Warrior Cats/Recap/Crookedstar's Promise
The prologue opens with RiverClan fleeing the camp due to a flood. The deputy Shellheart's kits come, and his mate Rainflower gives birth to them on a low, wide branch of an oak tree above the floodwater. They are named Stormkit and Oakkit, for the storm that they were born in, and the oak tree that protected them.
One moon later, Oakkit and Stormkit are very adventurous, and their mother dotes on them. It is reported that ThunderClan has taken Sunningrocks. RiverClan decides not to fight immediately, but they let the ThunderClan cats know that they won't be so peaceful forever. Three moons after that, Oakkit and Stormkit sneak out of camp. They find Goosefeather, the ThunderClan medicine cat, gathering herbs at Sunningrocks. The two kits attack him, only to realize that they have bitten off more than they can chew, as he angrily chases them. They run back toward camp, and while crossing the stepping-stones, Stormkit misses his jump, breaking his jaw on the rock as he falls. He sees an orange-and-white cat, who he believes is a StarClan cat, who tells him that it's not his time to die.
Stormkit stays in the medicine den for a moon, recovering. During this time, Rainflower has not let the other kits visit - though she has visited him, and Shellheart has frequently as well. The medicine cat Brambleberry announces that he can move back into the nursery, and they go out into the camp. Stormkit is told that he won't become an apprentice for a while (after his brother), since he's quite small, having hardly eaten for a moon due to the pain in his jaw. He notices that the Clan seems to be behaving strangely, looking at him oddly. He finally looks at his face in a puddle, and realizes that his jaw is permanently disfigured. Oakkit is still very supportive of him, telling him that it's not his fault Rainflower's so upset about it. Stormkit tries eating but has trouble due to his lopsided jaw. When they go back to the nursery, Rainflower tells Stormkit that he has his own nest (so that he won't "fidget and disturb Oakkit", and besides, he's "used to sleeping alone"). Shellheart overhears and is furious, arguing with her, telling her how could she reject her kit and how could she be so heartless. He says that if she insists upon renaming Stormkit, they will no longer be mates, but she does insist. Stormkit is renamed Crookedkit in an official naming ceremony.
One moon later, he's still sleeping in his own nest, and has been unable to please his mother. Oakkit is apprenticed to Shellheart upon Rainflower's request (because "the strongest warrior should train the strongest kit"). Feeling that he isn't very useful to anyone, Crookedkit leaves camp in search of the Moonstone. He gets as far as the other side of the moors - he sees Fallowtail in WindClan territory with a WindClan tom on the way. He falls asleep in a barn and is visited by Mapleshade, who tells him to return to the Clan. The next day, Crookedkit is found by a kittypet named Fleck, who teaches him how to eat and hunt with a broken jaw. He meets Fleck's littermate and her kits, and stays with them for a moon. After saving one of the kits from a monster, he realizes he should be helping his Clan, and goes home. His Clan isn't sure how to welcome him - they're happy he's alive, not sure he'll always be loyal since he ran off. They do welcome him back in the end.
Crookedkit meets Mapleshade again in a dream. She offers to train him, as long as he keeps it secret, learns patience, and promises her one thing. She tells him that she can make him more than leader - she can give him everything he ever dreamed, power over all the Clans, as long as he promises to always be loyal to RiverClan. He promises.
Crookedkit still stays in the nursery for two more moons. Fallowtail has had her kits but not named the father. Crookedkit has been training with Mapleshade. He has also made himself useful around camp, and playing with Willowkit and Graykit. Out on the ice one day, Crookedkit saves Willowkit and Graykit from a heron, and is made an apprentice afterward, with Cedarpelt as a mentor, since the tom had mistrusted the young cat after he ran away and would therefore expect more from him.
One day, when collecting herbs for Brambleberry by the falls, Reedfeather, the WindClan deputy, meets Crookedpaw and asks to come to camp. He demands his kits back, shocking the Clan, and though most of RiverClan protests (except a couple cats who think the half-blood kits would be disloyal), Fallowtail says he can take them so that there's no blood shed.
During a training session, a patrol meets Cedarpelt and Crookedpaw, reporting that ThunderClan tried raiding WindClan and that only one ThunderClan warrior, Moonflower, died. Cedarpelt has Crookedpaw train against the newly-made warrior Beetlenose. Crookedpaw uses a move Mapleshade taught him, which the older warriors recognize as a ThunderClan move. When they get back to camp, a patrol reports that they met a dog, and Oakpaw saved their lives by attacking it, so he is made a warrior. Rainflower spoils the happy moment by telling Crookedpaw he won't be as good as his brother, making Shellheart defend his deformed son.
That night, they go to the Gathering, where Crookedpaw meets Bluepaw of ThunderClan. There's some tensions between RiverClan and WindClan about Fallowtail's kits. Two days later, RiverClan and ThunderClan fight at Sunningrocks. Rainflower praises Crookedpaw afterward. Hailstar loses a life after the battle; he is now on his last.
Crookedpaw wakes one night to see RiverClan warriors fighting WindClan - they had gone to get Graykit and Willowkit back.
Two moons later, Willowkit and Graykit are apprenticed. Their first outing is to visit the Moonstone with Crookedpaw and their mentors. Oddly, Hailstar isn't with them, and THEY speak to StarClan. Crookedpaw meets Mapleshade in what the reader knows is the Dark Forest, and Crookedpaw recognizes Goosefeather, who asks "is this the newcomer".
A dog starts causing trouble for RiverClan. They try a plan Crookedpaw comes up with. Willowpaw nearly gets caught by the dog but Crookedpaw saves her; Oakheart later teases him about Willowpaw mooning over him. Crookedpaw receives his warrior name, Crookedjaw, even though he has not had six moons of training since he became an apprentice. There is a lot of chemistry between Crookedjaw and Willowpaw. During one of Crookedjaw's Mapleshade dreams, Mapleshade tells him he can't put his feelings for Willowpaw above the Clan, because he had promised that he would put the Clan first. Goosefeather appears and warns Mapleshade about the path she's on and says something like "at least my heart is true and not twisted with hunger for revenge like you."
Crookedjaw attends a Gathering, where everything's peaceful, except Pinestar randomly says "we're keeping an eye on our borders". RiverClan plans to re-mark their boundary, which they later do. Several queens have kits, one of them being Brightsky, Mudfur's mate. She was very ill and they were hoping her fever would break, but it doesn't by the time she starts kitting, and she and her first three kits die. The queens soon tell the Clan that there is a fourth kit, who survived; Mudfur names her Leopardkit for the strength she would need to live without her mother.
On a patrol, Mapleshade gets Twolegs to notice the RiverClanners, and Willowbreeze is captured. Crookedjaw and Graypool rescue her. Mapleshade says it was a test, that Crookedjaw is still putting himself and his desires before the Clan. She guilt-trips him, reminding him of his promise. Crookedjaw attends another Gathering. In a dream, Crookedjaw sees Shredtail training Thistleclaw in the Dark Forest, who mentions Snowfur's death, speaking callously about her even though he is, in fact, grieving her.
Ottersplash, Shimmerpelt, and Mudfur's kits are all apprenticed at once - they were born so close, Hailstar decided not to split them up. During their first session, there is a dog. It ends up crashing into Rainflower, knocking her into the water, where she hits her head. Faced with either helping his Clanmates or going to get Brambleberry, he hears Mapleshade's voice and helps his Clanmates fight the dog. When they get back to Rainflower, she is dead and Crookedjaw has to wonder whether she could have been saved if he'd gotten Brambleberry.
RiverClan decides to take back Sunningrocks from ThunderClan. Rather than a regular battle, Mudfur and Adderfang decide that it should be just the two of them. Mudfur wins. RiverClan is pleased that they won, but they decide that such a battle is against the warrior code and vow never to do it again. Mudfur decides that he's sick of battling and wants to help his Clanmates, possibly because he had felt so helpless when his mate died. Shellheart retires. Hailstar notices a piece of fresh-kill with a broken, twisted jaw, which was the squirrel Crookedjaw had caught. He takes it as an omen and makes Crookedjaw deputy. Brambleberry doesn't think it's from StarClan, but Hailstar doesn't care.
There is a Gathering where they announce his deputyship. On the way home, Brambleberry tells him that Shellheart has a lump in his belly and will eventually die from it; every cat that has ever had it has died. Mapleshade meets with him later in the Dark Forest, where a cat named Silverhawk is training Thistleclaw. When Thistleclaw is taught a killing bite, Crookedjaw is shocked that StarClan would do such a thing, and they tell him where he is. Mapleshade tells him that the squirrel was her doing. He decides he wants no more of it, but Mapleshade tells him he can't break free of her.
Three moons after that, ThunderClan comes into the camp, announcing that they're taking back Sunningrocks and warning that any blood spilled would be on Hailstar's paws.
Later on, after all their apprentices are warriors, Birdsong falls ill. They want dry bedding for her since everything's so damp, but there's no moss; she suggests they go to the barn to get hay. A patrol goes, is attacked by rats, and Hailstar dies.
On the way to his nine lives ceremony, Crookedjaw asks Brambleberry what she knows - she'd always seemed to be slightly suspicious. He tells her about Mapleshade, explaining that he thought she was a StarClan cat but that he's turned his back on her. He's not sure how StarClan will feel about that. Brambleberry tells him StarClan will judge him. They do give him his nine lives - Hailstar, Duskwater (a RiverClan elder that died the night he was born), Troutclaw (an elder of the Clan), a past cat named Mossleaf, a past cat named Lilyflower, a past cat named Lightningpaw, Brightsky, a past cat named Sparrowfeather, and finally Shellheart. Shellheart apologizes for letting Rainflower treat Crookedjaw the way she had. He tells Crookedjaw that Rainflower is present at the ceremony, she just does not have a life for Crookedjaw. She does not congratulate him. Mapleshade appears after the ceremony saying "we did it", but he tells her to leave him alone.
Some time later, Graypool has had her kits, who had died after less than a moon since they'd been sickly. One day she claims she has found two kits (Mistykit and Stonekit) on the border as if they'd been abandoned by their mother. A moon later, Mapleshade appears to Crookedstar and reveals that they are Oakheart's kits; Crookedstar confronts Oakheart.
Much later, when Mistykit and Stonekit are warriors, Willowbreeze tells Crookedstar she's expecting his kits. A couple moons later, the kits come. However, Willowbreeze had been starting to get sick earlier that day, and it turns out to be greencough. Crookedstar isn't allowed to visit them until later. Though Willowbreeze is exhausted and deathly ill, the two name their kits. They fall asleep, and Willowbreeze dies in her sleep. Willowkit and Minnowkit have greencough; Silverkit is taken to the elders' den with Sunfish so that she won't get sick. Crookedstar stays with his two ill daughters, but they die as well.
Crookedstar challenges Mapleshade, telling her to kill him since there's nothing left to live for. She says that no, letting him live would be better revenge. Then she explains what she means by revenge: Mapleshade was a ThunderClan warrior. She believes she should have been ThunderClan's leader, but was driven out of ThunderClan when she took a RiverClan mate. She fled to RiverClan, but her kits drowned on the way. Her mate blamed her and RiverClan rejected her, so she lived life as a loner. She says she made them pay, looking for revenge where she could, and earned her place in the DF. But the worst blow to her was that her RiverClan mate took on another mate within his Clan. They had a kit, who would grow up to give birth to Shellheart. So that's why she wanted to test him, to see if he would betray her too. And she reminds him that his promise means giving up everything: family, mate, kits.
Crookedstar tells Brambleberry about the promise. She says that it's not his fault that every cat close to him dies; StarClan cannot control everything, nor can the Dark Forest. Crookedstar avoids Silverkit for a while. Finally Oakheart confronts him about it, and it escalates into a fight. It stops only when he realizes he'd almost used the killing move Thistleclaw had been taught. Silverkit has been watching them fighting. He says they were only training. As he gazes at her, he realizes how much she is like Willowbreeze. It ends with him acknowledging that he's her father, and telling her that that means he will always keep his promises.
Summary of the manga at the end:
Crookedstar notices Silverstream sneaking out, and Crookedstar finds her with Graystripe. Afterward, he confronts her about it, and she tells him (calmly) that she knows he's worried, but that he has to let her make her own choices. One night he dreams and sees her in StarClan, and realizes that she must have died. Mapleshade comes along afterword and tells him "your punishment is complete" and that he has lost everything. He says no, he still has his Clan, and his family waiting in StarClan, and that she no longer has power over him. He wakes up to a RiverClanner telling him that Mistyfoot has some bad news (that Silverstream is dead). Moons later, he watches Stormkit and Featherkit playing, and Graystripe bringing them fresh-kill. Crookedstar hears a voice behind him - it's Brambleberry, and she leads him to StarClan. He sees all his friends and family, and Willowbreeze comes to him, and it ends with the two of them nuzzling each other.