Journey to find the wildcats

The journey to find the wildcats took place in Ivypool's Heart, where, after Whistlepaw received a vision about a debt that the Clans must repay, five representatives from the Clans—Ivypool, Whistlepaw, Icewing, Rootspring, and Dovewing—went on a quest to discover the meaning behind the vision and prevent tragedy for the Clans.
==Summary==
===Premise===
:When all five Clans still lived in the forest, two leaders, Stripestar of ThunderClan and Galestar of WindClan, fell in love after many moons of friendship. In order to remain loyal to their Clans, they decided to unite ThunderClan and WindClan into a single Clan called StormClan, despite protests from the other Clans. When food grew scarce, StormClan was blamed by the other Clans for their hardship, and StormClan left the forest to find a new home. Dangers along the way caused them to consider returning to the forest, but when Galestar discovered that she was expecting Stripestar's kits, they were forced to commit to their journey. After the birth of the kits at the sun-drown-place, ThunderClan grew eager to move on, and Stripestar decided to continue the journey despite Galestar's concerns. However, a major storm began, and Galestar and the kits fell behind. Sheltering in a crevice, they ended up trapped by a landslide, and StormClan was unable to reach them. Galestar and her kits were saved by a group of wildcats, after which Galestar fell in love with one of their saviors, Bound Hunt, and started a family with him.
:Wanting the wildcats to be repaid for saving her and her kits, Galestar sends a vision to Whistlepaw in order to influence the Clans to send cats to help the imprisoned wildcat family. Whistlepaw and the other medicine cats share this vision, as well as the warning of a river of blood, with the Clans, who collectively decide to send one representative from each Clan—Ivypool of ThunderClan, Whistlepaw of WindClan, Rootspring of SkyClan, and Dovewing of ShadowClan—to the fox-headed mountain from Whistlepaw's dream to find out the meaning of the vision. Splashtail refuses to send a representative for RiverClan, but just after the group leaves the Moonpool, the exiled Icewing catches up with them on the moor and joins them.
===Overview===
:The five cats set out for the fox-head mountain, though they find themselves stuck for several days when the mountain is obscured by clouds and weather. During a hunting attempt, the questing cats encounter Slate and Beach, sons of one of the Sisters, Flurry, and the two brothers lead them to the Sisters. Snow gives Ivypool directions to reach the fox-head mountain by the sun-drown-place, and three days after, the journeying cats travel along a Thunderpath toward the sun-drown-water. That morning, Whistlepaw had reported that she had received a dream warning the cats to follow a white feather. The cats find a lake, where Whistlepaw is captured by Twoleg kits while hunting, and they manage to get an adult Twoleg to release her from the monster.
:Whistlepaw sees a gull in the sky and realizes that they need to follow it, and it leads them to the sun-drown-water. They soon come upon a Twolegplace filled with animals in dens, where they find two wildcats, Stalk Purr and Tumble Leap, who are expecting kits. The wildcats tell the Clan cats about their imprisonment and the Star Tree, where the wildcats' elders had communicated with their ancestors, and the Clan cats travel to find it. Through the Star Tree, they meet with Galestar, who tells them the story of StormClan and how the wildcats saved her, and asks them to take the imprisoned wildcats to the wildcats in the mountains.
:The questing cats free Tumble Leap and Stalk Purr the following morning, and they search out the wildcats in the mountains. After several days of travel, the group finds a river where Stalk Purr gives birth to her kits. That night, the Clan cats dream of the RiverClan camp having been destroyed and RiverClan's medicine cats killed, and Ivypool and Icewing decide to leave to find the wildcats. They encounter a wildcat named Strike Slash the next day and persuade him to let them speak with his elders, but the elders are unconvinced by the Clan cats' story of Galestar. After Ivypool and Icewing help fight off foxes, the wildcat elders take them to speak with the ancestors once again, where they meet Galestar. Galestar takes them to StarClan, where she explains StormClan's story to the StarClan cats and reunites with StormClan's ancestors. Tumble Leap, Stalk Purr, and their kits are united with the wildcats, and the Clan cats head back home, uncertain of their future.
===Map===
==Description==
===Slate, Beach, and the Sisters===
:The journeying cats lose their way when clouds obscure their view of the fox-head mountain, and they decide to rest by a stream. However, three sunrises pass and the weather remains unfavorable. While waiting, Dovewing, Ivypool, and Icewing find solace in each other over their grief, and Whistlepaw feels agitated that they cannot continue their journey. The cats grow hungry due to lack of prey, and when Dovewing and Rootspring find a barn, they and Ivypool attempt to hunt. They are attacked by Zeke, Curry, and Pumpernickel, and are chased off by dogs called by the kittypets. Two days later, while hunting, the group runs into Slate and Beach. They allow the Clan cats to stay in their unkempt camp, and Whistlepaw tends to Beach's injury. The brothers are unable to connect to the earth and decide to take the Clan cats to the Sisters the following day. On the way, they are attacked by the dogs, and Slate is injured. When they reach the Sisters' camp, the Clan cats and the Sisters catch up, and the Sisters hold a ceremony for Graystripe and Bristlefrost, though their inability to contact Bristlefrost upsets Ivypool. The next day, Snow gives Ivypool directions, telling her to follow the vines of the Twoleg trees by the Thunderpath and warning her to watch out for the gulls.
===The sun-drown-place===
:After three sunrises of traveling, Whistlepaw receives a vision telling the journeying cats to follow a white feather. Hunger drives them to hunt, but after alarming horses at a Twolegplace and fleeing, they find themselves lost, though they manage to find their way back while hunting a rabbit. They soon decide to rest in a forest of apple trees, but the next morning, they are woken by monsters and forced to flee. While traveling, the group finds a piece of wood with a picture of a gull on it, and Whistlepaw believes that it is the white feather they need to follow. The next day, Whistlepaw is captured by Twoleg kits while the cats are hunting by a lake, and they coax an adult Twoleg to release her. Afterward, they spot a white gull and, realizing that it is the white feather from Whistlepaw's dream, they follow it to the sun-drown-place. There, they find a loner named Jake, who warns them to stay away from the crabs. The Clan cats proceed to hunt, but after they begin eating a fish dropped by the gulls, they are attacked by both the gulls and crabs and retreat into a crevice in the cliffs, where they are trapped. Some time after, the crevice begins to flood as the water rises during a storm, and the cats flee from the sun-drown-place.
===Imprisoned wildcats===
:The five hungry cats happen upon a foul-smelling Twolegplace filled with animal fear-scent, and after hunting, they hear an angry Twoleg shouting, along with sounds of pain from an animal. The following day, the cats explore the Twolegplace filled with strange animals and end up finding two trapped wildcats, Tumble Leap and his pregnant mate, Stalk Purr, who inform the Clan cats about their kind and identify the StormClan symbol. The wildcats mention the Star Tree, a tree that their elders had used to communicate with their ancestors, prompting the Clan cats to search it out. Upon finding the Star Tree, the Clan cats, excluding Dovewing, enter and are greeted by Galestar. The former StormClan leader explains StormClan's tale and reveals that she had sent the vision of the trapped kits to Whistlepaw, and she requests that they free the wildcat family and reunite them with the wildcats in the mountains. The Clan cats return to the Twolegplace and persuade Tumble Leap and Stalk Purr to leave with them, and by releasing the animals on the Twoleg, they manage to slip away.
===Finding the wildcats===
:The Clan cats and wildcats head back toward the sun-drown-place and follow Galestar's directions to reach the mountains, hunting on the way. After a few days of climbing the trail into the mountains, they find a forest and head for it, while Stalk Purr advises Ivypool that she may not truly know what happens to cats in the afterlife, including Bristlefrost. The cats come across a dangerous Thunderpath and are guided across by ghosts that Rootspring communicates with. Two days later, Stalk Purr's three kits arrive, and the group settles beside a river. When the Clan cats have a dream of following Icewing into the destroyed and bloody RiverClan camp, where Mothwing and Frostpaw have been killed, Icewing and Ivypool decide to travel ahead to find the wildcats, afraid of what is happening at home. A day later, Ivypool and Icewing find a dense forest and encounter an angry wildcat tom named Strike Slash, whom they persuade to lead them to his elders.
===StarClan and reunion===
:Strike Slash leads Ivypool and Icewing to the wildcats' camp, where they meet the three elders, Prowl Sleek, Hunt Growl, and Spring Claw. The elders hesitate to believe the pair's story about Whistlepaw's vision and the wildcat family and decide that Ivypool and Icewing must depart the next morning. That night, Ivypool and Icewing help defend the camp from foxes, convincing the elders that they are trustworthy. The elders take them to a spring, where the ancestors speak to Ivypool and Icewing, accepting the wildcat family. The elders then take them to a hollow log, where Ivypool and Icewing are able to meet Galestar once again. They convince her to speak with Stripestar, and Galestar takes them to visit StarClan. She explains to StarClan the story of StormClan, the Clan that StarClan has forgotten, until StormClan's ancestors appear.
:StarClan realizes that StormClan are reappearing due to being remembered. Galestar makes amends with Stripestar and the rest of StormClan, and StormClan is able to rejoin StarClan. Ivypool wonders if RiverClan needs StormClan's help, and Riverstar tells Ivypool and Icewing to return home. With some of the wildcats, Ivypool and Icewing return to the river, where Tumble Leap, Stalk Purr, and their kits are reunited with their kind, and the kits are connected with their ancestor guides. Having completed their quest, the Clan cats head back home to the lake, with Ivypool and Rootspring convinced that Bristlefrost is still with them.
==Characters==
===Ivypool===
:Hoping for an opportunity to learn how to deal with her grief for Bristlefrost and feeling a faint hope of seeing her again, Ivypool volunteers to accompany Whistlepaw on her journey. She struggles to give the journey her full focus and clings to her grief, afraid of forgetting Bristlefrost. However, she begins to open up and relate to Dovewing and Icewing, who have also lost kits. She experiences nightmares about Bristlefrost and sometimes confides in Rootspring about them. Through her grief, Ivypool aids her companions in hunting and keeps them safe, saving Whistlepaw from a monster, helping to save the medicine cat apprentice again from Twolegs, and leading her companions from a flooding crevice.
:The task of helping the wildcats gives Ivypool new purpose. She is able to sympathize with Tumble Leap and Stalk Purr and grows determined to save them, and she helps to rescue them from the Twolegplace. Stalk Purr helps Ivypool to see the world in a new light and to feel grateful for her experiences. When the delivery of Stalk Purr's kits brings the journey to a halt, Ivypool and Icewing search for the wildcats and manage to find them. While with the wildcats, Ivypool is introduced by Claw Stretch to the wildcats' belief that forgotten spirits become part of everything around them. She and Icewing see Galestar in the afterlife again and travel on the River of Spirits, where a voice reminds her to focus on her goal and the life she leads. After StormClan reappears and Stripestar mentions having been everywhere while he was lost, Ivypool begins to believe that a part of Bristlefrost could still exist, feeling hopeful. She and Icewing take the wildcats to Stalk Purr and Tumble Leap, and Ivypool begins to accept that she must move on. As the Clan cats journey back home, Ivypool and Rootspring dream of speaking to Bristlefrost, and they see a white stag, realizing that Bristlefrost is all around them.
===Whistlepaw===
:After receiving a vision of wailing kits trapped in a storm, as well as a stream of blood, Whistlepaw believes that she might figure out its meaning if she finds the location of her dream. She is extremely anxious about reaching the fox-head mountain, eager to help the cats in her dream. She uses her skills as a medicine cat apprentice to care for her companions and the cats they encounter, healing Flurry's sons, Slate and Beach. Throughout the journey, Whistlepaw's path is fraught with dangers, having to be saved by Ivypool from a monster and needing to be saved again from being trapped by a Twoleg kit. Despite this, she expresses great eagerness and enthusiasm for the journey, with a strong desire to figure out what her vision means.
:She helps to guide her group, recognizing the sign of the white feather and the sun-drown-place, and noticing important locations such as the Twolegplace where Tumble Leap and Stalk Purr are kept. She eagerly asks Tumble Leap and Stalk Purr about their ancestors and how to communicate with them, and confidently leads her companions to the Star Tree and figures out how to speak with the wildcat ancestors. Whistlepaw is greatly relieved when Galestar explains that she sent the vision to her, and that she wishes for the Clan cats to repay a debt to the wildcats, as she now understands her vision. When Stalk Purr has her kits, Whistlepaw helps her to give birth, saving Pounce's life in the process. When the Clan cats have a dream about RiverClan being destroyed, Whistlepaw confirms that the debt must be repaid and stays with Stalk Purr while Icewing and Ivypool search for the wildcats in the mountains.
===Icewing===
:After Ivypool, Rootspring, Whistlepaw, and Dovewing reach the moor, Icewing catches up with them after having been exiled from RiverClan and decides to join them as RiverClan's representative. Having lost her son, Beetlewhisker, Icewing is able to relate to Ivypool's loss in Bristlefrost and Dovewing's loss in Rowankit, and she bonds with them, offering Ivypool advice. She takes care of and helps her companions, helping Whistlepaw to gather herbs and fishing for the group. She takes on a supportive role, helping to make decisions and often taking the lead and making suggestions. As time passes, Icewing grows extremely anxious to return to RiverClan, enough so that she considers leaving Tumble Leap and Stalk Purr in the Twolegplace. However, she sticks with the quest, placing her faith in Whistlepaw.
:She begins to take on somewhat of a leadership role, ordering her companions during the battle with the weasels and often leading them after. While Stalk Purr's kits are arriving, Icewing again tells Ivypool that she lives for the memory of her son, impressing Ivypool. After all the Clan cats experience a nightmare about RiverClan's destruction, Icewing is shaken and becomes desperate to finish the quest and return home, and she volunteers to accompany Ivypool to find the wildcats in the mountains. She expresses her determination to save RiverClan from Splashtail, and Ivypool supports her. Her worries disturb her sleep, and she meditates to help. After the two prove themselves trustworthy by fending off foxes, the wildcat elders take them to speak with the ancestors. When Stripestar mentions being spread, Icewing realizes that a part of Beetlewhisker may have survived, though her relief is short-lived when Riverstar tells her to return home and that she still has time, worrying her. She becomes impatient to return home.
===Rootspring===
:Rootspring volunteers to go on the journey as SkyClan's representative. Still grieving for Bristlefrost, he has trouble figuring out what to do about Wrenflight, who has developed feelings for him. When the group is stuck for several days due to the weather, they encounter Slate and Beach, Rootspring's kin through the Sisters. The two toms take the group to the Sisters for directions, where Rootspring is greeted warmly. Snow attempts to tell Rootspring to move on from Bristlefrost with a new family, but he argues, questioning the Sisters' concept of family. Rootspring's friendship with Ivypool allows them to comfort one another and discuss the distressing dreams they experience, and he confides in her about dreaming of the life he should have had with Bristlefrost. Throughout the journey, Rootspring behaves with a somewhat poor temper, showing some aggression and moodiness. He does, however, show an ability to pull himself from his grief if need be.
:After learning about StormClan, Rootspring grows resentful, angry that Galestar and Stripestar had been able to form a new Clan to be together when his and Bristlefrost's love had been against the warrior code. He remains uncomfortable with the concept of moving on from Bristlefrost. He begins to develop respect for the Sisters' teachings to their toms upon seeing Tumble Leap and Stalk Purr's powerful instincts, and Rootspring is able to use his ability to see ghosts to help the others cross the Thunderpath safely. After Stalk Purr gives birth to her kits, Rootspring becomes enraptured with them, and he stays to help watch over them. He bonds with the kits and discovers a desire to start a family, and after having a dream about Bristlefrost and seeing the white stag, he decides that he will only take a mate who can live up to her. In order to help both of them with their sadness, Rootspring also suggests that he and Ivypool stop meeting but remain friends.
===Dovewing===
:Dovewing chooses to be ShadowClan's representative for the journey. Despite her own grief for Rowankit, she worries for Ivypool, who continues to mourn for Bristlefrost, and persistently encourages her sister to open up and offers Ivypool comfort and sympathy. Alongside Ivypool, Dovewing proves to be very motherly toward younger cats due to her experience as a mother, advising Slate and Beach on cleanliness and she-cats. She checks on her sister's grief, comforting her during the Sisters' ceremony and after they fail to contact Bristlefrost. After the cats have traveled for a while, Dovewing begins to express minor anxiety due to the dangers, eager to return home. She shows courage, however, such as when she stays outside the Star Tree to guard against potential dangers.
:After Tumble Leap and Stalk Purr are rescued and the cats have traveled for a few days, Stalk Purr's kitting begins. This prompts Dovewing and Ivypool to reminisce about the difference between giving birth in a Twolegplace and a Clan, and Ivypool offers some comfort to Dovewing for her grief over Rowankit. When Stalk Purr nearly loses her son, Pounce, Dovewing is reminded of Rowankit and freezes up, and she and Ivypool comfort one another. When Ivypool decides to search out the wildcats in the mountains, Dovewing stays behind to care for Stalk Purr and her kits. Once Ivypool and Icewing return, Dovewing expresses to Ivypool that she had enjoyed looking after Stalk Purr's kits and that it had helped ease her pain, and she is delighted when Ivypool tells her about seeing Rowankit.
===Galestar and Stripestar===
:Galestar and Stripestar are the two former leaders of StormClan. After falling in love, they formed StormClan and searched for a new home. When Galestar's kits were born during the journey, Stripestar decided to move on despite Galestar's concerns. Galestar and her kits ended up trapped by a landslide during a storm and were saved by the wildcats. After being left behind by StormClan, Galestar grew resentful toward them, especially her former mate. She sends a vision of the storm to Whistlepaw in the hopes of having the wildcats' kindness toward her family repaid. When Galestar explains the story of StormClan to StarClan, StormClan's ancestors appear upon being remembered. Stripestar tells Galestar that he had loved her, but had been unable to find her and their kits, and that all of StormClan had felt guilty ever since. StormClan makes amends with Galestar.
===Tumble Leap and Stalk Purr===
:Tumble Leap and Stalk Purr are wildcat mates who have been captured by a cruel Twoleg. The pair had previously lived in a Clan when they were younger, but when prey grew scarce because of Twolegs, their numbers began to dwindle. They had also had two litters that did not survive. Initially, the two are resigned to their fate with the Twoleg, believing that their odds of survival are higher if they stay. However, when the Clan cats return from the Star Tree and tell them about the wildcats in the mountains and that the Twoleg plans to take their kits, Tumble Leap and Stalk Purr are convinced to leave, and Ivypool's group frees them. While traveling in the mountains, Stalk Purr is able to comfort Ivypool, pointing out that she does not know everything about the afterlife and where Bristlefrost may be. After Stalk Purr's three kits, Pounce, Hunt, and Stretch, are born, she and Tumble Leap wait for Ivypool and Icewing to find the wildcats. They are soon reunited with their kind, and the pair express deep gratitude to the Clan cats, promising that they are family. During a visit with their ancestors, their kits receive their ancestor guides and their new names.
==Quotes==
==See also==
*Ivypool's Heart
*The wildcats
==Notes and references==
fr:Voyage pour trouver les chats sauvages
Category:Events
Category:Journeys
Category:Ivypool's Heart