“ | I'm going to destroy more than the Clans. I'm going to destroy the Dark Forest and StarClan along with it. StarClan can't survive without the Dark Forest. This place is no more than a miserable reflection of StarClan, and as it vanishes, so will StarClan. I bet it's already started. The fog will be swallowing up their precious hunting grounds. They have so much territory, they probably haven't even noticed yet—but, when they do, they won't be able to stop it. Once this place is gone, StarClan won't be far behind. It won't be long until they've all disappeared. Once the Dark Forest is gone, I'll be free to return to the lake. I'll make Squirrelflight suffer. She'll pay for betraying me, along with every cat she's ever cared about. Eventually she'll beg me to stop and become my mate. I wonder how many cats will have to suffer before she— | „ |
~ Ashfur to Rootspring in A Light in the Mist |
“ | I've never forgiven anyone. I'm not weak. I never forgave Bramblestar for taking what was mine. And I'll never forgive Squirrelflight for rejecting me over and over again. I gave her love and she betrayed me. As though my love was worthless. I'm going to make her suffer more than any other cat. And I'm going to enjoy it. | „ |
~ Ashfur to Firestar |
Ashfur is one of the two secondary antagonists (alongside Brokenstar) of the Warriors book series by Erin Hunter.
He is a former ThunderClan warrior and later a member of StarClan. Prior to his madness, Ashfur was a loyal warrior of his clan. However, once he fell in love with Squirrelflight who loved Brambleclaw already, Ashfur became obsessed with vengeance against the she-cat, before being killed by Hollyleaf and ascending to StarClan.
Despite that, his vengeful plans didn't end there, as he successfully managed to cut off StarClan's connection with the living Clans before possessing Bramblestar and bringing chaos upon the lake territories. Eventually his schemes were uncovered, prompting him to abduct Squirrelflight and take her into the Place of No Stars. There, he took control over the Place of No Stars, planning on destroying both afterlives along with the living clans, before ultimately being defeated for the final time by Bristlefrost, who drowned both of them in the dark lake, killing his spirit. He is Squirrelflight's archenemy.
Biography[]
The Prophecies Begin and Firestar's Quest[]
Ashfur was born in ThunderClan. As a kit and an apprentice, he had a standard upbringing. He was close to his family, to the point of hiding how his foster brother, Cloudpaw, had been getting food from humans, which is against the Warrior Code. Despite Cloudpaw having a separate background as a born housecat, this wasn't shown to bother Ashpaw. As an older apprentice, his mother, Brindleface, was killed by the exiled former ThunderClan deputy and leader of ShadowClan, Tigerstar, who used her body to lure a pack of dogs to attack ThunderClan. Ashpaw avenged her by helping to trick the pack leader into falling into a river, causing the rest of the dogs to retreat. Shortly afterwards, he showed his vengeful side again by being the only apprentice to celebrate their shared killing of BloodClan's deputy, Bone.
During Firestar and Sandstorm's quest to restore SkyClan, Ashfur is revealed to be arrogant. He protested against Graystripe's position as leader and accused Firestar of returning to his kittypet roots. There, Dustpelt reveals that Ashfur had always had trouble accepting that he couldn't always get what he wanted since he was an apprentice.
The New Prophecy[]
As a grown cat, Ashfur was an average and respected warrior. He became decent friends with Brambleclaw, even though the latter was the son of Tigerstar, the killer of Ashfur's mother. Brambleclaw and an apprentice, Squirrelpaw, would later go missing on a prophesied quest. When they returned, Ashfur showed a surprising amount of relief for Squirrelpaw despite never being interested before the quest. While moving territories and Squirrelflight's becoming a warrior, the two became close friends. Squirrelflight sought Ashfur's comfort after having a falling out with her crush, Brambleclaw. Ashfur assumed Squirrelflight's friendship with him was a sign of love, being overprotective and possessive of the independent she-cat. When his desire to become mates with her became clear, Squirrelflight briefly considered it before asking to remain friends. Instead, she choose to rekindle her relationship with Brambleclaw, as she needed a mate to match her fiery personality, not contain it. Although Squirrelflight turned down Ashfur's romantic pursuits as kindly as she could and politely explained her feelings, he refused to accept her answer, repeatedly stating he loved her. He even attempted to guilt-trip her by bringing up the fact that Brambleclaw was the son of Tigerstar, Brindleface's murderer. Squirrelflight, however, remained firm in her decision. Heartbroken and bitter, Ashfur ignored her completely, even with simple greetings. When Squirrelflight's medicine cat sister, Leafpool received a vision of Brambleclaw's future deputy position, Ashfur accused it of being fake.
Soon, Ashfur began his life-long obsession with Squirrelflight. His first major attempt at revenge for what he viewed as her betrayal of him was going after her father, Firestar. He teamed up with Brambleclaw's half-brother in RiverClan, Hawkfrost, to do so, though Hawkfrost's motivation was simply to install Brambleclaw as ThunderClan's leader. Tricking his nephew and apprentice, Birchpaw, into sending a false message to Firestar, Ashfur claimed that ShadowClan's leader, Blackstar, was trespassing by the lake. During the investigation, Firestar was lured into a fox trap, with Hawkfrost overseeing the crime scene. At the same time, Brambleclaw had been invited by Hawkfrost to the beach, unaware of Firestar's ongoing murder.
While Hawkfrost tried to convince his brother to overthrow the ThunderClan leader, Ashfur backstabbed his crime partner. Asking for "help" from Squirrelflight and Leafpool, he exposed Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost standing over a dying Firestar. However, Brambleclaw rejected Hawkfrost's offer and was forced to kill his half-brother in defense of himself and Firestar. To Ashfur's disappointment, he'd accidentally made his rival a hero instead of a traitor, reinforcing Squirrelflight's love for him even more. While being medically treated, Firestar lost one of his nine lives as a Leader, having four left when he was revived. Luckily for Ashfur, his part in the crime remained unexposed.
Power of Three[]
In light of his failure, Ashfur went through a cool-down phase. Though he became visibly more bitter, he managed to hide the full extent of his emotions from his peers, remaining popular in ThunderClan. The relationship between him, Squirrelflight, and Brambleclaw became strained, but he pretended to tolerate them to avoid suspicion. However, this grew ever more challenging when Squirrelflight had Brambleclaw's litter: Jaykit, Hollykit and Lionkit. Due to their parentage, Ashfur naturally hated them. When their children became apprentices, Ashfur was assigned to be Lionpaw's mentor. To other ThunderClan members, Ashfur was a typical mentor to Lionpaw. However, under the façade, he was actually emotionally distant with Lionpaw, his praise often lacking enthusiasm. On at least two occasions, Ashfur allowed his hidden anger to publicly show, getting into violent fights with his apprentice during training sessions.
When Squirrelflight's three kits were given their warrior names, Ashfur was given another opportunity for revenge after so long. A thunderstorm caused a fire in ThunderClan camp, trapping the three siblings on a ledge. Wounded from a previous battle, Squirrelflight was unable to lower a branch to them. Discovering the scene with no one else around, Ashfur seized his chance. After lowering the branch at Squirrelflight's request, Ashfur suddenly blocked their only escape route, now in full control of who lived and died. Going into a long rant over his built-up feelings where he accused Squirrelflight of being faithless, Ashfur threatened to make her watch her three kits to burn alive. Lionblaze prepared to leap at Ashfur, but he ordered his former apprentice to stay put.
After Hollyleaf almost fell into the flames, Squirrelflight confessed that the three children were adopted, and pretended that she didn't care what happened to them in an effort to get Ashfur to back off. Believing it would be more painful for Squirrelflight to be hated by her children rather than to be a witness to their deaths, Ashfur allowed them to live, though he vowed to expose Squirrelflight's secret to all four Clans at the next Gathering, in hopes of getting her exiled.
Over the next few days, the four family members begged Ashfur not to tell the secret. Yet Ashfur didn't care, despite being warned that ThunderClan's reputation could be ruined after a recent war, and a whole family might be driven out. He even gave Jayfeather, a blind medicine cat, a second death threat for pestering him. With the Gathering just hours away, Hollyleaf saw no other choice but to kill Ashfur while he was out hunting alone. Even in death, however, the situation Ashfur started caused Hollyleaf to have a mental breakdown, committing her own crimes and subsequent self-exile. In a way, Ashfur was still able to succeed, as Squirrelflight was exposed at the Gathering by Hollyleaf. As a result, her mate and adopted children disowned her for years for lying to them. Meanwhile, Hollyleaf went into self-imposed exile, allowing Squirrelflight to believe her daughter had died in a cave-in.
Omen of the Stars[]
Unexpectedly, Ashfur ended up in StarClan, the holy afterlife of the Clans. When Jayfeather spotted him there through his powers, Ashfur angrily glared at his former victim before running away. When Jayfeather expressed confusion as to why Ashfur was in StarClan despite his crimes before his death, the spirit of Yellowfang claimed that Ashfur's only fault was "to love too much." Some time later, after Hollyleaf returned to ThunderClan, Jayfeather attempted to talk to Ashfur to learn the truth about his death, but was stopped by Bluestar, who insisted that he belonged in StarClan despite what he did for a reason. When StarClan went to war with their evil counterparts, the Dark Forest (Place of No Stars) cats, Ashfur apparently didn't get involved. Even when the Dark forest was leading a genocide against the living Clans and Ashfur's sister, Ferncloud, was killed, he didn't bother to show up.
Squirrelflight's Hope[]
Over three years later, when Squirrelflight and her sister Leafpool were fatally injured in a rockslide and their spirits went to StarClan, Squirrelflight spotted Ashfur among her dead Clanmates. Ashfur didn't say a word to her, greeting her only with a dip of his head. Hollyleaf, now truly dead and a resident of StarClan, explained to a confused and unforgiving Squirrelflight that Ashfur had apologized for his actions, and that she and the other StarClan cats believed he had truly changed and didn't deserve to be in the Dark Forest. Ultimately, however, Squirrelflight didn't join Ashfur in StarClan that day, as her physical body was able to wake up from its coma, reviving her.
The Broken Code[]
It was later revealed that Ashfur's redemption was none other than a ruse. In the The Broken Code arc, Ashfur left StarClan and blocked their connection to the living by blocking up the StarClan-side of the Moonpool with branches. He tricked Shadowpaw (Shadowsight), a medicine cat apprentice from ShadowClan, into believing he was receiving a sign from StarClan to bury the sick Bramblestar in snow. Bramblestar froze to death, and Ashfur was able to possess the ThunderClan leader's body and become leader of ThunderClan and Squirrelflight's mate. Squirrelflight figured out his identity as Bramblestar's impostor at the end of Veil of Shadows.
Not long after he possessed Bramblestar's body, Ashfur began changing how ThunderClan was run, and accusing various cats from ThunderClan, including Squirrelflight, and a few cats from other Clans of being codebreakers, and claimed that it was because of them that StarClan had gone silent. He demanded that they all faced some sort of punishment, except for Squirrelflight. He manipulated the young ThunderClan warrior Bristlefrost (whom he also threatened at various times) into reporting any sort of breaking of the Warrior Code to him. He doled out cruel and unusual punishments to various cats who defied him, such as banning any cat from speaking to one of the warriors, Spotfur, for a quarter moon, after she crossed the WindClan border. Lionblaze, who had also crossed the border, was exiled for the same amount of time. Ashfur also punished Sparkpelt, the daughter of Squirrelflight and Bramblestar, for not catching as much prey as usual by sending her to hunt in an abandoned house. He had smeared the blood of prey animals all over the abandoned house, attracting dogs, which nearly killed Sparkpelt. Though Squirrelflight was distressed over Sparkpelt's near-death, Ashfur showed no semblance of empathy, as he had orchestrated the dog attack for the purpose of killing Sparkpelt.
After Lionblaze returned from exile, Ashfur forced him, Jayfeather, and another warrior named Twigbranch to swear their loyalty to ThunderClan in order to "atone" for codebreaking. Lionblaze and Jayfeather were angry at being forced to atone for being born half-Clan and the kits of a medicine cat, which they had no control over, and Twigbranch was unsure how she broke the code to begin with. Ashfur also announced that the punishment for breaking the Warrior Code was temporary exile. Squirrelflight offered to atone as well, but Ashfur says she was already forgiven by StarClan.
At a Gathering, Ashfur berated the other Clans for not following along with his ideas for the punishment of codebreakers. He then forced Dovewing of ShadowClan and Tree of SkyClan into temporary exile.
Squirrelflight later revealed to ThunderClan that Ashfur was an impostor after he accused her of betraying him, so he demoted her from deputy and exiled her. In her place he appointed Berrynose as deputy, which broke the Warrior Code because Berrynose had never had an apprentice, a prerequisite for becoming deputy.
Ashfur later attacked Shadowsight and threw him into a ravine in an attempt to kill him, though it failed. While Shadowsight lay unconscious in the ravine for days, Ashfur lied to the Clans, telling them that Shadowsight ran away. The false ThunderClan leader continued to enforce punishments, including exile, upon various cats for codebreaking. He also forced the exile of Crowfeather from WindClan and Mothwing from RiverClan. The exiled cats sought refuge in ShadowClan, including Squirrelflight.
Ashfur became despondent over Squirrelflight's exile, convinced that she still loved him and would come back to ThunderClan eventually. Hearing of this, Squirrelflight faked her own death. After learning of Squirrelflight's supposed death, Ashfur became depressed, no longer grooming himself and putting on weight. He also became increasingly short-tempered, snapping at Alderheart, the medicine cat, when he refused to give Ashfur poppy seeds to dull the pain.
Ashfur continued to exile cats. The ThunderClan warriors Stemleaf and Spotfur staged a coup and attempted to kill Ashfur with the help of RiverClan warrior Dappletuft and SkyClan warrior Kitescratch, as well as the ShadowClan warrior Conefoot. They lost badly, and both Dappletuft, Conefoot and Stemleaf were killed by Ashfur. Additionally, Berrynose was exiled for not coming to help defend Ashfur fast enough. Ashfur continued to exile cats on a whim, and some left voluntarily.
Eventually, Ashfur was imprisoned in ShadowClan for his cruelty. In Darkness Within, Squirrelflight tricked Ashfur into revealing his true identity, and he became furious when he realized that he'd been tricked.
Using his ability to leave Bramblestar's body as he pleased, Ashfur somehow gained control over the spirit cats around the lake, causing them great agony. Despite Squirrelflight's deception, he still strongly desired her and was willing to "forgive" her if she became his mate. When the Clan leaders finally resolved to kill Bramblestar's body in order to prevent Ashfur from causing more harm, Ashfur manipulated Shadowsight into helping him escape from them. Ashfur then confronted Squirrelflight, and when she rejected him once again, he furiously dragged her into the Moonpool, bringing her to the Dark Forest, where he had imprisoned the souls of countless dead cats, who were all under his control, on an island guarded by Darkstripe.
Later, Ashfur killed the RiverClan medicine cat, Willowshine, and pretended to be her by puppeting her spirit. He also mind-controlled Bramblestar's spirit into attacking Squirrelflight as punishment for rejecting him, but the two were able to escape when Shadowsight distracted Ashfur. Later, Bramblestar managed to reclaim his body and escape the Dark Forest with Squirrelflight, much to Ashfur's fury and dismay. The deranged grey tom forced Rootspring, a SkyClan warrior, and Snowtuft to fight each other against their wills. However, Bristlefrost and Shadowsight managed to rescue Rootspring while Snowtuft sacrificed himself to delay Ashfur.
Deciding that if he couldn't have what he wanted (Squirrelflight), then no one else could, Ashfur began to destroy StarClan and the Dark Forest by causing a supernatural fog and deadly black water to flood their territories. In the mean time, Ashfur continued to hunt Rootspring, Shadowsight and Bristlefrost with his Dark Forest henchcats and army of mind-controlled ghosts. However, several StarClan cats and Clan cats were able to get into the Dark Forest and battle Ashfur and his minions. During the battle, Ashfur viciously attacked and mortally wounded Graystripe after the older cat relayed a message from Squirrelflight saying she could never love him because of how evil he was. Ashfur then attempted to kill Shadowsight by throwing him into the dark water that was flooding the Dark Forest, but before he could do so, Bristlefrost tackled Ashfur into the dark water, as Ashfur was being pulled down by Bristlefrost he shows fear and disbelief for the first and last time and then they both faded from existence forever.
Legacy and A Starless Clan[]
With Ashfur's permanent demise, the enslaved ghosts were freed, the fog and water destroying the Dark Forest vanished, and the barrier disconnecting StarClan from the living world disappeared. However, Ashfur's evil actions left lasting effects on the Clans, who began to question the warrior code due to Ashfur's abuse of it, as well as StarClan's guidance due to them accepting Ashfur into their ranks. Due to Bristlefrost sacrificing herself to stop Ashfur, Rootspring, who was in love with her, was left heartbroken. Shadowsight, was pyschologically broken by Bristlefrost's death and had thoughts of staying in the Dark Forest because of his actions leading to Ashfur's chaos, however Juniperclaw convinces him to go back to the Living World. However it was revealed that Shadowsight's visions came from Ashfur, meaning when Ashfur faded he no longer will have visions as they all came from Ashfur as he was connected to him and not StarClan.
Furthermore, Ashfur's actions apparently traumatized Bramblestar permanently, turning him into a bit of a pacifist and causing the ThunderClan leader to become depressed and unsure of himself and his Clanmates, who still somewhat feared him because of what Ashfur did with his body. And this trauma would make Bramblestar retire as leader, making Squirelflight the new leader of ThunderClan. And because of Ashfur's actions leading to the change of the Warrior Code, Berryheart becomes more extreme with her actions as she thinks outsiders cannot be trusted.
Physical appearance[]
In his natural form, Ashfur is a muscular tomcat with dark blue eyes, a torn ear and a short, thick pale gray coat with darker flecks.
In Bramblestar's body, he is a huge and muscular dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes, a scar across his throat and long, curved claws.
Personality[]
“ | He was always obsessed with me. Even when he was alive. All of this—taking over Bramblestar’s body, making himself leader of ThunderClan—he did it all so that he could have me for himself. I should have known...oh, I should have known right from the beginning that he wasn’t my mate! […] Ashfur tricked me, and that’s no cat’s fault but his own. He tried to murder my adopted kits when we were Clanmates, and even after moons in StarClan, he hasn’t changed at all. He’s an evil cat! | „ |
~ Squirrelflight's thoughts after Ashfur kidnapped her. |
Ashfur was once a loyal, sensible, helpful, and courageous warrior who cared deeply for his kin, friends and allies. He was devastated by the death of his mother, Brindleface, and bravely took part in the plan to avenge her, and also fought fiercely in the battle against BloodClan to help his Clanmates. Ashfur also had love and respect for his adopted brother, Cloudtail, as he was concerned when he went missing and kept the fact that he ate human food a secret to protect him from the Clan's wrath.
However, despite these commendable/sympathetic traits, Ashfur also had a form of arrogance and sense of entitlement that annoyed, frustrated and somewhat disturbed, other cats. He had a tendency to argue about and question everything, even if there was no good reason to do so, and he seemed incapable of understanding that he couldn't always get what he wanted. Despite his good relationship with Cloudtail, Ashfur had a disdain for non-Clan born cats in general, as he scoffed at BloodClan because they had collars, and was doubtful that Daisy and her kits would fit into ThunderClan.
After his love interest, Squirrelflight, refused to become his mate, Ashfur allowed the pain, anger and bitterness he felt at this rejection, as well as his arrogance and sense of entitlement, to consume and change him entirely. He became spiteful, determined, obsessive, bitter, lonely, short-tempered, cruel, vindictive, evil and crazy. His feelings towards Squirrelflight seem very complicated. He is affectionate and protective of her while also trying to hurt her. Sometimes he is very bitter towards Squirrelflight. At other times he used to be quite respectful towards her. This is evidenced when he dips his head when he sees her in StarClan. But he never listens to her when she rejects his affections.
In The Broken Code, Ashfur leaves StarClan and pretends to help Shadowpaw by manipulating him to kill his grand-uncle, Bramblestar, so Ashfur can steal his rival's body and usurp him as leader of ThunderClan and Squirrelflight's mate. This shows that Ashfur is skilled at manipulating other cats into doing his bidding and is just a vindictive as ever. He is also shown to resent Alderheart and Sparkpelt due to the fact that they are Squirrelflight's kits with Bramblestar. Ashfur is also unwilling to take responsibility for his actions as shown when Squirrelflight feigned feelings for him in order to get him to reveal his true identity as her mate's doppelgänger, he is furious and blames Squrreilflight when he discovers that she had tricked him. He subsequently threatens to destroy Squirrelflight's ancestors and descendants as punishment for her deception.
However, Ashfur later deludes himself into believing that Squirrelflight was forced to deceive him, and continues to desire her but also deluded himself he wasn't cruel because of Squirelflight forcing him to do these actions. While imprisoned by ShadowClan, Ashfur regularly and smugly mocks and belittles other cats. He also admitted to Shadowsight that he doesn't feel guilty for the things he does, making him remorseless for his atrocities. After escaping ShadowClan, he practically begs her to be his mate, but when she rejects him yet again, he angrily drags her into the Place of No Stars, to force her to be his mate. After Squirrelflight still refuses to submit, Ashfur mind-controls her real mate, Bramblestar, into attacking her as "punishment." When Squirrelflight manages to escape with the real Bramblestar, Ashfur is more furious and dismayed than ever, and resolves to destroy everything and everyone in order to hurt Squirrelflight and Bramblestar.
Ashfur is shown to be sadistic, as he takes a disturbing amount of pleasure in tormenting Shadowsight, turning the Clans against each other, watching Twigbranch begging to not be exiled while prostrated in the mud in front of him, torturing his enslaved ghosts, and forcing Rootspring and Snowtuft to fight each other. Most notably, when Ashfur and his allies confront the Light in the Mists, Ashfur outright admits that he will enjoy making Squirrelflight suffer for rejecting him. Ashfur is also really wrathful, constantly being in rage, slashing Graystripe's face when he was called out for his leadership, and how he goes through periods of losing suroundings because of his anger.
Like many of the Warriors villains, Ashfur is a hypocrite, as he often talks about the warrior code and punishing those who break it, but he bends, twists and breaks it many times himself while impersonating Bramblestar. In fact, Ashfur seems to consider himself above the warrior code. In his final moments, Ashfur shows fear for the first time, his arrogance fading away in the face of his demise.
Powers and Abilities[]
Combat skills: Ashfur is a formidable fighter. When he was alive, he was regarded as one of ThunderClan's strongest and best-skilled warriors. Under his mentorship, Lionblaze became one of the most powerful fighters the Clans had ever seen. Notable examples of Ashfur's fighting skills are him always besting Lionblaze, no matter how strong he became, overpowering the WindClan warrior Weaselfur with ease, and temporarily holding his ground against a full-grown badger.
Even after spending several years in StarClan, Ashfur's fighting skills did not rust. While possessing Bramblestar's body, he was able to survive being ambushed by five adult warrior cats with only minor injuries, killing two of his attempted assailants, and later soundly defeated Bramblestar's nephew, Tigerstar (Tigerheart), an extremely skilled fighter who similarly survived a battle with three adult cats, on two separate occasions. He also defeated Squirrelflight and Rootspring at the same time, though far from easily.
Spirit powers: As a StarClan spirit cat, Ashfur possesses untold mystical powers. He can possess another cat's corpse, travel between worlds, speak to others telepathetically, and mind-control multiple other spirit cats at the same time into obeying his every command. He was also seen to negate their pain as shown with when he controlled Bramblestar to attack Squirrelflight.
Intelligence and guile: Ashfur is highly intelligent, and very skilled at manipulation and persuasion. He is particularly adept at taking advantage of the inexperience of younger cats, such as tricking his own apprentice Birchpaw into giving Firestar a fake message, appealing to the medicine cat apprentice Shadowsight to use an unusual method to kill Bramblestar in order to steal the latter's body, and molding the young warrior Bristlefrost into his "eyes and ears" in ThunderClan. However, the greatest example of Ashfur's manipulation skills is him deceiving StarClan, who are considered all-knowing, into believing he had repented from his crimes.
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Thistleclaw (grandfather)
- Fuzzypelt (grandfather)
- Snowfur (grandmother)
- Robinwing (grandmother)
- Whitestorm (father)
- Brindleface (mother)
- Ferncloud (sister)
- Sorreltail (half-sister)
- Tulipkit (brother)
- Elderkit (brother)
- Rainwhisker (half-brother)
- Sootfur (half-brother)
- Cloudtail (adoptive brother)
Allies[]
- Hawkfrost (temporarily; betrayed)
- Shadowsight (as a StarClan spirit and Bramblestar's imposter)
- Bristlefrost (temporarily as Bramblestar's imposter)
- The Dark Forest (majority of)
- His ghosts (only under his possession)
- Darktail
Enemies[]
- Squirrelflight (archenemy)
- Bramblestar (archrival)
- Firestar
- Lionblaze
- Jayfeather
- Hollyleaf (killer)
- The rebels (as Bramblestar's imposter)
- Shadowsight
- Rootspring
- Bristlefrost (killer)
Quotes[]
“ | Fernpaw: Fireheart, we want to help. Fireheart: I said warriors. Ashpaw: But Brindleface was our mother. Please, Fireheart. We want to do it for her. |
„ |
~ Fernpaw and Ashpaw wanting to lure the dogs |
“ | Ashfur: I think Dustpelt should be made deputy. There are some cats who think it would be better if he'd been named deputy in the first place, Graystripe. Graystripe: Who are these cats, Ashfur, who are questioning Firestar's judgement? Ashfur: If Firestar wanted us to respect his judgement, he should have stayed here. And I still think you should make Dustpelt your deputy. Then we might have a bit of order around here. Cinderpelt: Order? Ashfur, the only disorder I see around here is you three questioning the decisions of your leader. |
„ |
~ Ashfur, Cinderpelt, and Graystripe |
“ | Squirrelflight: Look, Ashfur. I really care about you as a friend, but I don't want any more than that. Ashfur: But I love you! We'd be great together, Squirrelflight, I know we would. Squirrelflight: I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you, but Brambleclaw—well, I think StarClan has destined us to be together. Ashfur: I don't know how you can say that! You said yourself that it's impossible to trust a cat with Brambleclaw's heritage. He's a great cat, I know, but he is still Tigerstar's son. Squirrelflight: I'll judge Brambleclaw by his own actions not by something that other cats did long before I was born. Ashfur: I'm only thinking of you, Squirrelflight. I can remember Tigerstar. His paws were red with the blood of innocent cats. You know that he murdered my mother to lure a pack of dogs to our camp? |
„ |
~ Squirrelflight telling Ashfur she doesn't love him |
“ | Well, I can! Doesn't any cat think it's odd that Squirrelflight is Brambleclaw's mate, and our medicine cat is Squirrelflight's sister? It's very convenient that she had a sign about Brambleclaw just now, isn't it? | „ |
~ Ashfur accusing Leafpool of lying |
“ | Ashfur: Leafpool! It's Firestar...he's caught in a fox trap. Squirrelflight: Where? Why didn't you get him out? Ashfur: Because he's...Brambleclaw is there too. And Hawkfrost is with him—a RiverClan cat on our territory. I couldn't take on both of them at once. I had to come for help. That way. Hurry! |
„ |
~ Ashfur lying to the Clan |
“ | Ashfur: Was that the best you could do? Lionpaw: It's not my fault you taught me all the wrong moves! Ashfur: Do you think anyone would believe I taught you that clumsy display? Lionpaw: Well, if you had it would be the first thing you've taught me today! |
„ |
~ Ashfur and Lionpaw arguing |
“ | Lionpaw: I can do that. Can I try it? Ashfur: It's advanced stuff. There's no point in trying before you're ready. Lionpaw: I am ready. Ashfur: Don't say I didn't warn you. […] Go on, then, show me. Lionpaw: See? Now will you be a bit tougher on me? Ashfur: You want tough? Be careful what you wish for, Lionpaw. Lionpaw: I can cope with anything. |
„ |
~ Ashfur and Lionpaw before their "training" |
“ | She could still see in her mind the blaze of rage in Ashfur's eyes, as if he'd forgotten he was fighting his own apprentice. | „ |
~ Hollypaw recalling Ashfur and Lionpaw's "training" session |
“ | Squirrelflight: Your quarrel with Brambleclaw has to stop. Too many moons have passed. You have to accept that I'm Brambleclaw's mate, not yours. You can't keep trying to punish Brambleclaw for something that was always meant to be. Ashfur: I have no quarrel with Brambleclaw. […] I couldn't care less about Brambleclaw. It's not his fault he fell for a faithless she-cat. I know you think I've never forgiven Brambleclaw for stealing you from me, but you're wrong, and so is every cat that thinks so. My quarrel is with you, Squirrelflight. It always has been. Squirrelflight: All this was moons ago. Ashfur, I had no idea you were still upset. Ashfur: Upset? I'm not upset. You have no idea how much pain I'm in. It's like being cut open every day, bleeding onto the stones. I can't understand how any of you failed to see the blood... […] Stay there! I can't believe you didn't know how much you hurt me. You are the blind one, not Jayfeather. Who do you think sent Firestar the message to go down to the lake, where the fox trap was? I wanted him to die, to take your father away so you'd know the real meaning of pain. […] Brambleclaw saved Firestar then. But he's not here now. He's not here—but your kits are. Squirrelflight: Enough, Ashfur. Your quarrel is with me. These young cats have done nothing to hurt you. Do what you like with me, but let them out of the fire. Ashfur: You don't understand. This is the only way to make you feel the same pain that you caused me. You tore my heart out when you chose Brambleclaw over me. Anything I did to you would never hurt as much. But your kits...If you watch them die, then you'll know the pain I felt. Squirrelflight: Kill them, then. You won't hurt me that way. If you really want to hurt me, you'll have to find a better way than that. They are not my kits. |
„ |
~ Squirrelflight and Ashfur during the fire |
“ | Lionblaze: I heard you ask Firestar to go to the next Gathering. I know what you're going to do there. Ashfur: So? Lionblaze: I'm asking you not to. Not for our sake, but for the sake of ThunderClan. You hold its fate in your paws. Ashfur: Spare me the appeal to my Clan loyalty. I've already had Squirrelflight mewling to me about that. I told her, and I'm telling you now—there's nothing that any cat can do to stop me. Lionblaze: I can beat you in a fight if I have to. Ashfur: You can try. The noble Lionblaze? Attacking a fellow warrior? No, you would never risk your place in ThunderClan by doing that. […] You're bound by the warrior code, just like all of us. Lionblaze: And the warrior code lets you destroy our Clan? […] Maybe I'm not as bound by the warrior code as you think... |
„ |
~ Ashfur and Lionblaze mocking each other |
“ | I don't have to listen to any cat, let alone a scrawny excuse for a medicine cat. Besides, I already know what you're going to say. You're going to beg me not to say anything at the next Gathering. Well, you can save your breath. I'll say what I want. That lying she-cat will be driven out of ThunderClan for good, and no other Clan will want her, either. | „ |
~ Ashfur not caring about the effects of revealing the truth about the Three's true heritage |
“ | Ashfur: If you're trying to scare me, it's not working. Hollyleaf: And you don't scare me, either. Nothing scares me more than the thought that you're not afraid of what will happen after you've spoken out. Ashfur: I'll purr over what will happen after I've revealed the truth. |
„ |
~ Ashfur and Hollyleaf threatening each other |
“ | Jayfeather: Ashfur! He's here? Yellowfang: Why not? His only fault was to love too much. Jayfeather: Hardly. He tried to push us off the cliff! Yellowfang: But he didn't. Squirrelflight stopped him. And maybe her only fault is that she loved too much, as well. |
„ |
~ Yellowfang explaining why Ashfur is in StarClan |
“ | Now great events are coming, and the Clans will experience far-reaching changes. And you, young apprentice—you will have an important part to play. | „ |
~ Ashfur about Shadowpaw |
“ | Ashfur: The codebreakers are still among you... Shadowpaw: StarClan, you must be wrong this time! The cats you showed me last time are good cats. My mother is one of the strongest and most heroic cats in all the Clans. Ashfur: StarClan is never wrong, and you know it, Shadowpaw. The Clans have a code for a reason. It's supposed to be followed. Or do you not believe in the code yourself? Some medicine cat you are! […] Fine. Don't listen to the messages at the Moonpool. Let the codebreakers live among you, until no cat respects the rules. See what happens then. Shadowpaw: But what if cats aren't setting out to break the code? Or what if they've stopped? Surely StarClan won't punish them too severely. They won't, will they? They can't! Ashfur: The code must always be respected. The ways of the Clans cannot be scattered to the wind. Soon, Shadowpaw, you will see the consequences that will befall the Clans if cats ignore the code. Bramblestar will get sick, and it will seem nothing can cure him. Shadowpaw: Bramblestar! No! He's a great leader. He never did anything wrong. Ashfur: Oh, of course not. The wonderful, respected leader of ThunderClan! However, the trouble coming to the Clans will fall on him first. Shadowpaw: Isn't there anything we can do? Ashfur: Yes, there is a way, listen carefully, and I'll tell you what you must do...[…] Are you a strong cat? Are you ready to carry out my instructions? Shadowpaw: Yes, I will. Ashfur: Then go, and remember—the future of the Clans rests on your shoulders. |
„ |
~ Ashfur to Shadowpaw |
“ | It's good to see you haven't lost your fire, Squirrelflight, it reminds me of the old days. You used to stand up to me then too. | „ |
~ Ashfur to Squirrelflight |
“ | Ashfur: Elders must wait for their prey. Blossomfall: Why should the elders wait? The code says that queens and elders must eat before warriors, as a show of respect. Ashfur: Before warriors, maybe. But it says nothing about leaders. Lionblaze: Are you saying that you should eat before elders and queens? Ashfur: Not just me, the deputy too. Squirrelflight: Bramblestar. I don't— Ashfur: What good is it to give the best prey to our weakest Clanmates? If we're under attack, will our elders protect the Clan? They will be the ones who need help, and who will help them? Warriors. And who will lead them against whatever hardship or enemy we might face? Bristlefrost: You will lead us through any hardship, Bramblestar. Ashfur: Precisely! Squirrelflight and I must be stronger than you all because we are the ones who will guide you through whatever hardship might face us. So, we should eat first. Lionblaze: But we've always shown respect to the elders and queens. Ashfur: There are other ways to show respect. Would you break the code by defying me? Lionblaze: Aren't you breaking the code by eating before elders? Ashfur: I am your leader. I decide what the code is. |
„ |
~ Ashfur to ThunderClan |
“ | Tigerstar: You have no right to decide the fate of cats from other Clans. Ashfur: And you have no right to defend codebreakers when one of them is your mate! Tigerstar: Your mate is a codebreaker too! Ashfur: I will deal with her myself, and I'll deal with the other codebreakers in my Clan as harshly as I expect you to deal with yours. Lionblaze, Jayfeather, Twigbranch, they will all atone. |
„ |
~ Ashfur arguing with Tigerstar |
“ | Ashfur: Am I the only cat trying to do as StarClan wishes? Mistystar: We all want to do as StarClan wishes. Harestar: You can't just bully every cat into agreeing with you. Ashfur: I was the last one of us to see StarClan, I lost a life, don't forget. I speak for StarClan more than any cat here. |
„ |
~ Ashfur with Mistystar and Harestar |
“ | I speak for StarClan! It's our ancestors who want the codebreakers punished. And the fact that you're trying to stop me shows you're a codebreaker! | „ |
~ Ashfur yelling at Tree |
“ | The Clans have shown already that they don't trust your loyalty. What will they think if you refuse to help them now? There might be unpleasant consequences, don't you think? Not just for you, but for your kin. | „ |
~ Ashfur threatening Tree |
“ | Your sister was a liar, and she made a liar out of you! | „ |
~ Ashfur to Squirrelflight about Leafpool |
“ | Ashfur: You were weak. You still are. Did you think about your weakness while you were at the horseplace. Did you atone for it? Squirrelflight: I atoned for everything! Ashfur: I gave you one last chance to tell the truth and you didn't! There's a codebreaker among us! And it pains me to punish her—but if we ever hope to hear from StarClan again, I must. My own deputy. My mate! You don't belong in ThunderClan anymore. You don't deserve a place here. Graystripe: She's Firestar's daughter. You can't exile her. Thornclaw: What has she done? Ashfur: She's a liar. She pretended to atone, but she wasn't trying to make her peace with StarClan. She was breaking the code again! Where did you go when you left ThunderClan? […] You're lying! I know because I sent a Clanmate to follow you. I sent a loyal warrior to see where you went. Bumblestripe: Squirrelflight didn't go to the horseplace, she went to SkyClan. Thornclaw: SkyClan? Why did she go there? Bumblestripe: She went to persuade SkyClan to rise up against ThunderClan. Berrynose: Traitor! Sparkpelt: Is it true? Squirrelflight: I'll leave, but there's something you must know. My mate would never behave like this. You must know in your hearts that this cat, has none of the courage, honor, and honesty of the real Bramblestar. This Bramblestar is an impostor. |
„ |
~ Ashfur exiling Squirrelflight |
“ | I'm glad you see it that way. In fact, you seem to understand me more than any cat in the Clan. I appreciate your loyalty. You deserve more responsibility. I wish I could have made you deputy; it's a shame you're far too young. But I trust you, and I hope you realize that I rely on you to keep me informed about the Clan. You're so observant and you take your warrior duties very seriously. Now that Squirrelflight has left, I value you as a confidante more than ever. | „ |
~ Ashfur praising Bristlefrost |
“ | Lionblaze: I haven't broken the code. Ashfur: Maybe not. But you and Jayfeather are half-Clan cats. The result of codebreaking. And while you live in ThunderClan, your very existence displeases StarClan. Jayfeather: What? How am I to blame for the way I was born? I wasn't around to be given a choice! We all know that my mother, Leafpool, who deceived the Clan about our birth, is in StarClan now. If my so-called codebreaking existence bothers StarClan so much, why did they forgive the cat who was actually responsible? Ashfur: StarClan works in mysterious ways. I know very well that they don't always explain themselves clearly. Jayfeather: I know more about StarClan than you ever will! And I know that you're lying. You're not even— Bristlefrost: I don't always understand StarClan's meaning. They can be confusing sometimes. […] Ashfur: I'm just repeating what the young medicine cat told all of us. However it happened, you and your brother are half-Clan, which means you are codebreakers. […] Alderheart: How can it be StarClan's wish for cats to be punished for their parents' mistakes? If that's true, is any cat innocent? Ashfur: Enough! These are the codebreakers who StarClan chose to show Shadowsight in his vision. I'm aware—very aware—that others in the Clan have broken the code, but first we must expel the cats StarClan has pointed out. As for you, Alderheart, make sure you don't show disloyalty to your leader or try to get in the way of StarClan's wishes. Leave now, and don't look back. The rest of you, turn away from them. Jayfeather: You may think all of ThunderClan is taken in by your performance. But it's not true, and you'll find that out very soon. |
„ |
~ Ashfur exiling Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Twigbranch |
“ | Ashfur: Ungrateful cats! They need discipline. They need to be taught not to steal, not to question their leader, not to trespass...wouldn't you agree, Shadowsight? That's right...I can see you. I knew you were trespassing in our territory the minute you appeared in the camp. Shadowsight: But how? Ashfur: Maybe it's because I've been to StarClan and come back more powerful than you can imagine. Maybe it's because I have a connection to those I've killed. Or maybe, it's because spirits can always recognize other spirits. Shadowsight: What have you done to Bramblestar? Ashfur: All I did was take advantage of an opportunity. You would think Bramblestar would be grateful. I'm living his life so much better than he ever could. But all he could do was moan about wanting his body back. Shadowsight: Do you mean you've seen Bramblestar? Have you spoken to him? Ashfur: I don't want to give myself away by letting the Clan cats know I can speak to the dead. So I just ignore Bramblestar and all his bitter muttering. Well, I used to. Before Bramblestar... Shadowsight: What did you do to him? Where is Bramblestar? Ashfur: You shouldn't ask what became of Bramblestar. Not unless you want the same thing to happen to you. That cat won't ruin my plans again...and neither will you. Shadowsight: You can't just take over his life. There's only one Bramblestar! Ashfur: You're right. And it's me. If Bramblestar wants his body back, he'll have to fight me for it. […] I knew you weren't faithful enough as a medicine cat to pass on the codebreaker vision properly. You are a codebreaker, just like the rest! Shadowsight: It was you! You're the voice I heard at the Moonpool, telling me about the codebreakers! It was never StarClan that spoke to me—it was you. And you've been possessing Bramblestar ever since the night he died on that hill. You stole Bramblestar's body. You deceived me and tried to kill me. Is there no end to your evil? How did you do all this? If you're a spirit—like me—and you know the Clans...then you should be in StarClan. Or the Dark Forest. Ashfur: There are ways to move between those worlds, if one is clever enough. Shadowsight: What's happened to the real Bramblestar's spirit? Have you destroyed it altogether? |
„ |
~ Ashfur and Shadowsight in the ghost world |
“ | Alderheart: In all the times I have shared dreams with StarClan, our warrior ancestors have never asked any cat to serve a leader without question. Sometimes it's right to question! How much more devastation would Darktail have caused if none of his followers had questioned him? Ashfur: The code says you will obey your leader! But since you've made it clear you can't do that, you can leave too. ThunderClan has no use for a faithless medicine cat! Alderheart: What about a faithless leader? Ashfur: Get out! |
„ |
~ Alderheart standing up to Ashfur |
“ | Ashfur: A cat who respects the code must always obey her leader. She must never question him— Sparkpelt: The warrior code was given to us by StarClan, but now StarClan has disappeared! And how do you ever expect to connect to them again if you've exiled all the medicine cats? Ashfur: It's because of cats like you that StarClan has abandoned us! Cats who did not trust their leaders! But not anymore. Sparkpelt, you are no longer a ThunderClan cat. You are exiled! Graystripe: A good warrior doesn't follow their leader off a cliff. A good leader doesn't expect blind loyalty. Firestar certainly never led like that. And neither did you, Bramblestar—not before you lost a life. Only a weak leader demands obedience at any cost. […] Bramblestar would never have hurt his own warrior. I don't know who you are...but you're not our leader! Ashfur: If you believe that, then you can leave with Sparkpelt. And so can any other cat who doesn't understand loyalty. |
„ |
~ Ashfur's mass exile of cats |
“ | It's been so easy, turning the Clans against one another as they scramble to obey me and rid themselves of the codebreakers. All I had to do was visit that little mouse-brain and give him visions. Telling him how to treat Bramblestar's sickness. He was so eager to believe that he was StarClan's chosen one. He really believed he could cure Bramblestar by letting him freeze to death on the moor. | „ |
~ Ashfur revealing himself to Squirrelflight |
“ | You betrayed me! You think you've won, but you don't know how powerful I am! You're all going to suffer! And not just you. Your descendants will pay for what you've done to me. And your ancestors! The Clans are going to get a taste of real justice, the kind they've avoided for far too long! | „ |
~ Ashfur after he is exposed |
“ | You were young and impressionable, and you could already share with StarClan. It helped that you were Tigerstar's son. Anyone who questioned you would have had to answer to him. And Tigerstar is so stubborn and loyal, he'd defend you no matter how crazy your visions sounded. | „ |
~ Ashfur to Shadowsight |
“ | She couldn't help what happened last time. The other leaders must have forced her into betraying me like that. They were listening to every word she said. If she hadn't betrayed me, they'd have made her a prisoner too. | „ |
~ Ashfur as Shadowsight is treating his wounds |
“ | I won't be thwarted. You saved my life, and because of that, you have ensured my success. Because once I'm back to full health, I'll be able to bend any cat to my will...Just ask that skinny black cat with the yellow eyes. | „ |
~ Ashfur taunting Shadowsight |
“ | Ashfur: What about Squirrelflight? Shadowsight: No cat's mentioned her. Ashfur: Do you think she'll visit me again? Shadowsight: I'm surprised you want to see her again. Ashfur: She couldn't help what happened last time. The other leaders must have forced her into betraying me like that. They were listening to every word she said. If she hadn't betrayed me, they'd have made her a prisoner too. Shadowsight: I don't think Squirrelflight will visit you again. Ashfur: If she could, we could talk things out. We might be able to come to an agreement. Shadowsight: Like what? Ashfur: If she agreed to leave with me, I wouldn't bother the Clans anymore. Then no cat would have to suffer. Shadowsight: What if Squirrelflight doesn't want to leave with you? Ashfur: She must. She's a warrior. She'll do anything for her Clan. |
„ |
~ Ashfur talking about Squirrelflight as Shadowsight is treating his wounds |
“ | Shadowsight: Why do you enjoy making other cats miserable? Ashfur: We're more alike than you think. Shadowsight: No, we're not! Ashfur: I'm a warrior who's not a warrior, and you're a medicine cat who's not a medicine cat. Shadowsight: You mean you were a warrior. You've been dead a long time! Ashfur: I don't feel dead, thanks to this body! |
„ |
~ Ashfur patronizing Shadowsight |
“ | Ashfur: You could have been a talented healer. My wounds improved so quickly. It's a shame the Clans will never trust you again. Shadowsight: Whose fault is that? Ashfur: I just wanted to live. I didn't think about what it would mean for you. I'm sorry you can't be a medicine cat now. But you'll always have a place in ShadowClan as long as you have Tigerstar to protect you. Shadowsight: I'll go tell Puddleshine that you're healing well. Ashfur: Come back soon. You're the only cat I can talk to. |
„ |
~ Ashfur prying onto Shadowsight's insecurities |
“ | Lionblaze: You're a coward! You tried to kill me and my littermates when we were too young to defend ourselves, and now you're murdering Bramblestar. You can't even fight fairly. Ashfur: You'll never get Bramblestar back. He's gone for good. Lionblaze: Give him back his body, you murderer! Ashfur: I didn't murder him alone. Lionblaze: Get out of Bramblestar's body! |
„ |
~ Lionblaze confronting Ashfur |
“ | Thanks. You saved my life. You can see what will happen. They're going to kill me. If I die, you'll never get Bramblestar back, and you'll never share with your precious StarClan again. You have to get me out of here. | „ |
~ Ashfur to Shadowsight |
“ | Ashfur: I told you. They're going to kill me. Shadowsight: He just lost control that's all. Ashfur: If Tigerstar can't control himself, how can he control his Clan? If your father doesn't kill me, some other cat will...and you'll never get Bramblestar back. But we both know that killing this body won't make a difference. I can't be stopped, no matter whether this body lives or dies. Only you can keep Bramblestar alive now. |
„ |
~ Ashfur to Shadowsight after Tigerstar attacks him |
“ | Ashfur: I'm giving you one last chance. Squirrelflight: Stay away from me. Ashfur: Don't you realize how I feel about you? Squirrelflight: I don't care how you feel about me! I want Bramblestar back. Ashfur: He's not coming back. I've made sure of that. I'm the only cat who loves you now. And I'm willing to forgive you for betraying me and making me a prisoner. I can make you happier than you ever imagined. Squirrelflight: Do you think I could ever be with the cat who killed my mate? Ashfur: I've loved you through death. Doesn't that mean anything? I came back from StarClan to be with you. Bramblestar could never do that. No cat could. Don't you think you could learn to love me now that he's gone? Squirrelflight: You killed him and stole his body! You lied to every cat and tore ThunderClan apart. I made my choice moons ago, and you've proven over and over again that it was the right one. I could never love you! Ashfur: I'll make you wish you never made that choice. |
„ |
~ Ashfur and Squirrelflight's confrontation |
“ | Warriors are like rats! No matter how many I kill, there's always another waiting to steal from me! | „ |
~ Ashfur before trying to kill Rootspring |
“ | Squirrelflight: I'm not going along with any of this. Ashfur: Don't be mouse-brained. It will all be worth it when I control the forest and StarClan. We can be together, and I'll forgive you for betraying me to the Clans. Squirrelflight: Never! Ashfur: But you must see that I'm the better choice. Right now, with all the power I have over the Dark Forest and StarClan, I may be the most powerful cat who ever lived! Squirrelflight: Powerful? The sort of power you had in ThunderClan, where you turned cats against you and provoked a battle where so many of them died? That's not a power I want any part of. Power is inspiring cats to want to follow you—like Bramblestar did. Ashfur: Bramblestar is lost and defeated. He couldn't even find his way back to his body to reclaim his next life. Squirrelflight: Oh, shut up! I'm not listening to your rambling anymore. I'm going to find a way back through the Moonpool—alone, if I have to. Ashfur: After all this, why would you still choose Bramblestar over me? Squirrelflight: Don't you understand, fur-for-brains? This isn't about Bramblestar—although I do choose my own mate, thank you. You could be the only cat left in the world, and I still wouldn't choose you, not after everything you've done. […] Are you ready to fight me? Because that's what you'll have to do, if you want to stop me. Ashfur: No, I don't want to harm you. I still love you. Why are you forcing me to do this? If you would just admit that you love me, I could stop. Squirrelflight: I'm not forcing you to do anything, you stupid mange-pelt. I'm not taking the blame for all the evil things you've done. |
„ |
~ Squirrelflight and Ashfur within the Dark Forest |
“ | Take a good look. This is how powerful I am. All these cats were once strong warriors, and now they do my bidding. They are my paws, and I'll use them to crush the Clans, in your name, Squirrelflight. | „ |
~ Ashfur to Squirrelflight about his army of spirits |
“ | I'm not cruel. [Squirrelflight] drove me to this. I only wanted the Clans to see what hypocrites they are. | „ |
~ Ashfur's thoughts about Squirrelflight |
“ | Ashfur: Do you really think you can hurt me? Rootspring: I'd like to try! You've tried to destroy the Clans I love. Ashfur: They shouldn't have gotten in my way. Rootspring: What do you think you'll win by destroying us? You can never live again. Ashfur: Is that so? I thought I already had. Through Bramblestar. Rootspring: And how did that work out for you? Ashfur: Why are you all so full of yourselves? ThunderClan was just the same when I was alive. So smug. Just like you are now. You all think you're so loyal, but when Squirrelflight dumped me for Bramblestar, none of my Clanmates stood by me. Not one. But I showed them. I ruled them all. They did whatever I told them to do. They exiled their Clanmates and fought each other, just to please me. And yet Squirrelflight still didn't appreciate how powerful I was. She acted like I was an ordinary warrior. She dismissed me like I was an apprentice. But I didn't give up. I brought her here. I thought we could be mates at last. I thought we could rule the Dark Forest together. Rootspring: Why would a living warrior want to live in the Dark Forest? Ashfur: To be with me, of course. But she only wanted Bramblestar. Rootspring: Of course she wanted Bramblestar! Bramblestar's her mate, and you're just a dead warrior who's done nothing but hurt every cat. She doesn't owe you anything—and the more you try to destroy the Clans, the more she'll hate you. Ashfur: I'm going to destroy more than the Clans. I'm going to destroy the Dark Forest and StarClan along with it. StarClan can't survive without the Dark Forest. This place is no more than a miserable reflection of StarClan, and as it vanishes, so will StarClan. I bet it's already started. The fog will be swallowing up their precious hunting grounds. They have so much territory, they probably haven't even noticed yet—but, when they do, they won't be able to stop it. Once this place is gone, StarClan won't be far behind. It won't be long until they've all disappeared. Once the Dark Forest is gone, I'll be free to return to the lake. I'll make Squirrelflight suffer. She'll pay for betraying me, along with every cat she's ever cared about. Eventually she'll beg me to stop and become my mate. I wonder how many cats will have to suffer before she— |
„ |
~ Ashfur to Rootspring while in the Dark Forest |
“ | Firestar: Don't you feel any remorse for what you've put the Clans through? Ashfur: Remorse? What for? Firestar: We've forgiven you so many times. StarClan gave you a place among us. A chance to change. And you've repaid our kindness by trying to destroy us. By trying to destroy everything. Ashfur: It's not my fault if StarClan is full of fools. Why should I feel bad if you forgave me? I never forgave you. I've never forgiven anyone. I'm not weak. I never forgave Bramblestar for taking what was mine. And I'll never forgive Squirrelflight for rejecting me over and over again. I gave her love and she betrayed me. As though my love was worthless. I'm going to make her suffer more than any other cat. And I'm going to enjoy it. |
„ |
~ Firestar confronting Ashfur in the Dark Forest |
“ | Ashfur: I see that your time in StarClan has not dented your confidence. You and Bramblestar are so alike. You both think you're the greatest warriors who ever walked the forest. Your arrogance makes my pelt crawl. It's about time the Clans saw how weak you really are. And when I'm done with you, I'm going to find Squirrelflight and I'm going to— Graystripe: Stop babbling. You've lost, can't you see that? Ashfur: Have I? Don't you realize that StarClan isn't special? The only difference between you and them is that you're alive and they're dead. They're just a bunch of corpses who can't bear to give up control. They don't care what happens to you. They just like telling you what to do so you serve them instead of yourselves. What did following your dead ancestors ever bring you but trouble? They invent problems and then ask you to risk your lives solving them. If you ignored them, you'd be living happily in peace now instead of fighting. You could all live in peace if you ignored StarClan. They're just keeping you busy so you don't realize what's good for you. You'd be better off without them. Violetshine: It's hard to believe we ever thought you cared about the warrior code. Ashfur: The trouble is that you'll believe anything. That's why you're here now, fighting another cat's battle. Help me destroy StarClan. You can free yourself from their dumb schemes and live as you want to. You can rule the forests without owing anything to any cat. |
„ |
~ Ashfur trying to convince the living cats to join him |
“ | Graystripe: I've got a message from Squirrelflight. Ashfur: What is it? Graystripe: She wants you to know that she cared about you once. She considered you more than a Clanmate...She kept on caring about you—even loved you—as a friend until she discovered you were willing to kill the cats you believed to be her kits. That was when she realized she could never, ever have loved you. And that your love was rotten. It wasn't even love. You just wanted to possess her. She wants you to know that, whatever way the battle went today, it would always have been Bramblestar she chose. She wants you to think about why she'd always choose him. She wants you to finally understand why Bramblestar is and always will be the cat she truly loves. Ashfur: But I came back from the dead for her. Graystripe: You should have stayed dead, because Squirrelflight will never love you. She loves Bramblestar, and ThunderClan, and nothing you can do will— |
„ |
~ Graystripe relaying an important message from Squirrelflight to Ashfur |
“ | Shadowsight: Of course I belong in the Clans! My father is Tigerstar. I'm ShadowClan to my bones. I've risked my life to help them. Ashfur: ShadowClan? Your mother is from ThunderClan. You're a half-Clan cat. And you've been weird since you were a kit. If your father wasn't their leader, do you think your Clan would accept you? You have visions but you don't even know who sends them. You can't fight. You helped me escape. You killed the leader of ThunderClan. Do you think your precious patrol didn't see you back there in the battle? Do you think they didn't notice you hiding in a tree while they were risking their lives? Do you think they don't mind having to rescue you over and over again? You're no help to them. You're a liability. Shadowsight: You won't ever convince me again that I don't belong in the Clans. Or that no cat cares about me. They do. I have kin. I have Clanmates. I have friends. I know where I belong. […] Ashfur: We'll see about that. |
„ |
~ Ashfur trying to manipulate Shadowsight one last time; his final words |
Trivia[]
- Ashfur is regarded, both in-universe and out, as one of the best, most interesting, frightening, dangerous, and evil Warriors villains due to his cruel, vicious, vengeful nature, his skill as a manipulator, his strength as a fighter, his powers as a spirit, and the fact that his villainy is driven by an extremely petty reason; Squirrelflight's refusal to be his mate.
- Ashfur's return in The Broken Code was hinted at even before the release of its first book by author Kate Cury, who stated that the arc would feature the return of a "controversial character." This character was undoubtedly Ashfur, since his turn to villainy and acceptance into StarClan were among the most controversial aspects of the Warriors franchise.
- Ashfur is the first StarClan villain.
- Despite leaving StarClan, Ashfur still has sparkles in his fur—a trait of StarClan cats—while in the Place of No Stars.
- Ashfur is the first character in the Warriors series known to have possessed another cat.
- Ashfur has often been compared to Claude Frollo, the main antagonist of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The book and film versions of Frollo do in fact have several similarities with Ashfur:
- Ashfur and the book version of Frollo are both Fallen Heroes who were once caring and compassionate, albeit slightly arrogant and pompous, individuals who went insane and turned evil as a result of falling in love with someone who rejected them (Squirrelflight for Ashfur, Esmerelda for Frollo).
- Ashfur and the film version of Frollo are both deluded hypocrites who try to kill some of their victims with fire and refuse to take any responsibility for their own actions, instead blaming their victims. In fact, Frollo's song, Hellfire, has often been used in fanworks for Ashfur.
- Kate, an author of Warriors, stated dislike towards Ashfur because of it being hard to respect him.
Gallery[]
External Links[]
- Ashfur on the Warriors Wiki