| “ | Hardly the actions of a coward, to take on all four Clans at once! | „ |
| ~ Ripplestar while attacking during a Gathering |
Ripplestar is the main antagonist of The Vanishing Moon, one of the stories within Code of the Clans field guide, in Warriors book franchise.
He was the leader of ShadowClan many years ago in the forest territories, back when SkyClan had not yet been driven out and the warrior code was still being established. He ordered his Clan to attack during a Gathering for no discernable reason, but his raid was cut short when StarClan killed him with a bolt of lightning. After his death, a new rule was added to the warrior code that Gatherings are to be a peaceful truce between all Clans.
Appearance[]
Ripplestar is a tom with yellow eyes and black-and-orange fur.
Biography[]
On the night of a Gathering, the other leaders note that ShadowClan is unusually late, feeling tense and unsafe. Suddenly, Ripplestar calls for his Clan to attack, and the hollow quickly descends into chaos as a huge fight erupts. The other leader stare down in horror from atop the Great Rock for a moment before entering the fray, with the exception of ThunderClan's leader Finchstar, who's frozen with fear. He's about to help when his deputy Daisyheart calls out to him, but before he can jump down, Ripplestar climbs up the Great Rock and stands beside him, watching the battle with pleasure.
Ripplestar then turns to Finchstar and quietly asks the other leader if he ever thought he'd do something like this. Finchstar hisses that he never though the ShadowClan leader would do something as cowardly as attack during a peaceful Gathering with vulnerable elders present. Ripplestar retorts that it isn't cowardly to attack all four opposing Clans at once, before Finchstar pounces on him. As the two wrestle, Finchstar demands the ShadowClan leader to call his attack off, saying that it's wrong, but Ripplestar gloats that an easy victory isn't wrong, getting to his feet as he tells Finchstar to take a look at his precious Clanmates.
Finchstar surveys the clearing to see many cats lying wounded on the ground, with the ShadowClan warriors ready to attack again if any of them stirred. The ThunderClan leader yowls that he can't do this, but the black-and-orange tom argues that he has anyways, and doesn't need to listen to the other leader.
Suddenly, a storm rolls in, and dark clouds cover the moon. Lightning then strikes Ripplestar on top of the Great Rock, causing him to fall off. Finchstar hears Ripplestar beg for help as he clings to the edge of the Great Rock, trying to grab onto the yellow-eyed tom's scruff before another bolt of lightning crashes down. Ripplestar looses his grip, plunging to the ground and dying on impact.
Finchstar rushes over to him, realizing the ShadowClan leader had lost his last life. He wonders how he lost them all so soon, as he's rather young, but figures that his war mongering lifestyle had caused him to quickly loose most of his lives in battle. Ripplestar's deputy Marshscar then accuses Finchstar of killing him, but he states that he didn't, and upon being asked who did, he looks to the stormy sky and realizes that it was StarClan themselves who struck the leader down. Knowing their ancestors killed Ripplestar for attacking during a Gathering, and add a new rule to the warrior code: "A gathering of all Clans is held at the full moon during a truce that lasts for the night. There shall be no fighting among Clans at this time."
Quotes[]
| “ | I bet you never though I'd do it. (Finchstar: Do what? Attack four Clans when they came in peace to a Gathering, with elders among them? No, Ripplestar. I never thought you'd be as cowardly as that.) Hardly the actions of a coward, to take on all four Clans at once! |
„ |
| ~ Ripplestar to Finchstar after commencing the battle |
| “ | (Finchstar: Call off your cats! This attack is wrong!) I wouldn't call an easy victory wrong. Look at your precious cats now. (Finchstar: No! You can't do this!) So you keep telling me. But I seem to have done it anyway! Looks like I don't have to listen to you , Finchstar. | „ |
| ~ Ripplestar to Finchstar during their fight |
| “ | Help... me.... | „ |
| ~ Ripplestar after getting struck by lightning; his last words |
Trivia[]
- Though his spirit's residence has yet to be confirmed, author Victoria Holmes believes he went to the Dark Forest because of his crimes.
- He is one of few cats in the series to be killed by StarClan themselves.
External links[]
- Ripplestar on the Warriors Wiki
