Stripes' Group are the main antagonists of "Outcast", the third book of the story arc Power of Three and minor characters in "Sign of the Moon", the fourth book of the story arc Omen of the Stars, in Erin Hunter's Warriors book series. They are a group of rogues who used to steal prey from the Tribe of Rushing Water with the intent of claiming the mountains for themselves, but were thwarted by the Tribe and a group of Clan cats.
Description[]
Stripes' group is a large group of rogue cats who are led by Stripes; a large, dark-striped silver tabby tom with amber eyes. They are of unknown origin and for some unknown reason want to settle in the mountains where the Tribe of Rushing Water live, despite the risks. They are shown to be extremely arrogant, selfish and cruel, with no code of honor other than a life-or-death policy. As shown by their treatment of the Tribe of Rushing Water, they have no respect or compassion for the rights and needs of other cats, and seemingly care only about themselves. They taunt, insult and bully other cats at every opportunity, and are also greedy, as they openly admit that they eat more than they need to.
However, they know when they are beaten, as they surrendered after being defeated in battle by the Clan cats and the Tribe, promising to leave them alone and respect their borders. They kept their promise for the most part.
History[]
Stripes' group come to the mountains where an ancient group of cats known as "The Tribe of Rushing Water" have lived for countless generations. Although the Tribe initially assumes they are just passing through, Stripes and his group quickly make it clear that they intend to settle in the mountains. They relentlessly harass the tribe, stealing their prey and treating them like prisoners in their own land, with Stripes even calling them "a few scrawny, flea-ridden excuses for cats."
At one point, the Tribe cats, prompted by a former Warrior Clan cat named Stormfur, mount a full-scale attack on Stripes and his group, but are defeated. This leads to Stoneteller, the Tribe leader, banishing Stormfur and his mate Brook, blaming them for the deaths of the cats who perished in the battle. Afterwards, Stripes and his group continue to oppress the Tribe, growing more arrogant by the day.
However, two Tribe cats named Talon and Night later leave the mountains and ask Stormfur and Brook, who have joined ThunderClan, for help. After some consideration, they accept and head back to the mountains, along with several other Clan cats. When they reach the mountains, Stripes and three other members of his group spot them and prepare to attack, but upon realizing that they are outnumbered, they let them pass and even have the audacity to pretend that they never intended to attack them at all.
The Clan cats teach the Tribe cats better fighting techniques and encourage them to make borders for their territory. They tell Stripe's group about this, offering a conditional peace offer. However, the intruders are outraged, snarling at the Tribe and Clan cats that they have no right to any part of the mountains and no right to set borders. Stripes states that this is about life or death, and if necessary, their life and the Tribe cats' death.
Later, the Clan cats and the Tribe cats both attack Stripes' group and eventually win. After the fight stops, a badly wounded Stripes admits defeat to the Clan and Tribe cats, and promises to respect their borders if they leave his group's queens and kits alone. After some consideration, the Tribe cats agree to leave the intruders in peace as long as they stay on their side of the border. Stripes then leads his battered companions back into their camp.
Stripes' group is seen again much later in the book "Sign of the Moon". Although they have stopped harassing the Tribe, they still occasionally cross the border and steal prey, only to be warned again by the Tribe cats.
Notable members[]
- Stripes - the leader of the group; a large, pale silver tabby tom with dark stripes and amber eyes.
- Flick - a skinny light brown tom with large, pointed ears.
- Flora - a dark brown-and-white she-cat with green eyes.
- Twist - a tortoiseshell she-cat with white stripes like lightning on her face.
