Cloudstar's Journey is a novella from the The Untold Stories collection that takes place before the prologue of Firestar's Quest.
The story starts with Cloudstar and his deputy, Buzzardtail, hunting near the ThunderClan border. They're interrupted by a ThunderClan patrol that had come a little closer to the border than usual. As they head back to camp after warning them away, Buzzardtail wishes that Duskstar (who had been called Darkstar in Code of the Clans) had not given ThunderClan a piece of SkyClan territory moons ago, and Cloudstar reminds him that thanks to Duskstar, obeying the Clan leader is part of the warrior code. They return to camp, and Cloudstar plays with Hazelwing's kits before Birdflight comes over and the two talk about the kits they're going to have. A hunting patrol returns with only a squirrel, and they report that everything's been scared away by Twoleg monsters. Cloudstar insists that they only had bad luck hunting.
Cloudstar dreams of StarClan. He is greeted by Maplestar (who had appeared in Code of the Clans and became leader when SkyClan created the law saying that deputy succeeds leader), a cat named Rowanstar (who also appeared in Code of the Clans; his warrior Poppycloud came up with the law to patrol borders daily), and Duskstar himself. They discuss borders, and Cloudstar asks Duskstar if he regrets giving up SkyClan territory. Duskstar replies that they have a duty to preserve all five Clans, and he encourages Cloudstar, saying that SkyClan is the most noble Clan and will endure forever. Cloudstar is awakened by his medicine cat, Fawnstep, who tells him of the bad omens she has seen - their prey has been appearing in the fresh-kill pile without wings and tails and such (though they were whole when caught), and she believes it is a sign that their prey will diminish even more than it already has. He tells her of his dream, and how Duskstar had told him that the Clan has nothing to fear. He goes for a walk with Birdflight and they talk again about their hopes for their coming kits.
Two moons later, Cloudstar trains a few of the apprentices (Buzzardtail's kits Tansypaw, Snailpaw, and Mintpaw), teaching them how to leap from tree to tree. They hear Twoleg monsters coming, and one comes right up to the tree - and knocks it over. They scramble out of the branches on the ground and get back to camp. The Clan is worried about the Twolegs, but Cloudstar promises to keep them safe, and the previous deputy, Petalfall (who would have been leader instead of Cloudstar at this point, had she not retired early due to epilepsy), speaks in support of him. After the meeting, he leads a patrol out to see how far the monsters have come. They are devastated to find that a sizable portion of their territory has been destroyed, and decide to re-set the markers, making their territory smaller. Cloudstar keeps watch that night, and in the morning, he sees the Twolegs hauling away trees, though they aren't cutting any more for the time being.
When Cloudstar returns to camp, he joins a patrol that goes near the ThunderClan borders. The ThunderClanners, including their leader Redstar, taunt SkyClan that there must be something wrong since there's a lot of noise coming from their territory. Cloudstar returns to camp to discover that the hunting patrols - which have been out twice - have hardly found a thing. He tries hunting on his own but doesn't have much better luck. He declares that the Clan will only have one meal a day, like they do in leaf-bare. Buzzardtail is concerned that they'll starve, but he doesn't have any other options. Birdflight tells him she's worried about him and reminds him to take care of himself for the sake of their kits. He promises to, and he also says he's sure SkyClan will survive; StarClan would not have made him leader if they didn't think he would be able to take care of his Clan.
Three days later, the Clan attends a Gathering. Buzzardtail has convinced Cloudstar that he has to at least acknowledge that the Twolegs are causing trouble, because they're certain the other Clans will know about it. He tries to keep things light and not let the other Clans know he's concerned. Fawnstep tells him on the way home that the other medicine cats have been dreaming about SkyClan being destroyed by monsters and that Molepelt is convinced they'll be dead before the next Gathering. Cloudstar tells her that Molepelt doesn't know what he's talking about, and they continue home. When they get home, they discover that Petalfall has had another seizure and is weaker than ever - near death. She needs food more than anything, but they have none to give. Cloudstar promises her that the Clan will never leave the forest as long as he has his nine lives. The next morning, he patrols alone before dawn and discovers that the Twolegs are building nests on the edge of his territory. Petalfall is dead when he returns to camp. A patrol comes back, and Oakpaw is injured after falling into a ditch the Twolegs had dug. Cloudstar decides that is no longer safe to hunt on that side of the territory, and that they'll have to find some other way of getting food.
The next morning, Cloudstar announces to his warriors that they must fight ThunderClan and reclaim the territory that Duskstar gave away. He hates going back on Duskstar's word - he feels like he's betraying his ancestors - but he's that desperate. The Clan attacks the day afterward. The fight goes badly. Mousefang breaks her leg when trying to use the sky-drop move on a ThunderClan warrior, and in general the SkyClan warriors are not well-fed or strong enough to win. Cloudstar orders them to retreat. Readers of Battles of the Clans will recognize the next scene, as the guidebook had two stories about the aftermath of this battle (one from the point of view of each Clan): Cloudstar speaks to his Clan, telling them that they must want victory more than ThunderClan in order to win, and that night he is awakened by Fawnstep, who has had a dream about SkyClan leaving the forest. Cloudstar is dismayed but does not say anything, and Fawnstep says that this is a defeat they can't survive.
Within a quarter moon, Birdflight has her kits. Cloudstar goes for a walk, happy about his kits but extremely worried and desperate for their future. He walks to the edge of the Twoleg devastation, and falls asleep. He finds himself in StarClan, but there are no cats around; he calls out that they're cowards and challenges them to tell him now that SkyClan is safe, and then begs them to let him know they haven't given up on his Clan. None of them appear. A monster drives by and wakes him up, and he finds that an elder, Starlingfeather, is nearby. Starlingfeather tells him that there can be nobility in admitting defeat. Cloudstar wearily agrees and decides to ask the other Clans to give up some of their territory, just as they had once done for ThunderClan.
The next Gathering is the scene from the prologue of Firestar's Quest. The entire Clan comes to Fourtrees, and Cloudstar begs for the other Clans to give them some territory. One by one, the leaders of the other Clans deny the request. Larkwing, the WindClan medicine cat, points out that StarClan won't be pleased if SkyClan is driven out, but her leader responds that StarClan would have covered the moon if they didn't agree. The other cats continue to speak against SkyClan, and Cloudstar's warriors prepare to fight, but he stops them. He announces that SkyClan will leave. Birdflight tells him that she must stay, as the kits are too young to travel, and Cloudstar curses the fact that he is leader; if he were a regular warrior, he could have stayed behind as well, living with her in another Clan or as rogues. They say goodbye and Cloudstar promises to wait for her forever, and he nuzzles his kits for the last time. Birdflight understands that he is sorry and that he must do this because his Clan depends on him as their leader. SkyClan leaves Fourtrees, uncertain of where they are going, and he silently promises to find his mate and kits again one day.
Tropes appearing in this novella:
- Cassandra Truth: The medicine cat has been having troubling omens, and the patrols report having trouble finding prey, but it takes a while for Cloudstar to realize/admit that there's an actual problem.
- Continuity Nod: In his dreams, Cloudstar speaks to several of the older SkyClan leaders from Code of the Clans.
- A Day in the Limelight: Cloudstar gets a POV.
- Doctor's Orders: Fawnstep orders Cloudstar to take a day to rest.
- Downer Ending: The main character's home is destroyed, he is permanently separated from his mate and kits, he entirely loses his faith in StarClan, and he and his entire Clan are banished from the forest.
- Dreaming of Things to Come: The medicine cats of all the Clans - though especially the SkyClan medicine cat Fawnstep - dream of the Twolegs causing trouble for SkyClan and of the Clan being forced to leave.
- Due to the Dead: A vigil is held for Petalfall.
- Gender Bender: Though male in the Allegiances and part of the novella, Quailfeather appears as a she-cat in one scene.
- Gilligan Cut: There's a couple scenes where Cloudstar decides he's going to stay awake all night - to watch for Twolegs or to plan a new battle strategy - and then the next scene begins with him awakening from sleep.
- Greater Need Than Mine: The elder Petalfall refuses to eat, insisting that the younger cats need it more than she does.
- Inconsistent Coloring: Birdflight has amber eyes in the Allegiances, but in three different scenes in the novella she's described with amber, blue, and green eyes.
- It's Raining Men: Mousefang attempts to drop from a tree onto Amberclaw's back, but her warning to Cloudstar to keep out of the way is heard by him, and he dodges, resulting in her breaking her leg.
- I Will Find You: The novella ends with Cloudstar vowing to find his mate and kits again one day.
- Meaningful Name: Spottedkit is named for her dappled coat, and Gorsekit is named because he looks spiky like a tuft of gorse.
- Never Trust a Title: Since Cloudstar's Journey is about the ancient SkyClan leader who brought his Clan on a long and harrowing journey to their new home, readers were thoroughly expecting it to be about said journey. It was not. "Journey" is presumably meant to be a metaphor for his emotions throughout the novella.
- Non-Indicative Name: Cloudstar's Journey isn't actually about a journey. The emotions he experiences in it could be called one, but that's a bit of a stretch, and considering that we knew from other books that the character does eventually lead his Clan on a literal journey, fans were expecting that to be what the novella was about.
- The Promise: With her dying breaths, Petalfall asks Cloudstar to promise her that he won't let Twolegs drive them from their territory. He promises that "as long as I have my nine lives, we will never leave the forest", but is ultimately unable to keep that promise.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: Rainleap declares that she'd rather die than ask ThunderClan for help. Cloudstar points out that that's a bit extreme.
- Rage Against the Heavens: While SkyClan starves, Cloudstar searches angrily for the StarClan cats who had told him that his Clan would survive, calling them cowards. When Redstar tells them "May StarClan go with you", Cloudstar rejects StarClan, saying that they allowed the destruction and exile, and so SkyClan would never look to them again.
- Rousing Speech: Cloudstar gives one to his Clan after they lose an important battle, in order to keep their spirits up and encourage them to fight another day.
- Ruler Protagonist: Cloudstar is SkyClan's leader, and this novella deals with the hard part of leadership: what it's like to lead others through a hopeless time, when it seems like there's nothing you can do to protect those who rely on you.
- Sensing You Are Outmatched: Cloudstar realizes that his starving, weakened Clanmates cannot win against strong, healthy ThunderClan warriors.
- Series Continuity Error:
- In Code of the Clans and Battles of the Clans, the SkyClan leader that gave territory to ThunderClan was named Darkstar. In this book, he's consistently called Duskstar.
- In the Battles of the Clans story "Cloudstorm Speaks: A Lesson to Kittypet Thieves", Cloudstar mentions that Birdflight had been made a warrior at the same time as him. In Cloudstar's Journey, it says that Birdflight was older than Cloudstar and had already been a warrior when he was apprenticed.
- In the Battles of the Clans story "The Victorious Clan", ThunderClan's deputy Seedpelt was in camp while Redstar's patrol was attacked by SkyClan and she welcomes them back afterward. In Cloudstar's Journey, she was in the battle.
- Tactical Withdrawal: After realizing that they are losing the battle, Cloudstar gives the order for his Clanmates to retreat.
- Unto Us a Son and Daughter Are Born: Birdflight and Cloudstar's kits are a she-cat and a tom.
- Watching Troy Burn: This happens to SkyClan while their home is developed to make way for a suburb. Cloudstar is helpless as trees around him are torn down, and it's pretty heartbreaking.
