Crookedstar/Main article

Crookedstar is a light brown tabby tom with green eyes and a twisted jaw.

Stormkit is born to Rainflower and Shellheart along with his brother, Oakkit. When he and Oakkit attempt to reach Sunningrocks, he slips into the river, breaking his jaw. Disgusted by his new appearance, Rainflower rejects him, and though Hailstar is reluctant, he allows her to rename him Crookedkit. Because of his injuries, he remains in the nursery alone while his brother begins his apprenticeship. Discouraged by his situation, Crookedkit decides to travel to the Moonstone to ask StarClan if it is his destiny to remain a kit forever. However, before he can complete this journey, he meets a strange cat in his dreams called Mapleshade, who urges him to return to RiverClan. Though he decides to live as a loner with barn cats for several moons, Mapleshade's persuasion eventually convinces him to return home. As punishment for running away, his apprenticeship is further delayed, but after some time he is apprenticed as Crookedpaw, mentored by Cedarpelt.

He continues to have a positive relationship with his brother and father, and forms a close bond with Willowpaw. During this time, he begins training under Mapleshade, whom he believes to be a StarClan cat. In exchange for making him a great warrior— potentially even leader of RiverClan, she makes him promise to put his Clan over everything else, to which Crookedpaw enthusiastically agrees. His training continues, and Crookedpaw diverts a dog from RiverClan's camp, awarding him the warrior name of Crookedjaw. As his feelings for Willowbreeze grow, Mapleshade reprimands him, believing that his foolish love will draw his attention away from his Clan. Still, Crookedjaw struggles to ignore his love for Willowbreeze. In the meantime, Crookedjaw is appointed mentor to Sedgepaw, and the two form a strong bond as mentor and apprentice. Rainflower hits her head after falling into the river, causing a severe concussion. Though Crookedjaw witnesses this, Mapleshade convinces him to abandon her in favor of helping his clanmates, and Rainflower dies almost immediately after. Crookedjaw feels that despite her resentment of him, he could have saved her, and his abandonment of Rainflower causes a rift between him and Oakheart.

Shellheart eventually retires from deputyship, and Crookedjaw is chosen to succeed him after Hailstar interprets the broken jaw of the squirrel caught by Crookedjaw as an omen. However, it is revealed that Mapleshade was the one who broke the squirrel's jaw, and Crookedjaw is disgusted by her. He promptly ends his training with her when it is revealed that she was not of StarClan, but of the Place of No Stars. Mapleshade admits that she approached Crookedjaw because he was the great-grandson of her former mate, Appledusk, who broke his promise to love only her when he took a RiverClan mate and let her own kits drown. In revenge, she vowed to make Appledusk's lineage suffer. Crookedjaw cuts all communication with her. Hailstar is killed during a battle with rats, and Crookedjaw takes up leadership as Crookedstar. He becomes mates with Willowbreeze, and the two have three daughters: Willowkit, Minnowkit, and Silverkit. Tragically, Willowbreeze, Willowkit and Minnowkit die of greencough, leaving Silverkit as the sole survivor. Mapleshade jeers at Crookedstar, proclaiming that she will make him forever suffer.

Sedgepaw becomes Sedgecreek; Oakheart mysteriously returns to camp with two young kits, claiming to know nothing about them, but Crookedstar recognizes that they are Oakheart's kits, mothered by the ThunderClan queen Bluefur. He allows his niece and nephew, Mistykit and Stonekit, to reside in RiverClan, eventually taking Stonekit as his apprentice.

He remains RiverClan's leader for many moons, and is heartstruck when Oakheart perished in a battle for Sunningrocks. Some time later he discovers his daughter, Silverstream, has formed a relationship with the ThunderClan tom Graystripe. He begs his daughter to stop seeing him, but knows in his heart that Graystripe makes Silverstream happy. Silverstream dies during childbirth, and Crookedstar is wracked with grief once more, yet allows Graystripe to join RiverClan to be with his children — Featherkit and Stormkit. Mapleshade appears to Crookedstar once again, boasting about how she took Silverstream from him. Crookedstar argues with her, claiming that his blood now lives through Stormkit and Featherkit; Mapleshade cannot do anything more to him anymore. Crookedstar succumbs to greencough, joining StarClan, reunited with his family, finally rid of Mapleshade.

Author statements

 * When asked why Crookedstar's disfigurements aren't shown very clearly in illustrations, Vicky responded that she thinks that the illustrator struggled with disfigurements in illustrations because he wanted to make the cats look more noble and beautiful.
 * Vicky said that Crookedstar probably didn't have speech problems after his accident because he was so young when it happened that he quickly learned how to speak with his crooked jaw.

Mistakes

 * He mistakenly been described with amber eyes, and called a stocky gray tabby.
 * His mother was once listed as Lilystem. This was changed to prevent an inconsistency in a scene in Crookedstar's Promise.
 * He has been mistakenly said to have been Shellheart's apprentice.
 * In Secrets of the Clans and The Warriors Guide, Graypool was said to be Crookedstar's apprentice. This was false, for Graypool's mentors were Brightsky and Piketooth.
 * In Crookedstar's Promise he is mistakenly called Crookedpaw and Crookedstar, even though he did not have those names at the time.
 * The sign that was sent to signify Crookedjaw as RiverClan's deputy was mistakenly said to be a pike with a crooked jaw, not a squirrel.

Detailed Description
Crookedstar is a huge, glossy, thick-furred, lean light brown tabby tom with a pale brown belly, and green eyes. He has a nick in his ear and a twisted jaw.