| “ | You don't get it, Spottedpaw. I can't turn away from my destiny. Nothing is more important than this. The rip of flesh beneath my claws, the taste of blood, the scent of my enemy's fear...I am hungry for all of it, and I will keep fighting until ThunderClan rules the entire forest! | „ |
| ~ Thistleclaw talking about the Dark Forest. |
| “ | We need more patrols. It's too easy to invade. Too many invaders. Only fear will keep them out. We must mark our borders with the blood of our enemies. | „ |
| ~ Thistleclaw's villainous breakdown after catching Oakheart and being prompted to let him go by Bluefur. |
Thistleclaw is one of the two overarching antagonists (alongside Mapleshade) of Erin Hunter's Warriors book series.
He is a sadistic former mentor of Tigerstar and a senior warrior of ThunderClan who enjoys battling with other cats. He intended to become the deputy of ThunderClan, becoming Bluefur's rival in the process but after his sudden death in one of the skirmishes he provoked, he descended into the Dark Forest.
Biography[]
Bluestar's Prophecy[]
Born in ThunderClan to Poppydawn and Windflight, along with his siblings Sweetkit and Rosekit, Thistlekit displayed unusual ambition since he was born. He was enraged about fellow kittens Bluepaw and Snowpaw being made apprentices before him, even though 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 often clashed with Bluefur's more reserved demeanor. 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, having a son with him, Whitekit.
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 defenseless kittypet kitten named Tiny when he wandered into ThunderClan territory. The brutal training Tigerpaw received under Thistleclaw hardened him into a ruthless warrior determined to win at any cost, resulting in him committing many atrocities as a warrior, deputy, and as ShadowClan's leader.
Though he was loving towards Snowfur and Whitekit, after Snowfur's death, he became distanced from his son due to his grief, calling Whitekit weak "like his mother." Snowfur's death leads him to be even more cruel and angry to his personality.
Goosefeather (who was generally considered insane by other cats) and Bluefur received a vision of Thistleclaw's pelt dripping in blood, symbolizing the trail of death that he would leave if he ever ascended to leader. Goosefeather warned Bluefur that Thistleclaw could lead ThunderClan down a path of blood if he became a leader instead of her.
When Thistleclaw died, he was found by the RiverClan border 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.
The Rise of Scourge[]
Thistleclaw is hostile and vicious towards Tiny, a kitten who had wandered into ThunderClan territory. Bluefur says that he's just a kitten, but Thistleclaw says that she is too soft on kittypets. He asks Tigerpaw what should be done with Tiny, and Tigerpaw replies that Tiny should be taught a lesson. Thistleclaw watches with a blank, somewhat bored expression as Tigerpaw attacks the kitten.
Spottedleaf's Heart[]
Thistleclaw begins giving gifts to Spottedkit who, upon becoming an apprentice, begins to develop sympathy towards the warrior, despite knowing how violent he can be. After she catches him attacking Tiny, he attempts to make it up to her by bringing her to the Dark Forest, an afterlife where evil cats go upon dying, much to Spottedpaw's horror. He claims that it is just to protect the clan, and her, whom he would do anything for.
Because of the experience in the Dark Forest, Spottedpaw decides to become a medicine cat. Thistleclaw protests against this, undermining Spottedpaw's agency. She follows him into the Dark Forest, and tries for one last time to convince him to stop going to the Dark Forest, but he claims it is part of his destiny. They break up, and Spottedpaw later becomes a full medicine cat.
Omen of the Stars[]
Thistleclaw is one of the high-ranking and well-respected members of the Dark Forest, being particularly known for his brutal but efficient training sessions. He, along with the rest of the undead spirits, trains the living cats in preparations for the Great Battle. He greets Hawkfrost upon Ivypaw's arrival before commenting about the small number of training cats this night, as Ivypaw reminiscences about the nursery tales she heard about Tigerstar's mentor.
Later on, he supervises a training session between Sparrowfeather, Shredtail and the trainees, during which he berates Sparrowfeather for dragging Shredtail off the rock, instead of knocking him off, before punishing her. He then orders her to take the latter's place.
During Ivypaw, now Ivypool's another visit in the Place of No Stars, Thistleclaw supervises her and Antpelt's training session, ordering them to unsheat their claws and fight like real warriors. Upon noticing Ivypool stumbling onto the ground and Antpelt waiting for her to get up, he rushes at the WindClan tom, before pinning him to a tree and starting to pulverise him, all the while taunting him. He then flings him to the ground, where Ivypool begs the fallen tom to wake up, which he manages to do. Thistleclaw scolds her for helping Antpelt and attacks her when she says that she has no training partner anymore. However, Ivypool manages to outsmart him and is proclaimed winner of their duel by recently arrived Mapleshade, much to Thistleclaw's displeasure. He then limps away to clean his wounds. He is later mentioned by Ivypool, when the she-cat is confronted by Antpelt, now one of the Dark Forest residents himself, whom she reminds about Thistleclaw's previous attack on the brown tom.
Thistleclaw is seen on one of the Dark Forest meetings, pacing with Shredtail and later watching Tigerstar, along with Brokenstar and Sparrowfeather, during the leader's annoucement. He compares the Clan cats to the prey as Tigerstar explains the purpose of exploring each Clan's territory. During one of the expeditions on the Clan territories, he tears out a pawful of grass, voicing his impatience. During another meeting in the Dark Forest, when Beetlewhisker attempts to leave, Thistleclaw whips Ivypool backward and tells her to stay out of this.
Moments before the Great Battle, Thistleclaw is in charge of one of the two battle patrols to WindClan. Upon arriving to their destination, he waits for Hawkfrost's signal. Once it has been given, Thistleclaw leads the charge into the WindClan camp, where he overhears Ivypool attempting to convince Breezepelt to stop his action. This infuriates Thistleclaw and Hawkfrost, with the former slashing Ivypool's cheek and calling her a traitor for betraying the Dark Forest. As the two fight, Thistleclaw is surprised by Tigerheart's sudden attack, whom he reminds of being a kin to Tigerstar, although the latter rebukes him, saying that it doesn't mean that he wants to be like his grandfather. As Hawkfrost barges past the gray-and-white tabby, he orders him and Snowtuft to deal with Ivypool, while he finishes Tigerheart. Together with Snowtuft, Thistleclaw drives Ivypool away from the camp, slicing at her all the way as they advance. Arriving into a dead-end in the clearing, Thistleclaw calls out to Hawkfrost, informing him about their success. The dark brown tabby orders them to make Ivypool's death slow, but the she-cat fights back, defending herself long enough for Hollyleaf to arrive. Beaten by Ivypool, Thistleclaw flees and joins the siege of ThunderClan's camp.
Once in the ThunderClan camp, Thistleclaw calls Birchfall a traitor and attempts to kill him, but is thwarted by Dovewing and later duels with Spiderleg. Upon witnessing Brokenstar's death, a dismayed Thistleclaw stops his fight and tells his fellow spirits about the event, before calling for retreat and stumbling out of the camp, fleeing.
The Broken Code[]
Thistleclaw supports the Impostor in order to be able to possess a Clan cat and return to the living world, though he's unaware of the latter's true intentions. He is part of Ashfur's patrol in search of Rootspring, in which he guards the possessed spirits. Once the group comes across a flooded island, Thistleclaw is visibly alarmed along with the rest of the Dark Forest warriors.
Later, during the battle against Ashfur, he is seen protecting the Dark Warrior alongside Mapleshade. When Bristlefrost races to save Shadowsight from Ashfur, Thistleclaw and Mapleshade attack her, wounding her and pinning to the ground. Before they can kill her though, they are subdued by Violetshine and Rootspring. When Ashfur is finally killed by Bristlefrost, he and Mapleshade flee the area.
Appearance[]
Thistleclaw is a large, lean, gray, and white tabby cat with dark amber eyes and spiky fur.
Personality[]
| “ | 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. | „ |
| ~ Bluestar telling Fireheart about Thistleclaw from her past experiences. |
Thistleclaw is an arrogant, aggressive, and ambitious cat with a thirst for battle and power. Under his brutal mentorship, Tigerstar became one of the most ruthless and cunning cats the Clans had ever seen. Thistleclaw is also ruthless, shown by his willingness to kill cats just for wandering into his Clan's territory, even if that cat was just a kitten. Ultimately, Thistleclaw's arrogance and lust for battle proves to be his undoing when he tries to fight an entire RiverClan patrol all by himself and is killed. Thistleclaw also has a deceptive and manipulative side, shown in how he manipulated Spottedpaw.
Despite his arrogance and hunger for power and battle, Thistleclaw does care for those close to him. He shows this in his grief when his sister Sweetpaw passes away, and later in his love when he and Snowfur become mates. He is overjoyed when he learns he's to be a father, and is as supportive as possible for Snowfur when she gives birth to Whitekit. However, his bitter grief over her death influences him in distancing himself from his son.
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Windflight (father)
- Poppydawn (mother)
- Rosetail (sister)
- Sweetpaw (sister)
- Dappletail (half-sister)
- Tawnyspots (half-brother)
- Thrushpelt (half-brother)
- Snowfur (mate)
- Whitestorm (son)
- Ashfur (grandson)
Trivia[]
- He was named Thistlekit by Bluekit because of his spiky fur.
- Thistleclaw is one of the main reasons for Tigerstar's dark ambitions and actions, because of the brutal training the latter received when he was Thistleclaw's apprentice.
- Due to the book's poor handling of its topic on child predators, as well as several portrayals of characters being inconsistent with their past appearances, some fans do not consider Spottedleaf's Heart to be canon to the series.
External Links[]
- Thistleclaw on the Warriors Wiki
