Code of the Clans/Code 2

:Below contains in-depth information for code two of Code of the Clans. If you are looking for a shorter summary of the entire book, please check the main article.
==Chapter description==
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:Leafpool introduces the story by saying that the Clans take it for granted that each Clan lives in the territory best suited to provide food for its particular hunting skills. The brown tabby also says that this code is needed. She then begins to tell the story of a Gathering that has gone erupt. 
:Stonetail, now Stonestar, stands on the Great Rock as Whitestar, Emberstar, Birchstar, and the newly appointed Brindlestar join him. Emberstar tries to talk, but Brindlestar inturrupts, challenging Whitestar and ThunderClan. Whitestar hisses, saying that they aren't the ones stealing prey, and Brindlestar shouldn't complain that his patrols drive her out every time. Brindlestar replies, snapping that they aren't stealing, and then inquires what her Clan is supposed to eat if they cannot salvage any prey in their own home. This leads Birchstar to point out that each Clan lives where they are best suited. Vinetail, Whitestar's deputy, asks when ShadowClan began hunting in undergrowth, and Lakestorm, Brindlestar's deputy, responds that they did when they started starving. Stonestar meows ShadowClan should keep to their own prey, because no Clan has surplus amounts of prey, especially during leaf-bare.
:Lakestorm asks what are they supposed to eat if they can only keep to their own prey, and as his voice cuts through the air, a creaking sound begins. Cats huddle in the Clans, afraid to run. A branch breaks off from one of the great oaks and drops onto the cats, sending snowflakes into the air. The WindClan tom watches, horrified as cats vanish in a swirling mass of white and twigs. Birchstar calls out for her Clanmates, asking if SkyClan is all right. Whitestar and Brindlestar join her, yowling into the snow cloud. The ThunderClan leader pushes through the others and orders them to go one at a time or else nobody can hear them. Birchstar goes first, calling out for SkyClan. Rainsplash's head pops out, and confirms that every SkyClan cat is here. Stonestar goes next. Looking down, the ground seems far from the rock, and asks if WindClan is all here. His deputy, Mudpuddle reports that they're all here. Emberstar realizes that RiverClan is too far from the branch to be hit, which leaves ThunderClan and ShadowClan.
:Brindlestar walks to the edge of the Great Rock, and asks if ShadowClan is fine. Heartbeats of silence pass, until the plop of snow and Lakestorm's voice breaks it. He pushes his way out and tells his leader they are all fine. After getting himself out, he helps his Clanmates out. The ShadowClan leader checks out her patrol, and after a moment confirms their safety. Now it is Whitestar's turn to see if his Clan is all right. Stonestar holds his breath; there is no way the branch didn't crush a couple of cats. It was big, heavy, and carved a huge slice through the clearing. Before Whitestar can speak, his deputy wriggles out and tells the leader they're fine. The other ThunderClan cats tumble out, shaking snow off their pelts. The ThunderClan tom is shocked, and whispers the branch fell on top of ThunderClan and ShadowClan. There was no room between the two of them. Stonestar looks again at the gigantic branch, and then at the two groups of cats, proclaiming their luck.
:He announces it's a sign from StarClan, loud enough for his leaders, but not for the cats below. They're telling them even when cats are close, they are separate enough for a tree to fall without harming anyone. Borders may be invisible, but they are strong and cannot be crossed for anything. Whitestar agrees, and Brindlestar stares at her cats in disbelief. All are dazed, but none are harmed. She then looks at the branch, and meows StarClan spared her cats for a reason. Stonestar urges her to find food in her territory, and to use the skills they only have: cunning, stealth, and the ability to walk through the darkest nights. Prey is there, and ShadowClan is the only one that can find it. Brindlestar agrees, and says StarClan does not wish her to take inferior food from inferior Clans. Whitestar wisely does not respond.
:Emberstar announces it is decided. A new rule has been added to the warrior code. They must not hunt or trespass on another Clan's territory. The other leaders agree in unison. As they walk back to their camp, they tell each other may StarClan light their paths.
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:Leafpool says not all cats obey the code. When there are young cats and rules to break, there will be some mischief.
:White-eye yelps that Dappletail is stepping on her foot, and the tortoiseshell apologizes, saying she thought it was a pebble. The gray she-cat asks since when do pebbles have fur. Starlight shines in her remaining eye as she turns; the other had been clawed out as a badger when she was an apprentice, blinding her. Dappletail pads up next to her, on the side her friend can see, and inquires if they're at the river yet. White-eye happily responds yes, and motions for her to look. The ground ahead of them is covered with gray stones, and thick black water is at the end of the slope. It is moving swiftly and reflecting the twinkle of the stars. Shrinking back, the tortoiseshell meows that it's kind of scary during nighttime. Her Clanmate nudges her and assures they'll be fine.
:Dappletail tells herself they're never going back to camp. This is the biggest adventure she—or any other ThunderClan cat for that matter—ever had. They didn't need to steal RiverClan's prey, because with greenleaf in the forest, birds and squirrels are abundant. White-eye just wanted to know what fish tasted like, and why RiverClan always boasted that their prey was the best. The tortoiseshell jumps onto a rock on the edge of the river and looks down. She whispers that she doesn't see any fish, and wonders if they've gone to sleep. Her friend steps onto the same rock and huffs that fish don't sleep. Dappletail argues they must, otherwise they would be tired. The gray she-cat replies some of them are probably awake and wriggles forward until her front legs are over the water.
:The tortoiseshell eyes the gray warrior suspiciously and asks if that's how RiverClan cats catch fish, because White-eye looks like she's about to fall in. The gray she-cat asks for her friend to look and leaps into the water before the tortoiseshell warrior can say anything. She springs back, blinking out drops and staring at the river. Its current is still flowing, but now it is carrying the half-blind she-cat, who is trying to keep afloat. Dappletail wails for her Clanmate to come back, and the muffled reply is the gray she-cat is trying. Her head sinks under a wave and she gets swept around a rock. The tortoiseshell yowls for help, her tail bristling with shock. Reappearing downstream, the pale she-cat sputters for her not to tell anyone, otherwise they'll get into trouble. The broad-shouldered warrior retorts she's drowning, and cries for help again.
:Dappletail cannot hear anyone coming, so she plunges into the water. It is cold and the waves fill her ears with a deafening hiss. She thinks swimming is like running in water, so she tries to untangle her legs and move as if she were running, but she soon sinks and has to scrabble for the surface. The tortoiseshell thinks this is the worst idea White-eye ever thought of. An angry voice asks what in the name of StarClan is going on, and the she-cat turns her head to see a brown-and-white tom standing on a rock by the bank, his eyes wide. She yowls for help before water enters her mouth and makes her cough. Another cat appears beside the first one, and tells the cat, Owlfur, to fish her out before she drowns. The tom slides into the water and clamps his jaws around the tortoiseshell's neck, dragging her towards the shore. Dappletail sputters that her Clanmate is downriver, and the second cat hisses that they are mouse-brains.
:He braces his shoulders and heads for the river, his pace not changing even when he enters. Owlfur turns to her and asks if she's from ThunderClan. She nods, her whiskers heavy with water. The brown-and-white tom asks if they were trying to steal fish, and Dappletail's head droops lower, muttering an apology under her breath. He hisses and adds Hailstar found her Clanmate. She sarcastically thinks how great it is to be rescued by RiverClan's leader. Splashing makes her turn around, and White-eye stumbles out of the river with Hailstar shoving her up. She drops a twitching fish onto the shore and proudly tells her friend she caught a fish. The Clan leader corrects her and says she squashed it against a rock, and it isn't hers to catch anyways. He is about to ask them why they are trespassing and stealing before a shout asks if Dappletail and White-eye are their missing warriors. Pinestar and his deputy are standing on the shore. The gray tom replies they caught unusual prey and invites the ThunderClan toms to see if it suits them better.
:Dappletail glances sideways at her friends as Pinestar and Sunfall hop across the stones. She hisses that she is never listening to White-eye again. The four older cats stand in front of them, and Pinestar begins by asking how many rules did they want to break, and lists them off. The pale warrior mumbles that she just wanted to see what fish tasted like. Her leader leans in closer and growls they don't eat fish, as they are from ThunderClan. Owlfur steps forward and proposes a fair punishment: have the ThunderClan warriors eat their catch. Dappletail is surprised, as she thought they were going to be punished. Pinestar agrees, and orders White-eye and the tortoiseshell to eat the fish, and also not to waste anything. White-eye immediately opens her mouth and sinks her teeth into the fish. Her friend, on the other hand, feels uncomfortable, and bites into the fish as well. Both cats leap back, and the young she-cat describes the fish as tasting like stones, weed, and mud. She also describes it as cold and slimy.
:Hailstar asks what's wrong, and the gray she-cat sputters the fish is disgusting. Sunfall looks shocked and tells them they can't say that when RiverClan is letting them eat their prey. Dappletail swallows and tries not to throw up, begging them to not let them eat more. Her leader looks at the two of them, and says the warrior code exists for a reason. ThunderClan cats do not eat fish, swim, or have anything to do with the river. RiverClan cats don't eat squirrels, so they don't live in the woods, and ShadowClan cats don't eat rabbits, so they don't hunt on the moor. Hailstar then suggests they go back to their Clan because nearly being drowned is enough of a lesson. White-eye nods and promises to never fish again. Dappletail meows she wouldn't go on any more adventures. She is satisfied with forest fresh-kill, and she thinks RiverClan can have all the fish in the world.
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
==Important events==
*The second rule of the warrior code is added: Do not hunt or trespass on another Clan's territory.
==Notes and references==
de:Das Gesetz der Krieger/2. Gesetz
Category:Code of the Clans
Category:Chapter subpages
Category:Field Guides