosen to go with Gray Wing to lead the eagles away from the cats.
The plan goes into effect as Turtle Tail and Cloud Spots lure the birds towards them. Although she is frightened, Bright Stream tells Gray Wing that she will attract the birds with the intention on making them come low to the ground, making it easier for the cats to attack them. She pretends to be hurt and limps in a circle, making it seem like she is easy prey. Two of the birds swoop towards her and she hides again with Gray Wing under a boulder. The eagles perch themselves on the rock and Clear Sky’s group begins to stalk towards them, ready to attack. However, one eagle was resting on the ground, and Bright Stream and Gray Wing agree that they need to get rid of it to protect the other group. They race across the clearing aiming for the safety of a bush but Gray Wing trips on a root and injuries his paw. With the eagle’s talons nearly in Gray Wing’s pelt, Bright Stream pulls him out of the way and shoves him under the bush. However, the eagle’s talons sink into her haunches and drag her out. In a horrific amount of pain, Bright Stream screeches at Gray Wing to help her, but she is already being lifted into the air. He leaps to grab her but his outstretched paw barely misses her tail. Bright Stream tries to wriggle free and bite the eagle, but it wraps its talons around her tighter and tighter. Bright Stream’s strength begins to ebb as she is carried far away from her Tribemates, who are watching the tragic scene unfold helplessly on the ground. In her last moments, she murmurs a goodbye to Clear Sky, saying she will always love him.

8. The Longest Night

Summary: When Firestar leaves StarClan because he misses his Clan, it’s up to Graystripe to convince his old friend to return home to end the Longest Night.

Timeline: right before A Vision of Shadows

Plot: This story features ThunderClan celebrating the Longest Night

In the middle of leaf-bare, ThunderClan prepares to celebrate the Longest Night by decorating their dens and preparing gifts for each other. 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.

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 instructed that StarClan won’t send gifts to troublesome kits.
-Albeit fanfiction, this short story marks the first appearance of Snowbush and Lilyheart’s kits in the series.

9. A Fear of Fire

Summary: Tigerclaw is warned of fire destroying him.

Timeline: not long before Into The Wild

Plot: This is a short story of Tigerclaw shortly before the events of Into the Wild. He experiences nightmares about fire destroying him, hinting at Firestar’s arrival into ThunderClan.

Tigerclaw experiences a nightmare of being trapped in ThunderClan’s camp during a fire, and Runningwind anxiously wakes him up.
He is assigned on a border patrol near the Twolegplace with Lionheart, Ravenpaw, and Graypaw. As they near the Twolegplace, Tigerclaw is shocked to detect heavy smoke and hear fire crackling in the Twolegplace, and a voice in his head warns him of fire destroying him. Tigerclaw warns his Clanmates to run from the fire, but his peers are confused as they don’t smell anything. Lionheart remarks that he only sees a ginger kittypet sleeping near his den and he shouldn’t be a problem.

Interesting facts: It is possible that the voice that Tigerclaw hears in his head is Mapleshade, as she whispers in his head in Tigerclaw’s Fury.

So that’s all for today, guys! Hope you enjoyed it! Did you know any of these stories? Write it in the comments!
Bye!
-Detective Sparrow out-