Scourge

Scourge is a small black tom with one white paw, ice-blue eyes, glossy fur, and a torn left ear. He has a purple collar studded with teeth from dogs and cats, and claws reinforced with dogs' teeth.

Firestar's Quest

 * Scourge is briefly mentioned to have been killed during the battle against BloodClan when Firestar thinks about how, ever since then, there has been peace in the forest, but that every cat jumps at the snap of a twig. Later, Spiderkit and his brother, Shrewkit are playing with a bundle of moss, pretending it is Scourge. Rainpaw rebukes them, saying that he had only just collected the moss.


 * Not too much later, Firestar sees Spottedleaf in a dream. She tells him that StarClan cannot control all that happens in the forest, and could not have driven out Scourge and BloodClan. When a black she-cat and a brown tom lead Firestar to the rest of their group, he remembers Scourge and wonders if these cats are just like BloodClan.


 * While Firestar discusses with Sandstorm how SkyClan will defeat the rats, she reminds him that he had defeated Scourge, adding that he will defeat the rats. When Firestar tries to convince her that they need to divide forest boundaries for SkyClan, Sandstorm says that there isn't a way, and that he had seen that when Scourge tried to move into the forest along with BloodClan. Scourge is last mentioned when Firestar remembers how the BloodClan leader had killed Tigerstar, taking away all his nine lives at once.

Bluestar's Prophecy

 * While Tigerpaw, Bluefur, and Thistleclaw are out on a patrol, they spot Tiny, who is noted as an unnamed, undersized cat, in the midst of their territory when he is still a young kit. For the punishment of trespassing, Tiny is brutally scarred by Tigerpaw, who is encouraged by his mentor, Thistleclaw. His life is saved by Bluefur, as the warrior code says you do not have to kill in order to win a battle. Tigerpaw snarls at Tiny, growling that the young kit will never forget him. Bluefur stands in front of the black kit as he scuttles off to squeeze under a fence, then yells at Thistleclaw, who brushes her off about the attack.

The Darkest Hour

 * Scourge is the leader of BloodClan, the gang of rogues living by a nearby Twolegplace. Though he is very small, this cat leads his Clan with an iron claw and kills anyone who stands against him, and only thinks of killing other cats as a kind of sport.


 * Two moons before the dogs attack the ThunderClan camp, Tigerstar and Boulder, who is a former BloodClan member, travel through Twolegplace to find Scourge. Scourge and his Clan are invited to the forest by Tigerstar, who wants their help to force ThunderClan and WindClan to join TigerClan. Scourge remembers Tigerstar and his cruelty toward him, but agrees to help him nonetheless.


 * Two moons later, Tigerstar leads BloodClan into the forest and introduces them to the forest cats. However, when Tigerstar then attempts to command BloodClan to fight, Scourge refuses, saying that he and he alone commands BloodClan. Firestar then takes the opportunity to reveal Tigerstar's long history of bloodlust and betrayal. Seemingly intrigued by this, Scourge once again refuses to fight for Tigerstar, saying that he will think about what Firestar has said. Enraged, Tigerstar attacks Scourge, calling him a traitor, but Scourge dodges the attack and slashes Tigerstar's shoulder, knocking him onto his side. He then tears into Tigerstar's neck with his dog teeth-reinforced claws, and uses them to slice him open from chin to tail. This wound is so severe that even StarClan cannot heal it, killing Tigerstar nine times over. Scourge then decides that the forest will be BloodClan's new home. He informs Firestar that the Clans have three days to decide whether they will come quietly and leave the forest or else they will meet BloodClan in battle on the fourth day.


 * Firestar decides to refuse and convinces all four forest Clans to combine into LionClan. BloodClan and LionClan later meet in battle at Fourtrees. Scourge battles with Firestar, taking his first life.


 * Scourge is surprised when Firestar revives, and Firestar fights him again, saving Cloudtail from death. Firestar kills him with a bite to the throat after he realizes that Scourge has only one life since the BloodClan leader does not believe in StarClan. With the fall of their leader, BloodClan admits defeat and retreats.

Sunset

 * Scourge is mentioned by Tigerstar in the Dark Forest, when he says Firestar thinks he has won when Scourge took away his nine lives. He is briefly mentioned by Tawnypelt. She says that she is glad that Scourge killed Tigerstar.


 * Scourge is also mentioned by Hawkfrost where he blames Firestar for not stopping Scourge from killing Tigerstar. Brambleclaw also recalls Scourge killing Tigerstar and wonders if this is what Hawkfrost and Tigerstar want him to become.

Sunrise

 * When ThunderClan cats are discussing who would want to kill Ashfur, Lionblaze recalls the stories he had heard about Scourge, and thinks he sounded like a cat that had enjoyed killing.

Secrets of the Clans

 * Scourge is mistakenly called Blood in the description of BloodClan in this book, but it is mentioned that he killed Tigerstar. His real name is otherwise used correctly. In "Barley Speaks: Flight from BloodClan," Barley's sister Violet is taken to him because she and Barley had been disobeying his laws by hiding out and living together. Scourge thinks there is no better punishment than for Barley to watch his sister die right before his eyes. He orders Violet's other two brothers, Snake and Ice, formerly Hoot and Jumper, to attack her. They do, leaving her brutally wounded, only hanging on to life by a small thread. Violet survives only because Barley knows a kittypet whose housefolk is a "Cutter", the Clan term for a veterinarian.

Cats of the Clans

 * Rock tells Blossomkit, Adderkit, and Mosskit all about Scourge, Bone, and BloodClan. He explains how BloodClan was just a group of stray cats in Twolegplace who had no code or honor to bind them. Scourge had no sense of right or wrong, which let him kill or hurt other cats without a second thought. However, his greatest weakness was his lack of belief in StarClan, which left him with only one life to lose.

Battles of the Clans

 * Scourge does not formally appear, but is mentioned by Tigerstar when he talks of the battle with BloodClan. He recalls when Scourge ripped his belly open, causing him to lose all his nine lives at once. He also calls him a traitor, since he had promised to help Tigerstar take over the forest, but never acted on his promise. Tigerstar also mentions that if you had been standing beside him, you would have felt victorious, since you'd just seen your leader kill the strongest cat in the forest.

The Ultimate Guide

 * On her own page, Sandstorm is said to have been important to Firestar while he prepared to fight BloodClan. He wanted to fight Scourge and save the forest, and Sandstorm was the one to reassure him that he was right in fighting the Twolegplace cats.


 * On ShadowClan's introduction page, Blackstar admits that letting Scourge and the rest of his Clan into the forest was a bad idea. On Tigerstar's section, it is mentioned that he formed an alliance with Scourge, although he didn't realize Scourge was the kit he'd nearly killed as an apprentice. Scourge turned against the ShadowClan leader and gave him a wound that took all of his nine lives away.


 * He is next referred to on Boulder's page. Boulder was the one to suggest allying with Scourge and his cats. He visited them, but trusted them too much, and Scourge killed Tigerstar and declared war on the Clans. Boulder fought against BloodClan after that. On Animals outside the Clans introduction page, it is mentioned that the Clans even had to acknowledge Scourge's BloodClan. He appears on Barley and Ravenpaw's section next. Barley had been born among BloodClan and wished to remain with his sister, Violet. Because of this, Scourge made him watch his sister nearly get killed. He and Ravenpaw later fought alongside the Clans against BloodClan.


 * Scourge shares a page with his deputy, Bone. Born in Twolegplace to Quince and Jake, his siblings, Ruby and Socks, scorned him when he was a kit. Scourge ventured into the forest in a desperate attempt to prove himself, and got into a fight with Tigerpaw upon meeting a ThunderClan patrol. He didn't go back home, and instead lived in Twolegplace. Using a dog's tooth, Scourge attempted to tear off his collar, but the tooth became lodged in his collar. Other cats believed it meant he'd killed a dog, and he let them think what they wanted. He used the cats he found to punish those weaker, and formed BloodClan. Boulder came with Tigerstar to request an alliance, and Scourge knew who Tigerstar was, accepting the offer. Scourge killed Tigerstar after proclaiming his wish to take over the forest. Scourge didn't believe in StarClan, which proved to be his weakness. He met his match in Firestar, and with only one life to lose, was slain forever. Bone was never viewed by Scourge as his equal, but was valued for his strength and courage. He was first thought to lead BloodClan, as he walked ahead of his leader into the forest. He was killed by a group of Clan apprentices after murdering Whitestorm, and was unfailingly loyal to Scourge.

The Rise of Scourge

 * Tiny is born to Quince as a kittypet. His siblings are Ruby and Socks. His brother and sister dislike him because of his small size, and they normally do not let him join them in their games. One day, their Twoleg takes them outside. To prove to his family that he is strong, he finds a hole in the fence and ventures into the forest. He returns home and tells his family of his adventures, only to find that his family doesn't believe he went into the forest at all. Later, a group of Twolegs comes to look at the litter for adoption. Tiny, however, sits away from his siblings with a grumpy expression on his face, not showing interest in the Twolegs. When Ruby takes notice, she approaches him and says that the Twoleg cub wants them and not him. She then asks if he knows what happens to unwanted kittens and continues, cruelly saying that they get thrown into the river. Tiny is horrified and decides that he doesn't want that fate. He decides to act cute the next time the Twolegs stop by, but it runs right by him. Scared, he leaves his Twoleg den.


 * Tiny walks through the small gap in the fence, and walks along side it until two unnamed kittypets tell him he's a long way from home and tells him to go back. When Tiny objects, the kittypets then tell him about the wildcats, and how they would eat him. Angry, he tells them that he wasn't weak, and storms off.


 * Tiny walks deeper into the forest, and meets a patrol made up of Bluefur, Thistleclaw, and Tigerpaw. Bluefur attempts to defend him, and saying he is just a kit and he could do no harm. But Thistleclaw says Tiny needs to be taught a lesson. He orders his apprentice, Tigerpaw, to attack Tiny. Tigerpaw almost kills him before he is stopped by Bluefur. As Tiny runs off, Tigerpaw declares that Tiny would never forget him.


 * He decides to go home at first, but he then remembers that if he does go home he will be thrown into the river. Tiny decides he must run away and never come back.


 * He ends up in Twolegplace where he meets rogues who call him a kittypet. He eventually finds a kind old she-cat who shares her food with him and explains that his collar marks that he is a kittypet and tells him what it means. He tries to remove it, but when he can't, he gets laughed at.


 * Later, Tiny finds Samwise, an old dog whose teeth are falling out, and he tries to break his collar with one of the teeth that fall, only to get it stuck in the collar. When other rogues ask him about it, Tiny, desperate for food, tells them he killed a dog, and took the tooth as a trophy. The cats step back to let him eat.


 * As the story spreads, Bone and Brick ask him to defeat a dog that is keeping them and many other rogues from food. He goes to fight the dog, but ends up scaring the dog with his huge shadow and as the dog runs away, he claws the dog's tail in attempt to get a new kind of 'trophy'. One cat asks his name; Tiny doesn't want to admit it's "Tiny", and he remembers Quince's remark towards the Clans, saying they were a scourge on all good cats. Tiny then tells them that his name is Scourge.


 * Cats begin coming to Scourge with their problems after Brick and Bone spread the word about the new leader.


 * One morning, Brick and Bone walk up to him tell him about a group of rogues who are causing trouble in the territory. While Scourge is walking toward them, he picks up forest scent and thinks it might be Tigerpaw, but it turns out to be the exiled ShadowClan leader, Brokenstar. Scourge tells them to leave, but they mock him for his size. Scourge hesitates, and his own cats start to doubt him. Angered, Scourge decides all cats must respect him. He slashes one of the rogue's throats open, killing him. Brokenstar and his followers, stunned, quickly leave. Cats, soon after, begin to bring Scourge tributes.


 * Later, Ruby and Socks come to BloodClan, telling Scourge their Twolegs had abandoned them. They beg him for help, reminding him they were kin. Scourge is disgusted that they would come to him after how they had treated him as a kit. Socks and Ruby ask if blood means anything to him and which Scourge gives a lengthy response, saying the only blood that matters is the blood of his enemies. He feels his words are lost of them, however, and lets them eat. He then sends them away and tells them to never return since they made fun of him.


 * After much time passes, Boulder brings his Clan leader, Tigerstar, to present a proposal to Scourge. However, Scourge immediately recognizes Tigerstar as Tigerpaw. Scourge agrees and goes to the forest with Tigerstar. In The Darkest Hour, this scene is when Firestar reveals Tigerstar's treachery against ThunderClan to Scourge. Tigerstar becomes enraged and leaps at Scourge with claws unsheathed. Scourge then rakes his claws down Tigerstar's belly, ripping away his nine lives and killing him. He still remembers Tigerstar as the apprentice that injured him.

A Clan in Need

 * Scourge appears in Barley's dream at the beginning of the book. He is telling Snake and Ice to kill their sister, Violet, because she and her brother, Barley, had broken the rule keeping family from living together. Although Barley begs to be punished in Violet's place, Scourge insists watching her suffer would punish him much more severely than a beating would. He then proceeds to command Snake and Ice to murder her.

Mistakes

 * He is mistakenly called Blood.
 * Scourge is mistakenly said to be Violet's littermate.

Interesting facts

 * Scourge does not walk in the Dark Forest because he does not believe in StarClan.
 * Scourge hated the dog teeth that studded his collar. They smelled awful and pressed on his throat, making swallowing difficult. But he put up with the discomfort because he knew it made him look more fearsome.
 * Vicky doesn't think that Scourge killed Jake.
 * Kate thinks his collar is so dirty, you couldn't tell what color it is.

Members
Mother:
 * Quince:

Father:
 * Jake:

Brother:
 * Socks:

Sister:
 * Ruby:

Half-brother:
 * Firestar:

Half-sister:
 * Princess:

Half-siblings:
 * Unnamed kits:

References and citations
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