ThunderClan

ThunderClan is a group of cats that live in a part of the forest that is primarily deciduous woodland. Their founding leader, Thunderstar, got his name from how his mother, Storm, died in a storm of stone and dust, so by extension the name was thought to be given to the Clan.

Description

 * ThunderClan is a mainly peaceful Clan, and respectful of the other Clans as well. In battle, ThunderClan is fierce, courageous, and loyal. They are known to often take loners and kittypets into their Clan to either swell their ranks or because the cat is in need of help or shelter, although this did not happen much until Firestar became leader of ThunderClan. For this, they are at times looked down upon by other Clans and thought of as weak. The Clan's main prey are mice, voles, squirrels, and the occasional rabbit, as well as birds such as starlings, magpies, wood pigeons, blackbirds, and thrushes. They have excellent stalking techniques, creeping across the forest floor. They have the sense to keep upwind of their prey in the thick bushes. ThunderClan cats are noted to be especially strong. They are the only Clan to bunch their hindquarters before leaping to catch their prey.

In the forest territories

 * The ThunderClan forest territory is located in what Twolegs call the White Hart Woods. The territory also includes Twoleg places such as Windover Road and Chelford Forest. Landmarks in this territory include:


 * Camp - It lies at the foot of a sandy ravine, protected by thornbushes. The camp is easy to defend and hard to attack. This is also where the Clan lives and mainly functions.
 * Tallpines and Treecut Place - Pines near Twolegplace. Usually filled with Twoleg tree-eaters, the ground there rumbles and leaves deep gullies filled with muddy water.
 * The Great Sycamore - One of the largest trees with strong and thick branches.
 * The Owl Tree - A tree that serves home to a tawny owl, apprentices here dare each other to climb its trunk.
 * Sunningrocks - Rocks that absorb the sunshine and are a place of relaxation. Moons ago, it used to be an island belonging only to RiverClan, but when the river changed the current, ThunderClan wanted this territory, too.
 * Snakerocks - Home to venomous adders. The caves beneath the rocks can also be homes to other dangerous creatures. (For example, Tigerstar’s dog pack.)
 * The sandy hollow - A training hollow with soft sand so apprentices don't hurt themselves.
 * Twolegplace - The place where Twolegs live. This place is avoided at all costs, but useful catmint can be found here.


 * The camp entrance is well hidden by brambles, which protect the camp from predators, but doesn't stop sunshine from coming in. A ravine leads through it. This ravine was once a river, but it is now dried up. The way into the camp is through the gorse tunnel. The nursery has thick bramble walls and is the most guarded part of the camp. Behind a tree stump, there is a clump of ferns where the apprentices sleep. Warriors sleep under a bush in another tunnel. Inside the camp, there is a fallen tree where the elders sleep, and the senior warriors sleep in the center of the camp. Across the clearing, a smooth tall rock resides. This is called the Highrock, the leader stands there to make important speeches. The leader's den is in a cave where the rock was carved out by an ancient stream. Lichen covers the entrance. The last notable feature in the camp is a fern tunnel that leads to a crack in a rock. This is the medicine cat's den.

In the lake territories

 * The lake territory for ThunderClan is called the Hare Hill Woods by Twolegs. Twoleg landmarks nearby include the Hareview Campsite, Abandoned Workman's House, Quarry Road, and the Quarry. Landmarks here include:


 * Camp - The camp is well protected by the side of a cliff, and surrounded by a thorn barrier.
 * Greenleaf Twolegplace - This part of land was given to ShadowClan until ThunderClan fought for it back.
 * An abandoned Twoleg nest - Herbs and prey thrive here, though it has an ominous feeling inside.
 * Sky Oak - An ancient oak where squirrels love to call home. It also has an old rabbit burrow inside. It‘s where ThunderClan apprentices practice their climbing skills.
 * Old Thunderpath - Marked with blue Twoleg markers, cats often stay away from this road.
 * The clearing - A training hollow much like the old sandy hollow in the forest territory.
 * Lake shore - ThunderClan has the north-eastern portion of the lake.


 * At the bottom of an old cliff, this camp is very well protected. The walls around the camp are smooth, indicating Twolegs cut this place moons ago. The cliffs also help keep out the wind. A thorn barrier guards the camp; any cat that wants to come in has to get past. A ledge peeks out from the cliff. That is the Highledge where the leader speaks. A cave near the top is the leader's den. The apprentice's den is also a cave in the rocks while the warrior den is under a big thornbush. The medicine cat's den is another cave, but this time hidden by bramble tendrils. Like the previous camp, the nursery is highly guarded, and under a big bramble thicket reinforced with thick roots woven together for protection. Lastly, the elder's den is in a hazel bush, and later rebuilt under the boughs of a beech tree and reinforced with honeysuckle.

Thunderstar

 * Thunderstar's reign is the start of ThunderClan's era. His deputies were Lightning Tail and Owl Eyes, and his medicine cat was Cloud Spots.


 * Thunder creates his group initially to live in the forest but separate from his father, Clear Sky, as Clear Sky's rule for him was much too demanding. Several cats follow him, including his best friend, Lightning Tail. He proves himself to be a strong and worthy leader, but never stops to help the other groups. When his foster father, Gray Wing, decides that "groups" are not an accurate term to describe each category of cats living in the forest, and instead replaces it with "Clans", Silver Stripe renames Thunder's group to ThunderClan.


 * During Thunder's rule as leader, tensions heighten between ThunderClan and SkyClan, due to Clear Sky's unwillingness to negotiate peacefully with other Clans, leading to an all out battle against WindClan. Although Thunder is much aware of his father's reckless actions leading to hostilities between the Clans, he is unable to come to terms with Skystar.


 * Moons later, Thunder receives his nine lives and his new name, Thunderstar, signaling him as an official Clan leader. Lightning Tail is his deputy, and together, they lead ThunderClan into prosperity.


 * At one point, dogs invade ThunderClan's camp, and Thunderstar fights them off, alongside Lightning Tail. However, they both fall victim to the dogs, with Thunderstar losing one life, and Lightning Tail his only. Thunderstar appoints Owl Eyes as his next deputy, and eventually succeeded by Owlstar as leader.
 * Much respected for being the founder and the first leader of ThunderClan, Thunderstar is still remembered as a compassionate and courageous leader.

Oakstar

 * Oakstar is the leader of ThunderClan before Doestar. His deputies were Beetail and Doefeather, and his medicine cats were Ravenwing and Cloudberry.


 * Oakstar was a wise and honored leader. He fought in many battles for Sunningrocks, and guarded his borders vigilantly. He led his Clan during the time of Mapleshade’s three murders.


 * Oakstar’s son, Birchface, drowns in a battle for Sunningrocks along with his apprentice, Flowerpaw. Oakstar believes Appledusk, a RiverClan cat and Mapleshade’s former mate, to be responsible. When the Clan discovers that Mapleshade’s kits are Half-Clan, he makes the decision to banish her and her kits from ThunderClan. Later, Mapleshade returns and indirectly kills his daughter, Frecklewish, by tricking her into getting bitten by a snake.


 * During Pinepaw’s apprenticeship, Oakstar praises his son often and cares for him deeply, along with his mate and Pinepaw’s mother, Sweetbriar. He gives his son his warrior name, Pineheart.


 * After the death of Beetail, Oakstar makes Doefeather his deputy, and she becomes leader after him.

Sunstar

 * Sunstar leads ThunderClan after Pinestar. His deputies were Tawnyspots, Adderfang, and Bluefur, and his medicine cats were Goosefeather and Featherwhisker.


 * Following Pinestar's departure, ThunderClan is deeply shaken by the fact that their leader chose to leave their Clan and follow life as a kittypet. To strengthen morale, Sunstar declares that he will make ThunderClan as powerful as the great Clans, a ThunderClan that will be remembered alongside them. He announces that he will lead ThunderClan into an era where they are so respected and feared that no enemy will invade.


 * In order to make sure that nothing like Pinestar's attraction to kittypet life happens again, Sunstar declares a new addition to the warrior code: "A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet."


 * Sunstar's leadership sees a considerable rise in battles in order to make his Clan feared, especially with RiverClan over Sunningrocks, and sickness also spread through ThunderClan. The battles are noted to have cost him three of his lives, while sickness the other two. However, he also is known to make decisions that would spare his Clan, such as taking Sunningrocks through words rather than claws, and not appointing Thistleclaw as deputy.

Bluestar

 * Bluestar leads ThunderClan after Sunstar. Her deputies were Redtail, Lionheart, Tigerclaw, and Fireheart. Her medicine cats were Featherwhisker, Spottedleaf, Yellowfang, and Cinderpelt.


 * Known for being a wise and calm leader, Bluestar sees her Clan through dark and troubled times. Just like her previous leader, Sunningrocks proves to be a challenge to take, costing lives from both sides, including her deputy, Redtail.


 * Bluestar takes in Rusty, a kittypet who she believes is the cat in the prophecy that Spottedleaf received: Fire alone will save our Clan. Several cats are hesitant on whether to accept Rusty as a Clan cat due to his birth, but when he proves his worth by attacking Longtail, Bluestar accepts him in the Clan and gives him his name, Firepaw. Despite this, he still continues to be the center of taunts and insults. Firepaw eventually proves himself a true ThunderClan warrior, earning the name Fireheart.


 * When on patrol, Firepaw finds an old she-cat, who attacks him. He later finds out that this is Yellowfang, the former medicine cat of ShadowClan, who was driven out. She is taken to ThunderClan's camp and kept as a prisoner. When Brokenstar, the new leader of ShadowClan, demands territory from RiverClan and drives out WindClan, he looks to ThunderClan for territory as well. However, Bluestar denies it, leaving ThunderClan the only Clan to stand alone against Brokenstar and his deadly reign. In retaliation, ShadowClan attacks ThunderClan's camp while Bluestar is visiting the Moonstone, killing Lionheart and forcing Bluestar to appoint yet another deputy, Tigerclaw.


 * ShadowClan continues its swarm of attacks, sending a warrior, Clawface, to kidnap kits and steal them. He takes Frostfur's kits and kills Spottedleaf as well, leaving ThunderClan with no medicine cat. Firepaw and Graypaw plan with Yellowfang, who was originally the suspected killer of Spottedleaf, to attack ShadowClan's camp and steal the kits back. The plan is a success, driving Brokenstar and his followers out.


 * Although Brokenstar is driven from ShadowClan's territory and is no longer a threat to ThunderClan, another danger looms. Tigerclaw, Bluestar's deputy after Lionheart is killed, is suspected of being a traitor. Ravenpaw had seen him kill Redtail at Sunningrocks, despite Tigerclaw saying that Oakheart had killed Redtail and he had killed Oakheart in revenge. Tigerclaw had suspected that Ravenpaw knew this, and had planned to have him killed, so Fireheart takes Ravenpaw away. In order to get to the bottom of the story, Fireheart investigates, and finds the holes in Tigerclaw's story - two RiverClan cats told him that Oakheart was killed by a rockfall, not another warrior.


 * With Brokenstar gone, Bluestar orders Fireheart and Graystripe to retrieve WindClan, still driven out by Brokenstar. Fireheart and Graystripe obey, embarking on a journey to find the missing Clan. They succeed, and bring back the missing Clan, all while reporting that they had driven out Brokenstar. This greatly improves ThunderClan's relationship with WindClan, who are eternally grateful for Fireheart bringing them back and driving out Brokenstar.


 * Meanwhile, Tigerclaw begins to notice that Fireheart is aware of his treachery, and his movements get more severe. He attempts to kill Bluestar by luring her out onto the Thunderpath, but Fireheart's apprentice, Cinderpaw, falls into Tigerclaw's trap instead, resulting in her leg being permanently crippled. After this, Tigerclaw attempts to drown Fireheart in order to keep him quiet. When that fails, he conspires with Brokentail, who had been blinded and taken prisoner after attempting to attack ThunderClan, planning for an ambush on the camp with several of his rogue followers.


 * The fact that Brokentail was taken prisoner by ThunderClan is met with outroar from ShadowClan and WindClan, who are both still in disarray after the damage Brokenstar has caused to them. In order to get revenge, the two Clan leaders, Tallstar and Nightstar, lead joint patrols to attack ThunderClan's camp, but they are driven off, and they retreat.


 * The day of the attack comes, and Tigerclaw leads several rogues into camp, but gives the impression that they were following him and he is attacking them. During the midst of the battle, Brokentail also fights, despite his lack of eyesight, attempting to kill his guard. Tigerclaw sprints away from the fighting and heads into Bluestar's den, intent on killing her. Before he can deal the killing blow, however, Fireheart rescues Bluestar and Tigerclaw's treachery is revealed. Tigerclaw is then exiled, and Fireheart is appointed deputy in his place.


 * Alongside Tigerclaw's treachery, Graystripe's mate, Silverstream, dies on ThunderClan territory while giving birth to her kits, Stormkit and Featherkit. Originally, ThunderClan was intent on keeping them, despite RiverClan's threats of battle over them, but Graystripe does not want to risk war, instead bringing them to RiverClan himself and joining the Clan.


 * The treachery of her seemingly loyal deputy shakes Bluestar to the core, and she begins to deteriorate mentally and physically. This leaves Fireheart to take care of the leadership duties, alongside training his apprentice, Cloudpaw, his sister's kit and originally a kittypet. At first, he struggles, but eventually eases into the task, all while attempting to shield Bluestar's downfall from the rest of the Clan.


 * Tigerclaw, exiled from ThunderClan, returns to the forest as Tigerstar, the new leader of ShadowClan. However, despite his new position, he displays no obvious aggression towards ThunderClan, leaving Fireheart uneasy. Bluestar, however, is furious at his return, and declares this as StarClan waging war on her Clan.


 * RiverClan's new leader, Leopardstar, attempts to take Sunningrocks back from ThunderClan, but thanks to a warning from Graystripe, ThunderClan is able to overpower them. Furious at her warrior's betrayal, Leopardstar exiles Graystripe, and Graystripe is allowed to join ThunderClan.


 * In the meantime, Tigerstar's threats, although not obvious, were still there. It is revealed that he had been leading a pack of dogs to ThunderClan's camp, in hopes that they would wipe out his former Clan. Fireheart and the others find out of this plan before the dogs can attack, and they make a plan to divert the dogs. During the plan being put in action, Tigerstar appears and pins Fireheart down. The lead dog almost kills Fireheart, but Bluestar comes to his rescue. The dog grasps her leg and hauls her over the edge of The Gorge.


 * Mistyfoot and Stonefur, Bluestar's kits, are able to rescue Bluestar from the water. Fireheart meets up with them, and Bluestar is able to reconcile with the kits she had sent away from ThunderClan. Fireheart realizes that she has given her last life for ThunderClan, and she dies on the border between RiverClan and ThunderClan.

Firestar

 * Firestar is the ThunderClan leader after Bluestar. His deputies were Whitestorm, Graystripe, and Brambleclaw. His medicine cats were Cinderpelt, Leafpool, and Jayfeather.


 * Known for his compassionate rule, he is often the target of criticism due to his willingness to take in cats who are not completely Clanborn, and his tendency to help other Clans. This often finds him in trouble, due to anger from other Clans and jealousy as well. His accepting of non-Clan cats also finds unease in his own Clan as well.


 * When Fireheart receives his lives at the Moonstone, he is given a prophecy by his former leader: Four will become two. Lion and tiger will meet in battle, and blood will rule the forest. Eventually, he finds out that Tigerstar had combined both ShadowClan and RiverClan into TigerClan, and is using his leadership powers to wipe out half-Clan cats, alongside attempting to take divine rule.


 * In order to combat Tigerstar, Firestar creates LionClan, combining WindClan and ThunderClan. Firestar leads LionClan to a meeting place where TigerClan was, and Tigerstar introduces BloodClan. Scourge, the leader of BloodClan, kills Tigerstar, and tells the forest cats that he will take over their land. Not allowing this to happen, Firestar combines all the four Clans together into LionClan and defeats Scourge, despite losing a life in the battle.


 * After the battle with BloodClan, Firestar receives a dream that he is the one to rebuild SkyClan, a Clan exiled long ago due to having no home in the forest. Leaving his Clan in the paws of his deputy, Graystripe, he takes Sandstorm with him to rebuild the long lost Clan. Finally, when his mission is complete, the SkyClan cats and their ancestors, hold Firestar in high regard due to his efforts. Skywatcher gives Firestar another prophecy, one known since the ancient times: There will be three, kin of your kin, who will hold the power of the stars in their paws.


 * A ThunderClan cat, Brambleclaw, is chosen for the prophecy: Darkness, air, water and sky will come together and shake the forest to its roots. Nothing will be as it is now, nor as it has been before. Brambleclaw is the son of Tigerstar and also the spitting image, targeting him with mistrust from all Clans. He attempts to prove his worth by going on the journey to the sun-drown-place, where he is told to meet with Midnight. Squirrelpaw, Firestar's daughter, follows him on the journey, alongside cats from other Clans. The only cat who knows about this is Leafpaw, Firestar's other daughter and the medicine cat apprentice.


 * While Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw are missing, the forest is being ravaged by Twolegs. Food is scarce, and leaf-bare sets in. Several ThunderClan cats die, either from starvation or from Twolegs themselves. They begin to lose hope that any peace will come, until Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw return, much to the Clan's surprise. They tell the Clan that they must leave to find a new home, but most of the cats choose to ignore their warning. Firestar believes them, and attempts to persuade each Clan. WindClan listens easily, due to them bearing the worse of the devastation, but both ShadowClan and RiverClan refuse to listen, thinking that this is another of ThunderClan's interference.


 * When Twolegs kidnap Clan cats, one of them being Leafpaw, Graystripe decides to lead a patrol to take them back. When they find the Twolegs, Graystripe and the others begin to free them from the cages they are in, but the Twolegs take Graystripe as well. When hearing of this, Firestar refuses to name a new deputy, believing that Graystripe is still alive.


 * Twolegs destroy ShadowClan's camp and lessen the river water in RiverClan, leading to starvation for both Clans. Finally, all the Clans admit how desperate the situation is, and make plans to leave the forest. Firestar decides that they should not lead as separate Clans, but all together. This creates an alliance between all Clans.


 * The Clans arrive at their new home by the lake, and they split up into four Clans again. Firestar helps his own Clan prosper in their new territory, and it is during this time that he starts to take in cats from outside his Clan: Daisy and her kits, Stormfur, and Brook. This causes unease in the Clan, adding to the fact that Graystripe still had not arrived and ThunderClan is technically without a deputy. To smooth things over, Firestar is finally persuaded to appoint a new deputy - Brambleclaw. After finding out that Brambleclaw is the new deputy of ThunderClan, Hawkfrost tries to kill Firestar to let Brambleclaw take over, but Brambleclaw instead saves his leader.


 * Three kits are born to Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw that Firestar believes are the cats in the "kin of your kin" prophecy - Jaykit, Hollykit, and Lionkit. He believes that the three have come, and can only hope for the best.


 * During the second year since ThunderClan came to the lake, tensions between WindClan rise to a boiling point, mainly due to their new leadership, Onestar, who was chosen in place of Mudclaw. Although Onestar was originally chosen because Tallstar believed that he would keep his friendship with ThunderClan, Onestar instead broke it, wanting to prove his Clan as strong as any other. At first, tensions were palpable because they believed WindClan would invade their camp due to territory mishaps, but the battle was stopped by Lionpaw, Hollypaw, and Jaypaw. However, the next battle is real - WindClan teams up with RiverClan to invade ThunderClan through the tunnels. ThunderClan allies with ShadowClan and attempts to fend off their invaders, but the battle is only stopped by an eclipse.


 * Now adults, Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather find out that their parents are not Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight, due to a confession from Squirrelflight when Ashfur attempted to kill her kits out of revenge for not wanting to be his mate. Ashfur promises to reveal the truth of their parentage, and days later, his dead body is found in the river. WindClan is presumed to be the killer of Ashfur, but other cats believe it was Sol, the loner who had predicted the eclipse. Firestar sends a patrol out to find Sol, but when they bring him back, he escapes the camp thanks to Lionblaze. Eventually, they give up on searching for Ashfur's killer.


 * The Three find out their true parentage, and Hollyleaf, distraught, reveals it at the Gathering. She announces that their true parents were not Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw, they were Crowfeather and Leafpool. After this, Hollyleaf tries to run away, but instead is crushed by one of the tunnels falling in from where she was trying to escape. Presumed dead, Lionblaze and Jayfeather realize that she was not one of the Three after all.


 * The Third cat is found, and that is Dovepaw. Jealous of the attention her sister is receiving, Ivypaw eventually turns to the Dark Forest and trains in their ways, hoping to gain as much attention as her sister does. The Dark Forest starts to rise an army, taking in several ThunderClan recruits as well. Lionblaze and Jayfeather find this out, and realize that the Dark Forest plans to wage war on the living Clan cats and StarClan as well.


 * After visiting the mountains, Jayfeather is told that the Three will turn into four. They try to search for the fourth cat, but have no idea where to turn. Eventually, Bluestar tells them that it is Firestar who is the fourth cat. The Three turn to Firestar to help them in their darkest hour.


 * The Dark Forest invades the Clans, and a Great Battle ensures. Waves and waves of furious spirits attack each Clan, and the Clans, StarClan, and The Ancients fight back. When the last Dark Forest cats retreat, Firestar declares the battle over. However, Tigerstar, Firestar's old enemy, refutes this statement. The battle that had been starting ever since Firestar step foot in the forest begins, with the two rivals acknowledging their history and attacking. Firestar kills Tigerstar, putting an end to him permanently. Due to his wounds from previous battles, Firestar succumbs to death, but he is not forgotten from Clan history, and his sacrifices are forever remembered.

Bramblestar

 * Bramblestar is the leader of ThunderClan after Firestar. His deputy is Squirrelflight, and his medicine cats are Leafpool, Jayfeather, and Alderheart.


 * When he took up the leadership mantle from Firestar in the aftermath of the great battle, Bramblestar initially struggled as a leader and tried to be like his predecessor, but eventually realized he was his own cat and to not live in Firestar's shadow. However, he still kept some of Firestar's ideals and compassion, such as allowing Minty, Jessy and Frankie to shelter in ThunderClan when they had no home, and welcomed Frankie into the ranks of ThunderClan when he wished to join. He also makes the sixteenth addition to the warrior code.


 * During his leadership, Bramblestar gives shelter to the ShadowClan refugees fleeing from The Kin, and helps lead the effort to drive out the rogues. He also voiced support for having SkyClan stay at the lake, but got distracted with the new leadership of Tigerstar, as well as Juniperclaw poisoning SkyClan. A few moons later, Bramblestar and his beloved mate Squirrelflight come at odds when she continually goes behind his back to help The Sisters, stressing him out as he tries to keep relations peaceful with the other Clans, most of who view the Sisters as a threat. However, they mend their relationship after Squirrelflight nearly dies in a rockslide.


 * Some time later, Bramblestar suddenly falls extremely sick and dies, but is revived unexpectedly. However, he begins acting differently, becoming uncharacteristically aggressive towards his own Clanmates, as well as cats in other Clans, and is rather defensive when asked how he came back to life.

History of ranks

 * Owlstar's succession is unknown, but he appears in "Rules That Did Not Become Part of the Code" of Code of the Clans.

Interesting facts

 * ThunderClan was named by Silver Stripe.
 * ThunderClan's slogan on the Warriors merchandise is "Courage & Honour"

Author statements

 * ThunderClan's original name was StarClan. Vicky soon realized that this was a much better name for their warrior ancestors, and thus the name was changed to ThunderClan, and StarClan was given to their deceased ancestors.

Notes and references
Clan del TruenoClan du TonnerreDonderClanHromový klanPerkūno klano katėsMyrskyklaaniDonnerClanГрозовое племяKlan PiorunaIl Clan del Tuono