The First Battle is the third book in the fifth Warrior Cats series, a Prequel called Dawn of the Clans.
In the prologue, Gray Wing dreams of the Tribe of Rushing Water, and speaks to Stoneteller in his dream. He hates how their new home has led to bloodshed, but Stoneteller reassures him that it's not his fault, and that since all are born in blood it can mark a beginning.
As Thunder leaves to return to the moor, Clear Sky confronts Falling Feather for considering leaving with him. She argues with him about how he's running things, which eventually ends with him clawing her across the face. Upon returning to camp, he calls a meeting where he announces that the others can order her around, and then he gets the idea to start teaching each other fighting moves to defend their borders.
Thunder reaches the moor and explains what's been going on with Clear Sky. They worry that they'll need to fight, but Gray Wing still wants to try to talk things out with his brother, and they decide to wait for two dawns to give Clear Sky time to cool down. Wind Runner and Gorse Fur are officially welcomed into the group. Thunder is shocked that the moor group is practicing battle moves, still hopeful that they can find a peaceful solution with Clear Sky.
The same day, Clear Sky trains Petal's adopted kits: they get attacked by a dog, but manage to lure it away. He thinks that no cat is too young to fight, but wonders if some of his Tribemates would see it that way. Later that day two rogues arrive, asking to join the group. They tell him that they've been spying on his rivals, the moor group, who've been practicing for battle. Clear Sky is shocked, and then becomes certain that Gray Wing's planning an attack and that Thunder had only come to the forest to spy for him.
Ultimately, Gray Wing decides to send just Thunder and Jackdaw's Cry to talk to Clear Sky, thinking that they might have better success if they ask him to talk in a neutral place after a few days so that he doesn't think they're planning to fight. He, of course, suspects the opposite, takes Jackdaw's Cry hostage until after the meeting, and tells his cats to prepare for battle.
On the way back to the hollow, Thunder meets Turtle Tail's old mate, Tom. She, Gray Wing, and a couple others go to talk to him, and he does his best to antagonize them and to figure out where his kits are. The following morning, Wind Runner has her kits, and during her kitting Tom takes the opportunity to kitnap his own kits. Turtle Tail, Thunder, and Lightning Tail try to track him down, and they're joined by River Ripple, but on the way Turtle Tail is hit and killed by a monster.
While they're trying to rescue the kits, Gray Wing and Tall Shadow scout out the four trees, where Clear Sky plans to meet them the following day. They return to find that one of Wind Runner's kits has died. Thunder, Lightning Tail, and River Ripple are successful in getting the kits away from Tom, and they return to the moor to break the news about Turtle Tail.
The following day, Tall Shadow, Thunder, and Gray Wing head to the four trees between their territories, where Clear Sky has brought his entire camp. It almost seems like they're getting through to him... and then Jackdaw's Cry, who hasn't been allowed to eat during his time as hostage, catches a bat. Clear Sky claims that it's forest prey, Thunder speaks up for him, and then Clear Sky gives the order to attack. While Gray Wing, Tall Shadow, and Jackdaw's Cry are trapped on top of the rock, Thunder manages to get away and lose some of Clear Sky's chasing cats by using the tunnels. He brings back most of the moor camp, and the battle rages. Several cats die: Clear Sky's cats Fircone and Falling Feather, and the moor cats Frost, Rainswept Flower, Jackdaw's Cry, and Hawk Swoop. Clear Sky nearly kills Gray Wing, but then after realizing what he's doing, he calls an end to the fight.
Afterward, River Ripple comes along and points out that Clear Sky brought death to the forest. The spirits of the dead - not only those who died during the battle, but those who had died since the mountain cats first arrived - appear and reunite with their friends and family. They then scold the living cats for the fighting, and tell them that they must unite or die, so that this would never happen again. The cats aren't sure what to do next except to bury the dead.
In the bonus scene, Wind hunts with a cat named Branch. He's looked after her for the past year, and she thinks that they may one day be mates. While chasing a rabbit, the pair is attacked by a dog, and Wind is injured. Branch brings her a rabbit and then completely vanishes, leaving her alone for days until she feels well enough to get up.
A couple seasons later, Wind helps feed a hungry queen and her kits, but doesn't really want to get involved with them since she considers herself a loner. A tom nearby comments that it was kind to do, and he introduces himself as Gorse, but she brushes him off. Then lightning strikes a tree nearby, and one of the kits is stuck on one of the branches. Together Wind and Gorse rescue the kit, and then they shelter together from the storm. When Wind awakens, Gorse is gone, and she thinks that he abandoned her like Branch had - but then he returns with a rabbit, and Wind is surprised about how happy she is that, unlike Branch, Gorse came back.
Tropes appearing in this book:
- Alliterative Name: Falling Feather, Turtle Tail, River Ripple
- And This Is for...: As Petal attacks Gray Wing, she says, "That's for my brother, you murdering snake-heart!"
- Backhanded Apology: Clear Sky is infuriated enough to claw Falling Feather across the face, shocking them both. His "apology" is basically "I'm sorry you don't understand that questioning me puts us in danger."
- Back-to-Back Badasses: Tall Shadow and Jackdaw's Cry when Clear Sky begins the battle at the four trees.
- Battle-Interrupting Shout: The battle at the four trees ends when Clear Sky yells "Stop! This battle is over."
- Blood from the Mouth: Turtle Tail and Rainswept Flower at their deaths.
- Bring Help Back: Clear Sky and his cats trap Thunder, Gray Wing, Tall Shadow, and Jackdaw's Cry on top of the Great Rock at the Four Trees. Thunder manages to escape, and has to get back to the Moor Group so that he can bring cats back to save the other three. This involves a harrowing Chase Scene.
- Dead Person Conversation: The spirits of the recently-dead cats appear to the living.
- Death of a Child: Emberkit dies the day he's born.
- Dies Wide Open: Turtle Tail and Emberkit.
- A Dog Named "Cat": Some of Clear Sky's cats are named after animals: Fox (who is now a spirit), and Snake. There is also a rogue kit in the bonus scene named Frog.
- A Dog Named "Dog": Thunder doesn't realize at first that "Tom" is Tom's name and that he's not just saying that he's a tom. They even use this later when trying to get the kits to return to the moor: Lightning Tail suggests that Sparrow Fur's new name could be "She-Kit".
- Dream Intro: In the prologue of the book, Gray Wing and Stoneteller are both dreaming, and meet each other in the dream world.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Clear Sky has this reaction to a cat considering leaving his group - he insists that she should be grateful to him for finding their camp, setting their borders, and leading them. She rightfully points out that they all made the journey together and that his "The Needs of the Many" reasoning is just an excuse to be greedy and seize territory and power.
- Due to the Dead: The moor cats bury Emberkit, saying they wish they'd known him longer, and Pebble Heart gives him herbs for his journey. Although they couldn't do the same for Turtle Tail because they had to rescue the kits, they did their best, finding a place where she'd be covered in petals.
- Ear Notch:
- Thunder notes that Clear Sky's newest recruits (Thorn and Dew) have notched ears, proving that they're no strangers to fighting.
- Gray Wing thinks about how he'd like to give Tom a nick in his ear, and then he follows through with it once Tom hurts Turtle Tail.
- Fisticuff-Provoking Comment: Clear Sky and Falling Feather are arguing at the start of the book. He insists that he does what he does for The Needs of the Many, and after arguing that there's plenty of prey to share, she calls him greedy. This makes him furious enough to claw her across the muzzle.
- Good Is Old-Fashioned: Clear Sky tells Alder that times are changing, and that it means they must change too: that Alder has to outgrow the instinct to fight honorably.
- Happily Adopted:
- Gray Wing raised Thunder as his own after Thunder's mother dies and his father abandons him. He also adopts Turtle Tail's three kits, and especially feels protective of them after her death.
- In Thunder Rising, a rogue was killed by Clear Sky's cats, and afterward they realized she had two kits. The kits, Birch and Alder, are being raised by Petal, one of Clear Sky's cats.
- Hostage Situation: Clear Sky takes Jackdaw's Cry hostage to try to ensure that Gray Wing doesn't try anything.
- I Have No Son!: Thunder declares upon returning to the moor that he has no father, explaining that Clear Sky is a bully who sent Frost to die.
- Immediate Sequel: Thunder Rising left off with Thunder leaving Clear Sky and returning to the moor with Frost. The First Battle picks up moments later with Clear Sky watching them go.
- Informed Flaw: In the finale, proto-StarClan shows up to tell both the protagonists and the antagonists what horrible people they are for fighting. The fact that the Moor Group were fighting to protect themselves from being slaughtered by the Big Bad, who they had unsuccessfully tried to reason with before, is never really acknowledged.
- Innocently Insensitive: Gray Wing tries (poorly) to comfort Wind Runner by saying that her kit Emberkit was in a better place. This, however, makes Wind Runner angry at him, yelling at him that the best place for a kit was at its mother's belly and wishing him grief, saying that he's as bad as Clear Sky and she'll throw that comment back at him.
- Leave Him to Me!: Petal claims that Gray Wing is hers, since he'd killed her brother.
- Look Both Ways: Turtle Tail is hit by a car in Twolegplace while trying to rescue her kits.
- Loser Son of Loser Dad: Thunder is treated this way by Wind Runner after returning to the moor; she even says "He's only come back to cause trouble, just like his father."
- The Medic: Dappled Pelt and Cloud Spots, and Pebble Heart is learning as well.
- Mirrored Confrontation Shot: The original cover of the book shows Gray Wing and Clear Sky facing off in front of the Great Rock at Fourtrees.
- Missing Child: Turtle Tail's kits go missing, which is scary enough, and then she realizes that they've been abducted by her abusive ex-mate.
- Mutual Kill: Brother and sister Jackdaw's Cry and Falling Feather end up fighting and killing each other.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Clear Sky realizes that his fear of others dying has made him a monster, obsessed with order and borders. He, along with the other founders, promises to make things right after the battle at Fourtrees.
- Narcissist: Clear Sky has many of the traits for this by this point. He's prideful and boasts about how he's born to lead and everyone should be grateful to him for doing so, and that when they question him they just don't understand how his way is best. He loves to throw around his weight, bullying cats on his border, starving his captive just because he can, making anyone who questions him fear him, and becoming eager at the thought of making himself more powerful and expanding his territory. He's extremely self-conscious about how others view him, and spends part of the book wondering if cats are talking about him behind his back, and how confronting them about it might look.
- The Needs of the Many: Clear Sky's justification for kicking out Frost and being so controlling over his cats.
- Never Got to Say Goodbye: Turtle Tail died on her own while tracking down Tom and trying to rescue her kits; part of why her death hurts so much is that Gray Wing, her kits, and the rest of their group never got to say goodbye to her.
- New Season, New Name: This arc has the title Dawn of the Clans.
- Please Wake Up: Lightning Tail tries to get Turtle Tail to wake up when they find her body, not accepting at first that she's been killed.
- Premature Birth Drama: Wind Runner's kits come early, which causes a lot of worry for the moor group. Unfortunately, one of the kits doesn't survive the night.
- Prequel: Dawn of the Clans and its supplemental books take place long before the main series or any of the other prequels.
- Sadist Teacher: Clear Sky has his cats train with claws unsheathed, and uses the opportunity to put fear into a cat who questioned him.
- Screaming Birth: Wind Runner's kitting.
- Series Continuity Error:
- Misty and Moon Shadow died in the previous book, but both appear in the Allegiances.
- Birch was ginger in the previous book, but is now brown-and-white.
- Slashed Throat: Snake kills Frost this way. Thunder also does it to Leaf, but Dappled Pelt is able to save him.
- Smells of Death: When Thunder and Lightning Tail are trying to find Turtle Tail and her kits, Thunder first smells Turtle Tail's scent and then the scent of death, so he's aware of what has happened just before they find her body.
- Switching P.O.V.: Clear Sky, Gray Wing, and Thunder.
- Talking in Your Dreams: Gray Wing and Stoneteller share a dream and talk to each other in the prologue.
- Tuckerization: Jay Frost, a kit who appears briefly in the prologue, is named after Jayfrost, a long-time member of Kate's blog, as an acknowledgement for all that's she done on the blog.
- The X of Y: The series name Dawn of the Clans.
- You Fool!: Turtle Tail's spirit calls Clear Sky a fool.
