Greenleaf started off being far from unusual for the clans. FireClan and StormClan both enjoyed warm weather and plentiful amounts of prey. Pinestar’s mate, Coalflower, was expecting his kits.

Things remained this way until the middle of the season; it was then that disaster struck. The Fire Mountain, located dangerously close to FireClan’s camp at the time, suddenly erupted in an event that would later be known as the Sun-quake. Liquid fire spewed from the mountain, sending FireClan into a frenzy as cats ran for their lives. The camp was evacuated at once, but many cats perished from the eruption and the toxic smoke it created. Among them was Moonleaf, the clan’s medicine cat.

FireClan moved further South, where the land had not been marred by ash or lava. Having been given no signs that a disaster of such magnitude was going to happen, Pinestar grew angry with StarClan. He saw this as a betrayal, a sign that StarClan was not a force worth worshipping -- and, perhaps, that they didn’t even exist. In a controversial turn of events, he changed his name back to Pinefire, his warrior name, as a means of renouncing StarClan. He also abolished all traditions that pertained to the clan’s starry ancestors.

Of course, these decisions were not made without backlash. Emberheart, Pinefire’s deputy, viewed this as an affront to both StarClan and FireClan. Some members rallied behind her in her opposition, unwilling to give up the worship of StarClan. Cats’ opinions clashed, and it all escalated in a civil war between the two opposing sides. Cats were injured and lives were lost, but in the end, those who believed in StarClan were allowed to leave. FireClan branded them as traitors

Emberheart and her followers traveled back to what was once FireClan’s camp, now buried in rock and ash. They settled there, taking the ash-ridden bits of land that had been forsaken by FireClan for themselves. They became a clan in their own right and decided to call themselves EmberClan in honour of their founder. Emberheart’s sister Poppydawn, who had been close to Moonleaf, became the fledgling clan’s medicine cat.

The time came for Emberheart to travel to the Moonpool to receive her nine lives. Accompanied by Poppydawn, the leader received her new name: Emberstar. One half-moon later, she hosted a clan-wide meeting, giving apprentices their mentors and instilling order in the clan.

StormClan, while not hit by the Sun-quake, was faced with losses of their own. Fogstar, their leader, passed away from a combination of old age and illness. Much to the shock of the clan, he declared on his dying breath that StormClan’s leader would not be his deputy Sunfur, but instead Valeriansnap, a warrior. Reactions to this announcement were mixed, but not openly hostile. The loss of Fogstar was greatly mourned.

A few days later, Valeriansnap traveled to the Moonpool to earn her nine lives, becoming Valerianstar. Her medicine cat, Otternose, was unable to accompany her due to suffering from an unknown illness. Not too long after, his illness did him in and he passed away. StormClan was now left without a medicine cat, as Otternose’s apprentice Halopaw was still too young to assume the role. Runningstrike, the former mentor of Snakewhisper, a young, mute molly, recommended her for the position. With the clan believing her to be a good choice given her aptitude for herbs, she received the position and became Halopaw’s new mentor.

Meanwhile, EmberClan experienced one of their first trials when Brindlerose, a queen, died while kitting. She left a single newborn daughter and in an effort to save the young kit, Emberstar and Poppydawn resolved to travel to the Twolegplace. They went to the StormClan border for passage, where they encountered a patrol consisting of Stillcrow, Cricketsong, and Mothswarm. At first, the patrol questioned the pair and Stillcrow, under the influence of red-gaze, seemed ready to attack, but the group eventually let the two EmberClan cats travel to the Twolegplace in peace. The kit was found and adopted by a Twoleg, saving her life.

Things once again remained relatively quiet until the Greenleaf Gathering. StormClan and FireClan were the first two clans to arrive. Cats were chatting fairly peacefully until EmberClan entered the scene, generating confusion from StormClan and anger from FireClan. Pinefire started off the announcements, telling the crowd about FireClan’s experience with the Sun-quake and framing EmberClan as being in the wrong. He urged StormClan to side with him and drive the new clan out.

Once it was Emberstar’s turn to speak, she called him out, giving EmberClan’s side of the story. She revealed to the crowd of cats that FireClan had forsaken their belief in StarClan, causing Thrasherpaw, a young FireClan apprentice, to speak out against his leader. Mulling the two conflicting stories over, Valerianstar decided against joining forces with FireClan and instead offered to help make sure that EmberClan had enough prey to fill their bellies. Feeling disgraced, Pinefire led FireClan away from the Gathering and cast Thrasherpaw out of the clan.

A moon after the events of the Gathering, Pinefire hosted a meeting. He outlined future plans, believing that his own grief had held him back in the past. He announced that those who still believed in StarClan could keep their beliefs so long as they did not openly worship their ancestors. Crowpaw, an apprentice who had been close with Moonleaf as a kit, expressed an interest in taking the position of medicine cat, which had been vacant ever since Moonleaf’s passing. Finding Crowpaw’s idea sensible, Pinefire agreed to let him train as a medicine cat apprentice. Crowpaw later spoke to Pinefire privately, and the leader told the newly-appointed medicine cat apprentice to find the kittypet Salubra (formerly Larchstem), who had once been FireClan’s medicine cat.

Over in StormClan, Snakewhisper abruptly disappeared, leaving next to no trace. What had happened to her was anyone’s guess: some suggested that she had been attacked, some suggested that she could’ve been taken prisoner by FireClan, and others suggested that her new duties had been too much for her and she had up and ran away. Cats began searching the territory for the lost medicine cat, but always came back empty-pawed. There were no scent trails to follow, nor was there a body to be found. Within a half-moon, it was decided that a temporary medicine cat would need to be appointed in Snakewhisper’s stead. Salmonsplash, who had previously refused the position due to believing their friend Snakewhisper to be more capable, decided that it was up to them to heal the cats of StormClan.

While on patrol, Liontooth, Swiftshadow, and Frecklefrost encountered Poppydawn, who had been searching for tansy to cure her cough. Poppydawn introduced herself as a medicine cat and asked about stepping across the border in order to find herbs. This was met by aggression from the patrol, and when Poppydawn retorted back, Swiftshadow took offense. Insults were exchanged and escalated in Swiftshadow attacking. Frecklefrost joined in, hoping to take the medicine cat back to Pinefire. Poppydawn soon conceded, effectively becoming FireClan’s prisoner.