With their reputation for being the “strange” cats on the edge of the Lake Territory — with their fish-heavy diet, their love of swimming, and their habit of decorating their dens with random objects found around their territory — RiverClan is often seen as “mysterious” to not only the other Clans, but also the readers of WARRIORS, for it has rarely been seen up close and in-depth in recent stories.

All that is about to change in A STARLESS CLAN with the introduction of Frostpaw, one of three new point-of-view characters through whose eyes we will see the next epic Clan Saga unfold. As the daughter of Curlfeather and Jayclaw, it might have been expected that she would grow to become a respected warrior like her parents — but as the new series opens, we learn that StarClan might have other plans for the light gray she-cat. Frostpaw has been receiving visions… This is very exciting news to not only Curlfeather — who has a strong feeling that her kit has a destiny — but also RiverClan, because they have not had a connection to StarClan since the passing of Willowshine. No cat doubts Mothwing’s commitment to her Clanmates, but she has never had a connection to their spirit ancestors — and after the events of THE BROKEN CODE, that connection feels more vital than ever. Frostpaw being made a medicine cat apprentice gives them hope that it will be restored.

The question is, will Frostpaw — still a very inexperienced cat, whose mother has fiercely protected her throughout her young life — be ready for the burden that is about to be placed on her? Not just the weight of the day-to-day responsibilities of caring for her Clanmates, but also their hopes for the future? The responsibility of being the only medicine cat able to interpret StarClan’s prophecies, which will help ensure that nothing so terrible ever happens to the Clans again?

All five Clans are still rebuilding after the impostor’s schemes not only nearly brought all of them down, but also made them see just how fragile Clan life can sometimes be. In the wake of Ashfur’s ploy, and the battles in the Dark Forest, many cats are battle-weary, grief-stricken, and tired. Mistystar, for example, is one of the few warriors who still remembers the Clan’s old forest home, which they left so many moons ago. With Mistystar beginning to show her age, Frostpaw wonders how many lives her leader has left.

Any apprehension Frostpaw has about becoming a medicine cat is chased away by the excitement she feels during her first visit to the Moonpool, where she gets to meet the healers of the other Clans, who she has heard so much about — especially Shadowsight, who does not look as weird to her as some of her Clanmates had described him! Frostpaw quickly feels at home among the medicine cats, any doubts she might have had about her mother’s belief in her importance, her value to RiverClan, chased away like an intruder pursued away from a Clan’s camp. She is filled with pride, and a determination to help her Clanmates to the best of her ability.

What she doesn’t yet know is that her new responsibilities will lead to her playing a central role in the Clans’ new drama, as forces both inside and outside of RiverClan threaten to bring chaos and destruction, the like of which the cats have never known.

After many moons on the fringes of the action, it is now time for RiverClan to have a role in the fate and future of the five Clans — a fate and future that might just rest on this young medicine cat’s shoulders…