RiverClan's leader succession crisis

RiverClan's leader succession crisis was a period of several moons when RiverClan was without clear leadership following the sudden death of Mistystar and Reedwhisker's murder.
==Summary==
===Premise===
:Curlfeather approached Splashtail during his apprenticeship about questioning the Clan's reliance on StarClan. Believing that Mistystar was close to death, Curlfeather and Splashtail plotted to kill the deputy Reedwhisker so Curlfeather could succeed him. She tasked Splashtail with the job of murdering him, though Splashtail secretly wanted power for himself. During a hunting patrol with Reedwhisker, Splashtail, Curlfeather, Podlight, and Fognose, Splashtail ambushed Reedwhisker next to the gorge, shoving him to his death. At the same time, Mistystar abruptly died in camp. The hunting patrol returned without Reedwhisker, suspected that the deputy had returned to camp on his own, and the deputy was assumed missing.
===Overview===
:With Reedwhisker missing for several days, the Clan agrees to allow their medicine cats, Mothwing and her apprentice Frostpaw, temporarily lead the Clan until Reedwhisker can be found. RiverClan's connection to StarClan solely rests on Frostpaw's inexperienced shoulders. Unbeknownst to Frostpaw, her mother Curlfeather manipulated her into believing her dreams were visions from StarClan. After Reedwhisker's body is found in a ravine, Frostpaw and Splashtail head to the Moonpool to ask StarClan who their new leader should be. Splashtail's purposeful placement of a small white, curled feather near the Moonpool spurs Frostpaw into believing her mother Curlfeather should be their new leader. However, Splashtail betrays Curlfeather, leading dogs to the moor to kill Curlfeather before she can reach the Moonpool. Because of her involvement in killing Reedwhisker, Curlfeather is sent to the Dark Forest.
:Continuing to believe she has a connection to StarClan, Frostpaw dreams of her mother Curlfeather advising that she should "look beyond the obvious choices" for RiverClan's new leader, potentially prompted by Splashtail's earlier conviction that the obvious choice isn't always the right one. She chooses Owlnose to be their new leader, though his lack of confidence causes some of his Clanmates to doubt his ability to lead. He chooses Splashtail to be his deputy to balance his indecisiveness. However, StarClan does not appear to Owlnose at the Moonpool, and Owlnose's inability to lie creates chaos at the Gathering. SkyClan sends Fidgetflake to RiverClan to guide Owlnose for his leadership ceremony. However, Owlnose abruptly steps down from leadership before they arrive to the Moonpool, and Frostpaw begins to doubt the legitimacy of her visions.
:Recognizing the danger a leaderless Clan might pose on ShadowClan, Tigerstar forcibly takes control of RiverClan until they can find a new leader, making RiverClan part of ShadowClan. He appoints his deputy Cloverfoot and the senior warrior Icewing to co-lead while he commutes between the two camps. Tensions between to violently rise between RiverClan and the ShadowClan warriors imposed in their camp. While training with her new mentor Harelight, Frostpaw receives a real vision from StarClan of Reedwhisker's apparent murder. Upon Splashtail's encouragement, Frostpaw travels to WindClan to speak with Whistlepaw about her vision, though is brutally attacked by Splashtail before she can arrive. She is rescued by Whistlepaw, who brings her to Smoky and his Twolegs for treatment. Riverstar instructs Frostpaw to go on a journey to save RiverClan with the ThunderClan warrior Nightheart. They travel to the Cats of the Park, where Riverstar originated, for Frostpaw to learn about meditation. Frostpaw realizes that Splashtail plotted with Curlfeather to kill Reedwhisker and he was the one who attacked her.
:At the lake, Tree mediates the tensions between RiverClan and ShadowClan, eventually leading to ShadowClan withdrawing from RiverClan's camp. RiverClan appoints Duskfur to be their temporary leader, with Splashtail as her deputy. Conspiring with Splashtail, Podlight claims to have received a dream from StarClan signifying that Splashtail should be their new leader. Now exiled from RiverClan, Frostpaw is determined to save her Clan from this false leader. Despite revealing that Splashtail never received his nine lives, WindClan and SkyClan accept Splashstar as the rightful leader of RiverClan. His own warriors begin to doubt his claims to leadership, however, resulting in Mothwing, Icewing, and Duskfur fleeing the Clan. Splashtail calls for their deaths, and he kills his deputy Harelight when the white tom proposes otherwise.
:
====Succession====
Leader(s) 	Book 	Notes
Mothwing and Frostpaw 	River 	Co-leaders until Reedwhisker's body was found
Curlfeather 	River 	Killed by dogs on way to the Moonpool
Mothwing and Frostpaw 	Sky 	-
Owlnose 	Sky 	Deputy was Splashtail; stepped down from leadership
Tigerstar 	Shadow 	Supervising leader
Cloverfoot and Icewing	Shadow 	Co-leaders appointed by Tigerstar
Duskfur 	Thunder	Deputy was Splashtail; appointed by RiverClan temporarily under ShadowClan's rule
Splashtail 	Wind 	Deputies were Harelight and Berryheart; appointed by Podlight's dreams from StarClan
Icestar 	Star 	Chosen by Frostdawn and accepted by StarClan
==Description==
===Reedwhisker's disappearance===
:Reedwhisker is still missing the day after Mistystar's vigil, and RiverClan's warriors debate on what they should do. Duskfur and Mallownose suggest that the medicine cats should temporarily leader, but others, such as Podlight and Shimmerpelt, suggest that they themselves should lead. Frostpaw finds a star-shaped dock leaf on her nest, and RiverClan believes it to be a sign from StarClan that the medicine cats should co-lead until Reedwhisker is found. At the half-moon meeting, Leopardstar tells Frostpaw that Reedwhisker is in a shadowy place within their territory. While RiverClan organizes search parties, Curlfeather and Splashtail meet in secret. Splashtail's worries that someone might find Reedwhisker's body, but Curlfeather insists that she will just tell Frostpaw that his death was an accident. Frostpaw, Splashtail, Curlfeather, and Gorseclaw locate Reedwhisker's body at the bottom of the ravine. Frostpaw notes how the wounds on his back resemble a badger's claws, though Curlfeather insists that he must have died from the fall. With Reedwhisker confirmed to be dead, RiverClan waits for StarClan to send them a sign who their new leader should be.
:At the Gathering, Mothwing lies that Mistystar and Reedwhisker are ill with whitecough. Meanwhile, Frostpaw and Splashtail head to the Moonpool for the medicine cat apprentice to speak with StarClan. While Frostpaw attempts to communicate with StarClan, Splashtail places a small, white curled feather nearby. Frostpaw interprets it as a sign from StarClan that her mother Curlfeather should be RiverClan's next leader. She later dreams of tiny feathers covering the Moonpool hollow, solidifying her belief in the sign. Curlfeather is accepted by the Clan as their new leader. However, Splashtail leads dogs to the moor, resulting in Curlfeather's death while on her way to the Moonpool. Before dying, she warns Frostpaw to not trust any cat.
===A reluctant leader===
:Following Curlfeather's death, Mothwing resumes organizing patrols. The other warriors are lost in their grief to want to volunteer for leadership. At the Moonpool, Frostpaw dreams of her mother telling her to "look beyond the obvious choices," though this turns out to be dreamt up by Frostpaw. After reflecting over each of her Clanmates, Frostpaw chooses Owlnose after she couldn't think of a reason not to pick him. Surprised, Owlnose accepts, and the Clan welcomes their new leader. However, Owlnose lack of confidence causes some of his Clanmates to doubt him.
:StarClan does not arrive at the Moonpool to grant Owlnose his nine lives. RiverClan reasons that previous leaders, such as Onestar, had to wait awhile before receiving their nine lives, and StarClan's silence does not necessarily mean their disapproval. Owlnose chooses Splashtail as his deputy, despite his Clanmates' disapproval that he was too young and hadn't mentored an apprentice. During an emergency Gathering called by Tigerstar to discuss the catmint shortage, Owlnose poses as Owlstar, the new leader of RiverClan, with Splashtail as his deputy, and claims that Mistystar and Reedwhisker both died of greencough. However, Owlnose reveals that he has not received nine lives after other Clans continue to press him for clarification. Realizing that RiverClan is floundering and their only connection to StarClan is an apprentice, Tigerstar suggests that he should temporarily lead RiverClan until they find a true leader. This choice is challenged by all the Clans until Leafstar suggests sending Fidgetflake to RiverClan to help Owlnose receive his nine lives.
:While cleaning through their neglected herb storage, Fidgetflake discovers that RiverClan had a forgotten supply of catmint—enough to cure Mistystar and Reedwhisker from greencough and potentially save Rowankit, Tigerstar's son who died from the lack of catmint. Fidgetflake, Mothwing, Frostpaw, and Owlnose head to the Moonpool. While crossing WindClan's territory, Fidgetflake mentions how WindClan found prey bones nearby where Curlfeather had died, positing if they were used to lure the dogs here. While Frostpaw struggles with the thought of someone murdering her mother, Owlnose abruptly decides that he is not meant to be RiverClan's leader and he heads back to camp. Frostpaw attempts to communicate with StarClan at the Moonpool, but to her horror, the young medicine cat apprentice realizes that her dreams were never real.
===ShadowClan's invasion===
:After learning about RiverClan's forgotten catmint supply, Tigerstar leads a patrol to RiverClan to assume leadership, and his campaign only furthers when he discovers that Owlnose did not receive his nine lives. Harelight and Icewing posit that they should accept Tigerstar's offer, though their Clanmates accuse them of being traitors. A battle breaks out, though ShadowClan's warriors quickly overwhelm the smaller Clan. Immediately after the battle, Tigerstar assumed leadership of RiverClan, appointing his deputy Cloverfoot and the RiverClan senior warrior Icewing as co-leaders, as well as leaving a ShadowClan presence in RiverClan while Tigerstar returns to his own camp. At the emergency Gathering, Icewing explains to the other Clans how Mistystar suddenly died and Reedwhisker died in an apparent accident, resulting in turmoil for their Clan with Frostpaw as their only connection to StarClan. Leafstar questions Tigerstar's takeover of ShadowClan and vows to reconsider ShadowClan's invasion at the next Gathering. Tigerstar imposes RiverClan as temporary ShadowClan cats, and he frequently travels between both camps to perform ceremonies.
:RiverClan grows tiresome of the ShadowClan warriors stationed in their camp, with pairs rotating every two days. Tensions continue to rise between the two Clans in the same camp, to the point of destroying Cloverfoot's nest and placing thorns in prey for unsuspecting ShadowClan warriors to eat. Splashtail, Mallownose, and Duskfur meet with Berryheart, Snowbird, Yarrowleaf, and Whorlpelt in secret to discuss restoring RiverClan's freedom from ShadowClan, with Splashtail implying to manipulate some cat into becoming RiverClan's next medicine cat. While fishing with her new mentor Harelight, Frostpaw receives a vision of Reedwhisker's death at the gorge, realizing that the former deputy was murdered by a member of their own Clan. Reedwhisker's spirit warns Frostpaw of a darkness in RiverClan. At the next Gathering, Leafstar questions ShadowClan's future in RiverClan and is intent on using force to drive ShadowClan away, though Bramblestar and Harestar disagree. With tensions rising in RiverClan, Tigerstar appoints more warriors to live in RiverClan full-time.
:Frostpaw tells Splashtail about her vision, and he encourages her to speak with Whistlepaw of WindClan to verify her vision. However, she is brutally attacked by Splashtail while on her way to WindClan. Whistlepaw finds Frostpaw left for dead on the moor and takes her to Smoky at the horseplace. Whistlepaw's struggles to treat her injuries, and Smoky calls for his Twolegs to help. After the Twolegs treat her wounds, Frostpaw receives a dream from Riverstar telling her to make a journey to become stronger to help her Clan. Nightheart accompanies her, and the pair travel to the Cats of the Park, where Riverstar originated, to learn about meditation. Frostpaw accepts that it was Splashtail who attempted to kill her, as well as planting the curled feather by the Moonpool. To her greater horror, she learns that her mother Curlfeather plotted with Splashtail to kill Reedwhisker. Realizing what qualities RiverClan's new leader will require, Frostpaw returns home with Nightheart, Waffle, and Wasp.
:Back at the Clans, Owlnose and Splashtail visit the other Clans to search for Frostpaw, and Whistlepaw lies that Frostpaw was killed on the moor. With the death of their medicine cat, Squirrelstar suggests that Tree should find a peaceful solution between ShadowClan and RiverClan by mediating. While Tree meets with the leaders and RiverClan representatives at the island over the next moon, Tigerstar eventually agrees to slowly withdraw his cats out of RiverClan. The Clan leaders agree that Duskfur should temporarily lead RiverClan during the peace talks, and RiverClan agrees. She appoints Splashtail as her acting deputy.
===Splashtail's Clan===
:At the next Gathering, Duskfur announces that Podlight has received dreams from StarClan and will be their new medicine cat apprentice. Podlight declares that Riverstar told him that Splashtail should be their new leader. Frostpaw declares that Splashtail is lying and previously killed Reedwhisker, Curlfeather, and nearly killed her. However, Splashtail lies that he originally knew of Curlfeather's plans but not their full extent. With Frostpaw's claims causing uncertainty, RiverClan welcomes Splashtail as their new leader. Tigerstar withdraws all his warriors from RiverClan, and Splashtail exiles Frostpaw from RiverClan, claiming she she is trying to pull the Clan apart. He appoints Harelight as hie deputy.
:Splashtail prepares his warriors for battle in retaliation against ShadowClan, though he puts off receiving his nine lives from StarClan, believing that he does not need them. Frostpaw receives a vision of a shadow destroying the river, though the medicine cats are skeptical about its true meaning. Podlight and Mothwing eventually convince Splashtail to visit the Moonpool, though Mothwing stays behind due to Havenpelt, Splashtail's mother, giving birth to her new litter. The two linger near the Moonpool long enough for their Clanmates to believe that Splashtail gained his nine lives. Unbeknowst to the RiverClan cats, Puddleshine and Frostpaw spy from above the Moonpool. Riverstar's spirit appears, though Splashtail and Podlight cannot see him. The RiverClan founder's message is clear: Splashtail and Podlight are impostors. However, SkyClan and WindClan accept Splashstar as RiverClan's leader.
:Some RiverClan cats begin to doubt Splashtail's claims to leadership, including Duskfur, Icewing, and Mothwing. However, ThunderClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan agree to only intervene if RiverClan decides to resist Splashtail. At some point, Mothwing, Duskfur, and Icewing flee RiverClan, Splashtail rallies his remaining warriors to kill them as traitors. When his deputy Harelight suggests otherwise, Splashtail kills him, appointing Berryheart as his new deputy.
:
==Quotes==
==See also==
*A Starless Clan
==Notes and references==
Category:Events
Category:Conflicts
Category:Battles
Category:A Starless Clan arc
Category:River (book)
Category:Sky (book)
Category:Shadow (book)
Category:Thunder (book)
Category:Wind (book)
Category:Star (book)