History Recap / WarriorCatsTheDarkestHour

''The Darkest Hour'' is the sixth and final book in the original ''Warriors'' series (aka ''[[{{Retronym}} The Prophecies Begin]]'').

* YoungAndInCharge: Fireheart is noted to be an extremely young leader; Bluestar made him deputy at a young age, and the warrior code states that deputy succeeds leader. If his training had taken the usual six-moons length, he would have been a warrior for only two moons at the age he became deputy.

The next morning, it's time for Fireheart to travel to the Moonstone with Cinderpelt to recieve his nine lives and name. He falls asleep at the Moonstone that night, and is visited by [=StarClan=]. He recieves nine lives from Clanmates he had known, each with a gift: Lionheart (courage), Redtail (justice), Silverstream (loyalty to what he knows to be right), Runningwind (tireless energy), Brindleface (protection), Swiftpaw (mentoring), Yellowfang (compassion), Spottedleaf (love), and Bluestar (nobility, certainty, and faith). Just after [=StarClan=] calls him by his new name Firestar, though, a hill of bones suddenly appears, with blood flowing out of it. Bluestar hisses a prophecy: "''Four will become two. Lion and Tiger will meet in battle, and blood will rule the forest.''" Firestar and Cinderpelt travel home, stopping to visit Ravenpaw and Barley on the way. He names Whitestorm his deputy - a popular choice in the Clan.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: [=BloodClan=] works this way. Scourge can kill a cat in one blow; he's leader. Bone is huge and also a powerful fighter; he's second in command.

* LargeAndInCharge: Inverted with Scourge, who is so tiny that most characters wonder what the heck he's doing sitting next to Bone, who is enormous (and Scourge's [[TheDragon Dragon]]). Scourge quickly proves that his small size gives him speed and agility, which coupled with his ruthlessness make him one of the [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority most lethal combatants in the series.]]

* MixedAncestry: Mistyfoot and Stonefur, and Graystripe's kits Stormpaw and Featherpaw, are all half-[=RiverClan=] and half-[=ThunderClan=]. Some of their Clanmates are prejudiced against half-Clan cats, and this becomes dangerous for them when Tigerstar decides to start persecuting cats of mixed ancestry.

* FamousLastWords:
** Stonefur: "[[DefiantToTheEnd You'll have to kill me first, Tigerstar!]]"
** Tigerstar: "Traitor!"
** Darkstripe: "There's nothing left... It's all dark — everything's gone..."
** Whitestorm: "Trust your heart, Firestar. You have always known that Graystripe is the cat [=StarClan=] destined to be your deputy."
** Scourge: "How... I ''killed'' you."

* CoverIdentityAnomaly: While trying to rescue some of Tigerstar's prisoners, Ravenpaw tells the guard, Jaggedtooth, that Tigerstar's summoned him and that he's supposed to take over as guard. Jaggedtooth is instantly suspicious because Tigerstar had declared that only [=ShadowClan=] cats can guard them. Ravenpaw simply says he'll tell Tigerstar that Jaggedtooth wouldn't come, and Jaggedtooth decides that if [[BigBad Tigerstar]] really did give a command then it's best to obey it.