Recap / Warrior Cats: Code of the Clans

Code of the Clans is the third released Warriors "Field Guide", a side book with additional information about the world. This book covers information from before the original series (aka The Prophecies Begin) through the second arc, The New Prophecy.

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The book opens with a recap of how the early cats battled at Fourtrees and settled into five Clans, and then the 15 laws of the warrior code are listed. There is a framing story where the reader is a loner or kittypet visiting ThunderClan; Leafpool welcomes them and gives an introduction to what the warrior code means to the Clans.

Code 1: Defend your Clan, even with your life. You may have friendships with cats from other Clans, but your loyalty must remain to your Clan.

"The Beginning of the Warrior Code": A cross-Clan couple - Ryewhisker of WindClan and Cloudberry of RiverClan - are expecting kits, and hope that they'll bring the Clans together considering that there's currently tensions between the two Clans. A battle breaks out, and Ryewhisker pulls one of his Clanmates off Cloudberry. While he's distracted, a RiverClan warrior attacks and kills him. At the next full moon, the leaders meet at Fourtrees and discuss how it wouldn't have happened if Ryewhisker and Cloudberry had not been together; they decide to make a formal rule that cats must be loyal to their Clan above all else, and agree to meet in peace at Fourtrees at each full moon.

Code 2: Do not hunt or tresspass on another Clan's territory.

"Finders Keepers": A few seasons later, during a tough leaf-bare, the Clans attend a Gathering. They argue since various Clans have been hunting on the others' territory, and then suddenly a branch falls into the middle of the clearing - but surprisingly nobody is hurt. The leaders take this as a sign from StarClan, and create the second rule in the warrior code: that they must not hunt or trespass upon each other's territories.

"Hunting Fish!": A story about cats breaking the second law in the warrior code. Dappletail and White-eye (a young One-Eye from the first arc) sneak into RiverClan's territory and intend to catch fish. White-eye falls in, and Dappletail tries unsuccessfully to rescue her; the two of them are saved by RiverClan cats including the leader, Hailstar. ThunderClan's leader and deputy arrive, and the leaders decide that the two young warriors can try the fish that White-eye apparently caught. They realize that they hate the taste, and vow to never hunt fish again.

Code 3: Elders and kits must be fed before apprentices and warriors.

"A Mystical Battle": Some time after a flood changed the course of the river, Sunningrocks is under RiverClan's control, and a young warrior, Splashheart, and his former mentor, Reedshine, are sharing a meal there. ThunderClan attacks, and are met by a nearby RiverClan patrol. Reedshine dies in the battle, and things are looking bad for RiverClan, but Darkstar gives a Rousing Speech and the battle continues. Splashheart hears a voice giving him advice during the battle, and after it is won, the StarClan spirit introduces herself as Aspentail. Darkstar decides that to celebrate, RiverClan will catch food for their kits and elders. Splashheart likes this idea and decides that if he ever becomes leader, he will make it a formal law in the warrior code.

"A Dark Path Chosen": An example of cats breaking the third law in the warrior code. During leaf-bare shortly before Fireheart joined ThunderClan, the young warriors Darkstripe and Longtail are sent to hunt for their starving, sick Clan. They catch a squirrel, and Darkstripe convinces Longtail to eat it and keep their strength up, despite the fact that they're supposed to feed the kits and elders first. They return to camp with a poor catch, and they find that the elder Poppydawn has died. Darkstripe blackmails Longtail into keeping their code-breaking a secret.

Code 4: Prey is killed only to be eaten. Give thanks to StarClan for its life.

"Mouse Games": A pair of ShadowClan kits, Driftkit and Fallowkit, play with a mouse on the fresh-kill pile, and are scolded by the Clan deputy, Sunnytail, since it was the last piece and is no longer fit to eat. Suddenly an owl swoops down into the camp toward Driftkit, and takes the mouse away. The Clan leader, Lilystar, declares it a sign that StarClan gives them prey and can take it away, and that there will be a new addition to the warrior code that prey must be killed only to be eaten, and that they must thank StarClan for its life.

Code 5: A kit must be at least six moons old to become an apprentice.

"The Queens Unite": A queen, Daisytail, watches her young son train for battle, and fears for his safety - especially since there will likely be a battle with ShadowClan soon. She speaks to her friend, a fellow queen, and says she's going to "put a stop to this once and for all". Two days later, the battle arrives. Just after the ShadowClan leader gives the command to attack, Daisytail makes a stand, along with queens of both Clans, and they point out that kits should not be trained for battle until they're old enough to defend themselves, which they decide should be six moons. The leaders agree to add this as a new law to the warrior code, and the battle is not fought.

"The Smallest Warrior": A story about when the fifth code is broken. During Brokenstar's leadership, ShadowClan attacks WindClan's camp. The ShadowClan warrior Flintfang tries to defend his tiny apprentice, Badgerpaw, but the young cat is only three moons old, and sustains a fatal wound. Flintfang comforts his apprentice, and Badgerpaw decides that he wants his warrior name in StarClan to be Badgerfang, in honor of his mentor. Badgerpaw passes, and Flintfang vows never to train another kit too young again.

Code 6: Newly appointed warriors will keep a silent vigil for one night after receiving their warrior name.

"A Night of Listening": The RiverClan medicine cat, Meadowpelt, treats a young warrior who was injured after yet another foolish competition between him and his Clanmates. He decides to go to the Moonstone to see what to do about this problem, and dreams of spending a night listening to his Clanmates. He realizes that that's the answer, and the young warriors are ordered to spend a night in silent vigil. During the night, a fox tries to attack the nursery, but they drive it away. They feel more responsible for their Clan now, and it's decided that the vigil will be a new law in the warrior code.

"Squirrelflight's Words of Wisdom": Squirrelflight gives some tips on keeping the warrior vigil.

Code 7: A cat cannot be made deputy without having mentored at least one apprentice.

"Second in Command": Acorntail is made the new deputy of WindClan. He struggles with putting together the patrols, and later when patrolling himself, tries to attack a ThunderClan patrol for stealing prey.... that ended up actually being on the ThunderClan side of the border. He tells his leader Featherstar that she made a mistake in choosing him, and Featherstar apologizes, saying that perhaps if Acorntail had had an apprentice he'd be more used to giving orders. Acorntail decides that it's not too late to learn, and agrees to remain as deputy if he mentors one of the kits that is about to be apprenticed. Featherstar decides this will be a new law in the warrior code.

Code 8: The deputy will become Clan leader when the leader dies or retires.

"Follow My Leader": In a time where leaders normally pick their kin to succeed them, Beechstar of SkyClan dies and names his son Mothpelt as his successor. Mothpelt decides to lead an attack on RiverClan in the middle of a flood. It's up to Robinwing and the deputy Maplewhisker to organize cats to rescue their Clanmates from the river, and Robinwing tells Maplewhisker that she needs to lead. She agrees, and Robinwing decides to suggest that this should be a new law in the warrior code, since deputies are most experienced with leading others.

"Too Late for Regrets: Tallstar Explains": In StarClan, Tallstar explains to Bluestar why he changed deputies at the last minute before his death: he'd had a vision of WindClan being led to ruin by Mudclaw.

Code 9: After the death or retirement of the deputy, the new deputy must be chosen before moonhigh.

"A Sign from StarClan": Shortly after the ShadowClan leader Snowstar's death, the deputy Brightwhisker dies of greencough before receiving her nine lives or naming a deputy herself. The medicine cat, Redscar, asks if any cats would like to volunteer for leadership; two cats - Mossfire and Jumpfoot - do, and fight for the leadership. Both die of their wounds. Redscar dreams and speaks to the former leader, Snowstar. Snowstar tells him that from now on a new leader must pick a new deputy before moonhigh, and advises Redscar to pick a new leader. Redscar decides upon Flowerstem, who had helped organize the Clan after the two warriors' deaths. He fakes a sign from StarClan by stripping the leaves and flowers of a flower, and declares her the new leader of ShadowClan.

Code 10: A Gathering of all Clans is held at the full moon during a truce that lasts for the night. There shall be no fighting among Clans at this time.

"The Vanishing Moon": At a Gathering, ShadowClan arrives last and announces their arrival by attacking the four other Clans. The leader of ThunderClan, Finchstar, is left on the Great Rock with the ShadowClan leader, Ripplestar. Lightning flashes and the moon vanishes. Ripplestar falls off the Great Rock, despite Finchstar's attempts to save him, and dies. The cats take this as a sign from StarClan, and they make it an official law that there is to be a truce at the full-moon Gathering.

Code 11: Boundaries must be checked and marked daily. Challenge all trespassing cats.

"Poppycloud's Rule": The SkyClan warrior Poppycloud is training her son/apprentice Mottlepaw along the border with ThunderClan; a patrol arrives and accuses them of trying to cross the border and spy. Eventually ThunderClan's deputy and leader visit SkyClan and argue with the SkyClan leader Rowanstar about boundaries. Poppycloud suggests that they make it an official rule to patrol borders daily, so that there's no longer faded scents making it confused on where the border is at. They agree to suggest it at the next Gathering.

"Who Goes There? Whitestorm Teaches Border Tactics": A training scene taking place during Into the Wild. Whitestorm gives Firepaw, Sandpaw, Dustpaw, Graypaw, and Ravenpaw tips on patrolling the border and on what to do if a cat crosses it.

Code 12: No warrior may neglect a kit in pain or in danger, even if that kit is from a different Clan.

"A Loss For All Clans": The river is flooded, and during a patrol, a group of RiverClan cats witness some WindClan kits falling from the edge of the gorge into the water. One of the warriors wants to rescue them, but the medicine cat, Graywing, insists that the kits are probably already dead and that it's not their duty to risk RiverClan lives to save kits from another Clan. She falls asleep, and is visited by three StarClan spirits in her dream, who reveal that they are the kits who drowned, and that she is seeing them as the cats they would have become: two warriors and the WindClan leader. They tell her that kits are precious and are the future of a Clan, and Graywing understands that she was wrong in stopping her Clanmate. Graywing decides that there will be a new law in the warrior code to protect all the kits, and she and her Clanmates find the kits' bodies and bring them home to WindClan.

"A Kit in Trouble:" Some time before the first Warriors arc, a ShadowClan patrol spots a fox just across the Thunderpath, and they realize that it's stalking a ThunderClan kit. They drive off the fox, and the kit introduces himself as Tigerkit. He promises that ShadowClan will always be his friends.

Code 13: The word of the Clan leader is the warrior code.

"Darkstar's Law": During a Gathering, Darkstar, the elderly leader of SkyClan, decides to give away nearly a quarter of their territory to ThunderClan, who had reported new kits and hinted that they were looking to expand their territory. His deputy Raincloud protests this, but Darkstar holds firm - and then says that no leader should have to face such insubordination in front of the other Clans, so he suggests a new law in the warrior code: that the word of the Clan leader must never be challenged. The other leaders agree. Raincloud wonders what would happen when a leader who doesn't have the Clans' best interests uses this law for their own ends.

"An Empty Prayer: Cloudstar Speaks": Shortly after arriving in the gorge, Cloudstar of SkyClan wonders if the place will ever truly be a home for them. As pessimistic as he is, he knows he cannot let his Clan down, and he knows his Clan will survive as long as he's there.

Code 14: An honorable warrior does not need to kill other cats to win his or her battles, unless they are outside the warrior code or it is necessary for self-defense.

"The Medicine Cats Decide": Tensions are high between ShadowClan and WindClan, and the ShadowClan medicine cat Mossheart has a vision of blood. She and the WindClan medicine cat interrupt a battle between their Clans, but not before several cats die, including a ShadowClan apprentice, Spottedpaw. They decide to go to the Moonstone to consult StarClan the following day. Mossheart dreams of Spottedpaw, who tells her that he knew he was beaten and didn't have to be killed; upon awakening, the other medicine cats report that they were told the same. They decide that at the next Gathering they will suggest a law to their leaders that warriors do not have to die to win battles.

Code 15: A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet.

"Pinestar's Secret": During the events of Bluestar's Prophecy, Lionpaw catches Pinestar going to a Twoleg nest, Pinestar tells him that there's a troublesome kittypet there that he was warning away. One day, RiverClan invades ThunderClan territory, but Pinestar is nowhere to be found. Lionpaw checks the Twoleg nest, and sure enough, that's where Pinestar is; Pinestar confesses that he wants to become a kittypet, and Lionpaw insists that Pinestar needs to tell the Clan. So he returns to camp and makes the announcement, and predicts that the Clans will probably want to make a new law in the warrior code. Just before leaving, he tells Lionpaw that when he receives his warrior name, to tell the new leader Sunfall that he would have named him Lionheart.

"A Change of Heart: Sandstorm Speaks": During the evens of A Dangerous Path, Sandstorm thinks about how Fireheart was born a kittypet and how his background gives him a unique way of looking at the warrior code.

In the final two sections of the book Leafpool mentions a few rules that were suggested, but did not become part of the code: that only cats of pure Clan blood could be Clan cats, that Clans should only eat the prey they were best suited to, and that to deny StarClan would be to break the code. She then gives you a farewell, saying she hopes that the code of the Clans will live forever.

Tropes appearing in this book:

• 13 Is Unlucky: It's probably no coincidence that the thirteenth law in the warrior code (that a Clan leader's word must be unchallenged by his Clanmates) is easily the most controversial and the one that has led to the most trouble, since it can be twisted to mean that a tyrant is allowed to rule unchallenged.
• Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Specklepaw thinks his mother is this when she stops a battle in fear of him losing his life. She knows he'll understand someday.
• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Two ShadowClan cats decide to fight to see who's better and more deserving of the leadership position. Subverted, as in this particular case, they both die of wounds the other inflicts.
• Attack the Tail: A WindClan warrior tries to bite Flintfang's tail.
• Bad Moon Rising: In "The Medicine Cats Decide", the moon is bright red and the medicine cats comment that it's the color of blood, worrying that it's a bad omen from their ancestors.
• Battle-Interrupting Shout: In "The Queens Unite", Daisytail shouts "STOP!" right after the ShadowClan leader gives the order to attack, and she and the other queens are able to convince them not to fight and to add a new law to the warrior code.
• Blood from the Mouth: Badgerpaw, as he dies.
• Brawler Lock: In the story about the third code, Reedshine is mentioned to be holding another warrior in a paw lock.
• Chain of People: SkyClan cats do this in one of the stories to rescue their Clanmates from the flooded river.
• Child Soldier: The Clans did not originally have any rules about how old kits must be to start training for battle, which meant that many of them were quite young when they started training. Finally, several queens from different Clans united to create a formal rule that kits cannot start training until the age of six moons.
• Deathbed Promotion: As he lies wounded and dying, Badgerpaw asks his mentor Flintfang if StarClan will make him a warrior, to which the older cat sadly responds in the affirmative. With his last words, Badgerpaw chooses the name "Badgerfang" to honor his mentor.
• Death of a Child:
  • Badgerpaw is a three-moon old kit who dies in battle due to being apprenticed too early.
  • Three WindClan kits drown when the RiverClan medicine cat refuses to risk the life of a Clanmate to save them.
• Deer in the Headlights: Driftkit freezes when an owl swoops down into the camp, but thankfully it grabs the mouse next to him instead.
• Dies Wide Open: Spottedpaw.
• Ear Notch: A few cats have them, such as Darkstar of SkyClan in his illustration.
• Foreign Queasine: The cats occasionally consider prey from other Clans' territories disgusting: there's a short story in this book where a young One-Eye and Dappletail steal some fish after hearing RiverClan boast about them, only to realize that they hate the taste.
• Framing Device: This book frames the stories as the reader being in the role of a kittypet who is visiting the Clans and being told stories by the characters.
• Gender Bender: Birchstar of SkyClan is a tom in the first story, and a she-cat in the second.
• Gray Rain of Depression: The story "A Dark Path Chosen" takes place on a rainy gray day, and features a ThunderClan in a difficult time as they're sick and starving; the elder Poppydawn also dies this day.
• Greater Need Than Mine: In the story "A Dark Path Chosen", Spottedleaf gives up her own share of fresh-kill to the sick cats she's trying to heal.
• Guilt-Ridden Accomplice: In the short story "A Dark Path Chosen", Darkstripe encourages Longtail to break the warrior code by eating the prey they caught instead of bringing it to the Clan. Longtail feels guilty when they return to camp to find that one of the elders has died, and he blames himself, thinking that the prey might have given her the strength to fight off her illness if they'd brought it back earlier. Darkstripe, seeing how Longtail is feeling, threatens that if Longtail tells the Clan what they did, he'll tell them how it was all Longtail's idea and that Darkstripe couldn't stop him.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Ripplestar of ShadowClan attacks the Gathering. During the battle, lightning flashes and he falls off the Great Rock, losing his ninth life.
• Love Across Battlelines: In the first story, a WindClan cat, Ryewhisker, and a RiverClan cat, Cloudberry, are in love. This causes problems when the two Clans face each other in battle, and it is after Ryewhisker is killed in said battle that the first law of the warrior code is formed: "Defend your Clan, even with your life. You may have friendships with cats from other Clans, but your loyalty must remain to your Clan."
• Mutual Kill: In the story "A Sign From StarClan", ShadowClan's new leader died before receiving her nine lives and before naming her successor. To solve this problem, two cats called Jumpfoot and Mossfire fought over the leader position. Unfortunately, they both died of the wounds they received while fighting each other, and the medicine cat had to take action to choose ShadowClan's next leader. This resulted in a law being added to the warrior code that the new deputy must be named before moonhigh.
• My Master, Right or Wrong: One of the laws of the warrior code is that leaders have supreme authority, and their orders are followed, no matter what. This is taken to its logical conclusion in some of the other books, where cats obey their leader no matter how insane or evil the leader is.
• Nepotism: This was often how Clan leaders originally chose their successor. One story is about how this changed: the previous leader's son proved incompetent at leading the Clan.
• Please Wake Up: Splashheart to his mentor Reedshine when she dies.
• Prequel: Code of the Clans spans almost the entire length of time the Clans have existed up until Bluestar's time.
• Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: In the short story where White-eye and Dappletail try fishing, Pinestar tells them "We. Don't. Eat. Fish."
• Radish Cure: In the story "Hunting Fish!", a young One-Eye and Dappletail break the warrior code by stealing RiverClan's fish. Hailstar of RiverClan and Pinestar of ThunderClan agree to give them the fish, whereupon the two young cats discover that they hate the taste and vow to never take them again.
• Rousing Speech: In the third law's story, Darkstar of RiverClan gives one when her cats think that the battle at Sunningrocks is lost.
• Save the Villain: The ShadowClan leader Ripplestar orders his Clan to attack the other four Clans at the Gathering. During the battle, he and the ThunderClan leader, Finchstar, are left on the Great Rock. Ripplestar slips, and Finchstar tries to save him despite what Ripplestar had done, but he falls off and dies.
• Series Continuity Error:
  • Squirrelflight tells all about her warrior vigil in the story "Squirrelflight's Words of Wisdom" - and it takes place in the old forest. Not only did she actually become a warrior after they arrived at the lake in Starlight, but she never had a warrior vigil because they had no proper camp yet.
  • In "Pinestar's Secret", Leopardfoot confronts Pinestar about leaving her and the kits, and then afterward the last thing he does is talk to Lionpaw and tell him what his warrior name would be. In Bluestar's Prophecy and the novella Pinestar's Choice, these two things happen in the opposite order.
• Smells of Death: Badgerpaw is noted as having a sour smell like blood and crowfood as he dies.
• The Social Darwinist: Darkstripe thinks that the weaker cats should die if it means that the strong, "important" warriors survive.
• So Proud of You: As Badgerpaw dies, he asks Flintfang if he's proud. Flintfang confirms that he is.
• Star-Crossed Lovers: Ryewhisker and Cloudberry, the whole reason for the no-mates-outside-your-Clan rule to begin with. Just as Cloudberry is pregnant with Ryewhisker's kits, he is killed defending her from his own Clanmates as she is from a rival Clan. This causes an even bigger wedge to be driven between the two Clans.
• Succession Crisis: Two specific crises led to new laws in the warrior code:
  • The deputy-becomes-leader rule started after there was a case where a leader selected his son as his successor. The son led his Clan into a needless fight, where half the cats disagreed with his choice and those that did listen nearly drowned. Another warrior realized that the deputy, due to her rank, had more experience in being in charge of the Clan.
  • The rule that states that the new deputy must be chosen before moonhigh was created after a new leader waited too long to choose her deputy. She died of sickness, leaving the Clan leaderless and with two more dead cats who had attempted to fight for leadership. Eventually the spirit of the previous leader tells the medicine cat in a dream to choose who the new leader will be.
• Tactical Withdrawal: In the story about the first law of the warrior code, WindClan's deputy calls a retreat; however, RiverClan pursues them and the battle continues.
• Tempting Fate: "No blood would ever be shed in the Moonstone chamber..." Guess what happens in ''Mapleshade's Vengeance.
• Thank Your Prey: This is one of the rules of the warrior code. It was created after some kits took the last piece of fresh-kill from the pile and destroyed it while playing, and an owl swooped into the camp and scooped up the prey. The cats took it as a sign that StarClan provides prey and can take it away.
• Title Drop: "StarClan willing, the code of the Clans will live forever, until the forest and the lake have turned to dust and our hunting grounds are no more."
• Tuckerization: Several characters' names in this book are taken from the fansites Wands And Worlds and Warrior's Wish: confirmed ones include Lakestorm, Quailfeather, Flintfang, and Blizzardstar (tribute to Blizz, creator of Warrior's Wish.)
• Villainous Glutton: In one of the stories, Darkstripe decides to eat some fresh-kill while out hunting instead of feeding his Clan. As a result, Poppydawn, who desperately needed food to fight off her sickness, dies. In spite of Longtail feeling very guilty, Darkstripe goes further by saying that Poppydawn was going to die anyway and that the stronger cats should eat first.
• The Wrongful Heir to the Throne: In the story "Follow My Leader", we see why the deputy succeeds Clan leader: a dying SkyClan leader, Beechstar, named his son Mothpelt as his successor. However, Mothpelt was totally incompetent, and nearly killed many of his warriors before he is saved by Robinwing, a SkyClan warrior who makes him step down in favor of a better choice: Beechstar's deputy Maplewhisker, who is far more experienced.
• The X of Y: The title Code of the Clans.
• Youth Is Wasted on the Dumb: In one story, a group of young RiverClan cats decide to try things such as "jumping into the gorge" for no reason other than youthful stupidity.