| “ | They are not kits, Nightpelt. Not anymore. They're apprentices-loyal to ShadowClan-and they're glad to fight! ShadowClan's cats are more powerful. More powerful than the other Clans! Our apprentices are ready to fight when other kits are still useless balls of fluff in the nursery.
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„ |
| ~ Clawface to his brother Nightpelt about training apprentices younger than six moons. |
| “ | Since when do you tell me what to do? Since when do you do anything? Huh? You and your pathetic elders do nothing but drag the Clan down. You're only allowed on ShadowClan territory out of the goodness of Brokenstar's heart. So you'd better watch it.
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„ |
| ~ Clawface's villainous breakdown during a confrontation with Nightpelt over the kits the former stole. |
Clawface is a minor antagonist in Erin Hunter's Warriors book series.
He serves as a minor antagonist in The Prophecies Begin arc and A Light in the Mist, the last book in The Broken Code arc, a supporting character in the super edition Yellowfang's Secret and the secondary antagonist of the graphic novel Exile from ShadowClan.
As a warrior, he served under Raggedstar and later Brokenstar during the latter's tyrannical rule over ShadowClan. He kidnapped kits from ThunderClan under Brokenstar's orders and killed the Clan's only medicine cat, Spottedleaf, when she tried to stop him. After being exiled with his leader and the rest of warriors loyal to him, he raided ThunderClan's camp and attempted to kill Fireheart, but was prevented and killed by Graystripe. After his death, he went to the Dark Forest, where he started to work for Ashfur and assist him in his plan of destroying StarClan, the living Clans, and the Dark Forest.
During the final battle between the "Lights in the Mist" and Ashfur and his army, he fought on the Dark Warrior's side and after his death, Clawface fled along with the remaining spirits.
Biography[]
Yellowfang's Secret[]
Clawpaw is an apprentice being mentored by Crowtail, alongside his brother Nightpaw, who is being mentored by Foxheart. They are horrified when their injured half-brother Cloudpaw is carried to the medicine den. When Nightpaw is sick, Clawpaw urges him to get well soon.
As a warrior, Clawface participates in the attack on the rats in the Carrionplace, where Foxheart is killed. After Brokenstar exiles the elders, Clawface and his mate Rowanberry express their bewilderment and disapproval with this new policy, but is hushed by Tangleburr, who warns them that Brokenstar might overhear. One morning, Clawface is woken up by Yellowfang, who is asking about the whereabouts of her sisters, Mintkit and Marigoldkit, and suggests that they snuck out with the night patrol, even though he told them to wait until they were apprenticed to leave the ShadowClan camp.
Exile from ShadowClan[]
Clawface is one of Brokenstar's most loyal followers, being extremely devoted to his leader's beliefs. He occasionally visits his brother after he had been exiled from the camp along with the rest of elders. The brown warrior insists that Brokenstar's actions will make ShadowClan stronger and urges Nightpelt to be patient. He is then spotted by his brother to be part of Brokenstar's assault patrol while on its way to WindClan, and steals his brother's catch, which he justifies by saying that he needs it more. He also claims that kits seen among the other patrol members are apprentices now and that they're ready to die for their Clan.
Later, he and Brokenstar train their apprentices in the Carrionplace, when Nightpelt arrives. Having received the task of fighting rats in order to become warriors, both apprentices are soon enough swarmed by rats and Clawface intervenes only after getting Brokenstar's permission to. Some time later, he and Runningnose, ShadowClan's medicine cat, sneak an injured Volepaw into the elders' camp outside of ShadowClan's, although he considers this action a weakness, before leaving. He and Blackfoot later go hunting on WindClan's former territory, with Clawface offering his catch to Nightpelt, as a gift for the elders. However, upon being asked by his brother when they can return to the Clan, Clawface claims that ThunderClan and RiverClan are still a threat.
Clawface is caught by Nightpelt while sneaking off to ShadowClan's camp with stolen ThunderClan kits, which causes a short fight to break out between brothers and ends when Clawface runs off with the kits. As ThunderClan patrol and the exiled elders of ShadowClan join forces to rescue the stolen kits and overthrow Brokenstar, Clawface is present in the camp. He is attacked by his brother, whom he insults and clashes with before getting chased away by him, Firepaw and Whitestorm.
The Prophecies Begin[]
Into the Wild[]
Clawface is first mentioned by Graypaw to Firepaw who says that he's one of the great warriors that the new apprentice will see on the Gathering. Later, he kidnaps Frostfur's kits and kills Spottedleaf, ThunderClan's medicine cat for trying to stop him. After a rescue patrol consisting of some ThunderClan members and the elders that Brokenstar exiled storms ShadowClan's camp to retrieve the stolen kits, Clawface attempts to attack Firepaw from behind, but the young apprentice is warned in time by one of the elders. Firepaw defends himself and retaliates, remembering that the warrior is responsible for Spottedleaf's death. As he is about to kill him, Whitestorm reminds the apprentice that true warrior doesn't have to kill, before biting Clawface and scaring him away. After the battle, it's been revealed that warriors loyal to Brokenstar fled with him to live as rogues, Clawface included.
Fire and Ice[]
During Brokenstar's rogue group attack on ThunderClan's camp, he saves his leader from Fireheart, biting him on one of his hind paws. This infuriates Fireheart and reminds him of the rogue's past deeds, causing him to attack Clawface. The rogue however gains the upper hand and in their brief struggle, pins Fireheart to the ground. As he is about to kill him, Graystripe, having just arrived with Tigerclaw's patrol, snaps Clawface's neck from behind, killing him instantly, before dropping his body on the ground. After the rest of Brokenstar's rogues have been driven away and their leader blinded and imprisoned, Clawface's body was ordered for burial, without any elders present.
The Broken Code[]
A Light in the Mist[]
He's revealed to have been sent to the Dark Forest after his death. Clawface appears with the rest of Ashfur's followers while searching for Rootspring, unaware that the SkyClan tom is above them on the ravine. When Ashfur orders him and Silverhawk to guard tree near the Moonpool, he follows after the latter. During the final battle between the "Lights in the Mist" and Ashfur, Clawface arrives onto the battlefield alongside Mapleshade and is last seen baring his fangs defensively.
Appearance[]
Clawface is a sturdy, scrawny, battle-scarred brown tom.
Personality[]
| “ | Clawpaw was a stury young cat, inclined to be a bit too rough, but always kind to his weaker brother. | „ |
| ~ Yellowfang on Clawface as an apprentice |
| “ | He's devoted to Brokenstar - fanatically so - but we're still kin. | „ |
| ~ Nightpelt on his relationship with his brother |
As a kit and later apprentice, Clawface had a close bond with his brother. He told Nightpaw to get well soon when he was sick, and often trained with him and Flintpaw. However, over time he grew more distant with his brother, even deeming him useless to the Clan when his sickness prevented him from hunting effectively. After Brokenstar became leader, he became fanatically devoted to him, often making excuses for his behavior, including the training of kits as apprentices. He was even willing to kill a medicine cat and kidnap kits. Despite this, Clawface still had lines that he was unwilling to cross, such as when he questioned Brokenstar's decison to send the elders out of camp, and defied his orders (something even Blackfoot never did) so that he could help save Volepaw. Despite his social darwinistic beliefs, he still remained protective of Nightpelt and intervened during the training session with the rats to save his life (although he did ask for Brokenstar's permission first). He was even occasionally generous, such as when he and Blackfoot gave a rabbit fot Nightpelt and the elders to eat (despite taking prey from them earlier, although it is possible he felt guilty about that). He also genuinely believed that Brokenstar was helping ShadowClan, and would have likely been horrified to learn that his leader had murdered Raggedstar, Mintkit, and Marigoldkit.
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Toadskip (father)
- Nightstar (brother)
- Foxheart (half-sister)
- Wolfstep (half-brother)
- Cloudpelt (half-brother)
- Littlekit (half-sister)
- Rowanberry (ex-mate)
- Cinderfur (son)
- Stumpytail (son)
External Links[]
- Clawface on the Warriors Wiki
