Hollyleaf

Hollyleaf is a black she-cat with green eyes.

The Sight

 * Hollykit is born to Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw, along with her brothers Jaykit and Lionkit. She is seen playing with a mouse with her siblings at the beginning of the book.


 * While Brambleclaw sends out patrols to search for the fox dens, Hollykit, Jaykit and Lionkit ask Brambleclaw if they can help, and he says that they could help guard the camp. Hollykit and her brother, Lionkit, are excited at first, but Jaykit claims that Brambleclaw was only trying to keep them busy, and their excitement fades. The three kits decide to find the fox cub's dens by themselves. They sneak out through the dirt place tunnel and head towards the lake. They are almost spotted by Brook and Stormfur, but they hide in a bush, which manages them to allow hidden. The kits reach The Sky Oak and find the fox den, and Lionkit decides that they should raid the den through the escape passage. The cubs turn out to be much bigger than expected, and almost kill the kits. The kits escape, but as Jaykit runs towards the camp, he falls into the hollow. Leafpool, the medicine cat, seems to encourage Hollykit to become a medicine cat after she shows worry for her kin while Leafpool takes care of him.


 * Hollykit takes on the name of Hollypaw after Leafpool agrees to be her mentor. However, Hollypaw does not do well as a medicine cat apprentice. She goes to fetch some herbs the morning after Graystripe and Millie return.
 * Hollypaw quickly heads out but returns with the wrong herb. Treating injuries often makes her squeamish, and she begins to doubt her skills at her duty.


 * Soon Leafpool takes her to practice battle moves, which she excels at. She's dedicated to the warrior code, and believes that Firestar should have chosen Graystripe as his deputy.




 * A battle erupts when Hollypaw is out collecting tansy, she is shown fighting Smokefoot with Graystripe, and when it ends, Hollypaw forgets to check cats for injuries in her excitement, but Birchfall notes that Hollypaw fought like a warrior.


 * After the fight, Hollypaw decides to become a warrior apprentice instead, and Brackenfur becomes her new mentor.


 * Later, she goes to the Gathering, and is excited by the thought of the Daylight Gathering as well.


 * During the Daylight Gathering, which was suggested by Squirrelflight during the previous Gathering, she wins the fighting competition against Heatherpaw, a WindClan apprentice, who was more experienced than Hollypaw. Heatherpaw compliments her about her fighting skills. Firestar rewards her by allowing her to have first prey from the fresh-kill pile for winning the fighting contest.


 * She and Squirrelflight both congratulate Jaypaw when the Clan leaders announce that he saved Breezepaw and Lionpaw.

Dark River

 * Hollypaw is worried about her friend in RiverClan, Willowpaw, a medicine cat apprentice. She knows that RiverClan moved their camp to the island where the Gatherings were held, and also that RiverClan is having problems. She asks Jaypaw to find out what is happening in RiverClan through asking Willowpaw, because she isn't a medicine cat apprentice anymore, and won't see her at the half-moon medicine cat meeting.


 * One night, she has a dream about Willowpaw. In the dream, it is raining. Willowpaw is running ahead of her, and Hollypaw cannot catch up. She tries to call to her, to ask her what is going on in RiverClan. But Willowpaw cannot hear her, and she wakes up, disturbed.


 * She starts to realize that Lionpaw is very tired and grumpy during the day, and attempts to question him about it. However, he is touchy, and sharply tells her that nothing is wrong. She feels upset about this, remembering when she and her littermates shared everything with each other. She asks Jaypaw if he knows what's going on with Lionpaw, but Jaypaw tells her he doesn't. While on patrol with Brackenfur, Cloudtail, and Cinderpaw the next morning, they scent fox in their territory. Cinderpaw is first to announce it is female, but the scent is stale. Hollypaw is puzzled by this, knowing that Cinderpaw had never come across a fox before.


 * That night, she notices that once again, Lionpaw is missing from the den. Hollypaw starts to go and find him, and Cinderpaw decides to come along. They go out into the forest, trying to pick up his scent trail. His scent leads to the WindClan border, which worries Hollypaw. She and Cinderpaw then see Lionpaw near the border, playing with the WindClan apprentice Heatherpaw, who Hollypaw also fought at the Daylight Gathering. Hollypaw growls angry and interrupts them. Lionpaw becomes defiant and angry, and the two start to argue. She threatens to tell Brambleclaw if Lionpaw continues to see Heatherpaw, putting their bond at risk. He becomes furious, and storms off back to camp. Hollypaw is still worried, however, wondering if Lionpaw will ever forgive her.


 * When Millie interrupts her own warrior ceremony to tell Firestar she wants to keep her kittypet name, Hollypaw grows uneasy. When Daisy and Brook stick up for her, some of the Clan start to agree. Hollypaw is against this, arguing that they must live by the warrior code and that Millie should have accepted a proper Clan name.


 * She is later given her assessment, along with Cinderpaw and Mousepaw. Mousepaw becomes determined to catch a squirrel in the Sky Oak, so Hollypaw and Cinderpaw watch anxiously as he climbs it. Their mentors, Brackenfur, Cloudtail, and Spiderleg all come running, and watch Mousepaw climb the tree. When Mousepaw gets stuck, Cinderpaw climbs up to get him, despite her father's protests. Hollypaw is horrified when Cinderpaw slips and falls out of the tree. Spiderleg orders her to go and fetch Leafpool. Hollypaw bursts into camp and leads Leafpool and Jaypaw to where Cinderpaw is. When they realize that Cinderpaw has broken a hind leg, Leafpool becomes very upset, reminded of her old mentor, Cinderpelt. Hollypaw tells Jaypaw that she has never seen Leafpool so upset before.


 * During the next gathering, she tries to talk to Willowpaw, but she tells her that she cannot talk, and leaves.


 * After deciding to find RiverClan's problem on her own, Hollypaw travels to RiverClan's territory. However, she is held captive in the RiverClan temporary camp. While there, twoleg kits invade RiverClan's camp. The next day, Squirrelflight comes to fetch her.


 * Near the end of the book, Lionpaw, Hollypaw, and Jaypaw search for the missing kits from WindClan. Before that, Hollypaw had accused of Lionpaw of betraying his Clan, but she was stopped by Jaypaw, who calmly told her that she was still being punished for helping Willowpaw. Heatherpaw and Breezepaw search with them too, and they rescue the kits from drowning in the tunnels where her brother and Heatherpaw used to meet. Hollypaw then decides that she can no longer be friends with Willowpaw anymore, as she was training to be a warrior now, not a medicine cat.

Outcast

 * After bringing prey to the queens, Hollypaw speaks to her mother, Squirrelflight, about being both a warrior and a mother. Squirrelflight tries to reassure her, but Hollypaw is frustrated still.


 * Hollypaw is present at Foxkit and Icekit's apprentice ceremony. Later, she goes on a patrol with Firestar and Brackenfur to find Berrynose and Birchfall trespassing and hunting on ShadowClan territory. Later, Hollypaw finds Jaypaw sheltering from the rain, but he admits that he was looking for another way into the tunnels after Hollypaw voiced her suspicions. When Jaypaw tells his sister about the ancient cats, Hollypaw is fascinated yet hesitant about keeping the stories a secret. In the end, she agrees. During a hunting patrol Brook talks about the Tribe and comments that Hollypaw is a good hunter because of her strong back legs. Like her siblings Jaypaw and Lionpaw, Hollypaw longs to go to the mountains. Later Hollypaw tells Cinderpaw that she would focus on becoming a better hunter before training to become a better fighter. Hollypaw watches an advanced training session for the new warriors Berrynose, Hazeltail, and Mousewhisker, and is disturbed when Ashfur and Lionpaw start to fight savagely. She participates in the training session, but is distracted with memories of the fight. Her father Brambleclaw reassures her and tells her that she is his little thinker.


 * After Hollypaw and her siblings are given permission to join Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight on the journey to help the Tribe, she goes with Squirrelflight to WindClan to bring Crowfeather and Breezepaw to ThunderClan. Hollypaw also thinks about how she can become the leader of ThunderClan throughout the book and is worried that she is acting ambitious but later convinced herself that she isn't.


 * Hollypaw, along with Jaypaw, Lionpaw, Brambleclaw, Crowfeather, Breezepaw, Tawnypelt, Stormfur, Brook, Night, and Talon journey to the Tribe of Rushing Water. Hollypaw and the other apprentices meet a loner named Purdy and secretly agrees with Breezepaw when he voices his annoyance that Purdy is with them. She sees cows for the first time as well. While traveling there she, Lionpaw and Breezepaw enter a barn to catch some fresh-kill against orders. She does not think it a good idea, but decides to come because she wants to help them. After they catch some prey, they are attacked by dogs and are saved by Purdy as he shows them a way out of the barn.


 * Afterwards, Hollypaw picks ticks off Purdy to thank him for saving them. She finds out that Purdy's owners had died and that he was living on his own. She commented on how his life was harder than the elders of a Clan. When the cats are close to the Tribe's home, Hollypaw yowls loudly, warning the intruders and almost causing a fight. When the group of cats get to the Tribe of Rushing Water she teaches "to-be's" on fighting techniques with Lionpaw and Breezepaw. While she finds it difficult, she enjoys the experience of being a mentor. However, she and Lionpaw admit to each other that they don't think the Tribe can learn Clan ways. Hollypaw is part of the patrol that brings the message about the boundaries to the intruders, and is horrified when she realizes the intruders have no code of honor to follow. Hollypaw is pleased that the Tribe chose to fight the intruders rather than flee.


 * Before the battle against the rogues begin, Hollypaw, Lionpaw, Breezepaw, and Pebble enter through a hole in the ceiling to scare off the nursing she-cats. Hollypaw fought very hard in the battle. When it was over, she became horrified when she saw Lionpaw covered in blood; thinking it was his own. It was, however, the blood of the cats whom he had been fighting, and she helps him wash his pelt. Jaypaw gets them alone after this, and tells them both about the prophecy.

Eclipse

 * Hollypaw stresses highly over the prophecy, and is exasperated when Lionpaw shows little concern. She wants to use her powers to preserve the warrior code. She and her brothers return to the The Lake territory, along with Crowfeather, Tawnypelt, Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight, and Breezepaw. Stormfur and Brook remain with the Tribe of Rushing Water.
 * Hollypaw, Brambleclaw, Sandstorm, and Brackenfur go to find out why WindClan was stealing food from ThunderClan territory. They meet Harespring, Owlwhisker, and Ashfoot, the WindClan deputy. Harespring attacks Brambleclaw, but Brambleclaw easily pins him down. Ashfoot then begs for him to let her Clanmate go and leave WindClan territory. Brambleclaw does so reluctantly. When she tells Lionpaw, he carelessly rips moss which Hollypaw observes is too messy for kits.
 * Hollypaw finds another tunnel that leads to WindClan, but she doesn't tell Lionpaw in fear of him using it to meet with Heatherpaw.
 * After Blossomkit, Briarkit, and Bumblekit are born, she congratulates Jaypaw for helping Leafpool with the birthing.
 * During the battle with WindClan and RiverClan, Hollypaw helps Mousewhisker into the battle after he pokes his eye with a thorn in the darkness. When she goes to get help from ShadowClan, Ivytail is guarding the camp and tries to stop her. However, Hollypaw successfully convinces Blackstar to help.
 * Hollypaw is the first cat to see Sol on WindClan territory, and she thinks he is a lion. The others think she is just seeing things. She later helps her littermates find Sol, and is strangely mesmerized by his amber eyes.
 * After the battle, Hollypaw is the one who discovers Squirrelflight's wound, when Leafpool tells everyone to leave her, she protests as Sandstorm guides her away. She helps build a soft nest out of ferns for Squirrelflight.
 * She and her brothers head out to find Sol, the cat who claimed to know the sun would disappear. During the travel, she pricks her nose on a thorn in the dark and is tired from the long travel so soon after the battle. When they find Sol, they offer to let him come to ThunderClan. When they start home, they are stopped by a ShadowClan patrol and taken to their camp even though they didn't cross the border. In the camp, Hollypaw sees Tawnypelt's three kits. Once they return, Hollypaw is promptly ordered to go hunting with Lionpaw, and their mentors.
 * At the end of the book, Hollypaw is seen heard murmuring "The Warrior Code" repeatedly under her breath and this annoys Jaypaw.
 * She also gets her warrior name along with Lionpaw and Cinderpaw, becoming Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Cinderheart.

Long Shadows

 * Sol has stopped ShadowClan in believing in the warrior code. Due to this cause, Hollyleaf goes with her brothers to spy on ShadowClan. Later in the book Tawnypelt brings her kits, Tigerpaw, Flamepaw, and Dawnpaw, to ThunderClan as to teach them about StarClan. Hollyleaf is on the patrol that finds them by the border.


 * Hollyleaf, Jaypaw, Lionblaze, Tigerpaw, Flamepaw, and Dawnpaw create a fake sign from StarClan (which turns into a real sign when Raggedstar and Runningnose appear) to bring ShadowClan back to the warrior code. While Ashfur almost pushed the three cats off into a blazing fire, it was revealed that Squirrelflight was not any of the three's mother and Brambleclaw is not their father even though he thinks he is. Ashfur tells them that he is not going to keep their secret, and leaves, sparing Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather's lives.


 * When he leaves, Hollyleaf immediately demands of Squirrelflight if she had told the truth—and Squirrelflight apologized, admitting she had told the truth, and that she truly wasn't the three's mother. Hollyleaf quickly comes to resent Squirrelflight for lying about them being her kits.


 * She is horrified when she learns of Ashfur's intention to announce her heritage at the Gathering, because she believes it will make the other Clans hate ThunderClan for their diluted blood even more. However, unlike her siblings, she sees the futility in trying to dissuade Ashfur, telling him to his face that if he wants to destroy his own Clan that it's his business.


 * Later, Ashfur and Squirrelflight are missing when the Clan gets together to attend the Gathering. Hollyleaf thinks to herself that she wouldn't care if Squirrelflight never returned to camp. She shies away from thinking of Ashfur at all. Squirrelflight finally arrives, covered in mud from an apparent fall into a stream. Firestar gets tired of waiting for Ashfur and the patrol leaves without him, only to find his lifeless body in the stream at the WindClan border. At first it is assumed that he has drowned, but Leafpool discovers a laceration on his neck that confirms that he was murdered.

Sunrise

 * Hollyleaf is later chosen to go on the Sol patrol, on which they go to the sun-drown place to find Sol, as Firestar believes him responsible for Ashfur's death. She is charmed by Sol for a while, but then loses interest. Her tongue gets stuck on the ice, and Brackenfur has to help her get unstuck. She helps to try and get Brambleclaw and Birchfall out of the water by holding the stick when they fall in the sun-drown-place's depths.


 * After Honeyfern's death, saving Briarkit from a snake bite, she goes into Leafpool's den to demand information about her parentage from the medicine cat. Leafpool misinterprets Hollyleaf's question ("Tell me everything you know!") believing that Hollyleaf knows that Leafpool knows that she killed Ashfur. Hollyleaf tries to deny, but is overcome by guilt and self-disgust and confesses. When she explains why she did it, Leafpool reveals that she is Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze's true mother. Hollyleaf is overcome with hate for the cat who broke the warrior code to give birth to her, and becomes obsessed with learning the identity of her father.


 * After finding out her father was Crowfeather, a WindClan warrior. Obsessed as she was with the warrior code, she could not stand being both a medicine cat's kit and half-Clan. At the Gathering she revealed the truth about her heritage, screeching her hate for the cats who gave birth to her and Squirrelflight, who lied to her and her littermates. She is shocked by the blatant disapproval the other cats show for her revelation, believing that she had done the right thing. Leafpool, ashamed of what she had done, steps down as the ThunderClan medicine cat. Hollyleaf leaves the Gathering and returns to ThunderClan. Hollyleaf then finds Leafpool's deathberries and prepares to force the medicine cat to eat them when Leafpool says she has already lost everything, and that it would be worse for her if she stayed alive. Hollyleaf hesitates, then lets Leafpool live.


 * Hollyleaf decides to leave the Clans, because she couldn't stand being a half-Clan cat and a medicine cat's kit, and she is spotted running for the tunnels. Lionblaze and Jayfeather follow her to try and stop her, but Hollyleaf does not listen. She then admits that she was the one who killed Ashfur. Jayfeather reaches into her memories unwillingly, and he realizes exactly how she killed Ashfur. Just as she enters the the tunnels to leave the Clans, the tunnel entrance collapses. It is unknown if she was truly killed in the collapse.


 * Jayfeather and Lionblaze return back to the ThunderClan camp. To let Hollyleaf be remembered like the other passed warriors and to hide the fact that she had gone into the tunnels to get away from her Clanmates, Jayfeather and Lionblaze tell the Clan that Hollyleaf had accidentally ran into the tunnels while chasing a squirrel. They also don't tell them that she killed Ashfur, so she could be remembered as a brave and noble warrior, not a terrible murderer.

The Fourth Apprentice

 * In the prologue, Bluestar, Yellowfang, Spottedleaf, Lionheart, and Feathertail are discussing who is the third cat of the prophecy. Hollyleaf is mentioned in this discussion with the five cats. At one point, Lionheart claims that if they had meddled with the prophecy even more, then Hollyleaf would not have wandered into the tunnels, and would not now be lost. This reveals that if Hollyleaf is alive, she is out of StarClan's reach.


 * When Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovepaw are in the abandoned Twoleg nest garden, discussing the prophecy, Jayfeather and Lionblaze state to Dovepaw that Hollyleaf was not one of the Three, and that she was.
 * After Jayfeather battles with Breezepelt and Brokenstar alongside Honeyfern, he sees the StarClan cats lined up together before him. However, he could not see Hollyleaf in the row of StarClan cats. Jayfeather thinks that she may still be alive, or that she had gone to a very bad place.
 * After Jayfeather battles with Breezepelt and Brokenstar alongside Honeyfern, he sees the StarClan cats lined up together before him. However, he could not see Hollyleaf in the row of StarClan cats. Jayfeather thinks that she may still be alive, or that she had gone to a very bad place.


 * The last time she is mentioned in the book is when Cinderheart goes to the medicine den looking for herbs to make Poppyfrost happier, when she bursts out about how much she misses Hollyleaf.

Fading Echoes

 * In Fading Echoes, she is only briefly mentioned by Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Cinderheart. She is also mentioned by Squirrelflight as she and Jayfeather travel to the ShadowClan camp. Also, Jayfeather tells Dovepaw about why Hollyleaf had left the Clan. Jayfeather says that not being one of the Three was the hardest thing to comprehend for her, in addition to finding out who her real parents were. He does not mention the part about Leafpool and Crowfeather to Dovepaw, instead saying it was not important right now.
 * Hollyleaf is rarely mentioned ever again.
 * Hollyleaf is rarely mentioned ever again.


 * After Jayfeather finds Tigerheart, and right after Tigerheart leaves, Jayfeather senses himself being watched, and sniffs the air. Jayfeather notes that the scent is very familiar. It is heavily hinted that this was Hollyleaf, though it may or may not be true.

Night Whispers

 * Lionblaze, on a patrol with Cinderheart, sees the collapsed tunnel where Hollyleaf supposedly died, and is frightened at the sight of it. However, he continues to hide the incident from her and the rest of the Clan.


 * Later, when Jayfeather is sorting through his herb storage, he finds a tuft of Hollyleaf's fur. This reminds him of when Hollyleaf was training as a medicine cat, and he stores it back in. It is suspected that it might be the fur Leafpool hid when she figured out she killed Ashfur.
 * The mystery of who brought the tansy and prey isn't solved in this book. They don't make a big deal about it, but it may or may not be Hollyleaf. There is no direct proof on this, but it is hinted. Jayfeather finding her tuft of fur may be forshadowing that she will come up later in the series. Same with Lionblaze coming across the old tunnel entrace. It still hasn't been proved if Hollyleaf is dead or alive.
 * The mystery of who brought the tansy and prey isn't solved in this book. They don't make a big deal about it, but it may or may not be Hollyleaf. There is no direct proof on this, but it is hinted. Jayfeather finding her tuft of fur may be forshadowing that she will come up later in the series. Same with Lionblaze coming across the old tunnel entrace. It still hasn't been proved if Hollyleaf is dead or alive.

Cats of the Clans

 * The narrator of this guide, Rock, says that Firestar has waited a long time for the birth of these kits.


 * Rock says that Hollyleaf is a thinker, politician, sensitive, cunning, and aware of all the consequences that might come from a single action. He says for her, the warrior code is the root and reward of every choice a clan cat has to make, and she would tread on the hardest paths to defend it.


 * Rock ends with a final piece of advice for Mosskit, Blossomkit and Adderkit;


 * "Three young cats, with starlight in their eyes and the whisper of an ancient wind in their fur. Just remember this: power is neither good nor bad, but its user makes it so."

Battles of the Clans

 * Hollyleaf does not make an appearance, but she is mentioned by Heathertail to be one of three cats in the Clans that know about the underground tunnels besides WindClan; the other two being Lionblaze and Jayfeather.

Brightspirit's Mercy

 * Hollyleaf appears alongside her siblings when Jaypaw is asked by Brightspirit, Shiningheart, and Braveheart to give their prey to the other Clans. At first, she is reluctant to help the rival Clans, but she becomes convinced by the StarClan cats and Jaypaw, because giving the others prey could stop a battle, and they would be in debt to ThunderClan. Lionblaze still scoffs at the idea, but eventually helps them catch prey because he wants to stick together with his littermates.

Trivia

 * It was revealed in an Erin Hunter chat that Squirrelflight requested the -leaf suffix for Hollyleaf because she was thinking of Leafpool.
 * In the same chat, it was revealed Hollyleaf has never had powers, and that the third cat in the prophecy is Dovepaw.
 * Erin Hunter refuses to tell fans what happened to Hollyleaf leading to rumors and theories about it.

Members
Mother:
 * Leafpool:

Father:
 * Crowfeather:

Brothers:
 * Jayfeather:
 * Lionblaze:

Half-Brother:
 * Breezepelt:

Grandfather:
 * Firestar:

Grandmothers:
 * Sandstorm:
 * Ashfoot:

Great Grandfathers:
 * Redtail: Deceased, Verified StarClan member
 * Jake: Status Unknown

Great Grandmother:
 * Brindleface: Deceased, Verified StarClan member

Great-Great Grandmothers:
 * Swiftbreeze: Deceased, Suspected StarClan member
 * Robinwing: Deceased, Suspected StarClan member

Great-Great Grandfather:
 * Adderfang: Deceased, Suspected StarClan member

Distant Grandmother:
 * Wind: Deceased, Verified StarClan member

Distant Grandfather:
 * Gorsestar: Deceased, Verified StarClan member

Uncles:
 * Eaglekit: Status Unknown
 * Two Unnamed Kits: Status Unknown

Aunt:
 * Squirrelflight:

Great Aunt:
 * Princess:

Half-Great Aunt:
 * Ferncloud:

Half-Great Uncles:
 * Ashfur: Deceased, Suspected Place of No Stars member
 * Two Unnamed Kits: Deceased, Suspected StarClan members

Great Great Uncles:
 * Patchpelt: Deceased, Suspected StarClan member
 * Unidentified Kits: Status Unknown
 * Dustpelt:
 * Ravenpaw: Status Unknown

Great Great Aunts:
 * Willowpelt: Deceased, Suspected StarClan member
 * Spottedleaf: Deceased, Verified StarClan member
 * Leopardfoot: Deceased, Suspected StarClan member
 * Frostfur: Deceased, Suspected StarClan member

Cousins:
 * Cloudtail:
 * Nightkit: Deceased, Suspected StarClan member
 * Mistkit: Deceased, Suspected StarClan member
 * Tigerstar: Deceased, Verified Place of No Stars member
 * Brambleclaw:
 * Tawnypelt:
 * Hawkfrost: Deceased, Verfied Place of No Stars member
 * Mothwing:
 * Tadpole: Deceased, Residence Unknown
 * Darkstripe: Deceased, Verified Place of No Stars member
 * Sorreltail:
 * Darkstripe: Deceased, Verified Place of No Stars member
 * Sootfur: Deceased, Suspected StarClan member
 * Rainwhisker: Deceased, Suspected StarClan member
 * Graystripe:
 * Whitewing:
 * Flametail: Deceased, Residence Unknown
 * Tigerheart:
 * Dawnpelt:
 * Stormfur:
 * Feathertail: Deceased, Verified StarClan and Tribe of Endless Hunting member
 * Briarlight:
 * Blossomfall:
 * Bumblestripe:
 * Dovepaw:
 * Ivypaw:
 * Molekit:
 * Cherrykit: