Dustpelt

Dustpelt is a dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

Into the Wild

 * Dustpaw is one of the two eldest ThunderClan apprentices, and is also good friends with Sandpaw. When Rusty joins ThunderClan, he and Sandpaw show much hostility towards him, and are disgusted that Bluestar, the leader of ThunderClan, is allowing a kittypet to join the Clan.


 * His mentor is Redtail, and when he is brought back dead from the battle against RiverClan, Dustpaw grieves for him, and sits vigil for his fallen mentor. Bluestar appoints Darkstripe as his new mentor.


 * When Firepaw and Graypaw go to eat some fresh-kill with Dustpaw and Sandpaw, he tells Firepaw in a sneering voice that he caught the prey. He shows hatred for the new apprentice and starts gloating about being able to go to the Gathering that night.


 * At the end of the book, the younger apprentices, Firepaw and Graypaw, are made into warriors before Sandpaw and himself, even though they had been training longer than the young apprentices, since the former two had fought bravely in the battle against ShadowClan. This increases Dustpaw's hostility even more toward Firepaw, now Fireheart.

Fire and Ice

 * Dustpaw continues to train with his new mentor, although jealous of Fireheart's early warrior ceremony. This only worsens as Sandpaw turns away from him, and gives more of her attention to Fireheart. While out patrolling with Tigerclaw, Dustpaw comes back to camp with the message that Bluestar needs to come to the Thunderpath to see evidence of ShadowClan hunting. He sullenly tells Fireheart where Tigerclaw is when he can't return to him due to Bluestar's illness.


 * Dustpaw fights like a warrior in the battle with the rogues led by Brokentail, and discourages the wounded Cinderpaw from participating. He later guards the medicine den after Brokentail is taken into it to be treated. After a surprising recommendation by Fireheart, Dustpaw and Sandpaw are made warriors, with the new names Dustpelt and Sandstorm. Despite this, the newly named warrior is still hostile to Fireheart.

Forest of Secrets

 * Dustpelt shows an allegiance with Tigerclaw's crowd, most likely because of his dislike of Bluestar's favoritism towards Fireheart, and because his mentor was Darkstripe, one of Tigerclaw's strongest followers.


 * When, at the end of the book, Tigerclaw leads rogues to ThunderClan and attacks Bluestar, Dustpelt at first is confused. Then, when Fireheart explains everything, his confusion turns to disgust. Tigerclaw attempts to convince Dustpelt to leave with him, along with Darkstripe and Longtail, but Dustpelt knows now that Tigerclaw killed his first mentor, Redtail, and refuses, stating that he would rather die than join Tigerclaw.

Rising Storm

 * Dustpelt receives an apprentice, Ashpaw, by Fireheart's decision. He is very excited at finally becoming a mentor. He is still very hostile towards Fireheart, and continues to jibe at his kittypet roots and undeserved position of deputy. As Sandstorm continues to be less interested in him, he develops affections for Ashpaw's sister, Fernpaw.


 * He is seen going out to check for ShadowClan invaders when Littlecloud and Whitethroat are found, and during the fire he is seen dragging Patchpelt's body with Cloudpaw to the river. During their sheltering with RiverClan, he challenges Darkstripe when he frightens Fernpaw, and later helps her swim back across the river.

A Dangerous Path

 * Dustpelt's hostility has lessened towards Fireheart, and he has accepted his authority as deputy and become a loyal warrior of ThunderClan. He continues to train his apprentice, Ashpaw, and is still affectionate with Fernpaw.


 * He is seen helping patch up the warriors' den to repair it after the fire, and he later supports Fireheart in his desire to stop the unjust battle between ThunderClan and WindClan. He also participates in the chain of cats that lure the dog pack to the gorge.

The Darkest Hour

 * After Darkstripe showed his true loyalties were to Tigerstar, Dustpelt hopefully asks if he could be both Ashpaw and Fernpaw's mentor. Firestar gently declines, knowing that he would not be tough enough on Fernpaw.


 * Finally, Dustpelt fights heroically in the battle with BloodClan, and lives to tell the tale.

Firestar's Quest

 * He and Ferncloud have become mates, and she has her first litter of kits, Spiderkit and Shrewkit, in this book. He is seen scolding the two of them when they splash their paws in a puddle.


 * He later takes over Sorrelpaw's training when Sandstorm goes on the journey to rebuild SkyClan. He promises Sandstorm he'll take care of her apprentice, and teasingly tells her she's been far too lenient with Sorrelpaw.

Bluestar's Prophecy

 * He is seen at the very end, as an apprentice, Dustpaw. He, Sandpaw and Graypaw are romping and playing together. He then creeps up on Ravenpaw and pounces on his tail, frightening him.

A Clan in Need

 * When WindClan is searching for Crowkit, Dustpelt and a ThunderClan patrol meet them at the border and accuse them of trespassing. He disregards Mudclaw demands to find Crowkit and insults him. When Ravenpaw and Barley show up with Crowkit, he is suspicious and thinks they have joined with WindClan. The battle breaks up, and the patrol turns to leave.


 * When the two attempt to follow, Dustpelt turns furiously back to Ravenpaw and asks him if WindClan has sent him to spy, and calls him a traitor. When Ravenpaw requests to see Firestar, Dustpelt reluctantly consents and leads the way back, pausing to dig up some fresh-kill on the way.


 * He later participates in the battle against the forming BloodClan, and as he attacks one of them, he tells him, "Don't you try and run, you little toad!"

Midnight

 * Dustpelt is now a senior warrior under Firestar.
 * Dustpelt and Ferncloud have three more kits, named Birchkit, Larchkit, and Hollykit. He is shown to be quite a kind fatherly figure.


 * Dustpelt is also charged with the task of training Squirrelpaw, Firestar's daughter.


 * Soon, Twolegs begin to destroy the forest, and WindClan is most threatened by this. Dustpelt went on a patrol to make sure WindClan was not crossing the thin boundary between ThunderClan and RiverClan while using their drinking rights given to them by RiverClan. He found Onewhisker, Mudclaw, and Crowpaw stealing a RiverClan vole they chased over the border. After reporting to Firestar, he fires up and supports an attack on WindClan.

Moonrise

 * As the twolegs began to threaten the forest, Dustpelt spends time with Ferncloud and comforst her as best he can. Prey soon becomes scarcer in the forest, and Dustpelt struggles to help his mate care for their kits. He becomes angry when WindClan steal their prey, knowing ThunderClan needs all the prey it can get to survive; he later goes on the patrol to confront WindClan. To relieve Dustpelt's anger at not being able to fight, Firestar lets him go hunt for Ferncloud.


 * There is not enough food to sustain Ferncloud and their kits, and Larchkit dies. Dustpelt is overcome with misery, and he lets Firestar comfort him, though they had never been close. He tries to continually comfort Ferncloud, and encourages her to eat, saying that their remaining two kits still need her.

Dawn

 * Dustpelt hesitantly welcomes back his apprentice Squirrelpaw from the journey, unsure of why she and Brambleclaw left the Clan.


 * Now that ThunderClan has been forced to move to Sunningrocks for shelter, prey is even more scarce. Dustpelt is hit with more losses as first Hollykit dies of hunger and then his son Shrewpaw is hit by a monster. Now desperate, he protects his remaining kit, Birchkit and his mate fiercely as they start the Great Journey.

Starlight

 * He only makes a brief appearances in this book, as in, being noted that he is proud of his son, Spiderleg, fighting as hard as he can in the rebellion against Mudclaw. He also rescues his son, Birchkit, with the help of Brambleclaw after the kit's failed attempt of catching a robin and almost falling into the hollow.

Twilight

 * He is part of the patrol to take the two dead ShadowClan warriors back to their camp, and on returning, he visits Ferncloud and Birchkit in the nursery. He later takes Rainwhisker with him to go fill in a badger set that had until then been occupied with a badger and her three cubs.


 * He participates in the first Gathering on the island, and is as excited as the others to be in the new place. Then, he later proudly watches his only surviving kit, Birchkit, become an apprentice as Birchpaw, and he gives him a lick of congratulations after the ceremony.

Sunset

 * In Sunset, he backed down from going against Firestar's choice of deputy, Brambleclaw, when he discovered it had been of the will of StarClan.


 * When Stormfur and Brook returned to ThunderClan for the second time, he and Mousefur call a Clan meeting because they believed that the Clan was becoming too 'mixed'.
 * He also stopped Spiderleg from touching the Twoleg fox trap, probably saving his life.

The Sight

 * Dustpelt and Ferncloud have a litter of two kits, Foxkit and Icekit, and Dustpelt is Hazelpaw's mentor. When he, Spiderleg, Stormfur, and Brackenfur return from a night patrol, he challenges Stormfur's loyalty along with Spiderleg. Dustpelt tracks the fox cubs with Brambleclaw and Hazelpaw. He is also seen praising Hazelpaw after a hunting patrol.


 * He later objects to Firestar's kind nature of allowing non-ThunderClan cats into the Clan twice. The second time all of ThunderClan disagreed. He is one of the cats that is most disturbed when ShadowClan keeps freshly marking their borders.

Dark River

 * Dustpelt is still training his apprentice, Hazelpaw. When Millie chooses to keep her kittypet name, he says that ShadowClan has tried to take territory from them before, because they are not a completely pure-blood Clan, and that allowing Millie to keep her kittypet name could be seen as a sign of weakness. His son, Spiderleg agrees. Firestar rebukes them, but they still look unhappy as things proceed.


 * Dustpelt later takes out the dawn patrol to check the borders with Sandstorm, Lionpaw and Honeypaw. They find a WindClan hunting party near the border, hunting squirrels. Dustpelt is hostile towards them, believing squirrels to only be ThunderClan prey. He reports it to Firestar on their return.


 * On the way to another Gathering, Dustpelt calls WindClan 'squirrel thieves'. He express concern that if RiverClan can't stay in their home, none of the borders will be safe.


 * He later participates in the battle against WindClan, when they cross the border hunting squirrels. He tells Ashfoot to keep her warriors on the moor. He behaves very aggressively towards the WindClan cats.

Outcast

 * Dustpelt becomes a grandfather when his eldest son, Spiderleg, has two kits with Daisy, Rosekit and Toadkit. Dustpelt gives his apprentice, Hazelpaw, her warrior assessment, and reminds her that she's not done hunting even though she's caught a large vole. He also volunteers to give Spiderleg's apprentice, Mousepaw, his warrior assessment while his son spends some time with his kits, but Spiderleg turned down the offer. Hazelpaw passes her assessment and becomes Hazeltail.

Eclipse

 * He goes on a dawn patrol with Graystripe, Whitewing, and Icepaw, and reports some serious news to Firestar. He later comments on the fact that Graystripe's new kits will have proper warrior names, unlike their mother, Millie. When the loner Sol comes to the ThunderClan camp, Dustpelt is uneasy, and accompanies the loner out to make sure he crosses the border.


 * He leads a patrol out to make sure that WindClan have left ThunderClan territory. He comes back hurriedly with the patrol and reports to Firestar that they have split up into three groups, and they don't know where they are. He leads a battle patrol down to the lake to fight the united RiverClan and WindClan.


 * After the sun vanishes, he is just as anxious as any cat, and discusses with the other warriors what it might mean.

Long Shadows

 * Near the beginning, Dustpelt wakens Lionblaze when he is fighting in his sleep, and rebukes him before going back to curl up beside Ferncloud. Later, when the four ShadowClan cats come to ThunderClan, he remarks that ShadowClan seems to be breaking up under Sol's influence. He goes on a hunting patrol with Hollyleaf, Lionblaze and Sorreltail at Brambleclaw's request.


 * On another hunting patrol, he starts to cough painfully. He becomes sick with greencough and is moved with the other sick ThunderClan cats to the abandoned Twoleg nest. Once they all recover, he is one of the cats to travel to the Gathering, and the first to identify Ashfur's dead body when they find him in the lake. He and Graystripe take Ashfur's body back to camp.

Sunrise

 * Dustpelt seems to think that Sol didn't have a reason to kill Ashfur, and therefore he didn't. He speculates with the other warriors on who could have killed Ashfur, and shows scorn when it is suggested that a ShadowClan warrior came all the way around the lake just to murder Ashfur.


 * After the death of Honeyfern, Dustpelt is put in charge of building a barrier of brambles across the part of the cliff where the snake attacked. He is unusually gentle with Leafpool as he reassures her he'll be careful when he moves the poisoned mouse inside the barrier. He comments to Cloudtail after Whitewing's kits are born, stating that they would be a handful because they were related to Cloudtail. He and Ferncloud also become grandparents to Whitewing and Birchfall's kits, Dovekit and Ivykit.

The Fourth Apprentice

 * Dustpelt is seen expressing his opinion of Leopardstar's claim of the lake after the Gathering, saying that the dry land borders ThunderClan's territory, and that it should be theirs.
 * He later takes out a patrol with Rosepetal, Foxleap and Berrynose; he expresses exasperation when Berrynose trods on a thistle and makes a huge deal out of it. He asks Rosepetal if she will help him get it out.
 * Dustpelt later goes to Jayfeather for herbs at Ferncloud's request, for he had been complaining about his back hurting. This helps him, as he returns to Jayfeather for more herbs. He did not want them if there were not enough, but Jayfeather lies and tells him that there were plenty, while the tansy supply was actually very low.

Fading Echoes

 * He shows extreme distrust of Heathertail and Breezepelt when they escort Ivypaw and Dovepaw back to their camp. He later assesses Blossompaw along with Thornclaw, since Firestar wants them to try a different tactic in the assessments. He suggests they hunt near the abandoned Twoleg nest. He is impressed when Ivypaw catches a squirrel while helping Blossompaw, and chides Blossompaw for not working with Ivypaw.
 * When Lionblaze is looking for cats that could possibly be in the Dark Forest training with Tigerstar, It is noted that even though Dustpelt and Firestar argue a lot, he is a loyal warrior, and wouldnt do any of the training.


 * Before the tree falls, he runs to check the apprentices' den and make sure everyone is out, despite his initial alarm. He then helps clear away the branches in an attempt to free Briarpaw and Longtail.

Secrets of the Clans

 * When Squirrelpaw is busy giving a tour around the lake camp, she accidentally starts to call a Clan meeting, and Dustpelt, Brambleclaw and Cloudtail start to walk over.


 * He later appears to tell the reader of the time the Clans got their new Gathering place at the lake. He remembers seeing the island when they first arrive at the lake. He mentions that Hawkfrost wanted it as a RiverClan camp, but that StarClan had other plans for it. They sent a storm to knock down a tree and kill Mudclaw, and in so doing, provided a way for them all to get to the island. He tells how the leaders now look down from the great oak tree, and it's a strong and safe place, belonging to all the Clans.

Cats of the Clans

 * He is mentioned briefly at the end of Sandstorm's page, when Rock tells the kits that she has come a long way from when she and Dustpaw used to tease Firepaw about his kittypet origins.
 * He was also mentioned on Ashfur's page, when Rock says that just because Dustpelt doesn't hesitate to disagree with Firestar on occasion, it doesn't make him a less loyal warrior.

Code of the Clans

 * He is part of the story, "Who Goes There? Whitestorm Teaches", as an apprentice along with Sandpaw, Ravenpaw, Firepaw, and Graypaw as they all learn border tactics. He tries to push Firepaw into the brambles, causing Whitestorm to scold him and relocate Firepaw.


 * He is also mentioned during the story "A Change of Heart: Sandstorm Speaks" as Sandstorm ponders her relationships with both Firestar and Dustpelt.

Battles of the Clans

 * Dustpelt is seen as a young apprentice, training with Tigerclaw, Longtail, Darkstripe, and Ravenpaw. He is stalking a squirrel up a tree, but the squirrel jumps around and confuses him, then leaps out of reach. Disappointed, he comes back down the tree.
 * They head back to camp, but on the way, Dustpaw sees movement nearby. He alerts the rest of the patrol, and they all see a ShadowClan patrol moving through the undergrowth. They are outnumbered, and Tigerclaw orders Ravenpaw to run back to the camp to fetch help. Dustpaw then has an idea - to confuse the ShadowClan patrol into thinking that there were more ThunderClan cats than there really were. He explains his idea to the patrol, using his hunting the squirrel as an example.
 * They attack, and after fighting for a few seconds they leap back into the bushes. They start addressing each other as random ThunderClan cats, confusing and frightening the ShadowClan warriors, as they think ThunderClan have brought almost all there clan-mates. They attack three different times on the ShadowClan patrol, which includes Blackfoot, Russetfur and Stumpytail. The ShadowClan patrol run off, leaving the ThunderClan cats victorious. Dustpaw is very proud that his plan had saved his Clan from a ShadowClan invasion.

Ultimate Leader Election:Firestar

 * Dustpelt votes for each Clan to follow their own leader, saying "... You are this Clan's leader, and no other," to Firestar, his own Clan leader. Firestar knows this is a show of loyalty from Dustpelt, who had not always supported his authority. Brightheart, Cloudtail and Thornclaw agree with Dustpelt and vote the same.

Members
Mother:
 * Robinwing: Deceased, Suspected StarClan member

Father:
 * Fuzzypelt: Deceased, Suspected StarClan member

Brother:
 * Ravenpaw: Status Unknown

Sisters:
 * Frostfur: Deceased, Residence Unknown
 * Brindleface: Deceased, Verified StarClan member

Mate:
 * Ferncloud:

Sons:
 * Spiderleg:
 * Shrewpaw: Deceased, Verified StarClan member
 * Foxleap:
 * Birchfall:

Daughters:
 * Icecloud:
 * Hollykit: Deceased, Verified StarClan member
 * Larchkit: Deceased, Verified StarClan member

Nephews:
 * Ashfur: Deceased, Residence Unknown
 * Two Unnamed Kits: Deceased, Suspected StarClan members
 * Brackenfur:
 * Thornclaw:

Nieces:
 * Cinderpelt: Deceased, Reincarnated as Cinderheart
 * Brightheart:

Grandson:
 * Toadstep:

Granddaughters:
 * Rosepetal:
 * Dovepaw:
 * Ivypaw:

Great-Nephew:
 * Molepaw: Deceased, Suspected StarClan member

Great-Nieces:
 * Cinderheart:
 * Honeyfern: Deceased, Verified StarClan member
 * Poppyfrost:
 * Whitewing:

Great-Great-Nephew:
 * Molekit:

Great-Great-Niece:
 * Cherrykit: