The Dark Sun

* Front cover
* Textless cover

**The Dark Sun** is the fourth book in the *Bamboo Kingdom* series.

Leaf is featured on the cover.

## Blurb

**Explore the secrets of the Bamboo Kingdom in the fourth installment of this thrilling new series from bestselling Warriors author Erin Hunter, perfect for fans of Wings of Fire and Endling.**
The Bamboo Kingdom is once again safely led by guidance of a real Dragon Speaker—three Dragon Speakers, in fact!
But a troubling vision from the Great Dragon warns of a “Dark Sun” coming soon. And while Rain, Leaf, and Ghost argue amongst themselves about what it means, the monkeys are hatching a plan to use this moment of uncertainty to their best advantage…
Unless the pandas learn to trust each other, their biggest challenges may still lurk on the horizon...
## Plot

### Prologue

Crookedclaw's point of view.
Crookedclaw, a member of Brawnshanks's troop, watches the monkeys gather around a crevice at the heart of the Broken Forest to interrogate a pangolin they captured. Brawnshanks asks the pangolin a few questions, revealing that the pangolins know the most about The Great Dragon. The prisoner introduces herself as Curling Star and tells the story of how the Light Dragon and Dark Dragon were brought together into the Great Dragon by a monkey. When pressed, the pangolin explains that only the Children of the Dragon, a select order of pangolins, know exactly how the story goes. Crookedclaw orders the monkeys to keep Curling Star alive. Brawnshanks praises her for her help in his plot to take the Bamboo Kingdom.
### Chapter 1

Leaf's point of view.
Leaf looks out over the combined groups of pandas now living on the Prosperhill, with Rain and Ghost among them answering the questions of other animals. Azalea and Granite interrupt Rain's audience, pushing the disgraced pandas Blossom and Ginseng. Leaf takes over the session, asking what the problem is. Azalea grumbles that Blossom and Ginseng took over a patch of bamboo and are refusing to share. Leaf reprimands the two pandas and instructs them to share, reflecting on how they have changed since their time with Dusk. At the Feast of High Sun, Pebble comes and talks to Leaf about Rain's refusal to speak to him again, and his jealousy of the new male Lychee, whom Rain is always spending time with. Pebble reveals that he would have liked to be Rain's mate, and Leaf advises him to tell her how he feels. A vision of the Great Dragon interrupts them, and Leaf leaves Pebble to climb a tree and hear its message. The Dragon warns Leaf that a "Dark Sun" will come before leaving. Leaf quickly comes down to warn her siblings, but none of them can agree on a meaning. Leaf decides it means something ominous.
### Chapter 2

Ghost's point of view.
Ghost overhears a commotion on top of the Prosperhill and discovers that Pepper has destroyed Blossom and Ginseng's nest to make room for his own. Pepper denies disrespecting Blossom and Ginseng intentionally; Ghost isn't sure if Pepper is telling the truth but decides that it doesn't matter what Pepper thought. Ghost reminds Pepper that it's not polite to destroy other pandas' nests. A large group of pandas, including Leaf, come to watch the confrontation. Some of them conclude that it's time to find their own territories again, as the area is even more crowded than before. Blossom then pushes Pepper down the hill and Goji comes to her son's aid and demands that Blossom leave Pepper alone. Ghost blocks Blossom and Lily from fighting, thinking how much he misses the White Spine Mountains. Finally, Squall asks the Dragon Speakers what to do. Ghost suggests looking for Rain first, and he and Leaf find her playing with Lychee in the river. Ghost passes on the debate and suggests they hold a vote whether the pandas will split up, or all of them will stay on the Prosperhill. The vote is extremely close, with Ghost, Leaf, and Rain all voting to stay, and the staying side wins. A new argument breaks out over whether the pandas who wanted to leave should leave anyway. Ghost goes to talk to Shiver, and she reminds him no one would have wanted to lose the vote, agreeing that there are too many pandas in one place. The two siblings watch Blossom and Ginseng rebuilding their nest, and Shiver warns Ghost to watch out for them.
### Chapter 3

Nimbletail's point of view.
Brawnshanks assembles the Broken Forest Troop for a special contest of the Three Feats to decide who will increase his numbers of Strong Arms. All of the monkeys are excited, except Nimbletail, who dutifully pretends to be thrilled. Her sister, Quicktail, asks her to partner up with her for the contest. The next morning, Brawnshanks sets the monkeys a task of cunning; to steal a bees' nest. Nimbletail wonders how she can sabotage her and her sister's chances without being found out. Quicktail spots a bees' nest, but Nimbletail stops her from grabbing it. Nimbletail thinks very carefully about Brawnshanks' instructions and brings back an empty nest. Brawnshanks and another monkey named Briskhand are displeased, but Crookedclaw declares Nimbletail and Quicktail the most cunning of all, and Brawnshanks declares they have passed. Briskhand grumbles angrily at the sisters, declaring they won't pass their next Feat.
### Chapter 4

Leaf's point of view.
Leaf is talking to Crag, Lily's mate, encouraging him to look for her. Pepper comes up with a message from Peerless, an injured manul cat who needs help. Pepper guides Leaf to Peerless' den, and the cat explains that the monkeys dropped a bees' nest right on top of her den, causing her and her kittens to get stung. Peerless asks Leaf to tell the monkeys to find their own place. Leaf promises to find out what they're up to, but then receives a slew of complaints about them from a crowd of curious animals. Leaf walks off to find her siblings and ask for their advice about the monkey problem, but returns to a whole new audience asking for advice. Some of the petitioners ask Leaf questions that she believes would be better suited to Rain and Ghost, but they object, stating that Leaf is the best and Ghost might eat them. Leaf finally breaks away and finds her siblings, telling them about the problems the other animals have with them. Leaf proposes that since there are three Dragon Speakers, they should separate and each take care of part of the kingdom. They make plans for Rain to stay in the Southern Forest, Leaf to return to the Northern Forest, and Ghost to travel back to the White Spine, and meet at Egg Rocks at the full moon.
### Chapter 5

Ghost's point of view.
Ghost and Shiver climb up into the mountains. Shiver notices how quiet it is, and Ghost worries if there will be enough creatures left to be Dragon Speaker for. When they pass by a herd of mountain goats, one of them learns that Ghost is a Dragon Speaker and mistakes him for Leaf, with other members of the herd stating that Leaf gives great advice. Shiver sticks up for him, and Ghost promises to help all animals in the White Spine.
That night, the Dragon's warm breath signals to Ghost to follow it, and Ghost and Shiver find a cave buried under some rocks. A herd of blue sheep interrupt them as they are about to bed down, telling them the cave is only for Dragon Speakers. Ghost reveals himself as Dragon Speaker, and the sheep are thrilled, instantly asking him if they should wait for their old grazing ground to grow back or find new grass somewhere else. Ghost mulls over the problem and decides they should leave, but wait for their old ground to regrow. Over the next few days, more and more animals come to ask Ghost's advice and even bring him bamboo. However, when a pair of goats visit him about their missing kids, they are interrupted by Brisk and Sleet, who mockingly state that Ghost is a predator and probably ate their kids. The goats are too frightened by the lies to listen any further and run off. Ghost confronts the leopard siblings, asking why they are here, but they only say they want to ruin Ghost's life.
### Chapter 6

Nimbletail's point of view.
For the second Feat, the challenge is to cross the massive cave at the heart of the Broken Forest by swinging from the stalactites without touching the ground. While Nimbletail and Quicktail are leaping through the cave, they hear a strange growling noise from below. The sound intensifies as several monkeys fall. Nimbletail finally throws a rock at the source of the sound, only to find it was a monkey all along, most likely set up by Brawnshanks to scare the competitors. The two sisters overhear the monkeys talking about something, and decide to climb down as far as they can to follow them. When Nimbletail gets down near the bottom, she spots Crookedclaw talking to the Strong Arms about some prisoners in a pit at the bottom of the cave. Nimbletail and Quicktail continue the Feat, but reach their widest gap yet. Quicktail gets the idea to swing Nimbletail across and let her grab the stalactite on the other side, and her plan works. The two are almost at the end when Briskhand shows up and attempts to shove them down, but they overpower him and escape the cave. Brawnshanks congratulates them for making it, while Nimbletail wonders what he might be planning now.
### Chapter 7

Leaf's point of view.
One morning, Leaf wakes up after her journey into the Northern Forest, helping more petitioners, and finds Dasher and the rest of her red panda friends. After being bothered by Roller with a question, Leaf decides to take a nap before helping anyone else. Afterward, Lily joins the audience and asks where to find the best bamboo. Leaf tells her the best bamboo is back in the Southern Forest, where Crag is, and she should rejoin him. Lily is hurt that Leaf let her feelings cloud her judgment and walks off. Later, Leaf notices animals from the mountains coming to see her, and asks why they didn't consult Ghost instead. One responds that Ghost has a pack of snow leopards hunting his petitioners with him. Leaf tries to explain that it is a misunderstanding, but it becomes even harder when more animals tell her about Rain's selfish reputation and laziness with doing her Speaker tasks. Dasher and Leaf are both confused about why two of the Speakers cannot perform their duties.
That evening, a group of pangolins track Leaf down and introduce themselves as the Children of the Dragon, stating that Leaf needs their help. Leaf and Dasher follow them to a termite mound, and the pangolins begin to read the termites' movement patterns. The leader then reports that the Broken Forest Troop are up to something, and are aiming to destroy the Dragon itself.
### Chapter 8

Ghost's point of view.
Ghost no longer has any animals at all coming to him, and he and Shiver wonder what they can do about Brisk and Sleet. He silently asks the Dragon for advice, wondering how he can make peace with the pair, but receives no answer. That night, he overhears Brisk and Sleet plotting to go down and hunt the pandas in the Bamboo Kingdom. Horrified, Ghost tries to think what to do next, but they run off down the mountain before he can stop them. Ghost returns to the rocks but finds them caved in and Shiver missing. He tries to use the rocks to send a telepathic message to Rain, but fails. Desperately, he searches for Shiver, and finds her on the mountain. He tells his adopted sister what happened, and they decide to go after the leopards together.
### Chapter 9

Nimbletail's point of view.
For the Third Feat, the competing monkeys are brought into the deepest cavern below the Broken Forest, which contains a river of lava. The Strong Arms announce that the challenge is a test of ruthlessness, for each monkey to race their Feat partner across the lava, using any means necessary to win. Quicktail and Nimbletail agree to play fairly. Nimbletail joins the race, trying not to beat her sister as the other monkeys jostle around her. Suddenly, she spots Briskhand attempting to ambush Quicktail and runs off to warn her, sacrificing her chance to win, only to be interrupted by his Feat partner, Brightface. Nimbletail quickly talks him into letting her go, and hurries to save her sister. Briskhand fights Nimbletail but falls over the ledge where both are standing. Nimbletail saves him but unintentionally breaks his foot in the process. Both monkeys are disqualified, and Briskhand is furious, but Quicktail, who managed to become a Strong Arm, is touched that her sister threw away her opportunity for her. Crookedclaw then appears and congratulates Nimbletail on passing her own test.
### Chapter 10

Leaf's point of view.
Leaf and Dasher race up the foothills of the White Spine, following the directions the pangolin leader, Coiling Cloud, gave them. They soon find their destination, a hill that resembles a skull, and climb to the top to wait for something to happen. The two worry that the pangolins sent them the wrong way, or even that something might be happening to Ghost. While on their way, they run into a herd of blue sheep that inform them that Ghost has gone south with "his" leopards and would have eaten them had he stayed. Leaf tries to reassure them, but to no avail. The Dragon's tail suddenly appears in the snow and leads Leaf on a chase down the mountain, where she tumbles and falls, entering a vision of a black branch setting the Bamboo Kingdom on white fire. Leaf reveals to Dasher that her vision and the pangolins' mean danger for the whole kingdom.
### Chapter 11

Ghost's point of view.
Ghost and Shiver track Brisk and Sleet all the way to the river, and are forced to cross on a dangerous bridge of bamboo. Once on the other side, they are ambushed by the leopard siblings, who retreat after injuring both Ghost and Shiver. Ghost is suspicious that they didn't really scare them away after all, but when he and Shiver continue tracking, they find the Prosperhill deserted. Suddenly, they find a group of pandas in a pool, with Rain standing over the dead body of Pebble.
### Chapter 12

Nimbletail's point of view.
While waiting to leave for a secret meeting with Crookedclaw, Nimbletail explores the cave and comes across the new prison pit, with Curling Star trapped in it. She wakes the pangolin and tries to offer help, but Curling Star rebuffs her, mentioning the Children of the Dragon. Later, Nimbletail sneaks away from her band and meets Crookedclaw inside a fallen tree. Crookedclaw tells Nimbletail that as her servant, the young monkey will be required to bring her anything that might aid their plans, most importantly information. She also reveals that she has more of her spies stationed to secretly bring down Leaf, Rain, and Ghost, with the white panda being the first. Crookedclaw implies that to gain Nimbletail's trust, she will harm Quicktail and the band. For her first mission, Nimbletail is required to kidnap a Child of the Dragon, with the aid of Briskhand.
### Chapter 13

Leaf's point of view.
While waiting for Rain and Ghost at Egg Rocks, Leaf ponders her vision of the fire and the older one of the Dark Sun. The other triplets do not appear, but a group of pangolins arrive to warn her about a fire destroying the Goldleaf red pandas. Leaf and Dasher hurry to rouse them and get them far away from their home.
### Chapter 14

Ghost's point of view.
Ghost examines Pebble's corpse and finds out he was attacked by another animal. The other pandas are wary of him, and Blossom openly accuses him of murdering Pebble, lying that she saw him on the waterfall above the pool. Ghost blames Brisk and Sleet, but the other pandas believe all the leopards, including Shiver, are working with him and hunting innocent animals. Rain coldly turns her back on Ghost and tells him he is no Dragon Speaker. The others agree and demand his Dragon Speaker stone. Ghost gives it to Shiver, who runs away with several pandas on her tail. Ghost is cast out of the Prosperhill, horrified by what just happened and unsure how to prove his innocence.
### Chapter 15

Nimbletail's point of view.
Nimbletail and Briskhand are watching the Children of the Dragon perform some strange ritual around the steam from a steam vent. Nimbletail watches to see what they do. Suddenly, the steam takes on a dragon shape, which the pangolins interpret as darkness and danger. One of them separates from the others, and the monkeys take the opportunity to kidnap him and bring him back to Brawnshanks and Crookedclaw. Shocked by what she has just done, Nimbletail waits until night to return to the prison pit, where she finds the male pangolin, Spiral Moon, complaining of pain from a fallen rock, even though there are none in the pit. Nimbletail tries to help them both, but a rock actually breaks away from the side of the pit. Just in time, the monkey heaves it back onto solid ground, realizing the pain Spiral Moon was feeling was a vision of the future. Curling Star finally admits that Brawnshanks has been demanding information about the Great Dragon's origin. Spiral Moon tells the story of the Light Dragon and the Dark Dragon, and how the First Monkey became jealous of their power and tried to destroy them. Recognizing their connection to pangolins, she brought a large group of them down into the lava cave, and the Dragons followed to protect their Children, merging into the Great Dragon. Nimbletail sneaks off when she hears the guard being woken, but spots two more pangolins being carried in. She realizes that Brawnshanks is gathering pangolins to recreate the story of the Dragon's origin, but planning to split it in two.
### Chapter 16

Leaf's point of view.
Leaf and the red pandas travel without stopping, waiting for the fire to start. The red pandas start to sense that they are being followed, but no one is seen. When they stop to stay at three entwined trees, the light begins to dim and take on a strange intensity. Leaf climbs a tree and notices that the sun is beginning to look strange, realizing the Dark Sun is there at last. Leaf's vision of fire returns, but this time it is coming from a leaf on the end of the branch. Dasher's scream snaps her out of it, and she realizes the red pandas are under attack.
### Chapter 17

Ghost's point of view.
The Dark Sun rises with the sky growing dark as Ghost travels north, wondering if he could have been the cause of the strange phenomenon, or if Pebble's murder had something to do with it. He stumbles upon Leaf and the red pandas being attacked by Brisk and Sleet, and helps his sister fend them off. In the aftermath of the attack, several red pandas are dead and Leaf is devastated, blaming herself for the whole thing. Ghost reveals that the leopards were his rivals since he was young, and they came to the kingdom to hunt pandas and framed him for Pebble's death, along with Blossom and Ginseng. Both pandas are confused, wondering if the four animals are working together, but Leaf suddenly snaps at Ghost that she needed his help and he wasn't there. Ghost angrily states that he will never be accepted by other pandas and Leaf brought her friends into danger, and leaves for the mountains.
### Chapter 18

Nimbletail's point of view.
During the Dark Sun, Nimbletail and the rest of the troop escort a large group of pangolins to the lava river. There, Brawnshanks makes a speech about the end of the Dragon's power and the beginning of an age ruled by monkeys. While watching, Nimbletail secretly tells Curling Star to tell as many pangolins as she can to wait for her signal to escape. Sensing its Children in danger, the Dragon rises from the lava. Brawnshanks quickly orders the troop to break the pangolins into two groups and herd them in different directions, in order to confuse the Dragon and split it. Nimbletail quickly signals Curling Star and leads her and a few of the pangolins out of the cave, only to find the sky as dark as night with the sun covered by a black disk. The pangolins thank her for her help and run off, leaving Nimbletail to return to the ceremony. Just in time, she returns to find the Dragon splitting into the Light and Dark Dragons. Brawnshanks boasts of his victory, only to be interrupted by Crookedclaw, who spots a third dragon, shining and sparkling, along with the other two. All three dragons escape into the tunnels, and Brawnshanks is outraged as the Dragon was meant to be destroyed. Crookedclaw talks him down, reasoning that the three dragons may be even weaker than the two, and Brawnshanks proceeds with his plan by ordering the monkeys to hunt and destroy them. When they get out of the cave, Nimbletail notices the sky is lightening again, and a new dawn is rising.
### Chapter 19

Leaf's point of view.
Leaf, horribly guilt-ridden about the attack, is walking away from the Bamboo Kingdom when Dasher stops her. He tries to persuade her to stay, but Leaf insists she must leave and he must stay with the others. Reluctantly, Dasher agrees to let her go. Leaf walks away as the Dark Sun fades back to an ordinary day. While looking at her Dragon Speaker stone, it suddenly changes from green to black. Leaf is horrified by the idea that even her stone has rejected her and she is no Dragon Speaker, and maybe all the trouble might have been caused by the Speakers splitting up. Leaf abandons her stone and walks east without looking back.
### Chapter 20

Ghost's point of view.
After making it back to the mountains, Ghost agonizes over his doubts about his sisters and resolves to find his adopted siblings again. He spots a leopard in a snowstorm and mistakes it for Shiver, but realizes it's Brisk and Sleet come back to kill him. A desperate struggle ensues with Ghost demanding what they want of him and if they're jealous of his Speaker powers. Brisk and Sleet reveal that they're working with Brawnshanks before attacking again. Ghost then spots a tiger in the snow and mistakes it for Shadowhunter, chasing it to the Endless Maw. Right as the leopards are about to push him in, the tiger, a young female, jumps the Maw and whisks Ghost down a secret tunnel to the bottom, where he finds Winter's skeleton. The tigress introduces herself as Nightwalker, Shadowhunter's niece and the triplets' new Watcher. Ghost explains his problems and the monkeys' plot to Nightwalker, who resolves to help.
### Chapter 21

Nimbletail's point of view.
Crookedclaw is annoyed with her spies for bringing her no news of the three dragons, especially because the pangolins claimed the ancient Light and Dark Dragons were never invisible and there were definitely only two then. Crookedclaw sends her spies to join in the hunt for the dragons, and reports that Ghost will have been killed by her leopard spies and Rain will be next. Nimbletail volunteers to monitor the plan as she knows the area from guarding Rain and Peony in the old prison pit. Crookedclaw agrees, but reminds her of her threat to Quicktail.
Back in the Southern Forest, Nimbletail seizes her first chance to speak with Rain alone, holding her jaws shut at first until Rain promises not to alert anyone. Nimbletail explains the plot to divide the Dragon and kill the Speakers, believing that Ghost is dead. Rain is horrified by the news, and Nimbletail offers to spy on her own troop for Rain. Together, the young animals resolve to hang on to their hope after the Dark Sun and defeat Brawnshanks once and for all.
### Epilogue

Rain's point of view.
Lychee notices Rain sitting alone and comes to comfort her. Rain is reluctant to confide all her problems to him, but asks him to be there for her. Lychee promises, and Rain wonders if they could one day become mates. Rain returns to the river, reflecting on her rejection of Ghost and regretting her words, asking the Dragon to help her find Leaf. Her blue stone becomes clear and sparkling for a moment, and Rain realizes she will no longer be alone, resolving to find Pebble's real killer and help the kingdom.
## Trivia

* This novel takes place one month after *Journey to the Dragon Mountain*.
* Nimbletail replaces Rain as a protagonist.
	+ This is the first book to have a protagonist who is not a giant panda outside the prologue and epilogue.
* Page 80 names Heavyfist as Heavystep.
* Page 201 names Crookedclaw as Crookedtail.

## Gallery

**English Language Edition**
Hardcover Binding**English Language Edition**
Audiobook & Audio CD Binding**English Language Edition**
Textless Cover
## References

 1. ↑ Revealed on Johanna's Twitter
2. ↑ Revealed on HarperCollins.com
3. ↑ Revealed on Johanna's Twitter