This is a list of all characters in the Warriors novel series by Erin Hunter. Due to the large amount of characters present in the novel series, the list is divided by Clan; i.e. all characters belonging to ThunderClan will be listed first, along with the respective series they have appeared in: Warriors, The New Prophecy, Power of Three, or Omen of the Stars.
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Many of the characters in the Warriors novel series undergo a number of name changes. In most cases a character is given an individual "first" name by their mother upon birth, based on a particular physical or behavioral trait such as fur color (Cinder, Ash, Fire, Gray, White, Silver, Tawny, Brindle, Blue, Bracken), limb length (Spider, Half, Long, Tall), eye color (Heather, Yellow, Blue), resemblance to another animal (Hawk, Jay, Squirrel, Lion, Tiger, Dove), disabilities (Tornear, One-eye, Crookedjaw, Brokentail, Halftail) or anything occurring in their natural surroundings (Leaf, Stream, Breeze, Moss, Stone). The first name serves as the first half of the character's name, to be followed by a "suffix" name based on the character's position within the Clan. Kittens are given the suffix of '-kit', while apprentices are given '-paw' (i.e. Hollypaw, Jaypaw, Lionpaw etc.). When the character reaches Warrior status, the Clan leader selects a new suffix name for them based on another trait such as personality (-heart), appearance (-fur, -pelt, -claw, -stripe, -face, -nose, -tail, -ear), in one case, choosing the suffix in honor of a previously fallen warrior, (-feather) or more recently, environmental condition or location (-pool, -shine, -frost, -blaze, -storm, -flower, -flight). All Clan leaders take the suffix '-star' and deputies retain their warrior name until made leader.[1] An interesting side note is that warriors mentored by the current leader seem to have a better chance of becoming the next leader (Examples: Fireheart (mentored by Bluestar), Brambleclaw (mentored by Fireheart), or Brokenstar (mentored by Raggedstar).
Characters not belonging to the five "original" Clans (ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, ShadowClan, and SkyClan) typically do not follow a standard naming structure and do not have suffix names. SkyClan cats were driven out of the forest. The live comfortably in the gorge, that is some distance from where the other Clans live. Additionally, the Tribe of Rushing Water follows its own naming convention, which is detailed below. All characters who have undergone name changes will be listed under their current (as of the end of The Fourth Apprentice) names. Tribe cats are named after the first thing their mother sees after the birth of their kits. It is not uncommon when a cat is named 'Roof of Cave' or 'Floor of Cave'.
ThunderClan is the "main Clan" of the Warriors series, as all four series' protagonists are ThunderClan cats. During the original series, ThunderClan resides in the forest, sandwiched between RiverClan and ShadowClan on each side. They share very little territory borders with WindClan, and as such most of the trouble ThunderClan is forced to deal with originates either from RiverClan or ShadowClan. ThunderClan cats are accustomed to stalking through the thick underbrush of the forest, and are the sole users of the "hunter's crouch", a stalking technique used to hunt most forest-born prey. Their main diet includes mice, voles, squirrels, rabbits, thrushes, and magpies.[1]
ThunderClan, along with the other Clans, undergoes a dramatic shift in territory during the course of the New Prophecy series. During the time that Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw and the others are on their journey, much of ThunderClan's territory is destroyed as the Twolegs proceed with their deforestation of the area.[2] Eventually ThunderClan and the other Clans are able to relocate to the lake territory, the ThunderClan camp of which is set in an abandoned quarry. The camp is protected by high walls of stone, but the surrounding territory is similar to the forest in which ThunderClan previously inhabited.[3] As such, their sources of prey remain largely unchanged from the original series. Like many of the other Clans, ThunderClan's role is largely undefined in this series, due to the drastic changes all Clans are forced to undergo and adapt to.
RiverClan is a water-native Clan, known for the river that runs throughout their territory. RiverClan cats have the unique ability to swim efficiently in fast-moving water, and are generally among the only cats that possess the knowledge of fishing. Due to their main diet of fish, their pelts are typically silkier and glossier than most other Clans', which grants them increased mobility in water. Their prey also includes some aquatic mammals, such as water voles. RiverClan often have border disputes with ThunderClan over the Sunningrocks, a section of land on ThunderClan's side of the river that ThunderClan claimed from them a long time ago (it was formerly an island).[1] They are not openly hostile, but can be prone to ally themselves with potentially hostile Clans (namely ShadowClan). The reason for this is usually based on the rationale of relative strength; RiverClan's leaders tend to think that joining a powerful adversary instead of standing against them is more beneficial for their Clan in the long run.
RiverClan, along with the other Clans, undergoes a dramatic shift in territory during the course of The New Prophecy series. During the time that Stormfur, Feathertail, and the others are on their journey, not much of RiverClan's territory is destroyed as the Twolegs proceed with their deforestation of the area.[2] Eventually, RiverClan and the other Clans are able to relocate to the lake territory, the RiverClan camp of which is set in a wetland bordered by small rivers. RiverClan's lake territory consists of a variety of terrain, including a small strip of pine forest on the border with ShadowClan, and open moorland bordering WindClan. RiverClan is also closest to the newly designated Gathering location, an island located closely off their shores. Fish remain the main diet of RiverClan. Their territory is routinely disturbed by Twolegs during the spring and summer seasons, due to a water recreation area being located on their grounds.[3]
WindClan cats live on a territory located on the open moors in the plains north of the forest. As such, WindClan cats are known for their speed and endurance, a skill that is imperative for hunting their main source of prey, rabbits.[4] However, they are also seen as the most cowardly because of their quickness to flee. WindClan have been driven off their territory by ShadowClan by the time Firepaw enters the forest, but are soon brought back with the aid of Fireheart and Graystripe.[5] WindClan are forced to deal with attacks from both ShadowClan and RiverClan throughout the series, since they are seen as being the weakest Clan. As a result, WindClan often allies itself with ThunderClan, a recurring relationship that has further repercussions in later series.
WindClan, along with the other Clans, undergoes a dramatic shift in territory during the course of The New Prophecy series. During the time that Crowpaw and the others are on their journey, much of WindClan's territory is destroyed as the Twolegs proceed with their deforestation of the area.[2] Eventually, WindClan and the other Clans are able to relocate to the lake territory, the WindClan camp of which is an area much resembling their old territory: wide-open hills and moors. Their territory is between ThunderClan's and RiverClan's. A Twoleg horseplace (horse ranch) is located nearby, and occasionally dogs living there are set loose and chase the WindClan cats. The open hills give the greatest view of the surrounding area, and a WindClan cat is typically positioned on top of one of them as a lookout, able to detect threats much more quickly than in the forests. WindClan undergo a rather stressful period in leadership when Tallstar, their leader for the entirety of the series until this point, dies of old age and changes his successor from Mudclaw to Onewhisker at the last minute.[3]
By the time of the Power of Three series, WindClan have resolved to become completely hostile towards ThunderClan as a result of their being viewed as ThunderClan's "puppets" in the past. Onestar, once a warm and thoughtful friend of Firestar's, has completely withdrawn his previous relationship with the ThunderClan leader. WindClan cats often hunt prey near and over ThunderClan's borders, the reasoning being that ThunderClan is stretched too thin to defend itself. This attitude climaxes in Eclipse, when the entirety of WindClan sneak into ThunderClan's camp to start the largest battle ever conceived in the history of the series.[6]
ShadowClan territory is mainly in a giant collection of swamps and bogs and thick wet grass covered in thick pine trees, giving the area a dark and gloomy feel.[4] ShadowClan cats are skilled at hunting and navigating in near-complete darkness, because the night is when their main sources of prey are active.[1] Along with lizards, frogs, and small forest animals, such as voles, ShadowClan also occasionally catch rats who reside in the nearby Carrionplace (garbage dump); however, they must be careful when eating these rats as they occasionally carry harmful diseases. ShadowClan are often depicted as the primary antagonists of the series, and as such many of their individual members are rude and hostile. However, many ShadowClan cats are completely and blindly devoted to their leader; since a number of ShadowClan's leaders have been truly villainous, the actions of their followers have expectedly followed suit. It says in the books that some cats say that ShadowClan cats are so mean because the cold wind in their territory supposedly chills their hearts.
ShadowClan, along with the other Clans, undergoes a dramatic shift in territory during the course of The New Prophecy series. During the time that Tawnypelt and the others are on their journey, much of ShadowClan's territory is destroyed as the Twolegs proceed with their deforestation of the area.[2] Eventually ShadowClan and the other Clans are able to relocate to the lake territory, the ShadowClan camp of which is located in a dense pine forest. Though not quite the same as the marshes they used to inhabit, the thickness of the forest often shrouds the territory in gloom and darkness, perfectly suited for ShadowClan's stealth prowess. The area is not very suitable for prey, however, resulting in ShadowClan inhabiting the least desirable territory once again. Despite their bad luck, they manage to feed themselves decently enough (a testament to the tenacity of ShadowClan warriors). The forest's primary hazard is a Twoleg house on the northern fringes of ShadowClan's territory, home to two rather violent kittypets who often attack Clan cats who stray too close and call their Twolegs to fend off patrols. ThunderClan assists in telling these two cats to leave the Clan cats alone in Twilight.[7]
SkyClan is the fifth Clan of the original forest territories, a fact that is unknown to all cats except for Firestar and Sandstorm. Their territory used to be located where the Twolegplace of Firestar's birth currently sits and they have the unique ability to jump, a technique that has been passed on to some kittypets and rogues in the rocky canyon. SkyClan were driven out when their part of the forest was excavated to create Twolegplace. SkyClan appealed to the other Clans for help, but none of them wanted to redivide their territory and as such SkyClan was forced to leave the forest. They traveled north along the river before finally settling in a rocky canyon. Before long, however, an intelligent rat pack attacked and killed most of the Clan, forcing the remnants to scatter across the nearby forest and Twolegplaces.[8]
Modern SkyClan was reformed when Firestar, with the help of Sandstorm, set out to reunite the lost descendants of the Clan throughout the nearby area. Later, after rebuilding the lost Clan, SkyClan was able to defeat the rat pack and live in peace for moons to come under leadership of Leafstar.
BloodClan is a group of ex-kittypets, rogues, and loners (cats who are not kittypets or part of a Clan) living in the large section of human suburbs (Twolegplace) located outside the forest, distinguished by the fact that they wear collars laden with teeth. BloodClan do not have a warrior code, do not believe in StarClan, and do not have the organization structure found in the other Clans. As a result, BloodClan is run in the style of a dictatorship, and cats who either break the rules or desire to leave are maimed or killed.[9]
Aside from the standalone manga The Rise of Scourge, BloodClan is only featured prominently in the final book of the original series, The Darkest Hour.
Bone is a huge black and white tom with green eyes. He serves as the unofficial "deputy" of BloodClan, and is Scourge's main enforcer, performing his dirty work. He also wears a collar around his neck similar to Scourge's He kills Whitestorm during the final battle in The Darkest Hour, before being swarmed and killed by a group of apprentices: Bramblepaw, Tawnypaw, Ashpaw, Featherpaw and Stormpaw.[9]
Scourge, (Tiny at birth) a very small black tom with icy blue eyes and a single white paw, rules BloodClan through fear and a survival-of-the-fittest mentality, and refuses to provide for any cat that cannot support itself — i.e., elders and mentally ill cats. He permits the mates of she-cats nursing kits to hunt for their mates purely out of pragmatism, so that the Clan does not simply cease to exist when all the elder cats die and there are no younger cats to replace them. Despite his small size, he is a very capable and dangerous fighter, and neither any sort of warrior's ethical code or merciful impulses restrain him in battle; he is brutal and ruthless (Rock saying in Cats of the Clans that he lacks "any sense of right or wrong").[9][10] To show his capability to kill, he wears a collar of teeth and claws from dogs and cats he has killed and his claws have been reinforced with dogs' teeth. His weakness is revealed to be his skepticism towards StarClan, which means he does not have nine lives. It has been confirmed by the Erins that Firestar is Scourge's half-brother (Scourge and Firestar share the same father),[11] as implied in The Rise of Scourge when Quince wonders about why the litter did not share their father's ginger color, making Firestar also the half-brother of Socks and Ruby, Scourge's littermates. Scourge is then related to Cloudtail, Leafpool, Princess, Squirrelflight, Whitewing, Whitewing's kits Dovepaw and Ivypaw, Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and Jayfeather.
Scourge's evil behavior is explained in The Rise of Scourge. It is revealed that, from a young age, his brother Socks and sister Ruby treat him very badly, bullying him about his size and mocking him. His mother tells them not to pick on him but never really defends him the way he wants her to. When Ruby teases him that he will be drowned in the river (because no Twolegs want to adopt him), Scourge runs away. He wanders into forest territory, and is attacked by Tigerstar (Tigerpaw at the time) who was patrolling the border of Thunderclan territory with Thistleclaw, his mentor, and Bluefur. Tigerstar would have killed him, but was stopped at the last second by Bluefur. Scourge develops a lifelong grudge against Tigerstar. Afraid to go home, and terrified to go into the forest and face more abuse from cats like Tigerstar, Scourge soon moves to the alleys of a city, where he finds an old dog. One of its teeth falls out and Scourge tries to use it to cut off his collar, but ends up getting it stuck. He finds a group of thin cats who are eating a small piece of chicken from a Twoleg (human) garbage. In order to convince them to share their food he makes up a story about killing a dog and ripping the tooth from its skull as a sort of trophy. Though skeptical, the cats let him have a bite. The next day, however, a group of cats, led by a cat named Brick, have heard his story. They ask him to kill a dog behind a deli who is stealing their food. Afraid of the dog, but realizing that he will be revealed to be a liar and driven out if he refuses to fight the dog, Scourge approaches the dog. By sheer luck, the dog is frightened by Scourge's shadow, which appears about three times as large as Scourge really is, and flees; Scourge is clever enough to convince the other cats he frightened the dog away. The other stray cats are amazed and treat him almost like a god. This is the point where he decides to change his name (the other cats have never asked for his name before, so instead of telling them his name is Tiny, he makes up the new, more intimidating name Scourge). He becomes the leader by default, and cats begin to seek his advice--and aid; a group of rogues from the forest wander in, and begin bullying and abusing the local cats, who turn to their leader, Scourge, for protection. Scourge cannot bluff these cats as he tricked the dog, and the forest rogues openly mock and threaten him. Unwilling to back away from his position of power, Scourge kills one of them in cold blood, frightening the other forest rogues away and solidifying his hold over the alley cats (and losing a part of his own soul). Later, Socks and Ruby wander into his territory; they were adopted as kittypets, but lost or forgotten when their owners moved, and as dependent pets, they never learned to hunt for their own food. Scourge banishes his own brother and sister from his territory, completing his transformation into a cold-blooded villain.
Scourge forms the alleycats into BloodClan. They copy his ways, even making collars for themselves out of the teeth of the dogs they have slain and cats they have murdered. Scourge appoints Bone, a terrifying black and white cat, as his second in command. Tigerstar is led by Boulder, a former follower of Scourge, into Scourge's territory within the maze-like alleys. Tigerstar, who is at this point leader of ShadowClan, is slightly amused by the tiny leader but after seeing the numbers of his followers and their collars decides to ask Scourge to join him in battle against Thunderclan and WindClan, promising him their land. He never intends to keep his agreement, thinking that once he had all the forest clans united under his rule, he will easily be able to betray Scourge, whom he underestimates because of Scourge's small size and his own overconfident arrogance. He clearly does not remember the time when he almost murdered the small black cat as a kitten, though Scourge certainly remembers and despises him, though he very deliberately says nothing about their past confrontation. During the battle with LionClan (WindClan and ThunderClan allied together) Tigerstar tells Scourge's followers to attack, but Scourge's followers refuse to fight without Scourge's orders, enraging Tigerstar. When Scourge refuses to order BloodClan's cats to attack, Tigerstar attacks Scourge, who proves more formidable than Tigerstar realized. Scourge takes his revenge by killing Tigerstar, cutting his belly open, and watched him gleefully as all his lives were stripped from him. Later in the battle Scourge takes one of Firestar's lives, but is killed later by the ThunderClan leader.[12]
The Warriors field guide Secrets of the Clans has a story in the point of view of Barley called "Flight from BloodClan" that features more BloodClan cats.[13]
Ice (born Jumper) is one of Barley's brothers who joined BloodClan and was responsible for almost killing his and Barley's sister Violet.
Snake (born Hoot) is the other one of Barley's brothers who joined BloodClan. He, too, was responsible for almost killing Violet, and was the first to tell Barley of their major change.
Brick, a ginger she-cat, is a friend of Bone and Scourge, but also a supporter of Tiny even before BloodClan was formed. Brick asks Tiny to come fight one of the dogs in the Twolegplace that is keeping them from a dumpster full of food.
After death, most of the spirits of Clan cats join StarClan. StarClan is said to be represented by Silverpelt (the Milky Way), and each individual star represents a single dead warrior. Once a cat dies, he or she joins StarClan in a form in which he or she was most comfortable in. For example, blindness and deafness would be cured, unless the cat had been happier being deaf or blind. StarClan's territory is a forest that is perpetually in summer conditions. There are neither conflicts(usually) nor disease present. StarClan cats do not remain in StarClan eternally. Instead, they are eventually forgotten by the living and their spirits in StarClan fade slowly away, as mentioned in Fading Echoes[14] (second book in the fourth series Omen of the Stars).
StarClan warriors keep watch over the Clans, usually watching their own Clan. They provide guidance to the Clans, often in dreams and other signs and omens. StarClan usually visits leaders and medicine cats. Often, this occurs with medicine cats at either the Moonstone revealed in Into the Wild (Warriors original series) or later at the Moonpool revealed in Starlight (The New Prophecy series). It is rare for StarClan to visit warriors. StarClan cannot or do not choose to influence events in the real world. However, in Firestar's Quest, Spottedleaf visited both Firestar and Sandstorm, and treated an injured warrior, showing that StarClan indeed has some level of effect on the real world.[8] The fact that Cinderpelt was reincarnated as Cinderheart is contradictory to that StarClan cannot influence the real world, although they may have chosen to do so.
The Place of No Stars is where the spirits of cats who have caused great pain and suffering in their lives go to. In this place, although there is no sun, moon, nor any stars, the entire forest is bathed in a sickly glow. There is no prey or hunger either. It is supposedly impossible for a Dark Forest cat to leave, however, StarClan cats have entered before. This is rarely done, because in doing so, a StarClan cat may get lost and become trapped in the Dark Forest. Cats known to walk the Dark Forest include Tigerstar, Hawkfrost, Brokenstar, Darkstripe, Clawface and Mapleshade.[14] Victoria Holmes has revealed at the website concerning fantasy authors "Wands and Worlds" that StarClan and The Dark Forest exist on different planes; however, there is a clear border between the territories, marked by a wall of mist. Many Clan cats in the Omen of the Stars series visit there for training for a battle against the Clans.
The Tribe of Rushing Water is a group of smaller cats living in the northern caves of the mountain range that divides much of the land between the old forest territories and the lake territories. Tribe cats do not believe in StarClan; instead, they have their own spiritual equivalent, the Tribe of Endless Hunting. In the Tribe, there is no medicine cat or deputy: the leader, always known as Teller of the Pointed Stones, or Healer, serves both duties in addition to leader.[2] Upon birth, Tribe cats are named by their mother for the first thing they see (which, incidentally, is usually not Floor/Roof/Wall of Cave or somesuch, as described by Rock in "Cats of the Clans"). Eventually, a Tribe cat trains as a to-be (apprentice). They can be either a cave-guard or a prey-hunter, based on their physical appearance, and this future role is determined at birth. Strong, sturdy cats are chosen to be cave-guards, whose job is to defend the Tribe's camp against intruders as well as provide cover for the prey-hunters while hunting. Prey-hunters, chosen for their slender, agile bodies, are adept at hunting in the rocky mountain terrain and can leap high enough to catch large birds.[10] Tribe cats often cover themselves in mud in order to better blend in with their surroundings, allowing them to catch larger, more exotic prey such as hawks and eagles. It also protects them from the cold mountain wind.[15]
The Tribe typically have no enemies, which leaves them unprepared for attacks by other large predators (Sharptooth) or other groups of cats attempting to take their territory.[2][15] They have a firmly rooted tradition, and as such do not welcome the beliefs of other cats, a theme which incorporates the use of people from different cultural and traditional ways of thinking working together to solve a common goal. It is revealed in Outcast of the Power of Three series that the Tribe is among the descendants of the ancient clan of cats who originally lived in the lake territories, of which Rock and Fallen Leaves are members.[15]
Throughout the series, the Clan cats commonly call the Tribe cats by the first word in their name, rather than the whole name.
These are characters first mentioned in Dark River of the Power of Three series.[16] They are as yet unknown to all cats except Jayfeather, whose extrasensory perception allows him to discover clues hidden in an ancient stick located near the lake. It is hinted in Outcast that these cats have ties to the Tribe of Rushing Water. In Long Shadows (5th book in the third series Power of Three), Jayfeather convinces the group to journey to the mountains to live there, hinting they are the direct ancestors of the Tribe.[17] Their connection to the Clan cats is implied, but has not been touched upon as of yet.
This refers to characters introduced or mentioned throughout the course of the series who do not belong to a specific Clan or Tribe, i.e. loners, rogues, kittypets (housecats) and the like.
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