Beyond the Code: Brightspirit's Mercy was a play written by Cherith Baldry. Ten-year-old Warrior Cats fan Emmy Cherry and her parents were killed by a tornado in early 2008; the Warriors online community heard about it, and gave the family Warrior names - Brightspirit for Emmy, Shiningheart for her mother Dana, and Braveheart for her father Jimmy. Their hometown, Russelville, Arkansas, held a Warriors Day in Emmy's honor - an event to raise money for literacy awareness, something Emmy would have loved. Warriors Day was added to Vicky's tour schedule as the last stop, and the play she wrote was performed at Warriors Day by drama students from the local high school and children from the audience as extras.
Scene 1 takes place at a Gathering during a bitterly cold leaf-bare. The other Clan leaders discuss how their Clans are all starving, and when they point out that Firestar isn't saying anything, Firestar quietly comments that it is a challenge to find food in leaf-bare. Lionblaze whispers to Hollyleaf below that he doesn't know why Firestar said that, because ThunderClan is doing just fine, and she explains that boasting about their plentiful prey would just be inviting intruders. Jaypaw joins them and starts talking to them. The Gathering quickly finishes, as nobody has any news, and the Clans leave - Lionblaze in particular throwing out an amusingly extreme Out-of-Character Moment: "Yay! ThunderClan's the best! We win again!"
Scene 2 takes place in the ThunderClan camp the next morning. Jaypaw wonders aloud to Brambleclaw if any of the other Clans have fresh-kill, and Brambleclaw points out that the warrior code doesn't say they have to feed everyone else during leaf-bare. Jaypaw accepts this, and goes and finds his stick. He calls for Rock, but instead of Rock showing up, his littermates do. They start arguing because the other two want to know what Jaypaw's doing and he's too embarrassed to tell them.
In the midst of their quarrel, Brightspirit and her parents show up. When they start talking, Jaypaw notices them there. He can see them, but he's the only one - his littermates cannot see or hear the three StarClan cats. They tell him that the other Clans need ThunderClan's help. He repeats what Brambleclaw had told him - that it's not part of the code - and they respond that the warrior code doesn't tell them to breathe, or eat, or believe in StarClan, but they do it every day. They tell him to show mercy on the other Clans, and to do what he knows is right. Jaypaw relays this information to his siblings. Lionblaze in particular is suspicious of them, and when Jaypaw says that they must take food to the other Clans until newleaf, Lionblaze attacks him. Hollyleaf stops him. Jaypaw goes off on his own to hunt, and Hollyleaf says she will come too.
Scene 3 takes place in ThunderClan territory after the three littermates have been hunting for a while - Lionblaze finally agreed to join his brother and sister, despite the fact that he doesn't agree with what they're doing. They wait on the WindClan border, and give the fresh-kill to a patrol consisting of Ashfoot, Whitetail, and Breezepaw. Jaypaw explains, when they wonder why he is doing this, that he's doing what is right and that their lives are not confined by the warrior code. Ashfoot thanks them, saying that StarClan must agree because otherwise the prey would have hidden, and says that even though they thank ThunderClan for this gift, WindClan is not in their debt. Jaypaw and his siblings agree. On their way home, Brightspirit appears to Jayfeather and tells him that it was the right thing to do, and that showing mercy can take more strength than winning a battle. Jayfeather and his littermates continue home, leaving Brightspirit and her parents onstage. Shiningheart praises Brightspirit for what she has done, and Braveheart comments that Jayfeather has a hard path ahead of him. Brightspirit promises she will be with Jayfeather every step of the way.
