How LeopardClan Won The River: Summary Essay

We're reaching that few short stories in the Warriors Field Guide: Secrets of the Clans. I immensely enjoy the legends of the great cats. They are some of my favourite short stories out of this guidebook. This particular short story is also one of the longer ones in the Warrior Cat guidebooks. 

So, to satisfy our curiosity, let's dive into the final story from the original Warriors guidebook and see what depth it contains. I am delighted to be able to share this with you.

The central theme in How LeopardClan Won The River is deceit. Some people use deceit to trick others into doing things they would otherwise not attempt. The fallout of the deceived actions can be a source of guilt, causing the deceiver to give up more than if they had been truthful. In the short story, the leaders of LionClan and TigerClan deceive by not mentioning Rage's mate, Fury, when telling Fleetfoot about the boar. Fleetfoot may not have tried to attack the boar if she had known. Because of their guilt, the leaders of the other clans gave LeopardClan sole hunting rights to the river permanently, rather than the moon they may have lost if they had been truthful.

How LeopardClan Won The River contains two main characters. This is unusual for a short story as many will only have one main character, the protagonist. This short story has two main characters because, though not appearing physically till the final page (pg. 161), the antagonist, Rage, is talked of often enough by the other characters, starting from the first page of the story, that they are referenced more than the protagonist herself. The other main character, the protagonist, is Fleetfoot. This shows the short story must have two main characters.

The main situations in the short story are summarised in the following sentences: The three clans meet for a gathering. Two of the leaders complain of a wild boar in the forest. Fleetfoot of LeopardClan believed she could defeat the boar. Swiftstar said LeopardClan should claim the river for one moon if her warrior succeeded. The other two leaders did not mention the boar's mate. Fleetfoot defeated the boar. The boar's mate attacked her, and Fleetfoot still won. The other clan leaders were ashamed of their deceit and permanently gave LeopardClan sole hunting rights to the river.

I hope I have sparked your curiosity about the depth and complexity of even the shortest pieces of the Warriors franchise. I'm eager to hear your thoughts and reactions to this intriguing short story. 

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Alice B Hutley