Antfur

Ant is a small, well-muscled tom with a splotched brown-and-black pelt, glossy fur, and scars on his cheek.

Tigerheart's Shadow

 * Ant accompanies Fierce, along with Cobweb, and the three find Tigerheart. He flattens his ears aggressively, but halts after Fierce flicks her tail. After Tigerheart introduces himself and asks for Dovewing, Fierce sends Ant to see if there is a cat with that name. He then disappears into the shadows of the gathering place. Later, Ant returns and whispers into Fierce's ear, and the she-cat says that Dovewing will see him. They return to the den, flanking Tigerheart.


 * Tigerheart hurries to see Dovewing, Ant and Cobweb fall in behind the brown tabby tom. He and Cobweb then walk past Tigerheart as they lead him to see Dovewing. The two toms then flank Tigerheart once again. A confused Tigerheart asks if a cat named Bracken is a medicine cat, as they are treating Rascal's rat bite. Ant explains to the tom that all cats take care of each other, and Tigerheart notices the tom’s scarred cheek. Later, as the tabby tom talks to his mate, Dovewing sees Ant, Cobweb, and Fierce watching and tells them to leave.


 * The next day, Fierce approaches Tigerheart and Dovewing’s nest and asks if they can help with the foxes that are preventing them from gathering herbs. He agrees, so the tortoiseshell calls together Ant, Cobweb, and Cinnamon to go with them and investigate. The brown and black tom asks if they’ll be fighting, but Fierce says no. They travel through the Twolegplace and Tigerheart struggles to keep his calm in the busy city. Ant reassures him that they know a safe route, though he still seems skeptical.The cats continue to pad on until they reach a tunnel that goes under a large Thunderpath. They emerge on a green stretch next to the Thunderpath, where several types of herbs grow. Ant hurries over to a patch of feverfew, commenting that it’s ready to gather.


 * The patrol moves to investigate the fox’s scent, and Cobweb and Ant press together. A fox approaches, knocking the pair of cats backwards as it lunges forward. Tigerheart tugs the creature backwards, giving the smoky gray tom time to escape. Ant jumps to his paws, striking at the fox’s muzzle with his claws. The creature lunges at him, but he dodges out of the way and aims another blow. Tigerheart watches as the guardian cats attack the fox, but can tell their attacks aren’t scaring the creature, but only making it angry.


 * The fox lunges at Cobweb, and Tigerheart wrenches him free before barking out orders, which Fierce, Ant, and Cinnamon obey. A second fox approaches, and Tigerheart urges Cobweb to get up, knowing that these cats can’t win this fight. Ant rushes forward and helps Cobweb down the slope, and the others follow, only leaving the ShadowClan tom. He yowls at them to run, and Tigerheart stalls until each guardian cat escapes. Tigerheart then turns and hurtles through the tunnel and to safety.


 * A few days later, Tigerheart gathers the guardian cats in a circle, ready to teach them some fighting moves. While most are not keen on fighting, they agree that it is necessary to save the herbs. Ant and Cinnamon look excited, and Tigerheart is glad that they at least would like to learn. The dark tabby then works out a strategy for fighting the foxes, explaining how to coordinate attacks with others to make them more effective. Dovewing suggests that they use one cat as a kind of bait, so that the foxes will come out of their den. The dark tabby tom agrees, and Spire then volunteers for the position, trusting his friends to keep him safe. The next day, the cats travel to the herb patch, and Spire walks to a spot in the middle of the clearing.


 * He acts distracted, chasing imaginary prey and letting out a yowl. The fox comes out because of this, and Fierce immediately jumps on top of it. Ant and Cinnamon then leap out of their hiding spots and they surround the fox with Pipsqueak's help. The cats start attacking the red-pelted creature, and it thrashes desperately beneath them. However, the vixen soon comes, and Tigerheart goes to confront it. Both foxes soon leave after they become overwhelmed by the cats clawing at them. Ant, Cinnamon, and Pipsqueak weave around each other happy that they’ve won. The cats then fill up the fox den with enough debris to make sure they don’t come back.


 * Later, Ant and Blaze play fight, and the kit tries to practice his fighting moves on his companion. Dovewing says that he’s doing great, and the tom-kit then leaves the game when Spire returns. Ant comments that the Twolegs yowling every quarter moon is very weird, and he thought it was dogs howling at first. The tom gets up and stretches, saying he’s going hunting. Ant offers that Tigerheart can come along, but he declines. He flicks his tail in acknowledgement, and then makes his way to the den exit.


 * Moons after, Ant goes on patrol with Fierce, Tigerheart, Dovewing, and Spire. As they approach a Thunderpath, the tabby tom scents the rogues they’d met yesterday. He calls the patrol to him, and Ant follows behind slowly as they confront the gray rogue she-cat. Tigerheart accuses her of trespassing, but Fierce and Ant explain that this isn’t their land, and that they just sleep in the gathering place and scavenge everywhere. The argument breaks up, and Ant follows the tortoiseshell as she leads her cats away. Dovewing reminds Tigerheart that these cats live differently, and that they’re only visitors. The patrol keeps walking and comes across some scrapcans.


 * Tigerheart devises a plan to catch some rats, but they’re scared away by Fog. He is angry with her, but Ant and Fierce hang back, not defending his points. The cats break up after deciding that negativity is unproductive, despite his protests. They leave and go back to the gathering den. Another day, Fierce gathers together several cats to go to the Twoleg gathering to scavenge. Ant goes with them, and encourages those who are going to get fish, since many cats like it. The patrol splits by Fierce’s command, the tom goes with Mittens and Rascal.


 * Tigerheart brings his group’s first haul back to the collection, with Ant’s group just behind. The brown and black tom reports that Fog and her group are here scavenging, which sends Tigerheart racing to confront them. He gets into a fight with Fog, but when Twolegs spot them, he runs. Tigerheart makes it back to his group, and tells them to grab what they can and run. Once they escape and he explains what happened. Fog and her group confront them again, but are sent off with harsh words from Tigerheart. Ant returns to the gathering den with the group, carrying prey. When they return, the smoky gray tom shares a meaty bone with Ant.


 * As Fog’s group becomes an increasing problem, Tigerheart suggests that they drive the foxes out of her group’s old home so they’ll return and leave. They dubiously agree to learn to fight, and Ant exits the den with his friends to train. Tigerheart watches Cobweb and Ant attack Rascal, but fall away sloppily when the tom ducks from beneath them. He teaches them how to fight two foxes at once, and Fierce begins to split cats into groups. However, a squeal from Pouncekit alerts everyone that the kit is in trouble, and they break up to investigate. They find that the kit is trapped in a mesh trap, and free them. Afterwards they close the remaining traps by triggering them with branches, and conclude that the shiny strip in the middle is what makes them close.


 * The Twolegs replace the old traps with new ones, which the guardian cats continue to close. Tigerheart formulates a plan to drive the foxes into the traps, which Ant agrees to help with. With the help of Tuna, they carve out two good routes, and start their plan the next day. The brown tom comes to help them the next day, and Ant shrugs, saying it couldn’t do any harm. The group opts to follow Tuna’s lead and soon make it back to Fog’s old camp.


 * When Tigerheart asks if they remember the plan, Ant asks what group Tuna will be in. The brown tom ends up joining Tigerheart and Cobweb’s group, and they crouch against the wall to avoid the driving rain. The tabby tom warns them to look out for their partners, and call for help if needed, so no cat is left to face the foxes alone. Ant and Cobweb express doubts, but Fierce insists that they need to take a stand and defend their home. The smoky gray tom asks if this is what it’s like to be a warrior, and Tigerheart says it’s not like this all the time. The cats agree that they know their routes, and break up into groups.


 * They jump onto a wall, and Tigerheart orders Cobweb and Tuna to surround the biggest fox, while Fierce and Ant take the other. He tells the tortoiseshell she-cat to lead theirs back the way they came, so their routes don’t overlap. Tigerheart and his group get their fox to the meeting point, where other cats wait to do the second part of the plan. He watches as Fierce and Ant run from a passageway just past the gathering place and then duck away as Dotty, Cinnamon, and Peanut take their place. Later, he goes scavenging with Fierce, Cinnamon, Mittens, Dovewing and Tigerheart. They file out the exit, walking towards the scrap-cans.


 * The next day, Tigerheart and Dovewing announce that they are going back to the lake with their kits because of his Clan. Blaze decides to join Tigerheart and Dovewing, saying he wants to be a warrior. Cinnamon and Ant ask to come with them as well, and Tigerheart discusses it with Dovewing. The pair look at the Clan cats hopefully, so they both agree that the two guardian cats would make a good addition. Fierce bids them farewell, and the dark brown tabby decides that they will leave now. Ant says his goodbyes to his denmates and then quickly makes his way to the wooden exit ledge.


 * As they travel, Ant helps the kits travel by carrying them across when the patrol crosses Thunderpaths. They soon reach a deserted alley, and the tom puts Lightkit down. With Cinnamon’s help, they find Dash, who agrees to lead them to the right tunnel. The loner comments that it’s dangerous, especially for a group of strays with kits. Cinnamon is offended by this, asking if he thinks of them as strays. Ant tries to calm her, saying that Dash is just worried about them. She huffs, commenting that the black-and-white tom doesn't have to be rude about it. Dash then leads them into the tunnel, and they begin to walk into the darkness.


 * Ant offers to give Pouncekit a badger ride, since the stones in the tunnel are sharp. The kit says she’d like to, but Tigerheart insists that a warrior walks. A Thundersnake approaches, and the patrol huddles close to the tunnel wall. Once it passes, Ant comments that next time he’s putting his paws in his ears. After a while, Ant asks if the tunnel has an end, since it seems like they’ve been walking forever. Tigerheart says it’ll open out soon, and they begin to talk about what the landscape outside of the city is like. After another long stretch of walking, the cats finally reach the end of the tunnel. They find a place to camp for the night, and the cats go to sleep.


 * A half-moon later, the cats are still following the Silverpath on their way home. Tigerheart fondly thinks about how hard Ant and Cinnamon work to distract the kits with their games. He reflects that both of the former guardian cats are getting used to hunting, becoming stronger every day. Suddenly, Spire stops and insists that they leave the Silverpath and find an orange sun. Cinnamon bounds over to him, telling the tom that they'd get lost without the track and need it to go home.


 * Tigerheart hesitates, and is relieved when Ant suggests that they rest for tonight so that Spire can forget about his supposed revelations. They make camp, and all of the cats wearily drift to sleep. However, later that night, Spire goes missing when he searches for the orange sun. Blaze, Tigerheart, and Dovewing decide to go after him, and they decide to leave the kits with Cinnamon and Ant. The black and brown tom comments that the healer couldn’t have gone far, especially since it’s cold out.


 * They find Spire, and they also meet Cloverfoot, Slatefur, Berryheart, and Sparrowtail. They decide to come with Dovewing and Tigerheart back to the Clans, and the she-cat mentions that Ant and Cinnamon will want to know how they are for the kits’ sake. Tigerheart explains that they have a long story to tell, so they all stay there for the night. Once they meet up with Ant and Cinnamon, the cats continue to travel. The two former guardian cats are excited to learn about Clan life, asking as many questions as the kits do. Spire announces that they need to leave the Silverpath, or there will be death without meaning. All the cats gather close, talking about what he’s said. Tigerheart contemplates the risks, but decides to follow Spire on a new route.


 * Spire leads them to a river with a long Thunderpath across it, shaped in an arch. They decide to cross, and see Twolegs stare at them in horror. Cinnamon and Ant squeeze under the fence, quickly bounding to the other side. Before everyone can make it across, the Thunderpath splits open in the middle, trapping some on the wrong side. Spire falls through the crack when he rescues Pouncekit, mouth opening in a wail that will never come. They try to spot Spire in the water, but no cat can find the black tom. Cloverfoot suggests that they could go back to the Silverpath, but Ant says it will take too much time. Tigerheart mentions he passed a Twolegplace like this one on his way here, and that it might be the same one. He decides that they will keep on the route Spire started, even though most of the cats are less than enthusiastic.


 * The next day, Berryheart begins her kitting. The cats decide to stay in place until Berryheart's kits are fully weaned, so they can travel easier. A moon later, Tigerheart walks into camp, spotting Ant and Cinnamon resting in a patch of sunshine. Shadowkit tells his father that they should leave before night falls, but he says they’ll go tomorrow. However, as it gets dark that day, an owl gets a hold of Tigerheart after he rescues Hollowkit, and he is severely injured. They try to travel toward ShadowClan, hoping to get Tigerheart to a medicine cat. They stop later in the day to hunt, but after a little while, Tigerheart gulps for air, meowing that he can't breathe. Cinnamon, Ant, and Dovewing watch with horror in their gazes. Tigerheart then dies, letting his last breath go in a final effort.


 * When Tigerstar wakes up from his nine lives ceremony, he spots Ant and Cinnamon waiting for him. They are all very happy to see him, and the rest of ShadowClan is there as well. Tawnypelt comments that the newly named Tigerstar has brought home new warriors as well as old. The new leader agrees, and asks the Clan to accept the cats with him, and says he is ready to lead now. ShadowClan stays silent for a moment, and then cats begin to cheer his leader name.

River of Fire

 * Ant is one of the group of cats that are at the Moonpool when Alderheart and Violetshine arrive to see if Tigerheart is really dead. The black and white she-cat looks at the newcomers and asks where they all came from, and Dovewing explains that they'd met Ant, Cinnamon, and Blaze in a huge Twolegplace.
 * RAGING STORM
 * he is now apprenticed to stonewing with the name antpaw

References and citations
МуравейAntAnt