Preview chapters of The Elders’ Quest, book one of the ninth arc of Warriors: Changing Skies, have been released only a week after A Starless Clan: Star was published. With less than two months away before it comes out, this continues to follow the trend of the Warriors team giving a prologue and three-chapter head start of their new books to fans. I was ecstatic to dive into this new arc and compare it to my predictions from several months ago when the name and blurb were revealed.
Since my previous predictions were based before Star and Ivypool’s Heart were out, I’m excited to understand better where this new arc is going. Only a little information was given from these previews, but plenty of intrigue was built.
This article contains spoilers for the Warriors series up to the current releases. Read at your own risk!
As someone who doesn’t look at the allegiances often, this preview will make me start going over them with a fine-toothed comb. Before I can jump into the chapters, I want to talk about these. In this time skip, we have around twenty newly named warriors, fourteen new kits, and four new apprentices across the five Clans. The most baffling of these is Floatshimmer having her full name AND two kits already, Heronkit and Eelkit.
In book six of the last arc, Star, Floatshimmer was merely Floatkit. The very last chapter of Star was only a moon time skip with Sunbeam expecting kits, and now her kits are becoming apprentices in ChS. Based on that, readers expect that the jump between A Starless Clan and Changing Skies is anywhere from six to eight moons. All of the kits from Star having their warrior names leads me to believe they must’ve been almost apprentice age, which doesn’t align with how they were written. It also means that Floatshimmer must’ve gotten pregnant immediately after becoming a warrior, something I always find weird.
This points out a major problem that threads throughout the Warriors series, however: their timelines are always janky. Looking through the allegiances also shines a light on a glaring issue that’s developed over the last several arcs, too; I barely recognize any of the names. With how big the Clans are now, and with five of them, we’re not getting to know characters. ASC did a better job of it than its predecessors, AVoS and TBC, but I still feel like a fish out of water reading names like Beesting, Branchleap, or Rapidsplash without knowing much about them.
The only other complaint I have so far is how the writing continues to change. With Kate Cary officially stepping back, I imagine the theory that nameless writers have fully taken over is true. Right now, the writing feels choppy. The use of “;” and “:” symbols are overused, and the sentences are shorter. I’m hoping as the arc goes on, the groove picks back up. I also noted that they are continuing to move towards more humanized language, with the use of the word “seizures.” There are also some careless mistakes as always, like with “Beehckit” and Leafcurl being a “white she-kit” in the allegiances.
As for the chapters themselves, the setup is interesting. The prologue is a mix of random StarClan cats but presents an early problem for the Clans, namely, something will happen to their connection once again. From the blurb, readers know that the Moonpool will be threatened by Twoleg construction. Though we don’t see it in this preview, it’s clear that they will be sending the prophecy to Tawnypelt, a cat who went through the Great Journey. She should have the experience and “wisdom to lead the Clans on this journey.” What journey could that be though? I’ve wondered if the Clans may be moving territories again.
This theory could be supported by the prey and water poisoning in SkyClan territory. While this preview only shows it affecting them badly, I imagine it’ll spread to the others. At the very least, if the Moonpool is poisoned or destroyed, the Clans will have to move. I would heavily support them going somewhere new. I believe they’ve been at the lake territories too long and would better sustain new plots somewhere else. I also think that the Clans need a huge purge of cats. It would bring up the possibility of new Clan combinations as well. If StormClan (from Ivypool’s Super Edition) is a lesson, perhaps the Clans need to combine to form new ones.
I don’t have much to say on Tawnypelt’s or Leafstar’s chapters themselves. I think it’s a bit of a drag for Tawnypelt to be bringing up the “young cats” being disrespectful again, almost a throwback to the issues that came up in AVoS. I liked seeing how they’re beginning to handle the challenge of Leafstar’s failing eyesight at least, though I worry her storyline will be wildly ableist. I don’t see how a blind cat couldn’t lead, but Warriors doesn’t have a great track record when it comes to disabilities. I am more interested to see what Twolegs are doing and how they are poisoning the prey and water. The symptoms that SkyClan cats are showing are scary and serious.
Everybody is talking about Moonpaw, however. She represents something entirely new to the Warriors fandom. Who is the voice in her head? Who is the cat she sees floating behind her in her reflection? I’m relieved to see that they didn’t force her to be a medicine cat apprentice–though I don’t trust that isn’t her future–and I’m already obsessed with the possibilities of her character. Not only is she one of the most unique-looking cats in the entire universe now, but it appears that some fan theories may come to light.
It’s obvious that Moonpaw is a chimera cat; essentially, two different sets of DNA in one cat, resulting in a “split” cat pattern. This happens when two embryos fuse into one in the womb. On one side of her face is a black cat with amber eyes, on the other is an orange tabby with green eyes. My assumption, as with many fans, is Moonpaw’s “twin” was absorbed by her in the womb and somehow, is haunting her brain in life. I think they may veer towards an evil twin angle if the “sinister” way the voice speaks to her at the end of Chapter Three is any indication. I felt very creeped out reading it, which is a good effect on the authors’ part.
I’m maintaining an optimistic attitude toward this new arc, despite my reservations about using old characters and potential ableist plots. I like to see the creativity coming into Warriors, but I hope it is complimented with good writing, character arcs, and newness. Even if they reuse some old plots, like moving territories due to pesky Twolegs again, it needs to have some unused twists. I’m curious to see how these three she-cats chapters will intertwine. What does Moonpaw’s “friend” have to do with SkyClan’s sickness or the Moonpool’s destruction? Hopefully, we find out more in January.
Warriors: Changing Skies: The Elders’ Quest can be pre-ordered on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or other major retailers. Its expected release is January 7th, 2025.
