Cats Of The Clans

I’ll begin with yourmother’s Clan, Mosskit. To many this is the noblest Clan, the Clan of heroes. But I take no sides; all Clans have their strengths and weaknesses, which differ according to whose story you listen to.

ThunderClan cats are impressive hunters; I’d even say I envied them their skills, but a life enclosed in rattling trees and wind-whispering leaves would not suit me. They have the skills to make themselves silent and invisible so they can hunt the little creatures that scuttle through fern and fallen leaf. You’ve heard of the hunter’s crouch, when they gather their strength into their hindquarters before making the final leap? That is a ThunderClan trick; you’ll not find it used by any other Clan.

ThunderClan has always been the fiercest guardian of the warrior code; if another Clan breaks it, you’d think every ThunderClan warrior bleeds from the wound. No cat could accuse them of being afraid to fight, as long as they believe the fight is truly justified—unlike others I could name, who seem to love the rip of fur beneath their claws and need no other excuse for battle. Hush, Blossomkit. Did I mention ShadowClan’s name?

ThunderClan have had their fair share of border trouble. Back in the forest they quarreled with RiverClan over Sunningrocks almost every season. When the Clans first came to the forest, this little hill of stones was an island and belonged to RiverClan because they were the only cats that could reach it, by swimming. But when the river changed course the rocks were joined by dry land to ThunderClan’s territory, and both Clans have laid claim to them ever since.

By the lake ThunderClan has faced a constant threat from ShadowClan on their shared border. For now Firestar has granted Blackstar’s Clan hunting rights on the exposed stretch of grass where Twolegs come in greenleaf; a wise move, some cats say, because there is little prey to be found there. And another reason for ThunderClan to proclaim how fair and generous they are. I wonder how long ShadowClan will be satisfied with this addition to their territory?

Firestar

Yes, Adderkit,I know the ThunderClan leader was born a kittypet, but it makes no difference to me where a kit gulps his first breath. Mind you, Firestar has given his Clanmates precious little chance to forget his kittypet roots. He is the champion of all cats who are not Clanborn. No cat could argue that Cloudtail is not a worthy warrior, or that Daisy does not serve the Clan well in the nursery. But you can see how other Clans are suspicious of Firestar’s willingness to welcome loners and kittypets into the warriors’ den.

What was your mother thinking of, Mosskit, when she brought this too-brave, too-curious kit into the forest? Was Bluestar blinded by the color of his pelt, knowing he fulfilled the prophecy that fire would save her Clan? StarClan wanted him as much as Bluestar did. Poor Firestar, he scarcely seems able to close his eyes without some farsighted dream filling his mind. But he has handled this burden well, lived up to all of StarClan’s expectations. Maybe it took more than a Clanborn cat to discover Tigerstar’s treachery, or to bring WindClan home after they were driven out by ShadowClan. See, Adderkit, you should be grateful to Firestar for helping your Clanmates. Blossomkit, they did not deserve to be chased out of their home!

Even Sandstorm came to forgive Firestar his kittypet roots—and she is a cat whose opinion is worth a moon of prey.

I wish Firestar nothing but peace, and a long life. Ha, empty words from me, who knows how every one of Firestar’s nine lives will end.

Bluestar

Your mother was a great leader, Mosskit, even if the price she paid for it was higher than she ever dreamed. She gave you up on that snowbound night, you and your littermates, so that she could become ThunderClan’s deputy instead of Thistleclaw, who would have sliced through the forest until the paths ran red with blood. You should be proud of her for such loyalty to her Clan. Proud of your father, Oakheart, too, for raising your brother and sister to be strong, respected RiverClan warriors.

Was Firestar a replacement for the kits Bluestar never saw grow up?

An interesting question, little one. She was an excellent mentor to the kittypet, and trained him to be a wise and confident warrior. She saw him as the savior of her Clan from the moment the sun struck his flame-colored pelt. Spottedleaf had told her that only fire could save the Clan, so Rusty must have seemed like a gift from StarClan.

It’s too easy to say Bluestar went mad during the last moons of her life; you have only to think about what she gave up—including you, Mosskit—to understand how far she thought she had failed. Don’t forget that she gave up her ninth life to save her Clan from the dogs, throwing herself into the gorge to lead them to their deaths. Stonefur and Mistyfoot found her on RiverClan’s shore, so her final moments were spent making peace with her surviving children before she came to join you in StarClan.

Graystripe and Millie

Does Graystripe have any enemies, I wonder? Don’t bristle, Blossomkit; not even ShadowClan is the foe of every living cat.

He was the first to make friends with Firestar, when he was no more than a lost and curious kittypet. He and Firestar share the same foolish generosity: could you imagine any other pair of cats catching food for RiverClan when the river was poisoned, or traveling far from the forest to rescue WindClan?

But Graystripe’s life isn’t just a tale of friendship and heroics. Like Bluestar, he fell in love with a RiverClan cat, Silverstream, and he fathered her kits. It tore him apart to leave his Clan—and his best friend—when he took his motherless kits to their mother’s Clan, but he believed it was the only place where they’d be truly welcomed. I think he was right; for all ThunderClan’s noble gestures, they are not always kind to half-Clan cats. Graystripe came back when he realized that his loyalties were not to his kits’ Clan, but to his own.

Now Graystripe has a new mate, Millie, a kittypet that he met when he was captured by Twolegs. I don’t think ThunderClan realizes how much they owe Millie for the safe return of their leader’s best friend and deputy. It was her determination that got them out of Twolegplace, her encouragement that helped Graystripe follow the Clans all the way from the forest to the lake. I hope he never forgets how much she has given up for him, and how far she has traveled from her home, in more ways than one.

Sandstorm

Firestar’s loyal mate,a good mother to Squirrelflight and Leafpool, she’s the cat that won Firestar’s heart after Spottedleaf died… Is this how Sandstorm will be remembered? She deserves more than that, in my opinion. If it weren’t for her, Firestar might not have led his Clanmates into battle against BloodClan at all. I see your ears prick up, little kits. In spite of StarClan’s prophecies and Firestar’s determination to save the forest from Scourge, Sandstorm was the one who made Firestar believe he was doing the right thing by fighting the cats from Twolegplace. He trusted her because she loved him above all, and would never sacrifice his life for the good of the Clan. She knows Firestar better than he realizes—better even than Spottedleaf, for all the medicine cat’s murmuring in Firestar’s sleeping ears.

Sandstorm isn’t just Firestar’s shadow, either. Her courage matched his on the journey to rebuild SkyClan. She took on the role of medicine cat to help the scattered Clanmates, and she matched Firestar blow for blow in the battle against the rats, even though she had only a single life to lose.

I hold Sandstorm in higher esteem than I do almost any other Clan cat. She has traveled far from the days when she and Dustpaw tor-mented Rusty the kittypet. I hope Firestar appreciates her journey as much as she deserves.

Yellowfang

You knowYellowfang,don’t you? She walks among the stars now. Mosskit, if she’s grumpy then it’s your fault for disturbing her! She deserves more respect than you realize. And remember that she was once your Clanmate too, Blossomkit.

Yellowfang’s troubled life took her from ShadowClan, where she was born and trained as a medicine cat, to ThunderClan, where she died in a fire, helping her adopted Clanmates escape. She was cranky, stubborn, impatient—and the most loyal cat you could ever meet. Her whole life was a quest for loyalty—first to ShadowClan, to her role as their medicine cat, to the son that she bore in secret. His father was Raggedstar, leader of ShadowClan. Foolish Yellowfang! She knew medicine cats aren’t supposed to have mates, and especially not kits. When her kit Brokenstar became ShadowClan’s leader and made the forest run with the blood of kits too young to fight, Yellowfang’s loyalty to what she knew to be right sent her fleeing across the border to ThunderClan.

She blamed herself for Brokenstar’s brutality, you know. Why else would she persuade Bluestar to let him live in the ThunderClan camp?

I can’t imagine what agony Yellowfang felt when she discovered he had plotted against the Clan that had given him food and shelter. Agony enough to kill her ungrateful son, I know that much. Brave, loyal Yellowfang, who fought enough battles for nine lifetimes.

Cinderpelt

The cat who shouldhave been a warrior, and the cat who was given a second chance. No, Mosskit, StarClan did not plan for Cinderpelt to be struck on the Thunderpath instead of Bluestar.

Your warrior ancestors were as horrified as any of the forest cats when Cinderpelt ended up in Tigerstar’s trap, and had her warrior path snatched from her.

She was a good medicine cat; there’s no doubt of that. She should have been, given Yellowfang as her mentor. But StarClan did not whisper in her ear as clearly as they have done to other medicine cats.

Remember the fire-and-tiger prophecy, the burning blades of grass that she interpreted as a warning that Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight would unite to destroy ThunderClan? She was wrong. Their quest to the sun-drown-place saved the Clan by finding them a new home.

But StarClan did not blame Cinderpelt for that. She should never have been a medicine cat; they knew that right from the start. They gave her one more test before deciding to give her a second chance: they told her when she would die, and then let her live with that knowledge even though her apprentice, Leafpool, was on the brink of leaving the Clan to be with Crowfeather. Cinderpelt lived in the shadow of her own death with such courage, such dignity, resisting the temptation to beg Leafpool to stay, that she proved herself worthy of a second life, plunging back into the forest as one of Sorreltail’s mewling kits.

I hope your ancestors watch over her more closely this time.

Leafpool

This is a cat who was never destined to be anything but a medicine cat. I see your eyes shine, Blossomkit; is this the path you would have wished to follow? From the moment Leafpool and Squirrelflight were born, each always knew where the other was, and what they were feeling. StarClan fostered this link because they knew Squirrelflight would be journeying far, far from the forest—farther than any Clan cat had been before—and they needed a cat back home to be aware of what she was going through. For a while it seemed that, young as she was, Leafpool knew what lay around every corner and over every horizon. She knew the Clans had found their new homes when they reached the lake; she knew that Brambleclaw would make a strong and loyal deputy for ThunderClan. She even knew that blood would spill blood before the Clans were truly settled around the lake—and she watched with her own eyes as Brambleclaw killed his half brother, Hawkfrost, to save Firestar.

But the one thing Leafpool did not foresee was falling in love—and with a WindClan warrior, at that. Yes, Adderkit, I’m sure WindClan warriors are the best warriors of all, but Leafpool was a medicine cat!

Everything about their relationship was wrong, according to your warrior code. How could their love lead to anything but misery and ill for-tune? Even now it echoes among the Clans, coloring their future in ways not even Leafpool can see.

Squirrelflight

If Leafpool is like water, calm, deep running, reflecting the stars, then Squirrelflight is fire. She has energy to scorch every tree in the forest, and a tongue that could leave scars in beech bark. I would trust Squirrelflight with my life simply because she is incapable of doing anything but what she believes to be right. No, Blossomkit, this is not the same as always telling the truth. Even Squirrelflight has her secrets.

It was bold of StarClan to let Brambleclaw take her on the quest to the sun-drown-place—though I recall Squirrelflight gave him little choice and would have followed him regardless. But she proved herself a valuable companion many times over, and returned a better cat for it.

If she had stayed in the forest I think she would always have been Leafpool’s little sister, the feisty apprentice with a habit of leaping paws-first into trouble. The quest proved she had the courage of her father, Firestar, and the quiet determination of her mother, Sandstorm, which isn’t always appreciated in ThunderClan.

Stormfur loved her first, you know. He saw something behind the mischief and the fire, when Brambleclaw saw only a quarrelsome nui-sance. And Ashfur, though he would have been loyal to the end, failed to appreciate the strength beneath her impulsive ways. Squirrelflight needed someone to match her fire, not contain it, and that cat was always going to be Brambleclaw.

Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw have gone through so much together. Squirrelflight is a good mother to Jaypaw, Hollypaw, and Lionpaw. I hope Squirrelflight is well rewarded for her devotion.

Brambleclaw

The son of Tigerstar was always going to walk a path of light and shadow. He must feel sometimes as if his whole life has been spent trying to prove his loyalty to ThunderClan. He was the first cat chosen to go to the sun-drown-place, and if Bluestar didn’t hesitate to trust him, maybe his Clanmates should follow her lead. I don’t think even Firestar could have led the other cats on the quest to find Midnight; his curiosity, his generous spirit, would have distracted him, kept him helping those he met along the way. But Brambleclaw didn’t stop until he reached the cliffs, until he heard what Midnight had to tell him. Then he came back to the forest and repeated the journey, this time with his Clan and the other three Clans, seeking a new and safer home. What further proof do you need that this is a noble cat, a brave and loyal cat who would stop at nothing to help his Clanmates?

And yet, and yet… he let his father, Tigerstar, walk in his dreams, mentor him in the pursuit of power; he even schemed with Hawkfrost, which showed extraordinary lack of foresight for an experienced warrior. Is his heart really as pure as he wants us to believe? Can Tigerstar’s son ever truly step out of the shadows? You’re looking at me round-eyed, all three of you, as if I know the answer.

I do, but now is not the time to share. Some things are best left to destiny to unfurl.

Ashfur

You’ve heard his name before, haven’t you? Have the StarClan elders fretted over his destiny, about where his path will lead now that he has lost Squirrelflight’s affection?

It’s a shame Ashfur is most famous for quarreling with Brambleclaw over Squirrelflight. He really loved Squirrelflight, you know, even if he wasn’t the best match for her. He tried too hard to protect her, to stop her from jumping in with all four paws when sometimes that’s the only way Squirrelflight learns anything. But Ashfur is a strong, brave warrior, one I’d want on my side in a battle.

Any cat in ThunderClan would say that he has mentored Lionpaw well, shaped him into one of the best fighting cats this Clan has ever known. Some might accuse him of being confrontational, too quick to argue when he doesn’t agree with a decision. But look at Dustpelt: he was never Firestar’s best friend, yet he is a courageous, trustworthy warrior who has earned his leader’s respect. Even though Ashfur and Brambleclaw were once rivals for Squirrelflight’s affections, there’s no reason Ashfur can’t be a loyal ThunderClan warrior. Be careful. If you listen too much to Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw, it’s easy to dismiss Ashfur as a troublemaker out for revenge. But the other cats should listen to what he has to say. He has a story of his own.

Brightheart and Cloudtail

Ihave somethingin common with Brightheart: cats shy away when they first see my face, too. Perhaps I have not always looked like this—perhaps once I had fur as thick and soft as yours, and my eyes were clear and could see more than shadows and moonlight. But if that was so it was a long time ago, farther back than any of your ancestors can remember.

But Brightheart can remember what she looked like before Tigerstar’s half-trained pack of dogs attacked her. It breaks her heart every time she sees her reflection—why do you think she never goes down to the lake? She is brave to her Clanmates, hardly flinches when a newcomer or a kit shrieks at the sight of her scars. But her first warrior name, Lostface, echoes in her ears whenever she is alone. If only she could see inside herself, to the beauty that lies in courage and loyalty and devotion.

Cloudtail alone has never flinched. But then, he knows what it means to be different, not just because of his fluffy white pelt. He is even more conspicuous than you, Blossomkit! Firestar’s kittypet sister, Princess, gave her firstborn kit to be raised as a ThunderClan warrior, as if becoming a forest cat were as easy as putting on a Twoleg collar.

Cloudtail struggled from the start—he even went back to the kittypet life until StarClan, and Firestar, gave him a second chance by rescuing him. Even now he doesn’t believe in StarClan. But he does believe in loyalty and protecting his Clan, and the warrior code requires nothing more.

Jaypaw, Hollypaw, and Lionpaw

THERE WILL BE THREE, kin of your kin, who will hold the power of the stars in their paws.

Firestar waited a long time for these kits to be born—waited in dread, not hope, because what would happen when kits were given a power even greater than StarClan’s? Now they have come, and Firestar can do nothing but watch and wait to see where their paths lead—and whether his Clan will survive their destinies.

Lionpaw is the warrior, a hunter and fighter as brave as Tigerstar.

But then, he should be, since Firestar’s old enemy has walked beside him in the forest, training him and encouraging him to be ever more fearless. Would Lionpaw have been so strong and skillful without this cat of shadows?

Hollypaw is the thinker, the politician, sensitive and cunning and aware of all the different consequences that might come from a single action. For her, the warrior code is the root and reward of every choice a Clan cat has to make, and she would tread the hardest paths to defend it. Wit can be sharper than claws; remember that, little ones.

Jaypaw is the blind cat who sees in his dreams—and in the dreams of others, too. What else could he be but a medicine cat, with his memory for herbs and his instinct for StarClan’s portents? But dreams are private, and I would hate to have my sleep disturbed by a trespasser.

Three young cats, with starlight in their eyes and the whisper of an ancient wind in their fur. Just remember this: power is neither good nor bad, but its user makes it so.