A ginger tom, who goes by the name of Rusty, has been pulled in by a stranger's hands, or should I say paws, to a world unlike his own. Book one of Erin Hunter's Warriors Cats series, Into the Wild, is a great book for cat lovers. There are three main parts to be understood before reading this epic novel. This is what I know about Rusty, the Clans, and an interesting Prophecy.

First, about Rusty. Rusty is a ginger tabby tom, strangely, he is the color of a burning flame or just a bright orange for the simpler mind. Rusty along with many other cats live in a twoleg place (twolegs is some cats' word for humans in this series) next to a forest. The story begins in one of Rusty's dreams, where he attempts to catch a mouse. This shows his extreme internal need for being out and hunting like his ancestors once did. Rusty wakes up though, before he catches his prey, and the story begins in his owner's kitchen. I like how Hunter uses her excellent imagery skills to describe the room; hot and airless. Rusty's ginger color may not seem strange to most twolegs, but to some other cats, he is unusual. His shade of tabby orange makes him stand out in a room, almost like a neon vest stands out in the night. This may keep him from successfully catching prey, but he learns how to work with it after some time.

The next important part of understanding this book is to know about the clans. There are four clans out in the woods beyond Rusty's house. Thunderclan, the nearest, is home to the bravest of the cats, who prefer to hunt in the woodland. I would imagine they can be found almost anywhere; great oaks, maples, and green shoots coming up from the ground. The three other clans are Shadowclan, Windclan, and Riverclan. These ferocious wild cats are much feared by the meek, plump kittypets living in the twolegplace. Most of the kittypets have heard scary stories of the wild cats who live out in the woods, sharpening their claws on bones, and eating live animals for breakfast. Rusty is not scared of them, unlike his friend, Smudge, a kittypet living next door. Smudge attempts to stop Rusty from entering the woods, but does not succeed. Rusty is introduced to Thunderclan's many strange rules, and rituals. The forest cats have a strict set of rules they follow called the Warrior Code. 

Lastly, there is a prophecy. Bluestar, the leader of these cats, has been given a prophecy by the grand warriors of Starclan, the past cats from the clans who have died in warrior deaths. The prophecy is short, and like prophecies are, cryptic. When reading the book, I found out what it meant. It turns out Bluestar thinks that Rusty has something to do with the prophecy. So, Rusty might be a very special, prophesied cat. 

That is all I know about Rusty, the clans, and the foretold prophecy. I have read this book about an ordinary pet cat pulled into another world of strange forest cats and I would only recommend this book to cat lovers who can be fine with becoming attached and reading the rest of the series (42 books). Altogether, Warriors Cats: Into the Wild is a great book and the rest of Erin Hunter's books are equally incredible.