River is the first book in the eighth Warrior Cats arc, A Starless Clan. It takes place about three moons after the events of the last book of The Broken Code arc, A Light in the Mist.
In the prologue, the cats meet at Fourtrees for the Gathering where the leaders are to decide the new changes to the warrior code. Two cats, matching the descriptions of Spireclaw of ShadowClan and Fringewhisker of SkyClan, meet. They're in love, and hope that the new changes will let them be together.
Flamepaw of ThunderClan, the kit of Sparkpelt, feels a bit out-of-place in his Clan. He's never been close to his mother, who had been too depressed to raise him immediately after his birth, and since he's descended from Firestar, he feels pressured to live up to him. He, his littermate Finchpaw, and their foster littermates Baypaw and Myrtlepaw take their warrior assessment. Flamepaw decides to show off by catching more difficult prey with advanced moves, but only ends up catching a single mouse, and fails his assessment.
Meanwhile, in RiverClan, Frostpaw prepares to become Mothwing's apprentice, having had a dream that predicted her father's death. They head to the Moonpool, Mothwing introduces her to the other medicine cats, and they perform the apprenticeship ceremony. When she dreams, Frostpaw sees the former medicine cat Willowshine, and knows that she really will be a medicine cat.
Sunbeam of ShadowClan is content, knowing that she and Blazefire will be mates before long. She and her friend Lightleap go hunting. Lightleap's been trying to prove herself after having failed to go into the Dark Forest to stop Ashfur, participating in risky behavior. During one such attempt, Lightleap falls onto Sunbeam and injures her. Sunbeam confides her worries about her friend to Lightleap's littermate Shadowsight, and Shadowsight promises to figure out what to do.
At the next Gathering, Flamepaw is one of the cats chosen to go for ThunderClan. There, Mistystar announces the changes to the warrior code that the leaders and medicine cats have decided upon. The first change is that cats will be allowed to change Clans to be with their mate: they will need to announce their intention at a Gathering, and the cat who wishes to join their mate's Clan must perform a test of that Clan's choosing. The other change is that there will be a new process to depose a leader: three-quarters of the Clan - including the Clan's medicine cats - must agree to depose them. They will present the case to the other leaders, and then the medicine cats will present it to StarClan. If StarClan agrees, the deputy takes over the leadership position. Before they leave, Bramblestar seems to be staring off into space; Flamepaw checks if he's okay, and promises that he'll try hard during his next assessment.
The following day, some RiverClan cats confront Mistystar, unhappy with the changes to the code. Mistystar gets increasingly agitated, and ultimately ends up collapsing; Mothwing and Frostpaw try to help her, but she ends up losing her final life. Frostpaw sees a faint cat in front of her who tells her that Mistystar is indeed in StarClan and to bury her. The Clan waits for their deputy, Reedwhisker, to return from patrol.
Sunbeam rests in the medicine cat den and is visited by Blazefire. Lightleap storms in, furious that her parents had been told about her reckless behavior, and snaps that she can live her own life. Shadowsight warns Sunbeam that when she recovers, Tigerstar wants to speak to her about her injury and Lightleap.
Flamepaw is frustrated with remaining an apprentice: having to train, tell other cats what happened during his assessment, and doing the apprentice chores. He shares an awkward meal with his mother, Sparkpelt, which ends with him blaming her for leaving him when he was younger. His foster mother Sorrelstripe comforts him, and suggests that he can ask for another assessment. He agrees, wanting to make her proud.
Back in RiverClan, Reedwhisker's patrol returns... without Reedwhisker, who apparently got separated from them. They send out a search party to find him while Mothwing and Frostpaw prepare Mistystar for burial. Mothwing is overwhelmed with grief and asks Frostpaw to try to contact Mistystar in StarClan; Frostpaw tries and hears Mistystar's voice telling her that they must move on.
After being scolded by Tigerstar for lying about her injury, Sunbeam tries to apologize to Lightleap during a patrol, but Lightleap isn't interested in talking. Sunbeam's pretty distracted, but she ends up hearing a cat growling, and sees Lightleap limping away from that direction (Lightleap says that she stepped on a thorn). After they return to camp - Lightleap still refusing to talk to Sunbeam - a RiverClan patrol visits and asks if they've seen Reedwhisker at all. Sunbeam starts to wonder if Lightleap had anything to do with Reedwhisker, and she speaks to Blazefire privately about her concerns about her friend. Blazefire dismisses her worries, which just makes Sunbeam feel worse.
Before Flamepaw's new assessment, RiverClan comes to ask them about Reedwhisker too, and the ThunderClan cats wonder what that was all about. The assessment begins, with Squirrelflight observing him (Bramblestar had originally promised to, but Squirrelflight claimed he had other things to take care of.) The prey isn't running well, and when Flamepaw finally does find some, he notices that a hawk is after it as well. He thinks it'll be impressive to snatch the prey before the hawk - and succeeds - but Squirrelflight thinks his behavior was too risky, and in the end Flamepaw's mentor Lilyheart decides that he has failed again.
The evening after Mistystar's vigil, Reedwhisker is still nowhere to be found. The cats worry - and bicker - about who should take responsibility in the meantime. When Frostpaw goes back to her nest, she finds a dock leaf, torn to look like a star. Their Clanmates suggest it's a sign that StarClan hasn't abandoned them, and they decide that for now, the medicine cats will work with the senior warriors to care for the Clan.
The following morning, a cat on Sunbeam's patrol injures a paw on Twoleg rubbish, and they decide to go to RiverClan's medicine cats since their camp's closer. They can tell that something's wrong in the Clan - the RiverClan cats are tense, and they don't allow the ShadowClan cats into the camp - but they're not sure what it is.
In ThunderClan, Bramblestar's behaving a bit weird: he seems depressed, is critical of his Clanmates' catch, and then argues with Squirrelflight that they shouldn't confront WindClan about chasing prey across the border. Squirrelflight decides that she'll take a patrol to WindClan on her own the following day, and chooses Flamepaw to come along.
The medicine cats head to the half-moon meeting, with Frostpaw worrying about the other Clans finding out about Mistystar. When she dreams, she sees Leopardstar, and tells her about the changes to the warrior code. Leopardstar confirms that StarClan is okay with it, and then warns Frostpaw that RiverClan is in trouble and that Reedwhisker is "in a shadowy place" within their Clan's borders.
Sunbeam begins to notice that one of her Clanmates, Gullswoop, seems to be trying to cheer her up, and when she speaks to her, Gullswoop mentions that Lightleap and Blazefire have been spending a lot of time together recently. The other ShadowClan cats seem to have noticed as well. Suddenly they hear a yowl, and Lightleap rushes into camp, shouting that Blazefire is hurt: she'd dared him to go into a risky tunnel, which collapsed on him. The first thing Blazefire says while half-conscious is Sunbeam's name, and when Sunbeam talks to Lightleap, Lightleap says that she and Blazefire are just friends. When he actually wakes up, though, he tells her that he doesn't think they'd be a good match to be mates. Sunbeam, crushed, leaves the den, saying she thought he was a different cat.
On the way to WindClan, Squirrelflight admits to Sparkpelt that Bramblestar isn't doing well lately, having nightmares about the Dark Forest and what happened to him, and he worries - not without reason, considering how Ashfur treated them - that his Clanmates will be afraid of him whenever he's assertive to them. Squirrelflight firmly requests that WindClan stay off ThunderClan territory, and Crowfeather promises they'll send some prey to make up for the stolen vole. Flamepaw feels that WindClan pities ThunderClan.
Due to Frostpaw's dream about Reedwhisker, Mothwing sends her off to lead a patrol to help find him. They start in the direction the patrol had last seen him, and eventually come upon a shadowy ravine where Frostpaw has a bad feeling. They end up finding Reedwhisker at the bottom of a dry waterfall, his neck broken, but teeth bared as if he'd been fighting, and wounds along his back (Frostpaw thinks they might be from a badger; her mother Curlfeather assumes that they’re from the rocks). Frostpaw knows that now it's up to her to speak to StarClan to learn who the next leader should be.
Sunbeam is encouraged by her brother Spireclaw to leave her moping and go on patrol. She's still pretty upset about Blazefire, and at one point she insists against her Clanmates' advice to retrieve some prey from a bramble patch. She gets scratched badly enough to be sent to the medicine den, where Blazefire apologizes and tells her that he does not have feelings for Lightleap. Her mother Berryheart visits and makes some comments about Tigerstar's family doing what they like, and how she doesn't like the new changes to the code.
At the next Gathering, RiverClan shows up without a leader or deputy and Mothwing claims that it's because they have whitecough in the camp. Harestar announces that StarClan has accepted the new changes to the warrior code. As such, several cats have announced their intent to switch Clans: Fringewhisker of SkyClan wants to join ShadowClan to be with Spireclaw, while Fernstripe of WindClan wants to join Shellfur in ThunderClan. The cats argue for a bit about whether letting cats join another Clan is the right thing to do. Flamepaw and Sunbeam both go off on their own to sulk and end up encountering each other. They vent to each other about their problems, and Flamepaw is grateful that Sunbeam understands him.
Meanwhile, Frostpaw is escorted to the Moonpool by her Clanmate Splashtail. Frostpaw doesn't see anything at the Moonpool, but on her way back to join her Clanmate, she finds a curled-up feather, which she understands to be a sign that her mother Curlfeather should be the new leader. Mothwing seems doubtful, but they decide to sleep on it. Frostpaw dreams of a blizzard made up of curled feathers and knows i'’s a clear sign.
In ShadowClan, the SkyClan cat Fringewhisker performs her trial to be accepted by the Clan: pushing a branch out of camp, so heavy it had taken several cats to bring it there. She succeeds, but Sunbeam's mother Berryheart and several other cats aren't impressed. Berryheart mentions that she thinks the Clan needs a "reminder" of why cats taking mates from different Clans was forbidden, and Sunbeam worries about her mother causing trouble. She almost tells Tigerstar but chickens out. Berryheart tells her that they're just trying to preserve the Clan, and that perhaps Sunbeam should join their next discussion.
Flamepaw takes another assessment, and this time, he passes. They hold his ceremony the following day, but Flamepaw is shocked and hurt when Bramblestar compares him with Firestar and then gives him the name Flameheart, echoing Firestar's warrior name Fireheart. Flamepaw interrupts the ceremony to reject his name, explaining that he wants a name that will reflect him. The Clan is unhappy, but Bramblestar says he'll compromise: in honor of Firestar's warrior name and Flamepaw's night-black pelt, Flamepaw's warrior name will be Nightheart.
Frostpaw announces to RiverClan that she's had a sign that Curlfeather should be the next leader. The Clan approves, and Frostpaw and her mother head to the Moonpool. They're almost there when they're attacked by dogs. Frostpaw starts to climb to safety, but Curlfeather sacrifices herself by boosting Frostpaw up, giving the dogs a chance to catch her. Before she dies, she tells Frostpaw to keep RiverClan safe and trust no cat. Frostpaw escapes by leaping from tree to tree, and makes it back to her Clan's territory. They're shocked at the news. As they prepare for the vigil, they discuss what to do next. One cat suggests they have a group of senior warriors lead, while another insists Frostpaw have another sign. Frostpaw is too terrified to go back, and the book ends with Mothwing deciding that now is the time to ask the other Clans for help.
Tropes appearing in this book:
- Almost Dead Guy: After collapsing, Mistystar has just enough strength before she dies to ask for help, and to say "this isn't about prey" in response to whether she's eaten.
- Ascended Extra: Sunbeam was originally a background character so minor that she only appeared in two of the first ten books she was alive for (Tigerstar's Shadow, the last two Vision of Shadows books, Squirrelflight's Hope, and the Broken Code arc), saying only one word onscreen. To the readers' surprise, she was chosen to become a protagonist in this arc.
- Bad Ol' Badger: Although it isn't seen onscreen, a badger has been hanging around RiverClan's territory, and Frostpaw assumes that it's responsible for Reedwhisker's death.
- Best Friend: Sunbeam considers Lightleap to be her best friend.
- Covered with Scars: Frostpaw notices that Shadowsight is covered in scars, which is unusual for a medicine cat. (Readers will know that this is due to his many near-death experiences, including his ordeal in the Dark Forest in the previous arc.)
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Curlfeather is torn apart by dogs in front of her daughter, who has to hear her dying screams.
- Darkest Hour: RiverClan's facing one in this book, with both their leader and deputy dead and only an inexperienced medicine cat apprentice having contact with StarClan. Even when another cat is chosen as leader, that cat dies as well.
- Dead Guy Junior:
- Flamepaw reflects on how the start of his name is inspired by his ancestor Firestar's. At the end of the book, Bramblestar originally intended to base the suffix on Firestar's warrior name as well, with the name Flameheart.
- Spotfur's litter Bristlekit, Stemkit, and Graykit are named after Bristlefrost, Stemleaf, and Graystripe, Clanmates who all died fighting Ashfur.
- Tigerstar and Dovewing's kit Rowankit is named after Tigerstar's father who has passed away, Rowanstar.
- Dies Wide Open: When Reedwhisker is found dead, his eyes are open and glazed over.
- Disappeared Dad: Both Flamepaw's and Frostpaw's fathers died when they were young, and they wonder how things might have been different if their father had been around.
- Downer Ending: The book started with three happy protagonists. By the end...
- Flamepaw has failed his assessment twice, been bullied for it, and felt pressured by comparisons to Firestar. He's given the worst possible warrior name (from his viewpoint), and his Clan disapproves of him rejecting it. Though Bramblestar agrees to give him a different one, it's not shown how the new warrior feels about it or if he accepts.
- Sunbeam's boyfriend has broken up with her, her best friend hates her and gets increasingly involved in risky behaviors, and now her mom might be preparing to instigate trouble in the Clan.
- Frostpaw's leader and deputy have died, and being the only medicine cat in her Clan with a connection to StarClan, is given a lot of responsibility that she's not ready for. On the way to bring her mother to the Moonpool, she traumatically witnesses her mother being torn apart by dogs.
- Due to the Dead: RiverClan holds a vigil for each of their Clanmates who have died.
- Ensemble Cast: A Starless Clan features three protagonists: Flamepaw, Frostpaw, and Sunbeam.
- Famous Ancestor: Firestar is considered one of the greatest leaders the forest has known, and Flamepaw struggles with being compared to him.
- Forbidden Romance: A ShadowClan tom and SkyClan she-cat in the prologue. Before long, it's no longer forbidden.
- Held Back in School: Flamepaw becomes a warrior a couple moons after his denmates, due to failing his assessment twice.
- Heroic Lineage: Flamepaw has a lot to live up to, being the grandson of the Clan leader and deputy, and the great-grandson of the great Firestar.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Curlfeather's final act is to push her daughter to safety.
- Howl of Sorrow: RiverClan wails aloud at the news of Mistystar's and then Curlfeather's death.
- Identical Grandson: Dovewing and Tigerstar's kit Birchkit looks like - and is named after - his grandfather Birchfall.
- Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: The books in this arc are each named after one of the Clans: River, Sky, Shadow, Thunder, Wind, Star.
- Inconsistent Coloring: Frostpaw is described in the Allegiances and most parts in the text as light gray. (The official website and merchandise also support a variation of this, depicting her as colorpoint with a darker gray face, ears, paws, and tail.) Meanwhile, in the original hardcover, the start of her very first POV chapter - chapter 2 - mentions "Frostpaw's white-and-brown pelt".
- It's All My Fault: Frostpaw blames herself for Reedwhisker's death, feeling she should have had her vision sooner.
- Kid Hero: Frostpaw is six moons old - the Clan cats' equivalent of about 10 to teenage - at the start of the book.
- Killed Off for Real: Mistystar loses her ninth life.
- Killed Offscreen: Reedwhisker is last seen leaving the camp on patrol, and is later found dead by his Clanmates.
- Leader Wannabe: When RiverClan starts to discuss who should be in charge in the absence of a leader and deputy, several cats volunteer to act as leader (Podlight, Mallownose, and Shimmerpelt), and argue with each other on who it should be.
- Meaningful Rename: Flamepaw and his littermates earn their warrior names. Flamepaw's in particular is notable, since he rejects the original name he's given, and Bramblestar chooses one more unique to him: Nightheart.
- "Near and Dear" Baby Naming: Tigerstar and Dovewing's kit Birchkit is named for Dovewing's father Birchfall.
- Neck Snap: Reedwhisker appears to have died of a broken neck.
- Nepotism: Discussed. Both Mothwing and Curlfeather ask Frostpaw if she's just choosing Curlfeather because she's her mother.
- New Season, New Name: This new arc has the name A Starless Clan.
- Non-Indicative Name: It's repeatedly pointed out that Flamepaw's name doesn't suit him, considering he's a black cat. (He was actually named after his great-grandfather Fireheart/Firestar, whose name did come from having an orange pelt.) At the end of the book, after he rejects the name Flameheart because he doesn't want to be treated as an echo of his ancestor, Bramblestar gives him a name that suits his appearance much better: Nightheart.
- No Sympathy: Downplayed. Squirrelflight isn't very sympathetic to the emotional plights of Flamepaw or Bramblestar.
- Official Couple Ordeal Syndrome: Squirrelflight and Bramblestar's relationship has been filled with conflict ever since they started interacting in the book Midnight 17 years before the publication of this one. To nobody's surprise, despite the happy ending they got in A Light in the Mist, they're mentioned as arguing again.
- One-Word Title: River.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Sunbeam is shocked by how fiercely Shadowsight addresses her after she injures herself in the brambles, because he's normally so calm. It helps his message sink in.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Duskfur outlives her daughter, Curlfeather, after the latter is killed by dogs on her way to claim leadership. Curlfeather's daughter, Frostpaw, notes that the day after Curlfeather's death, Duskfur "looked like she had aged seasons within a single day".
- Parental Abandonment: Flamepaw isn't close to Sparkpelt since she was absent due to depression after his birth, and then during Ashfur's rule she was exiled with his sister. He still feels that he was abandoned by her.
- Rouge Angles of Satin: "Leaf-fall was in full swing, which meant leadbare wasn't far off." (Page 178)
- Secret Relationship: Two couples (Spireclaw/Fringewhisker and Shellfur/Fernstripe) have carried on their relationships in secret due to being from different Clans. The instant the warrior code allows them to legitimately be together, they announce their intent for one of the cats to join the other's Clan.
- Sneaky Departure: The prologue mentions that Spireclaw and Fringewhisker often snuck away to meet with each other.
- Sound-Only Death: Frostpaw closes her eyes so that she doesn't see her mother's death, but she hears it.
- Spin-Offspring: Flamepaw is a descendant of previous protagonists Firestar and Squirrelflight.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Flamepaw has his father Larksong's black pelt.
- Succession Crisis: Mistystar dies early in the book. While the Clan's deputy would normally take over, Reedwhisker never receives the news of her passing due to being on patrol at the time and subsequently going missing, and eventually is found dead himself a few days later. This leaves RiverClan with no clear leader until Frostpaw receives a sign from StarClan that Curlfeather should take over... except Curlfeather is mauled by dogs and dies before making it to her leadership ceremony, leaving the Clan floundering even further.
- Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: This arc - taking place just three moons after Mistystar successfully went into the Dark Forest to help defeat Ashfur - starts with the death of both Mistystar and her deputy.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- Despite his strength of character and having returned safe from the dead, Bramblestar is still dealing with the emotional after-effects of his traumatic experiences in the previous arc; dying and having his body stolen, spending months out of it watching his Clanmates getting hurt by an evil cat using his body, being trapped in the nightmarish Dark Forest, and worst of all being mind-controlled into attacking his own mate.
- Not every cat is happy about or willing to accept the changes to the Warrior Code, which while wrong and stupidly stubborn, is arguably understandable considering how long they've lived by those rules.
- Switching P.O.V.: Flamepaw, Frostpaw, and Sunbeam.
- Time Skip: There's been an almost three-moon gap since the end of the previous arc.
- Tonight, Someone Dies: The blurb on the back mentions tragedy striking RiverClan. Mistystar is the most prominent cat on the cover, so it wasn't too difficult for fans to put two and two together.
