Crookedstar

Crookedstar is a huge, light brown, thick-furred, lean, glossy tabby tom with a pale brown belly and legs, sharp claws, a nick in his ear, pale green eyes, and a twisted jaw.

Crookedstar's Promise

 * The book begins with a flood, and Rainflower, a RiverClan queen, gives birth to two kits on the branch of an oak tree: Stormkit, named for the storm the two are born in, and Oakkit, named for the oak that sheltered them from the flood. Later, Stormkit climbs a branch on a tree because he was dared by Volekit. However, then he slips off the branch because of a magpie and falls into the water below, only to be saved by Tanglewhisker, one of the RiverClan elders. His mother is proud of him for being so brave, and tells him that next time he won't fall off. After Tanglewhisker saves Stormkit from drowning, Stormkit is teased by Volekit and his brother Beetlekit. Beetlekit jokes that Hailstar should change Stormkit's name to Birdbrain.


 * Later on, Stormkit sneaks out to Sunningrocks with his brother, Oakkit, only to find Goosefeather, the elderly ThunderClan medicine cat, picking herbs in what the two kits believe to be RiverClan territory. Stormkit wants to go on the other side of the river to challenge Goosefeather about being there, but Oakkit refuses. After a while of trying to convince Oakkit, Oakkit agrees to go to on the Sunningrocks side. After confronting him, Goosefeather is furious and chases them after revealing that they are, in fact, in ThunderClan territory. Stormkit, while trying to flee, falls into the river and hits his jaw against one of the stepping stones. He sees an orange-and-white she-cat, who tells him it is not his time to die yet. At this point, it can be assumed Oakkit sees his brother and goes to get help, and Stormkit is rescued by Mudfur. Brambleberry informs Stormkit his jaw is broken, and he has to stay with her in the medicine cat den. His mother, Rainflower is horrified of his broken jaw, and thinks her son's good looks are ruined, so she casts him aside.


 * Soon later, Stormkit returns to the nursery to find Rainflower and Oakkit. Rainflower tells him he needs to sleep in the corner in his own nest, apparently so he doesn't disturb Oakkit by fidgeting around at night. Stormkit later listens in horror to his father, Shellheart, arguing with his mother. Rainflower plans to change Stormkit's name to Crookedkit because of his broken jaw. Shellheart defends Stormkit, and tells Rainflower he never knew she could be so cruel and that they are no longer mates. Stormkit feels that he is to blame, and reacts by telling his parents that he will be renamed if they stay together; Shellheart reassures him that it was Rainflower's fault, not his, that they were splitting up. Rainflower goes to inform Hailstar about his name, and Hailstar holds a ceremony to rename Stormkit. Brambleberry assures him it won't be so bad and tries to make him feel better by telling him she makes cats swallow herbs, and that she should be called Swallowherb. Stormkit is then renamed Crookedkit.


 * Crookedkit later watches Oakkit become an apprentice as well as the other kits, Beetlekit, Petalkit and Volekit. He congratulates his brother, though he feels bad that he can't become an apprentice at six moons. Crookedkit tries to help the Clan, but they turn him down. Crookedkit receives news from Rainflower that she is moving into the warriors den and sharing a nest with Lakeshine, another warrior, thus leaving her kit in the nursery. Crookedkit panics and tries to win her back and make her impressed by climbing a tree, but Rainflower scolds him and tells him coldly not to show off.


 * That night, he decides to travel to the Moonstone to find out why they could allow such cruelty to befall him. He makes it through WindClan territory, and sees Fallowtail with a WindClan warrior. Unsure of what they were doing, and wondering if Hailstar had sent Fallowtail on a special mission, he hides so that he doesn't get caught. He barely escapes being caught, and walks a while longer before he falls asleep. He dreams of Mapleshade, the cat he'd seen when he'd broken his jaw. She tells him he has a great destiny, and that she can be his mentor and give him anything he wants if he promises her one thing: to be loyal to his Clan above anything else, even if that means having to sacrifice someone he loves. Without thinking of the meaning behind this, he promises to do as she says.


 * He never makes it to the Moonstone, however, and he meets a cat named Fleck living on a farm. Fleck tells him he knows a cat who also had a broken jaw and tells Crookedkit how to eat without so much trouble. Fleck then takes Crookedkit to meet Mitzi, his sister.


 * Fleck tells Crookedkit that Mitzi has moved to the cornfield for her kitting because it is quieter there. Fleck catches food for her and watches her four kits, Soot, Mist, Magpie and Piper so she can get water. Crookedkit, wanting to thank Fleck for food, asks if he can watch her kits with him. When Crookedkit catches a vole, Fleck mentions it's Mitizi's favorite. She is very protective of her kits and will welcome a new face quicker if they are carrying food for her. When Crookedkit says he's a Clan cat, Mitzi starts asking questions about them. She mentions that Magpie has a cough and it isn't getting better. Crookedkit says that coltsfoot would help him get better, so Fleck goes to get some. Crookedkit asks if he could watch her kits and she glances at him saying that Fleck was going to watch them. Crookedkit says she looks tired and ruffled and says he could teach them to play with a moss-ball. Her kits, liking the idea, persuade her to let Crookedkit teach them.


 * When it is time for harvest, Fleck and Crookedkit come to her nest to keep her and her kits from being killed by the farm monsters. Soot runs into the corn and Crookedkit goes and gets her. Mitzi licks the blood off of Crookedkit's muzzle and thanks him for saving her kit. Crookedkit promises he will never forget them and leaves to go back to RiverClan, where he is met by his Clanmates with a mixture of curiosity and distrust for his disappearance. As punishment for running away, Hailstar delays Crookedkit's apprenticeship even longer. Not wanting to get in more trouble, Crookedkit obediently stays in camp. In that time, he spends much of his time playing with Willowkit and Graykit. While playing one day, they are attacked by a heron. Crookedkit throws himself on top of the kits, risking his life for theirs at the claws and beak of the attacking heron. Other warriors fight off the heron, and Crookedkit earns back the trust of Hailstar, who makes him an apprentice soon after.


 * He becomes an apprentice to Cedarpelt. He goes to his first Gathering and meets Bluepaw, a ThunderClan apprentice. Later, when he is chosen to go take back Sunningrocks, he runs in to Bluepaw who sees him and thinks he is not going to attack, but he attacks her, to her surprise. They tumble down Sunningrocks, fighting. Crookedpaw seems to be winning until Bluepaw's sister, Snowpaw arrives and together they chase him off. Later he comes up with an idea to get rid of a dog that has been bothering the Clan. He tells Hailstar that if Shimmerpelt and Softwing, the fastest cats, lead the dog through the meadow and under the trees that the rest of the clan is hiding in, they could jump down from the trees and drive off the dog. The idea goes wrong and the dog heads to Graypaw and Willowpaw who are training and do not know about the dog. Graypaw and her mentor climb up the tree, because they see the dog coming. Willowpaw's mentor climbs up the tree, thinking Willowpaw is already in the tree. Crookedpaw is chasing the dog, trying to make it avoid the apprentices and their mentors. The dog sees Willowpaw and trys to attack her. Before it can get her, Crookedpaw saves her and leads the dog back to the trap. Willowpaw falls in love with him after this because he saved her life, and he is made a warrior for his heroism.


 * When Willowbreeze is captured by Twolegs, Crookedjaw is extremely worried about her and protests to his patrol that she must be rescued. Voleclaw asks how it is possible, and then blames Crookedjaw for having brought them there. Before leaving, he promises to Graypool that they will rescue her sister. The cats arrive back in camp and see that RiverClan has unsuccessfully tried to claim more of ThunderClan's territory than just Sunningrocks. Crookedjaw races up to Hailstar and informs him that Willowbreeze had been taken, and Hailstar says that they will have to rescue her tomorrow, since the cats are still recovering from their wounds. Fallowtail then challenges Hailstar, and whispers to Crookedjaw that he has to save Willowbreeze, because she can't lose her again. Crookedjaw sneaks out after dark, and is confronted by Brambleberry, who is on her way to the Moonstone. She says she knows what Crookedjaw wants to do, and that it is part of his destiny. Crookedjaw demands more information, but Brambleberry runs away and doesn't answer him. He continues on his mission, and is joined by Graypool and together they save Willowbreeze. As they are walking back, Mapleshade confronts Crookedjaw and demands why he saved Willowbreeze, saying that his love for her will get in the way of his duty to his Clan, since his Clan is more important than anything. Crookedjaw gets angry with her and knocks her over, but then feels bad about it. Mapleshade says he has a great destiny ahead of him, and will be not only the greatest leader RiverClan has ever seen, but the greatest leader any Clan has ever seen.


 * Crookedjaw begins growing very close to Willowbreeze, and is embarassed about it. He knows that every cat in the Clan is gossiping about them, and are just waiting for them to announce they're mates. He wonders why they can't mind their own business, and shudders at the thought of Hailstar announcing it at the Gathering. He goes for a walk with Willowbreeze and confesses that he loves her. He is later reprimanded by Mapleshade for loving any cat.


 * He becomes deputy, and shortly after, leader, when Hailstar loses his last life to rats while gathering grass at the barn. He receives his nine lives from Hailstar, Duskwater, Troutclaw, Mossleaf, Lilyflower, Lightningpaw, Brightsky, Sparrowfeather, and Shellheart. He "wakes up" and sees not the Moonstone, but the Dark Forest. Mapleshade feels that he should thank her for all that she did, but Crookedstar is angry at her for causing so many deaths and so much pain, later turning on her in an attempt to kill her.


 * In the end, he is devastated when Willowbreeze, Willowkit, and Minnowkit die. Only Silverkit lives. At first, he tries avoiding her, because he doesn't want her to die like everyone else he loved, but Oakheart persuades him to be more fatherly towards her, and soon, he is.


 * In the manga at the end of the story, he is worried about Silverstream because she has been acting strange lately. He worries, not just because she is his daughter, as she thinks, but because she is the only cat he loves who hasn't yet died. He is expecting it when he dreams one night of Silverstream walking into the forest in StarClan. He knows she will live on in her kits, then Featherpaw and Stormpaw. He passes away shortly afterwards, welcomed to StarClan by his family and friends. His mate, Willowbreeze, walks up to him and greets him warmly.

Bluestar's Prophecy

 * Crookedpaw makes his first appearance as a new apprentice at a Gathering. He starts talking with Bluepaw, a ThunderClan apprentice, and tells her that he started his apprenticeship late because he had been sick when he was a kit. He jokes with her that his warrior name will have to be Crookedjaw, because of his crooked jaw, unless something were to happen to his tail. After being told by others to be quiet one time after another, Crookedpaw points out his brother Oakheart to Bluepaw when the RiverClan leader, Hailstar, announces him as a new warrior. Crookedpaw goes on to say that when his brother becomes leader, Oakheart promised to make him deputy.


 * A few days later, when RiverClan is trying to take over Sunningrocks, Crookedpaw and Bluepaw meet in battle. He doesn't hesitate one moment before attacking her, unlike Bluepaw, even though they were friendly towards each other at the Gathering. He tells her that she should expect no mercy from him. He is close to beating her, when Snowpaw, Bluepaw's sister, comes over to help her. Together they fight off Crookedpaw until he is forced to retreat.


 * At the next Gathering, Crookedpaw is once again friendly towards Bluefur, acting as if the fight never happened. Bluefur tells him that she is even better at fighting now that she has become a warrior. Excited, he tells her that he is a warrior now, and Bluefur guesses that his name is now Crookedjaw. He purrs with amusement and asks how she could ever have guessed. She points out that nothing happened to his tail, referring to his old joke.


 * Many moons later, Crookedjaw is made RiverClan deputy, and is forced to give up his friendship with Bluefur. He is head of the patrol that finds ThunderClan waiting to be taken to the RiverClan camp so that they may speak to Hailstar. Still seeming suspicious of them, his patrol escorts them to RiverClan's camp.


 * A while later, Crookedjaw becomes RiverClan's leader after Hailstar loses his ninth life to a rat bite. He makes Timberfur his deputy, although he makes good on his promise and asks Oakheart to be his deputy first. However, Oakheart declines, saying that he has not yet earned the position of deputy. At some point, after Timberfur dies or retires, Crookedstar must have asked Oakheart to be his deputy once again, because Oakheart is his deputy in Into the Wild.

Into the Wild

 * Crookedstar is first seen at a Gathering when Graypaw points him out to Firepaw. At this Gathering, when Brokenstar asks if he can have hunting rights in other Clan's territories, he is the first leader to allow Brokenstar to have hunting rights in the river. He is most likely afraid that if he refuses, Brokenstar and his Clan will drive him and RiverClan out of the forest, like they had done with WindClan, although he does show some resignation with agreeing.


 * The cats of RiverClan are horrified and humiliated, because Crookedstar did not consult with them before making this decision. He claims it is for the good of the Clan, and that he thinks it is better to share the plentiful fish in the river than to spill blood over it.


 * He thinks it is the best thing for all the Clans to do, but for all of his justifying, his Clan is still outraged.

Fire and Ice

 * At a Gathering, Nightpelt demands that Crookedstar allow ShadowClan to still hunt in their river. Crookedstar angers ShadowClan by saying that he will no longer allow them to hunt in his territory, and only when Bluestar intervenes is peace restored. Crookedstar and Nightstar plan to hunt on WindClan territory since they had been driven out.


 * Bluestar provokes Crookedstar and Nightstar by saying that WindClan must return. Crookedstar does not want this, since Twoleg activity along the river means his cats cannot fish, plus, his Clan had begun hunting in WindClan's territory to survive.


 * Bluestar eventually convinces the other leaders that WindClan must return since there have always been four Clans in the forest.


 * Crookedstar's only daughter, Silverstream, begins meeting secretly with Graystripe of ThunderClan, and he knows nothing of it, except that a single ThunderClan warrior has been repeatedly scented on his territory.


 * At another Gathering, Bluestar angrily accuses Crookedstar of hunting at Sunningrocks. Crookedstar is first panic-stricken, but retaliates by mentioning Whiteclaw's death once more. Crookedstar even claims that he has scented a ThunderClan cat spying on RiverClan. Bluestar is shocked at this, but Fireheart knows that the warrior is Graystripe.


 * When WindClan returns, he forms an alliance with ShadowClan and attempts to drive WindClan out once more, since he still wants their territory to hunt in. When ThunderClan arrives to help WindClan, Crookedstar battles with Tigerclaw, finally retreating when the dark warrior gives him a near fatal bite to the spine.

Forest of Secrets

 * Crookedstar is first seen at a Gathering, and he behaves aggressively towards WindClan, showing he still does not want them in the forest, but after Bluestar calms the other leaders down, he seems to accepts their presence and the fact that they belong in the forest with the other Clans.


 * When leaf-bare gives way to newleaf, the river floods because of melting ice, forcing Crookedstar and his Clan to evacuate their camp. After Graystripe and Fireheart save two of Mistyfoot's kits from drowning, Leopardfur, Crookedstar's current deputy, brings them to Crookedstar to let him decide what to make of their story of saving the kits, or trying to decide if they were stealing the kits. Crookedstar decides that Fireheart and Graystripe's story made sense, and he is forced to thank them grudgingly, and reluctantly accepts their offer to bring RiverClan prey until the flood has gone down after Graypool convinces him to let them help.


 * He is later seen at the Gathering when Nightstar announces that ThunderClan has been sheltering Brokentail. He and his Clan are the calmest, because of all the Clans, RiverClan has the least history with Brokentail. After the argument about Brokentail is over, Crookedstar takes his turn to speak and reports about the damages done to the RiverClan camp after the floods. When the Gathering is over, he offers ThunderClan a way home after Nightstar refuses to let them return through ShadowClan territory. He is shown to be grateful to Fireheart and Graystripe for helping RiverClan, and says that in hard times all cats should help each other.


 * He is said to have an unusually strong bond with his kit, so when Silverstream dies, he is stricken with grief for his daughter, until he hears her kits survived. He sends his deputy, Leopardfur to retrieve them from ThunderClan, and Graystripe, their father, ends up going with them to RiverClan.

Rising Storm

 * During a fire in ThunderClan's territory, Crookedstar allows ThunderClan to stay in RiverClan territory until the fire is gone.


 * Crookedstar is seen at a Gathering sitting silently with Stonefur. He calls the Gathering together and gives Bluestar the rights to speak first. It was mentioned that he and his Clan must be happy with ThunderClan because they helped RiverClan survive the floods, and gave Graystripe's kits over without a fight. It was also mentioned that he was extremely fond of his grand-kit, Featherkit, because she reminds him of Silverstream.


 * When ThunderClan is driven out of their own territory because of a fire in their camp, Crookedstar comments Leopardfur for showing mercy on the ThunderClan cats, and he lets them stay and recover in RiverClan's camp until the fire has gone out, as he decides that they are no threat, and he can possibly be returning the debt he owes Fireheart and Graystripe for giving RiverClan prey during the flood. Although his first concern is for his Clan, Crookedstar seems willing enough to help ThunderClan.


 * He allows Graystripe to accompany Fireheart back to ThunderClan camp to look for Yellowfang and Halftail, knowing that if they had died, Fireheart would need the comfort of an old friend. Crookedstar accepts Bluestar's gratitude and debt for the help he and his Clan gave to ThunderClan, although it's not mentioned if he planned to use it quite like his deputy.


 * He is also shown to be growing weaker and looking older than before.


 * Crookedstar is last seen at the last Gathering, demanding to know who ShadowClan's new leader is.

A Dangerous Path

 * Crookedstar is first seen at a Gathering, greeting Tigerstar as the new leader of ShadowClan. Crookedstar is impatient to start the Gathering, complaining that the Clans are wasting moonlight. He starts the Gathering, and gives Tigerstar the permission to speak first. When it is Crookedstar's turn, he announces about new apprentices and warriors, and news of more Twolegs by the river. Fireheart remarks that Crookedstar looks much frailer and older than he ever had before, most likely due to the recent stress for his Clan. His deputy, Leopardfur, begins taking charge of more things in RiverClan that the leader should be doing. Crookedstar is also looking very tired.


 * He is later visited by Tigerstar at the RiverClan camp. Graystripe announces to Fireheart that Crookedstar had lost his last life. At the next Gathering, Leopardfur also mentions that Crookedstar has lost his last life due to greencough, and that she is the new leader of RiverClan, Leopardstar. Leopardstar chooses Stonefur as her deputy.

Midnight

 * He appears very briefly in the prologue, when StarClan is choosing cats to journey to the sun-drown-place to find the badger Midnight. When Oakheart asks for permission to choose the representative for RiverClan, Crookedstar gives his permission to Oakheart. Oakheart chooses Feathertail, and Crookedstar approves of his choice.

Starlight

 * Crookedstar appears very briefly when StarClan has reached the new territory and are at the Moonpool. When Nightstar mentions a warrior hungry for power in RiverClan that is not deserved, Crookedstar is furious, and leaps to the defense of that warrior, who is later revealed to be Hawkfrost.


 * He is seemed to be extremely agitated by Nightstar, since he had accused a RiverClan warrior of trying to grab undeserved power. Once Nightstar rephrases his comment, Crookedstar asks Nightstar if he would have all the RiverClan warriors timid as mice.

Twilight

 * He appears very briefly in this book among the cats of StarClan telling Cinderpelt that her death is approaching. He tells her that she will be honored by all the Clans when ever the story of the Great Journey is told. He joins the other leaders in grieving over her death.

Sign of the Moon

 * Crookedstar is first seen in StarClan, hooking a fish out of one of StarClan's rivers. Yellowfang, showing Jayfeather around, compliments him on his catch, and he offers to share it with her. However, she politely declines, telling him that she might later.

Secrets of the Clans

 * He is seen in the story Flood!, told by Silverstream. When Silverstream tells him that the river has risen, he gruffly replies that it may lower soon. Later, when he and his Clan cross the river to safety because of the flood, he thinks that he and his Clan are no more powerful against the river than any other Clan, and realizes that everything that makes them RiverClan has been taken away from them. When he listens to Graystripe and Fireheart explaining how they had found the kits, he knows that this finding-of-the-kits episode must be a sign from StarClan, saying that he should not refuse help from other Clans, especially when RiverClan really needs it.

Cats of the Clans

 * It is revealed that when he was a kit, RiverClan had control over Sunningrocks and would go on the rocks just to antagonize ThunderClan cats. When he and his littermates were playing on the rocks too roughly, it resulted in him falling and breaking his jaw, which gave him his name, Crookedjaw. He had to work harder than any other RiverClan cat to earn respect, because in RiverClan, weakness was not welcome.


 * It is also mentioned that he knew of Bluestar and Oakheart's hidden affair, but allowed it because it would give Bluestar a weakness when launching an attack on RiverClan in the future. He was not as willing to let Graystripe into his Clan. Crookedstar and RiverClan had no place for a warrior with divided loyalties. He did nothing to stop his Clan from tormenting his daughter's former mate.


 * He is said to have been the wisest RiverClan leader ever to have lived in the forest. He wanted a united Clan, not one that argued with each other.

Trivia

 * He has been described with amber eyes.
 * He has also been described as a stocky gray tabby.
 * His mother has been mistakenly listed as Lilystem. This was changed to prevent an inconsistency in a scene in the book.
 * In Crookedstar's Promise, he was mistakenly called Crookedpaw when already named Crookedjaw, though this might be just a typo.
 * In Secrets of the Clans, Graypool was said to be Crookedstar's apprentice. This was false, for Graypool's mentors were Brightsky and Piketooth.
 * It is stated in Cats of the Clans that he broke his jaw playing on Sunningrocks as a kit, when in Crookedstar's Promise he broke it when fleeing from Goosefeather across the stepping stones.
 * Also in Crookedstar's Promise, he was referred to as Crookedstar when meeting Mapleshade, when he was just recently appointed deputy.
 * After Minnowkit and Willowkit die, Crookedstar thinks of his life as tragedy after tragedy. He lists all of his misled or dead loved ones - Willowbreeze, his kits, Rainflower, Hailstar, Oakheart's betrayal, and Bluefur's sacrifice - but he fails to mention his father Shellheart.

Members
Mate:
 * Willowbreeze:

Daughters:
 * Silverstream:
 * Minnowkit:
 * Willowkit:

Father:
 * Shellheart:

Mother:
 * Rainflower:

Brother:
 * Oakheart:

Great-grandfather:
 * Unnamed Tom:

Grandson:
 * Stormfur:

Granddaughter:
 * Feathertail:

Great-Grandson:
 * Pine That Clings to Rock:

Great-Granddaughter:
 * Lark That Sings at Dawn:

Nieces:
 * Mistystar:
 * Mosskit:

Nephew:
 * Stonefur:

Great-Nephews and Great-Nieces:
 * Reedwhisker:
 * Three Unidentified Kits: Status Unknown