warriors
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
"There could be all kinds of reasons. But the main one is probably the way [Morningkit] resents dying so young. And she must be lonely, with no other spirits like her to make friends with. That's not your fault, though, Moonpaw. And it's not your responsibility to fix."
— Tree to Moonpaw about Morningkit in Chasing Shadows, page 123



Chasing Shadows is the third book in the Changing Skies arc. Moonpaw is featured on the cover, with Morningkit and Brambleclaw above her.[1] It features Starlingpaw, Moonpaw, and Tawnypelt as the main protagonists, with Cloudtail in the prologue.

Dedication

To Sally
Special thanks to Cherith Baldry

Blurb

Erin Hunter's #1 bestselling Warriors series continues with the third book in the Changing Skies arc. Two cats—an elder and an apprentice—believe that only they can save the Clans from certain destruction.
Moonpaw finally confesses to her Clanmates that her dead sister has been torturing her in her mind, and the Clan rallies around her in support. But as Moonpaw grows closer to Goldenpaw, her sister's threats become more ominous, and even turn bloody. Moonpaw worries she's a danger to her entire Clan. Would [ThunderClan] be better off without her?
Tawnypelt is sure that the prophecy she received from Bluestar is a dire warning--and she believes that only the Elders can see the Clans through the oncoming danger. Frustrated with his mother, Tigerstar bans her from speaking of the prophecy, so Tawnypelt takes refuge in ThunderClan. She begins to wonder if her true place is in the Clan of her birth.
Amidst all this, Starlingpaw grows bolder in his belief that he alone must save the Clans. But can an apprentice really hold the key to their salvation?

Detailed plot description

Cloudtail dreams of being trapped in a cave, and the walls begin to glow. When he wakes, he is reminded of the moon. In the mountains, Starlingpaw and the other journeying cats rush to find Crowfeather, spotting him at the bottom of the ravine by a stream, unresponsive. The cats pick their way down to him, and they are all shocked to find Crowfeather seemingly uninjured. Shadowsight and Ivypool leave in search of herbs, and once they return, the cats settle down to sleep after eating. Starlingpaw is disturbed by a light and finds Crowfeather's spirit hovering over his body. Meanwhile, Tawnypelt visits the ThunderClan elders to discuss her concerns about Moonpaw, and while the elders support Moonpaw's innocence, they agree to let Jayfeather know. Jayfeather prevents Moonpaw from seeing Brambleclaw, deeply upsetting her, and Morningkit mocks her. Moonpaw snaps at Morningkit that she is causing all of her problems, but Goldenpaw overhears and believes she is talking about him.
Back in the mountains, Starlingpaw observes Crowfeather's spirit wandering in confusion between the cats. Crowfeather wonders who is the cat Stoneteller had warned him of, and on the second night, he inadvertently reveals Stoneteller's prophecy to Starlingpaw about a deceiver who may cause pain to the Clans. While Starlingpaw struggles with why Crowfeather has kept this secret, Tawnypelt returns home after saying goodbye to Brambleclaw, and Tigerstar is angry with her for staying away. He forbids her from speaking with Oakfur. In ThunderClan, Goldenpaw confronts Moonpaw, and she confesses that she sees and hears her late sister. He and Shinepaw support her, spending time with her, and Moonpaw and Goldenpaw grow closer. However, Moonpaw is furious when she discovers that they have told Squirrelstar about Morningkit, forcing her to admit to everything. Some cats are unforgiving and distrustful, but others prove supportive, especially Jayfeather, and the Clan decides that Tree should help Moonpaw.
After several days, Crowfeather is recovering but still unconscious. Starlingpaw sees his spirit again and accidentally reveals himself while muttering that Crowfeather could be the deceiver. Crowfeather wakes up at last, and the cats set off home the next dawn. After Nectarsong encourages him to tell the truth if he knows important information, Starlingpaw impulsively blurts out the prophecy and confronts Crowfeather, alarming the group. While visiting SkyClan, Tawnypelt watches Birchfeather's final trial and is pleased when he passes, earning his place as a SkyClan warrior. She speaks with the SkyClan elders, who talk about going back to the gorge. Leafstar entertains the idea, igniting an argument amongst SkyClan. When she returns to ThunderClan, Tawnypelt speaks with her weakening brother, who says that he forgives the orange cat and that he must do something for them and Moonpaw.
Tree visits ThunderClan to see Moonpaw, interrupting her training. She is cold and unwelcoming to him at first, but is corrected by Sunbeam. Tree teaches Moonpaw how to meditate and advises her to stop working herself so hard, and to stop worrying about what other cats think. She warms to him and finds meditation helpful to her. Upon returning to ThunderClan camp, Tree advises Squirrelstar to stop treating Moonpaw like a dangerous cat. As they are speaking, Jayfeather tells Moonpaw that Brambleclaw has asked for her. Brambleclaw is dying, but promises that he will try to take Morningkit to StarClan with him. He passes away while Moonpaw sleeps, and Morningkit speaks to Moonpaw, revealing that she has not gone. Tawnypelt is told that her brother has died and moves to see him, but is outraged to find that Moonpaw has been with him. That night, the Clan mourns its former leader, with every cat speaking of Brambleclaw with love and fondness.
Ivypool and the others make it home, and Crowfeather reports to the Clans at the Gathering. Angered by Crowfeather's undetailed report, Starlingpaw yowls about the prophecy, causing an uproar and forcing Crowfeather to defend himself. Furious with Crowfeather for insinuating that Shadowsight might be the deceiver, Tigerstar abandons the Gathering, but the remaining Clans welcome Tawnypelt to speak with their elders. Afterward, Hawkwing is agitated with Starlingpaw for speaking out of turn at the Gathering and punishes him, but Starlingpaw has earned the respect of his Clanmates by doing so. Morningkit reveals that she tricked Brambleclaw to escape his attempt to take her to StarClan. Moonpaw continues spending time with her fellow apprentices, falling in love with Goldenpaw and hearing Morningkit less and less. However, after Morningkit forces her to brutally attack Goldenpaw in their sleep, Moonpaw believes herself to be a threat to ThunderClan. After Brambleclaw warns her of danger, Moonpaw is convinced that she must leave to protect her Clanmates despite her love for Goldenpaw, pleasing Morningkit.
After Tawnypelt speaks with the WindClan elders, she and Crowfeather discuss their feelings for each other, with Crowfeather telling her that he had wanted to tell her about the prophecy first. Tawnypelt is unwilling to entertain a relationship with him just now. Squirrelstar extends an invitation to Tawnypelt to join ThunderClan, but she is uncertain. Dovewing visits Tawnypelt to tell her that she has come to terms with Birchfeather's decision, and that Tigerstar misses her. As they converse about cats learning to love their new Clans, Tawnypelt realizes that the elders may be dreaming of the Whispering Cave. She attempts to explain her discovery to Tigerstar but he remains unreceptive. They are interrupted by Whistlebreeze, who reports that the Twolegs have taken down the blue walls around the Moonpool. When the Clans investigate, however, they find that the Twolegs have changed the Moonpool and claimed it for their own.
Eager to prove himself, Starlingpaw takes action when SkyClan encounters strange noises outside their camp at night. He puts together a patrol of young warriors to scout out the threat, believing it to be the deceiver. He finds Moonpaw and Morningkit and is again able to see the orange cat, and he confronts them. When Moonpaw confides in him about wanting to keep her Clan safe because of Morningkit, Starlingpaw leads her out of Clan territory, satisfied that he has saved the Clans. Moonpaw crosses a Thunderpath and is nearly killed when Morningkit tells her to stop, and she is disturbed that Morningkit is so unconcerned. When she gets stuck in mud, Morningkit again makes no attempt to help, instead finding glee in the idea of her sister dying. Moonpaw attempts to find a Twoleg nest, wondering if she ought to be a kittypet, but she is attacked by two kittypets. Goldenpaw catches up with her and helps fend them off, unwilling to leave her side.

Trivia

Interesting facts

Mistakes

A compiled list of the errors present in Chasing Shadows can be found here.
End of spoiler warning

Publication history

English editions

Gallery

US covers

External links

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 FaviconWarriorsSite Exclusive title and cover reveal for Chasing Shadows on Warriors official website (backup link)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Revealed on the inside right flap of Chasing Shadows
  3. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Revealed on kobo.com (backup link)
  4. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Revealed on amazon.com (backup link)
  5. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Revealed on barnesandnoble.com
  6. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Revealed on blackstonelibrary.com (backup link)
  7. ↑ Revealed on Instagram (screenshot)
  8. ↑ FaviconWarriorsSite Choosing Warriors titles: what's in a name? on Warriors official website (backup link)
  9. ↑ Revealed on amazon.com (backup link)
  10. ↑ Revealed on barnesandnoble.com (backup link)
  11. ↑ Revealed on barnesandnoble.com