Blackclaw

Blackclaw is a lean, smoky-black tom. He has a long tail, long legs, broad shoulders, and a torn ear-tip.

Crookedstar's Promise

 * Blackkit and his sister, Skykit, are born to Shimmerpelt and Piketooth.


 * Blackkit and Skykit are often seen playing with their denmates, Reedkit, Loudkit and Sedgekit. He makes a brief appearance, when he tells Crookedjaw to hide him. He hides under Crookedjaw's belly and waits for the 'kit-patrol' to find him. Loudkit scents him and Crookedjaw steps aside and lets the kits jump on top of Blackkit. He then follows his sister and joins in with Frogkit and Sunkit, who are playing moss ball. Blackkit and Skykit scamper to the nursery when Shimmerpelt calls them back.


 * Several moons later, Blackkit is apprenticed, though his ceremony is actually never shown. His mentor is Hailstar, RiverClan's leader. He is obviously eager for the ceremonies to be over, shown by his constant fidgeting. When the ceremonies are finished, he is seen play-fighting with his father, Piketooth. Blackpaw then says he wants to join Crookedjaw, his apprentice, Sedgepaw, along with Frogpaw and a couple of other apprentices and warriors.


 * When Hailstar announces RiverClan will take back Sunningrocks from ThunderClan, Hailstar states that he only wants his strongest warriors to come, and Blackpaw says he has sharp teeth. He is obviously disappointed, as this would have been his first battle.


 * Though the ceremony isn't shown, Blackpaw is made a warrior, and his name has been changed to Blackclaw.


 * Blackclaw participates in the battle against the rats in the barn. He is seen diving into the brown bodies of the rats and hooking them with his claws and throwing them away, into the shadows of the barn.

Fire and Ice

 * Blackclaw is at a Gathering as a young warrior. He is seen with Wetfoot, who introduces him to Fireheart. He scornfully tells Fireheart who Leopardfur is when he asks.


 * Later, when Fireheart and Graystripe are looking for WindClan, they see Blackclaw and some other RiverClan warriors hunting rabbits in WindClan territory. Fireheart remarks that they aren't very good at it. Fireheart and Graystripe hide from the RiverClan cats in a badger set. When Blackclaw's hunting patrol is considering going into the badger set in search of a rabbit, Blackclaw tells them not to, saying that the scent of the rabbit they are chasing led away from the set, and the two ThunderClan cats go undetected.


 * Blackclaw is seen fighting with Dustpelt during the battle when ThunderClan goes to help WindClan against an attack by ShadowClan and RiverClan. It is noted that it looked like Dustpelt needed no help to fight Blackclaw, and if Fireheart came, the dark tabby wouldn't appreciate his intervention.

Forest of Secrets

 * Blackclaw is on a patrol with Silverstream and a younger cat whom Fireheart guesses to be Blackclaw's apprentice, Heavypaw.


 * Blackclaw is on a nearby patrol when Fireheart and Graystripe rescue Mistyfoot's missing kits, and he rudely demands to know why the two ThunderClan warriors are trespassing on RiverClan territory. Even after he realizes that they rescued Mistyfoot's kits, Blackclaw remains very aggressive and suspicious towards the two young ThunderClan warriors, but is told off by Leopardfur. It is noted that Blackclaw takes one of the kits and stalks threateningly alongside Fireheart and Graystripe.


 * When the ThunderClan warriors are brought to confront Crookedstar, Blackclaw claims he doesn't believe them, and argues against Fireheart and Graystripe. He is eventually reprimanded by Crookedstar. When Silverstream observes that the ThunderClan warriors' story makes sense, Blackclaw turns his back with a snort of disgust and walks away.


 * When ThunderClan is attacked by rogues led by Tigerclaw, Blackclaw is among the RiverClan warriors that help drive them away. Later, after Silverstream's kits are born, Blackclaw, Leopardfur, Mistyfoot, and Stonefur return to ThunderClan, and demand that they are given to RiverClan, arguing that kits belong in their mother's Clan. When they win the argument fairly easily, he and Leopardfur seem suspicious of their easy victory.

A Dangerous Path

 * Blackclaw is in the raid between ThunderClan and RiverClan at Sunningrocks, fighting with ThunderClan's deputy, Fireheart. Fireheart seems to be having difficulty until Cloudpaw comes to his aid, clinging to Blackclaw's back and pulling him off of Fireheart. It is also noted at the end of the battle that Blackclaw is at the head of the patrol returning to RiverClan territory.

The Darkest Hour

 * Blackclaw makes a brief appearance fighting off the BloodClan cats along with the rest of the newly formed temporary Clan, LionClan.

Midnight

 * Blackclaw appears at a Gathering. He protests when Tallstar asks Leopardstar to let them drink water from RiverClan, saying that WindClan would take their prey. He is then countered by Mistyfoot. Leopardstar announces that Blackclaw and Stormfur killed some rats that were in RiverClan territory.

Starlight

 * Blackclaw congratulates Hawkfrost after he explores the island and pronounces it a good camp for RiverClan. It is obvious that the two warriors are good friends. It is mentioned that he and Hawkfrost drove out a badger that was in RiverClan territory.


 * Blackclaw, along with many others, joins the rebellion against Onewhisker.

Twilight

 * Blackclaw has a new apprentice, Beechpaw.


 * Blackclaw and Hawkfrost start to spread rumors behind Mistyfoot's back, saying she is not a proper deputy, and that Hawkfrost should be deputy instead. When a pool of Twoleg liquid is making the cats of RiverClan sick, Blackclaw helps Hawkfrost build a barrier around the pool, to keep cats and prey from being contaminated, and agrees when Hawkfrost comments that if patrols had been organized properly, they would have caught the threat, another indication that the two cats believe that Mistyfoot isn't a proper deputy.

Sunset

 * Blackclaw is at the Gathering, defending Hawkfrost when he almost starts a fight about RiverClan needing more territory.


 * Blackclaw is one of the many cats that don't wish for Brook to reside in RiverClan, and when Hawkfrost points out that she had chased a squirrel over the ShadowClan border, he demands she be exiled. He quarrels with Stormfur, Brook, and Hawkfrost for a few moments and shortly after this, he is told to break up a fight between Hawkfrost and Stormfur. He pulls Stormfur away more roughly than is necessary, and claws the gray warrior's nose.

The Sight

 * His apprentice, Beechpaw, is appointed a new warrior and receives his name, Beechfur.

Dark River

 * Blackclaw is in charge of overseeing the fortification of the RiverClan camp, in order to make it inaccessible to Twoleg kits. He has the idea to build a dam to make the river wider, and thus less accessible to the Twoleg kits.

In the Omen of the Stars arc

 * Blackclaw has retired and become an elder. He is at a Gathering, yelling at Mistyfoot that it isn't her decision to send cats with the patrol.

Fading Echoes

 * Blackclaw does not formally appear, but is mentioned once. Mistystar tells Firestar that Blackclaw, Voletooth and Dawnflower all died from hunger and thirst as a result of the drought.

Return to the Clans

 * Blackclaw is on the RiverClan patrol that confronts Sasha and her kits, Hawk and Moth, when they are crossing the river. When Sasha asks to join the Clan, Blackclaw disagrees and predicts that they will drain their resources.


 * He later trains and hunts with Hawkpaw and Mothpaw.

Battles of the Clans

 * Blackclaw leads a patrol consisting of Dawnflower, Reedwhisker, and Pouncetail through ThunderClan territory during the great battle, when RiverClan and WindClan are fighting against ThunderClan. Blackclaw knows a perfect place for an ambush, as he had been in the territory previously with Mothwing, and leads the patrol to an abandoned Twoleg nest. When he hears noises inside, he directs them to attack.


 * Three ShadowClan cats are inside, Blackclaw and Pouncetail confront Antpelt, pouncing on him and sending him running. The RiverClan cats quickly sends ShadowClan retreating. The patrol then finds the ShadowClan warrior Spiderfoot hiding, too afraid to help his Clanmates. Pouncetail directs Spiderfoot to walk up a sloping plank of wood, and Blackclaw thinks he's going to push him off, and compliments him on the idea. When Pouncetail lets the warrior go, Blackclaw angrily tells him he missed a chance to show ShadowClan the strength of RiverClan cats, and Pouncetail replies that there would be no honor in that.

Ultimate Leader Election: Firestar

 * During a unofficial Gathering called by Firestar, Blackclaw and two WindClan cats, Tornear and Nightcloud, get into an argument over Blackclaw's claims that RiverClan will invade WindClan's territory. Blackclaw, who was provoked by Tornear, defends his Clan when Tornear says that RiverClan cannot protect their own territory. After this, Blackclaw and Tornear get into a scuffle, with each warrior throwing insults at the other, and their respective Clans.


 * Upon seeing this, Firestar tries to intervene, but to no avail, as Tornear tries to attack Blackclaw again. This time, however, Firestar sees where Tornear is aiming, and saves Blackclaw from getting hit by the blow, saying that he wouldn't let Blackclaw and Tornear kill each other, just because of the lack of a full moon. After saying this, with a suggestion from Jayfeather, RiverClan, with Blackclaw included, each hold a vote to decide what to do about the lack of prey.

Mistystar's Omen

 * While walking back to camp, Leopardstar notes that Blackclaw, Voletooth, and Dawnflower did not survive the drought, and that she had to watch her Clanmates starve because of the lack of prey and water. Shortly after Leopardstar's death, Mistyfoot points out that Blackclaw was merely a few seasons older than her.

Interesting facts

 * Vicky thinks that Blackclaw fathered Mistystar's kits.

Mistakes

 * He has been described as dark gray.
 * He has mistakenly been described as a WindClan cat.
 * He was mistakenly referred to as Blackstar.

Members
Father:
 * Piketooth:

Mother:
 * Shimmerpelt:

Sister:
 * Skyheart:

References and citations
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