Darkstar (SkC)

Darkstar is a dark brown tom with soft, thick fur underlaid with black, and milky-yellow eyes.

Code of the Clans

 * As an ancient SkyClan leader, Darkstar is getting on in his years, and is nearing the end of his last life. At a Gathering, he is shown to be very frail, having trouble climbing the Great Rock and catching his breath. Darkstar is sitting with his head bowed and eyes closed while the other leaders give their reports, including ThunderClan's leader, Vinestar's, about having many more mouths to feed, which Raincloud is worried about, because SkyClan has seen more ThunderClan activity near their border. When RiverClan's leader, Talonstar, gives him a shove, Darkstar climbs up to make his report about SkyClan.


 * When he begins to speak, it is described that his voice is very thin, and the clearing below goes dead silent. Right before he makes his announcement, he raises his head and can almost be seen as the great warrior he once was.


 * He tells the Clans that he wishes to give ThunderClan some of SkyClan's territory in order to feed their new kits. According to Raincloud, his deputy, it is almost a quarter of SkyClan's territory.


 * When he finishes his announcement, Raincloud leaps to her paws, and then onto the Great Rock, protesting and asking him if he really wanted to give away the territory. Darkstar justifies his decision by saying that ThunderClan has more mouths to feed than them, and they could extend their own territory on their other boundaries. Raincloud points out that this isn't true, because they are surrounded by Twolegs on all sides, but Darkstar stands by what he said, despite her words rebuking Raincloud and continues on with his decree.


 * He then tells the other leaders that they should not have to face insubordination like this, and suggests a new rule to the warrior code; that the word of a leader is the warrior code.


 * Raincloud fears that he had gone mad right in the middle of a Gathering. The other leaders slowly agree, although they seem to have some reservation about the rule. He tells Raincloud that she may still serve as his deputy, but she must never challenge him like that again.

Battles of the Clans

 * Darkstar does not formally appear, but it is mentioned that there was a piece of territory so frequently fought over between SkyClan and ThunderClan that Darkstar gave it to ThunderClan, much to the shock of his deputy Raincloud and his Clanmates. Despite this, he refuses to go back on his word.


 * When the first of the stars appears, Redstar looks at them. Kestrelwing then comes and tells him that StarClan approved of ThunderClan winning the battle against SkyClan. Redstar then states that Darkstar's word stands, now and forever.

Cloudstar's Journey

 * As Cloudstar and Buzzardtail discuss about how the ThunderClan cats trespassed onto SkyClan territory, Buzzardtail mentions that if Darkstar did not give them the strip of the territory, they would not walk over them as if their scent marks meant nothing. He adds that he knew he was their leader, but to him, it was a mouse-brained decision. It is noted that Cloudstar was not born when Darkstar made the announcement at a Gathering, surrendering part of his territory to ThunderClan, but the decision sat uneasily within the Clan. Cloudstar then replies that Darkstar had his reasons, but Buzzardtail questions if he had bees in his brain.


 * Cloudstar then tries to imagine himself in Darkstar's place, stating that the part of the forest he gave to them offered better hunting for ThunderClan than for SkyClan. He adds that Darkstar knew ThunderClan queens had recently given birth to several litters of kits, and their need for food was greater than the territory could provide, and states that if one Clan was starving to death, it was their duty to help them survive. Buzzardtail responds by stating that it was not part of the warrior code, and Cloudstar points out that obeying his leader was, which Darkstar was responsible for.


 * It is revealed that Darkstar gave Cloudstar a life to have faith in his instincts and know that his word was law. Cloudstar asks if Darkstar ever regretted giving ThunderClan a strip of forest, and Darkstar replies that he could not bear to watch ThunderClan starve.

Trivia

 * His name is printed as Duskstar throughout the entirety of Cloudstar's Journey.
 * His name has been spelled as Dusk-star.