Warrior Cats/Firestars Quest/Recap

The prologue takes place many moons before we first met the Clans as we know them. There's a Gathering, and the four Clans greet each other. But they can't start yet - they're not all there. Finally, the last cats arrive - SkyClan. But something strange is going on here - they've brought their entire Clan, down to the oldest elders and tiniest kits. The leader, Cloudstar, reveals that while Twolegs had been encroaching on their territory for a while, the camp has finally been destroyed. He pleads to the other Clans on SkyClan's behalf, but the other Clans insist that they have no room for another Clan in their territories, and that SkyClan must leave. SkyClan has no choice, so they start to head out of Clan territory. Cloudstar's mate, Birdflight, is heavily pregnant, and cannot go on a long journey, so she is welcomed as a ThunderClan cat. Cloudstar vows to never look to the stars again.

Five moons after the battle with BloodClan, Firestar hunts in ThunderClan territory. All of a sudden, he is attacked... but it turns out to just be Bramblepaw successfully completing his final assessment. On the way back to camp, he sees a strange gray cat who suddenly disappears. That night, he dreams of strange cats fleeing through the mist, wailing in terror. The next morning, he's shaken but acts normal, performing Bramblepaw's warrior ceremony. Over the next few days, life continues as normal, while Firestar continues to have dreams about the unfamiliar cats. After a Gathering, he decides to visit the Moonstone. It is there that Bluestar reveals to him what his dreams mean: many seasons ago, there used to be a fifth Clan, called SkyClan, who left when Twolegs took over their territory. The pale gray cat was their leader at the time, and he evidently wants Firestar to help him somehow, though Bluestar advises Firestar to just worry about his own Clan. Troubled, he heads home. The next day, Brambleclaw and Ashfur discover Firestar's kittypet friend Smudge on ThunderClan territory. Smudge explains to Firestar that he's been having dreams about a pale gray cat as well. Realizing that Smudge's yard is where the SkyClan camp used to be, Firestar spends the night there, and speaks to the ancient SkyClan leader. Cloudstar tells him that SkyClan disbanded long ago, but that Firestar can help rebuild the Clan, if he travels upstream to the river's source.

Two days later, Firestar has made up his mind. He tells Cinderpelt, Graystripe, and Sandstorm about his dreams and about the journey he has planned - and he invites Sandstorm to come along. They spend two days learning herbs and telling the Clan that StarClan has called Firestar away on a mission, and finally they leave. The first three days of their journey are peaceful. During the fourth day, however, a storm is on the way, and tensions are building between the two. When the storm breaks, Firestar insists on traveling through the weather, which Sandstorm is unhappy about. Still upset that Firestar loved Spottedleaf, she argues with him about it, and gets swept away in a flood when crossing the river. Firestar spends three desperate days searching for Sandstorm, finally finding her after being helped by a group of rogues in a Twolegplace.