"I am no cat's friend. I know too much for friendship. Be glad that you will never be burdened with the knowledge that I have. My curse is to live forever, knowing what has been and what has yet to be, powerless to change anything."

— Rock to Jayfeather in The Fourth Apprentice, page 278

Rock (Healer)
Affiliations
Current:	The Ancients[source?]
Names
Healer:	Rock[1]
Book Appearances
Living:	Dark River, Outcast, Long Shadows, Sunrise, The Fourth Apprentice, Night Whispers, Sign of the Moon, Secrets of the Clans, Cats of the Clans, The Last Hope

Rock is a scrawny^[2] tom with only a few tufts of fur along his spine,^[1] blind,^[3] egg-like, bulging^[1] gray eyes,^[3] long, twisted claws,^[1] a rat-like tail,^[4] and a sagging,^[5] scarred,^[6] lumpy body.^[7]

Spoiler Warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Contents 1 History 1.1 In the Power of Three Arc 1.1.1 Dark River 1.1.2 Outcast 1.1.3 Long Shadows 1.1.4 Sunrise 1.2 In the Omen of the Stars Arc 1.2.1 The Fourth Apprentice 1.2.2 Night Whispers 1.2.3 Sign of the Moon 1.2.4 The Last Hope 1.3 In the Field Guide Arc 1.3.1 Secrets of the Clans 1.3.2 Cats of the Clans 2 Trivia 3 Quotes 4 References

HistoryEdit

In the Power of Three ArcEdit

Dark RiverEdit

In the tunnels underneath WindClan territory in the distant past, Rock tells Fallen Leaves that to become a sharpclaw, he must get through the maze to the moorland on the other side. He keeps track of how many cats have attempted this challenge, and how many survived, by scratching lines on a smooth stick, and marking a line through the ones who made it. He asks Fallen Leaves if it was raining, knowing the danger of floods. Fallen Leaves knew that there was a scent of rain, but, not thinking about the flooding and eager to become a sharpclaw, denies it.

In the flooded tunnels, Jaypaw spots Rock as he scratches the stick with five long lines and three small ones. He later scratches through the lines, indicating that all eight of them will live.

OutcastEdit

Jaypaw remembers Rock's scent while he was making the scratches in the stick and notes that he had almost felt that Rock was guiding his paws.

A little later, Jaypaw wants to speak to Rock, but couldn't because the Healer would not appear. Jaypaw then believes that Rock and Fallen Leaves are angry with him.

Later, Jaypaw tells Hollypaw about Rock and Fallen Leaves. When he goes to the Moonpool, he believes Rock would speak to him, which ends up being true. Jaypaw ends up seeing StarClan and when he and Leafpool are following Feathertail, he spots the old Healer under a bush.

Rock appears to Jaypaw at the Tribe of Rushing Water's cavern. He explains to Jaypaw that the prophecy foretelling the destiny of Jaypaw and his littermate, Lionpaw, but not Hollypaw, came from when the Tribe lived beside the Lake.

Long ShadowsEdit

Rock mentions the first leaders of the Clans being unhappy about the wrong doings of Sol.

Later, Jaypaw thinks about his connection to Rock and Fallen Leaves, while he steers Poppyfrost away from the tunnel where WindClan attacked ThunderClan.

At the Moonpool, Rock brings Midnight the badger to meet Jaypaw and tell him about Sol. This is Rock's only appearance at this time.

Later on, he sends an interactive dream to Jaypaw explaining how and why the ancient cats left the lake. He also tells of what happened to Jay's Wing at the start of the ancient journey to the mountains.

SunriseEdit

Rock appears to Jayfeather without the use of the stick, telling him the stick isn't the only way to reach him. Jayfeather questions him on Squirrelflight's lie, and Rock tells him the answers lies within his own Clan, if he can find them. This doesn't satisfy Jayfeather, and Rock tells him he cannot give the help he seeks, and that he should make his own future. When Mousefur calls for Jayfeather, Rock vanishes.

In the Omen of the Stars ArcEdit

The Fourth ApprenticeEdit

Jayfeather speaks to Rock, asking him if he knows what is happening in the Dark Forest. Rock speaks into his ear, whispering that he does know, but he cannot, and would not, stop the final battle, and that it needed to come.

He explains why he did not tell Jayfeather about Leafpool and Crowfeather, that there had been no room in his destiny for rejection because of the warrior code being broken. Jayfeather is enraged, and as he hurls questions at Rock; Rock tells him that he is no cat's friend, that he has too much knowledge for friendship. As Rock begins to fade away, he tells Jayfeather that his curse is to live forever, knowing what has been and what will be, and powerless to change anything.

As Rock fully disappears, Jayfeather, enraged, snaps the stick in half, thus signaling his felt betrayal by Rock and the ancient cats.

Night WhispersEdit

During one of Jayfeather's visions, he sits at the Moonpool with StarClan when the lake suddenly freezes over, leaving only Rock, staring at Jayfeather.

Later, when Jayfeather attempts to save Flametail from drowning in the frozen lake, Rock tells Jayfeather to let him go, as it was Flametail's time to die, not his.

Sign of the MoonEdit

Jayfeather journeys into the tunnels in his dreams and meets Rock. He asks why Jayfeather broke his stick. Jayfeather tells him he was angry with Rock for being unresponsive when he tried to contact him. He frustratedly asks what is so important about the stick, although he knows it was an important part of history. Rock responds sharply, telling Jayfeather that the stick was an important part of history and that Jayfeather cannot choose on a whim whether or not Rock will speak with him. Jayfeather is momentarily embarrassed, then he exits the tunnels with help from Fallen Leaves, causing him to wake up.

When Jayfeather is back with the ancients, Rock tells Jayfeather that Half Moon must be the Healer, as she saw the sign of the moon. Jayfeather is angry with this, saying that he wants to live the life the the rest of his Clanmates were living. Stating that Rock cannot force him to name Half Moon the Healer, he tries to turn away, but Rock blocks his way, saying he can force him to if he has to. Jayfeather runs away from him, distraught, but eventually does as he said and names Half Moon the Healer.

The Last HopeEdit

Rock and Midnight come to meet the Ancients and StarClan in the prologue of the book, where some of the cat spirits have gathered to speak. When Midnight joins them, she announces that Rock was with her. Rock then steps out from behind the badger, his furless body apparently pale in the moonlight. Broken Shadow tells Midnight that she didn't think the badger had known Rock, shifting her paws. Midnight then implies that they have known each other since before the Clans began, and Rock tells Broken Shadow that he and Midnight had watched the first sunrise over the lake. Rock also tells the cats that the prophecies all came from that first relected sunrise, and gives examples which include the prophecies about Firestar, Feathertail, and the four chosen who hold the power of the stars in their paws. He warns the gathering cats that evil was coming. Moving his blind gaze over the cats, Rock thanks them for safeguarding the prophecies for so long and passing them on from forgotten cats. Broken Shadow sighs that so many lives had been lost, and Rock reminds her that all lives were brief. Angered by this, Broken Shadow demands an answer, asking Rock why he couldn't save Fallen Leaves. In response, Rock retorts that it was never his duty to save anyone, adding what the point was of a life being held in the paws of another. He reasons that there must be choice and freedom, claiming that he can point but every cat walks on its own paws. When Midnight growls about the coming battle, Rock touches her flank lightly with his tail, claiming that it was what they had been waiting for.

In Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Dovewing's dream, Rock yells at them for ignoring their destinies in the prophecy. He also told them that their prophecy has been around since the beginning of time.

Jayfeather gets a sign about a reed flaming like a tail, which he interprets as Flametail. First, he believes it is from StarClan, but when they deny it is, he thinks it may be from Rock.

Later, Dovewing sees Rock and Midnight, and they nod to her, thanking the three for saving the Clans. After Dovewing hears their thanks, she also hears Rock and Midnight say the complete prophecy, and the book ends, with the Clans saved, and ThunderClan under new leadership.

In the Field Guide ArcEdit

Secrets of the ClansEdit

He talks about traveling to the Moonpool with the two other healers. He talks about the moons before the Clan cats came to the lake, and how he and his kin used to live there. He says he can feel StarClan's pelts brush his as they learn to walk the new sky.

Rock briefly mentions the history of the tribe he came from, saying that there were only three tribes, unlike the Clans, who have four groups. He goes on to say that he used to travel with the other healers to what is now the Clan's Moonpool, which is the place of not only StarClan, but of also his tribe's ancestors. He then goes on to explain their rituals for the night they go to the Moonpool, which are very similar to the Clans' way.

He finishes up his story by saying that he hopes that the Moonpool will bring the Clan cats serenity, wisdom, and guidance for many moons to come.

Cats of the ClansEdit

Rock is the narrator of Cats of the Clans. He tells Blossomkit, Adderkit, and Mosskit stories about some significant Clan cats, along with kittypets, Tribe cats, rogues, and loners.

Trivia Edit

• Because of his power and knowledge, Rock feels he cannot show emotion.^[8]
• In Sign of the Moon, it is said that he is the first Teller of the Pointed Stones, but later on in that same book, when Jayfeather goes back to the time of The Ancients, he is told to tell Half Moon to become the first Teller of the Pointed Stones.^[9]
  • It was revealed on Vicky's Facebook that Half Moon was the first "official" Stoneteller; Rock came before her, but he wasn't given the title Stoneteller because it didn't exist then.^[10]
• He was mistakenly described with pale blue eyes.^[11]
• He has been described with bloated, white eyes.^[12]
• In Cats of the Clans, Rock says that he can see Blossomkit's eye's shine, although he is supposed to be blind.^[13]

Quotes Edit

End of Spoiler Warning

ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Revealed in Dark River, page 3
2. ↑ Revealed in Sign of the Moon, page 257
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Revealed in Sign of the Moon, page 55
4. ↑ Revealed in Outcast, page 59
5. ↑ Revealed in Outcast, page 313
6. ↑ Revealed in Night Whispers, page 282
7. ↑ Revealed in Outcast, page 192
8. ↑ Revealed in Erin Hunter Answers Your Questions Summer 2011
9. ↑ Revealed in Sign of the Moon, page 262
10. ↑ Revealed on Vicky's facebook page
11. ↑ Revealed in The Last Hope, page 3
12. ↑ Revealed in The Last Hope, page 122
13. ↑ Revealed in Cats of the Clans, page 18