Thistleclaw

"Oh yes. There was Thistleclaw. He was a fine warrior, strong and brave. But his answer to every problem was a fight. Should I have watched him be made deputy, and then leader, and let him force the Clan into unnecessary wars? He died as he lived, Fireheart, a few seasons before you came to join us, attacking a RiverClan patrol on the border. Wild and arrogant to the last. I couldn't stand by and let him destroy my Clan."

- Bluestar to Fireheart about Thistleclaw

Thistleclaw is a villain in Erin Hunter's Warriors book series. He is a large, grey-and-white tabby tom cat with amber eyes, a long tail, and spiky fur, hence his name. He is the main antagonist of the super edition "Bluestar's Prophercy".

History
Born in ThunderClan, Thistlekit displayed unusual ambition since he was born. He complained about fellow kittens Bluepaw and Snowpaw being made apprentices before him, even he was younger than them and not old enough to be an apprentice. He and Bluefur never quite got along, because of Thistleclaw's arrogance and hot-headedness, which clashed with Bluefur's more reserved demeanour. Their rift caused Bluefur's relationship with her sister to be damaged when she fell in love with Thistleclaw and took him as a mate, siring a son with him. This son would eventually become Whitestorm, one of the Clan's wisest and most loyal warriors. At first, Thistleclaw seemed only arrogant and not interested in the long run of things, but later on, it was shown that he was paranoid and bloodthirsty, and wanted to keep other Clans out of ThunderClan territory by "marking the borders with blood". A prime example of Thistleclaw's violent nature was shown when he ordered his apprentice, Tigerpaw, to attack a defenceless kittypet kitten named Tiny (later Scourge) when he just walked onto the borders of ThunderClan. The brutal training Tigerpaw received under Thistlclaw hardened him into an aggressive warrior determined to win at any cost, and would later come very close to destroying the Clans completely with his ruthless ambitions. Goosefeather, when he was described as insane, had a vision with Bluefur, and saw Thistleclaw's pelt dripping in blood, symbolizing the trail of death that he would leave if he ever ascended to leader. Goosefeather said that he could lead ThunderClan down a path of blood if he became a leader instead of Bluefur. When Thistleclaw died, he was found with claws unsheathed, lips in a snarl, and lying in a pool of his own blood, just as Bluestar and Goosefeather saw in their shared vision.

Trivia

 * He is called Thistleclaw because of his spiky fur.
 * Thistleclaw is one of the main reasons for Tigerstar's dark ambitions and actions, because of the brutal training he received when he was Thistleclaw's apprentice.