Taking Flight

Taking Flight is the first book in The Lost Destinies arc. The three protagonists are Robinpaw, Puddlepaw, and Shadowpaw. The cat depicted on the cover is Robinpaw.

The Blurb
''Puddlepaw, Robinpaw, and Shadowpaw are very different. They live in different Clans, they have different personalities, but they share three big things in common:''

They couldn't imagine life without their siblings, they all want to go home, and they are part of a big series of events that determine the fate of the Clans.

Plot
The prologue features a kittypet named Rowan who lives in the same Twoleg nest as her father, Lightning. She is expecting the kits of another kittypet named Oliver. She is with her friends, playing and pretending to hunt near a large hill. When she returns to her Twoleg nest, it is on fire.

Robinpaw is fishing, excited that she was sent on a solo mission on the third day of her apprenticeship, when she sees a tom across the river attempting to fish. He introduces himself as Puddlepaw from WaterClan, and asks for help fishing. Robinpaw says she'll teach him later, and the two agree at moonhigh.

At moonhigh, they meet and Robinpaw tries to teach Puddlepaw how to fish. Puddlepaw accidentally falls in the river, and Robinpaw jumps in after him, trying to save him. The river's short drop throws them out of it in the Starry Cavern. This injures Puddlepaw and knocks him out unconscious, and Robinpaw drags him back to FireClan's camp so she can wake up the medicine cat.

When she gets to the FireClan camp and wakes up the medicine cat, Deerpelt, she is angry at Robinpaw for sneaking out to help out a cat from another Clan. However, Deerpelt is glad she came to her for help. She is busy treating Puddlepaw when she and Robinpaw scent IceClan. Deerpelt, worried for a battle, tells Robinpaw to wake up her Clanmates.

A battle starts with the yowl of Skystar, and IceClan cats ambush the camp. Robinpaw is in a battle with an IceClan apprentice, Shadowpaw, who admits he is unsure what they are fighting for. Shadowpaw has Robinpaw pinned down when she is saved by her sister, Ravenpaw. Robinpaw leaves her to fight as she goes to check on Puddlepaw in the medicine den. Puddlepaw is awake, and asks many questions about the situation. Robinpaw gets an idea to get him back to WaterClan so he wouldn't be hurt in the battle, but on the way to asking Deerpelt, she sees Skystar standing over the body of Brightstar.The deputy, Mapletail, argues with Skystar, who calls Brightstar a traitor. Robinpaw is shocked because she sees Skystar's eyes as blood-red.

Skystar continues insulting Brightstar, but Mapletail defends the dead leader, and asks what she did wrong. Robinpaw is confused about why nobody is commenting on Skystar's red eyes. Before Skystar can explain why she accused Brightstar of being a traitor, a FireClan apprentice, Birchpaw, attacks Skystar and is killed by her. Skystar refuses to explain, and commands IceClan to drive FireClan out.

FireClan brings Puddlepaw with them as they run away from their territory. Puddlepaw is aware that if Robinpaw hasn't been awake, FireClan wouldn't have been awake when IceClan attacked and it would have been a lot worse. He doesn't say anything about that, or the fact that he was the cause of why Robinpaw was awake in the first place.

Puddlepaw suggests that once he gets back to his Clan, he'd tell them where FireClan went to live, and they could bring them back. When Deerpelt mentions the medicine cats of WaterClan being able to help out in case that resulted in a battle, Puddlepaw feels homesick because the medicine cat apprentice is one of his best friends, Fernpaw. Puddlepaw misses his friends and Clan very much.

FireClan makes its new home in between Moonhill and Twolegplace. Mapletail appoints new mentors for Ravenpaw and Sunpaw, whose mentors died in the battle. Sunpaw requests to be made the medicine cat apprentice.

Three days later, Puddlepaw is still recovering in FireClan's new camp away from the Clan territories. He talks with Deerpelt about the greencough outbreak when he was a kit. It was whitecough that killed Puddlepaw's brother, Creekkit. Later, when Deerpelt goes to eat, Puddlepaw is visited by Patchpaw and Robinpaw, who tell him that Maplestar and Deerpelt don't want Puddlepaw to go home in case he tells them where FireClan is now. They tell Puddlepaw that the apprentices are going with him in the middle of the night to bring him back to WaterClan. Robinpaw says that she really wants to go back to FireClan's camp, and that she could eventually forgive IceClan for what they did because none of them really wanted that battle. But, unlike them, the apprentices of FireClan were going to do something to help Puddlepaw.

On the trip to WaterClan, the FireClan apprentices and Puddlepaw head through FireClan territory to get to the Starry Cavern to get to WaterClan. On the way through FireClan's territory, they run into Skystar, Shadowdusk, Shadowpaw, and Mossfrost. The IceClan cats go with the apprentice patrol to head to the Starry Cavern. From there, the IceClan warriors then guide the FireClan apprentices back toward the thunderpath, but Shadowpaw is instructed to go with Puddlepaw to WaterClan.

On the way to WaterClan's camp, Shadowpaw and Puddlepaw chat about how Puddlepaw thinks IceClan is full of cowards if they won't stand up to their leader. When they enter WaterClan's camp, cats wake up to greet Puddlepaw, and Shadowpaw leaves.

In Shadowpaw's perspective, before the battle happened, Shadowpaw is with his sister, Petalpaw, as they both visit a kittypet who lives at a cabin. Petalpaw gets the idea to ambush her to wake her up. A hawk circles the kittypet sleeping on the fence, so Shadowpaw offers to do it instead of Petalpaw, so she wouldn't be picked up by the hawk. Shadowpaw runs toward the kittypet, Dawn, who wakes up and attacks the hawk anyway. Dawn isn't impressed at how eager Shadowpaw is to die for his sister.

Dawn is brought to the camp so she can speak with her friend, Skystar. Afterward, Shadowpaw and Petalpaw train with their mentors. When they come back to camp, Shadowpaw's mother, Berryflower, shows favoritism toward him and not his albino sister by saying Shadowpaw's prey is better. Shadowpaw dislikes this.

Shadowpaw sits with his friend, Orchidpaw, whom he really likes, during a gathering where Skystar talks about Dawn helping the Clan fight the upcoming battle against FireClan. The Clan is, at first, reluctant for any battle against FireClan, but Skystar encourages them by saying they'll just ask for territory first, before going into battle.

Afterward, the Clan eats prey to build up energy for the next day-the day of the battle. Petalpaw feels bad about bringing such little prey to camp, but Shadowpaw cheers her up by telling her that the kits got to eat because of her. Then, Shadowpaw speaks with Orchidpaw about how much better IceClan is than FireClan.

The next day, the apprentices train with the mentors, and Shadowpaw learns a lot. He then accuses Silverpaw of being disloyal when she states that kits wouldn't be ready to die for their Clan. Shadowpaw couldn't understand how any cat isn't as willing to die for their Clan as he is.

The next day, the patrols of IceClan cats head for FireClan's camp. When they reach the camp, Skystar tells the Clan not to hesitate to kill cats. Shadowpaw sees Robinpaw dragging Puddlepaw into camp, and is confused. Then Skystar yowls for IceClan to attack, and he leaps into the battle, attacking Robinpaw. He pinned her down, but was knocked off by Ravenpaw. Robinpaw then says she has to check on someone, and Ravenpaw rolls her eyes, saying that she's probably looking for Patchpaw. She then complains of the smell, and Shadowpaw reminds her of the IceClan cats in camp, and of Puddlepaw. Shadowpaw is shocked to learn Ravenpaw didn't know about Puddlepaw being in camp. Shadowpaw then realizes they're supposed to be attacking each other, but doesn't feel very good about the battle anymore. Shadowpaw is convinced that FireClan needs to retreat so they don't all die, so he warns Ravenpaw before the entire camp is silent as Skystar kills Brightstar. Skystar and Mapletail argue, and Shadowpaw thinks of how horrible Skystar is acting. Skystar tells everyone to drive out FireClan after murdering Birchpaw, and Shadowpaw stands there, unsure of who to fight for. When questioned by Ravenpaw, he chooses his Clan over FireClan, and attacks her. She escapes, along with the rest of FireClan, and Shadowpaw feels terrible.

After the battle, the Clan is sharing tongues as Petalpaw tells Shadowpaw that she saw Skystar's eyes as blood-red. Shadowpaw dismisses it, and Petalpaw is angry that he doesn't believe her. Skystar then calls a Clan meeting to claim FireClan's territory. The entire Clan is uneasy.

Three days later, Shadowpaw is hunting with his mentor Mossfrost, and they both agree that the situation isn't good. They then accompany a patrol with Skystar and Shadowdusk to make sure FireClan doesn't try coming back. They come across the apprentice patrol with Puddlepaw, and the IceClan patrol surrounds theirs as they head to the Starry Cavern. At the Starry Cavern, Shadowpaw is instructed to go with Puddlepaw to WaterClan's camp. On the walk, Shadowpaw and Puddlepaw talk about how cowardly IceClan is, and this inspires Shadowpaw to stand up to Skystar.

Convinced his entire Clan is full of cowards, Shadowpaw realizes he's the only cat brave enough to stand up to Skystar. He gets all the IceClan cats together at night and wake up Skystar. Skystar threatens the Clan and blames them, before yowling about how she isn't her at that moment. Petalpaw whispers to Shadowpaw that her eyes were blue when she said that, and Shadowpaw is confused.

Skystar said she'd leave, but before she'd do that, she would take the life of an IceClan cat. She kills Mossfrost, believing he'd be Shadowstorm's first choice for a deputy. The entire Clan is angry at her, and Skystar points out nobody stopped her.

Realizing nobody was brave enough to do anything, Shadowpaw decided he had to do something to encourage them. He recklessly ran into Skystar, who attacked him. The Clan all attacked Skystar so that Shadowpaw wouldn't die. Shadowpaw falls unconscious as Petalpaw tells him that Skystar's eyes are now blue.

At the temporary FireClan camp, a moon after FireClan escaped their territory, Ravenpaw and Crowpaw tell Maplestar they saw a burning Twoleg nest. Maplestar is suddenly worried, and leads the two, and Robinpaw, into Twolegplace to go see. Maplestar recognizes the kittypet who lives there, and offered to find the cat that the kittypet said was still stuck in the burning Twoleg nest.

The Clan cats go into the burning Twoleg nest, and Maplestar calls for Lightning, who answers by asking who it is. Maplestar answers, calling herself Maple. The apprentices are confused. They eventually find the tom, who is under a piece of the collapsed building. Crowpaw comes up with a plan to lift the piece, and drag out the old cat. They succeed, and bring the cat outside. The cat is Lightning, Maplestar's true father. The apprentices are unable to believe this, and Lightning dies saying he wants Rowan to live the life of a Clan cat. After his death, the Clan cats and Rowan refuse to let her live with them, and they separate, angry.

A moon after the fire, Maplestar tells the Clan about the kittypets, due to Ravenpaw's rage over it. Squirreltail, who believed he was Maplestar's father, is shocked from the truth.

Robinpaw and Patchpaw talk during the Clan meeting about wanting to reclaim their territory, and the Clan forms a plan to go back to FireClan. They prepare to fight many cats, only to find no trace of IceClan at all. Maplestar takes a patrol to IceClan's border to learn from a patrol that they had killed Skystar and went back to their own territory, and Petalpaw says it was Shadowpaw who came up with it. Maplestar wishes to thank Shadowpaw, and Petalpaw goes to bring Shadowpaw. After Maplestar thanks him, it is noted he hasn't been the same since Skystar's death.

At the night of the gathering, Puddlepaw is excited, since it'll be his first gathering. He talks with Skypaw and Fernpaw as they walk into the Starry Cavern. He still misses Creekkit, his brother, but he's glad his friends now are like actual littermates.

When Lilystar greets Shadowstar, he asks where Skystar is, and IceClan responds with triumph that she is in the Place Of No Stars, and that she's dead. Lilystar then offers to begin the gathering, but then Shadowstar points out that it'd be rude to start without FireClan. Lilystar is confused, since FireClan hadn't attended the previous two gatherings, and was driven out, but then all of the WaterClan cats are surprised to see FireClan enter the Starry Cavern with Maplestar leading.

When the gathering begins, two StarClan cats enter the cave-Skystar and Brightstar. The IceClan cats are confused as to why Skystar isn't in the Dark Forest, and Skystar says that she was the one they killed, but not the one who drove out FireClan. Maplestar is angered by this, but Brightstar defends Skystar, and says the prophecy:

"Three will see through the masks of today into the past. They will determine the fate of the Clans. There'll be a battle by the river for the ones who cause shivers, a battle at the gathering for the swimming, and a scarring fire that will end badly, but it is all for peace. Peace that will last... Remember the names Berrytail, Ashenfur, and Shadedleaf, three Dark Forest spirits who have corrupted your world. If you don't learn, history will repeat itself."

When asked what it meant by Ravenpaw, Skystar retorts that it means something terrible happened, and it's up to the Clan cats to fix it.

Trivia

 * The book is called Taking Flight because one of the main characters is named after a bird, and this book marks the beginning of the series.
 * In an older draft, Skystar was going to be driven out instead of killed.
 * In an older draft, the book was very fast-paced, and had the ending of the second book be the end of this one.
 * In an older draft, Rowan joined FireClan with her mate.
 * In an older draft, Petalpaw and Shadowpaw would get their warrior names in this book.