A Dangerous Path

Prey in ThunderClan’s territory has gone missing, and Fireheart believes that Tigerstar, leader of ShadowClan, is behind it. Meanwhile, Bluestar is mentally shaken by Tigerstar’s betrayal, for she once thought he was a loyal warrior and deputy. Bluestar believes that if StarClan had been on her side, none of this would have happened. She refuses to believe in StarClan, and declares war with them, shocking her clanmates.

Bluestar decides to name Cloudpaw a warrior because he does not believe in StarClan. Two other apprentices, Swiftpaw and Brightpaw, both choose to track down the animals who have been stealing ThunderClan’s prey. Unfortunately, the prey-stealers are a pack of deadly dogs. Swiftpaw is killed, and Brightpaw loses half of her face, making her blind in one eye. Bluestar, thinking Brightpaw will die, promotes Brightpaw to the status of a warrior, but names her Lostface. Meanwhile, Graystripe returns to ThunderClan, and his loyalty is questioned among ThunderClan.

Clan life returns to normal, but Fireheart is curious about the dogs. He asks Lostface about them, but she only repeats a few words: “Pack, pack, kill, kill.” Whitestorm reports to Fireheart that he and his patrol smelled dogs near Snakerocks. Fireheart goes to investigate. He finds a trail of dead rabbits that lead to the body of Brindleface, the sweet and gentle queen. She had been killed by Tigerstar in order for the dogs to have a taste of cat blood. Fireheart orders a patrol to discard the rabbits.

After Brindleface's burial, ThunderClan evacuates to Sunningrocks. Bluestar is still mentally unstable, so it is up to Fireheart to get rid of the dogs. He and the senior warriors come up with a plan to lead the dogs over the edge of the gorge. The plan works; each cat successfully leads the pack closer to the gorge, breaking away from the group once they lead the dogs to a certain spot, where a fresh runner lies in wait so they can lead the dogs to the next point. Fireheart, the last in line, keeps a good distance from the dogs, but, Tigerstar comes from the bushes and pins Fireheart down, allowing the dogs to catch up. When it seems like Fireheart is about to die, Bluestar, now clear of mind, pushes the pack leader off the edge of the gorge, taking her with it.

Fireheart leaps down the cliff into the river and dives in to save Bluestar. Fireheart manages to get a hold on her, but is barely able to keep their heads above the water. However, Bluestar's RiverClan children, Stonefur and Mistyfoot, discover Fireheart struggling in the river, trying to save Bluestar, and help drag the two cats to the bank. There, Bluestar pleads forgiveness to her kits for lying to them about who their parents were. They forgive her, as they had not known their true heritage until then. Bluestar then tells Fireheart that she realized her Clanmates were not all traitors. She also tells him that he is now the leader of ThunderClan. With that, she loses her final life, and her spirit is sent to StarClan.

Fireheart is overcome with grief. Mistyfoot asks if she and Stonefur can help carry her back to the ThunderClan camp and sit vigil for her.

• Fireheart, young and courageous deputy of ThunderClan
• Tigerstar, the leader of ShadowClan; formerly of ThunderClan; staged an attack on ThunderClan and was exiled for it
• Bluestar, ailing leader of ThunderClan
• Stonefur, deputy of RiverClan, Mistyfoot's brother and Bluestar's kit
• Mistyfoot, warrior of RiverClan, Stonefur's sister and Bluestar's kit
• Cloudpaw (later Cloudtail), Fireheart's unruly apprentice and nephew; was born as a kittypet (housecat)
• Swiftpaw, an apprentice who dies to a dog pack
• Brightpaw (later Lostface), an apprentice who is badly disfigured by a dog pack
• Sandstorm, Fireheart's mate
• Whitestorm, a senior warrior of ThunderClan
• Brindleface, gentle ThunderClan queen who is slaughtered by Tigerstar
• Cinderpelt, ThunderClan's medicine cat, who has a permanent limp
• Graystripe, Fireheart's best friend

The book was first published in the US as a hardcover on 1 June 2004 by HarperCollins.[4] It was then published as a paperback on 24 May 2005[5] and an e-book on 13 October 2009.[6] A Dangerous Path was also published in the UK as a paperback on 2 April 2007[7] and in Canada as a hardcover on 20 May 2004.[8] The book has also been published in foreign languages such as German,[9] Japanese, French, Russian and Korean.[10] The Chinese version was published on 31 December 2008 and is packaged with a 3D trading card of Tigerstar.[11]

A Dangerous Path received positive reception. A BookLoons review praised the rising tension in the book.[12] Booklist called the book exciting and praised the fast pace writing "Hunter maintains the established characterizations of her sentient cats, who still retain their feline natures. With compelling intrigue and fast-paced actions, this is one of the most exciting books in the series".[13] In a review for both Rising Storm and A Dangerous Path, Horn Book Review praised the complex characters.[13]