Willowpelt/History

Bluestar's Prophecy

 * Willowkit is born to Swiftbreeze in her second litter of kits. Her brother is Redkit and her sister is Spottedkit.


 * Bluefur mentions Willowkit and her siblings when she says that Whitekit, who had recently lost his mother, had Swiftbreeze to care for him. Her narration reveals that Willowkit, Redkit, and Spottedkit hadn't opened their eyes yet. Once she and her siblings were older, Bluefur knows that Willowkit, Redkit, Whitekit, Spottedkit, Frostkit, and Brindlekit would come hurrying out of the nursery when Sunstar announced a Clan meeting using Pinestar's traditional call, even though they weren't old enough to catch their own prey.


 * She becomes an apprentice; her mentor is never formally revealed. She is seen going out for training with Redpaw, his mentor, Sparrowpelt, and Adderfang. On a snowy day, later in her apprenticeship, she and Redpaw watch Thistleclaw demonstrate a battle move for them to learn.


 * Though her ceremony isn't shown, she becomes a warrior by the name of Willowpelt, while her brother and sister become Redtail and Spottedleaf, respectively.

Firestar's Quest

 * Willowpelt's kits have been made apprentices, Sootpaw, Sorrelpaw, and Rainpaw.


 * She goes out on the dawn patrol with Firestar, Ashfur, Thornclaw, and Sootpaw. While they are out, Firestar prompts Sootpaw about what he could smell. The young apprentice scents the Thunderpath, a vole, and a Twoleg with their dogs. Willowpelt asks how long ago that had been, to which Sootpaw guesses yesterday. When Firestar agrees with him, Willowpelt lets out a proud purr.


 * While they are renewing the scent markers, Willowpelt is dismayed when they scent a badger, saying that they certainly didn't want one in their territory. She and Sootpaw follow Firestar closely as they go to find out whether the badger was going to settle in their forest. They reach Snakerocks, and they split up to search among the rocks. The badger suddenly attacks them, and is preparing to crash down and kill Sootpaw, but Willowpelt plunges from the top of a rock, and knocks him out of the way. The badger brings its paws down on Willowpelt's back, cutting off her scream as it snapped her neck. The badger tossed Willowpelt aside, and turned to attack the rest of the patrol.


 * They drive the badger away successfully despite Willowpelt's sudden death. Sootpaw is devastated as he crouches beside Willowpelt, saying that she couldn't really be dead. Wondering how StarClan could let this happen, Firestar tells him she died like a true warrior. Sootpaw exclaims that she had died saving him, but Firestar tells him that she knew the risks of what she was doing.


 * When they bring Willowpelt's body back to camp, Firestar tells them of how she'd sacrificed her own life to save her son's. Cloudtail, enraged, wants to claw the badger, and make it wish it had never been born, while Dustpelt asks if they should have followed it. They then take her body to Cinderpelt to prepare it for the vigil. They lay her out in the sun, when Rainpaw and Sorrelpaw rush over to her, horrified. They press against her cold body as they are told of how she died.


 * Firestar then addresses the Clan, and explains how she had been killed to a shocked and confused Clan. They discuss the threat of the badger for a few moments, until Firestar says they would sit vigil for Willowpelt that night. The Clan is noticeably unsettled by her death, especially her three kits. Firestar believes this is because it troubled the Clan to know that even when they were at peace with the other Clans, the forest wasn't always safe. She is noted to be the first cat to have died since Whitestorm, her mate, had been killed in the battle with BloodClan.


 * During the vigil, the elder, Dappletail says she was far too young to die when she still had so much to offer to the Clan. After she is taken out of camp to be buried, Cinderpelt keeps Sootpaw, Rainpaw, and Sorrelpaw from training. They are later allowed more days off training because they were young to lose their mother and father, and were particularly traumatized.

Into the Wild

 * She is a part of the patrol consisting of Tigerclaw, Darkstripe, and Bluestar when they find Firepaw feeding a rabbit to an exiled ShadowClan medicine cat named Yellowfang. Bluestar decides to bring Yellowfang to camp.


 * Willowpelt helps prepare the camp for an ShadowClan attack. She is seen sitting silently by the gorse tunnel with Darkstripe, Longtail, and Dustpaw. After another patrol returns, Darkstripe leads her and the rest of his patrol out, not leaving ThunderClan's borders unguarded.


 * Willowpelt is present at the Gathering when Brokenstar demands that Bluestar allow ShadowClan warriors to hunt in ThunderClan's territory. He also warns the other Clans of a rogue who would harm their kits. She, along with many of her Clanmates, think he is talking about Yellowfang, and think leaving her back in camp might put their kits at risk. She rushes back to camp behind Bluestar and some of her fellow senior warriors. When Runningwind asks what was wrong, Longtail tells him of ShadowClan's demands for hunting rights on ThunderClan land; Willowpelt adds that he had mentioned a dangerous rogue who would hurt kits. She insists that he had meant Yellowfang, causing the crowd to start shouting. Bluestar later declares that Yellowfang would remain unharmed until they had reason to believe she was a threat.


 * Willowpelt is on patrol with Whitestorm, Runningwind, Mousefur, and Darkstripe, when Firepaw finds them. Firepaw tells them that Yellowfang hadn't stolen Frostfur's four kits as they had been led to believe, but that it had been a ShadowClan warrior named Clawface. He leads them to where Graypaw was waiting, and a second later, Yellowfang appears with some 'old friends of hers' from ShadowClan who still obeyed the warrior code-Nightpelt, Ashfur, and Dawncloud. Willowpelt goes with the ThunderClan and ShadowClan cats to raid ShadowClan's camp, rescue the kits, and drive out Brokenstar and the cats protecting his reign.


 * When the battle against Brokenstar is won, Willowpelt is seen with Mousefur, assisting her in bringing the kits home safely.

Fire and Ice

 * Willowpelt expresses contempt for RiverClan when she hears that they want to take over WindClan's territory, stating they have always grown fat on fish from the river and have no need for more prey. She says they are too slow to catch rabbits, anyway.


 * She helps fight off the RiverClan patrol who were attacking Fireheart and Graystripe, along with some WindClan cats, at the edge of the gorge. Bluestar later picks Willowpelt to join a raiding party when the river is frozen over, meaning ThunderClan can cross over into RiverClan territory and avenge themselves over the stolen prey. The ice breaks, though, and they cannot attack. After helping WindClan fight RiverClan and ShadowClan, she is seen helping injured cats.

Forest of Secrets

 * Willowpelt is asleep in the warrior's den with Darkstripe nearby, near the center of the bush.


 * Chosen to go to a Gathering, Willowpelt mentions that the flooded stream was narrower upstream, and that they may be able to jump across it. Darkstripe sarcastically retorts that they possibly could if they grew wings, but Whitestorm points out it would be the best place to begin. Bluestar agrees thus following Willowpelt's suggestion. When they are forced to cross through ShadowClan territory, Willowpelt nervously says they shouldn't be there, but Bluestar ignores her. Their patrol runs into ShadowClan's, but just when it seems they would fight over it, Nightstar cryptically states he wanted ThunderClan to attend this Gathering. Fireheart later wonders out loud about what Nightstar had meant, when Mousefur prompts him as to what was bothering him. Sandstorm, who is walking with Willowpelt, remarks it wasn't anything good. Willowpelt mutters that trouble was coming, and she could feel it in her paws.


 * While the leaders are speaking, Nightstar reveals to RiverClan and WindClan that ThunderClan was sheltering Brokentail, a fact that Bluestar had carefully kept secret. Cats begin to threateningly bare their teeth and unsheathe their claws; Willowpelt snarls at some WindClan queens she had just been sharing tongues with moments ago. She backs down when Bluestar reminds them all of the truce.


 * The knowledge that ThunderClan was protecting Brokentail infuriated the other Clans so much, they led an attack against them, wanting to capture and kill Brokentail. Willowpelt, Runningwind, and Sandstorm protect the nursery from the enemy warriors. ThunderClan win the battle, and continue to protect Brokentail.


 * Fireheart overhears when Willowpelt tells Mousefur and Runningwind that she would have to move into the nursery soon because she was expecting kits. Runningwind murmurs his congratulations, while Mousefur happily licks her ear. Fireheart wonders who had fathered her kits, and notices Whitestorm watching Willowpelt proudly from a distance. The news reassures Fireheart that life went on, despite the troubles they had to face.


 * A band of rogues led by Tigerclaw attack the camp, and while on his way to Bluestar's den, Fireheart sees Willowpelt fighting, clinging to a tom and biting his ear. Afterwards, the fresh-kill pile is empty and is in desperate need of refilling, so Mousefur chooses her and the newest warrior, Brackenfur, for a hunting patrol.

Rising Storm

 * She is seen outside the nursery, her belly swollen with kits. Brindleface is with her, affectionately watching her son and daughter play-fighting.


 * Willowpelt is later approached by Fireheart. She politely asks him how he liked being Clan deputy; she is not judgmental or challenging toward him, despite the controversy over Bluestar choosing him after moonhigh. He tells her it was fine, briefly thinking of his strained relationship with his apprentice, Cloudpaw, before asking where Brindleface is, to tell her that Brindleface's kits will be made apprentices soon. When Fireheart is leaving, Willowpelt asks who the kits' mentors will be, but he walks away, unwilling to answer because although it was traditional for the Clan leader to choose mentors, she had asked Fireheart to do it this time.


 * When Sandstorm sees how plump Cloudpaw is becoming, she teasingly tells Fireheart he was getting to be as fat as Willowpelt.


 * Cinderpelt tells Fireheart when Willowpelt begins her kitting. She had not gone to help with Yellowfang because the last kitting she had handled was Silverstream's. Shortly afterward, Sandstorm tells Cinderpelt and Fireheart that Willowpelt had given birth to two she-cats and a tom, though this is later changed to two toms and a she-cat, and that she was already feeding them. Cinderpelt goes to see them immediately afterward.


 * Because of the drought, One-eye expresses her concern for Willowpelt, because it would be difficult for her to leave her kits for long enough to get a drink of water, but if she didn't, her milk would dry up and she wouldn't be able to feed her kits. Agreeing, and saying that Goldenflower had the same problem, Patchpelt suggests they soak some moss in water, and bring it back for the queens to lick. As they are leaving to do this, Fireheart sees Willowpelt with Goldenflower and their kits in the nursery.


 * Fireheart brings Willowpelt and Goldenflower some water-soaked moss to drink from. He tells them that Smallear had been telling stories about an owl who lived at Sunningrocks, making Halftail nervous, Willowpelt comments that a scrape with an owl would be just the thing to stretch her legs. Fireheart asks if Willowpelt missed being a warrior, thinking that, seeing her lying in her nest with her kits, he hadn't wondered before if she might miss her duties. Willowpelt asks if he wouldn't miss being a warrior; Fireheart says yes, but she had her kits. Willowpelt agrees, but says she missed hunting, patrolling, and being outside camp. She also says she was looking forward to taking her kits into the forest when they were old enough.


 * Willowpelt is one of the cats who sits vigil for Runningwind after he is murdered by Tigerclaw. When fire strikes the forest, Willowpelt hurries to get her kits out of camp and to the river, where it was safer. She later says that RiverClan already knew that their camp was destroyed by the fire, and they had to prove they were still strong.

A Dangerous Path

 * Willowpelt is first seen laying in camp with Brindleface and Goldenflower. She is keeping a close eye on her kits, who are young to be play-fighting with the older, stronger kits.


 * Because of the damage done to the camp during the fire, it was exposed enough for a hawk to take advantage of it, circling over the clearing. Willowpelt and Goldenflower push their kits into the nursery, where it was safe. Speckletail's son, Snowkit, who is deaf, cannot hear the hawk's screeching, or his mother's cries for him to follow her. The hawk swoops down and carries Snowkit away, to the whole Clan's dismay.


 * Willowpelt makes another brief appearance, watching her son play with her mate's apprentice, Brightpaw.

The Darkest Hour

 * After Bluestar dies in the effort to lead the dog pack over the edge of the gorge, Willowpelt leads her three kits back to camp with Sandstorm at her side.


 * Willowpelt is distraught when she finds out that Sorrelkit had almost died from eating deathberries, and races back to camp with Bramblepaw, begging to know where she was and what had happened. Cinderpelt tells her that although she had eaten deathberries, she had managed to use yarrow to make Sorrelkit vomit them all up, and that she would keep an eye on her in the medicine den. Willowpelt licks her daughter's pelt vigorously. She and Cinderpelt gingerly carry her back to camp.


 * Sorrelkit tells Firestar and Cinderpelt that Darkstripe had fed her the deathberries after she saw him speaking with the ShadowClan deputy, Blackfoot. Because of this, Darkstripe is exiled, and as he leaves, Willowpelt says nothing, but hisses at him.


 * When BloodClan gives the warrior Clans three days to decide whether or not they would surrender the forest to them, Willowpelt allows Sandstorm to teach her kits battle moves. She fights in the battle at Fourtrees, and is seen wrestling with a tortoiseshell. Her mate, Whitestorm, is killed by Bone, but his death is avenged by a group of apprentices.

Midnight

 * A patrol is nearly attacked by a badger near Snakerocks, and Ashfur thinks that it might be the same one that killed Willowpelt in the previous leaf-bare. Thornclaw agrees that it might have been, because even though Cloudtail and Mousefur drove it away, they never found out where it went. Brambleclaw feels a stab of grief as he remembers Willowpelt, who had not lived to see her three kits —now called Rainwhisker, Sootfur, and Sorreltail— become warriors.


 * When they are reporting the badger to Firestar, Brambleclaw tells Firestar that it might be the same one that had killed Willowpelt. Cloudtail digs his claws into the earth, and he says that he hoped it was so that he could get his claws on it. Firestar fiercely refuses to let him do so, stating that he didn't want to lose any more cats. He decides to watch it for a while, keep patrols away from Snakerocks, and see if the badger didn't move on when leaf-bare came.

Spottedleaf's Heart

 * Willowkit plays a game alongside the other kits in the Clan. In the game, Spottedkit is Clan leader and is fighting rogues – played by Frostkit, Brindlekit, and Whitepaw – alongside her deputy, Redkit. Willowkit, watching the game from by a tree stump, asks if she can be the deputy instead of the tortoiseshell tom. Spottedkit responds that her sister can't be deputy, because she's supposed to be pretending to be the medicine cat. The pale gray she-cat, however, complains that she doesn't want to be medicine cat, as she wants to be able to fight in the pretend battle.


 * When Thistleclaw returns from patrol and passes by the group of kits, they are all excited to see the gray-and-white tom return and leap on him. After Brindlekit and Redkit unbalance him, Willowkit and Frostkit pin him to the ground. However, having all the kits jump on Thistleclaw causes the warrior to become winded. Willowkit, looking anxiously over Thistleclaw, apologizes for leaping on him and states that she didn't mean to hurt him.


 * A few moons later, Willowpaw becomes an apprentice alongside Spottedpaw and Redpaw, and is assigned Poppydawn as her mentor. Tigerpaw seems grumpy to have new denmates, but Willowpaw points out that the dark tabby should be glad that there are more apprentices so that he and Whitepaw don't have to do all the duties alone. Willowpaw is excited to go out for a tour of the territory, and exchanges a wide-eyed glance with Spottedpaw.


 * After Spottedpaw injures her leg, Willowpaw and Poppydawn come to visit her. Willowpaw brings her sister a thrush, saying she caught it specifically for the young she-cat, and Spottedpaw thanks her. Willowpaw asks when she'll be able to start training again, and Featherwhisker responds that the tortoiseshell will need a few more days. A few days later, Willowpaw and Redpaw catch a large squirrel together and drag it back to camp. Willowpaw brags that she had also nearly caught a pigeon the previous day, and her brother reminds her that it almost flew off with her.


 * Willowpaw and the other apprentices later play a game of chase that involves leaping over the elders, who are basking in the sunlight by their den. When Willowpaw jumps over Larksong, the tortoiseshell elder tells her to get off, but the pale gray she-cat seems unbothered and keeps running. Willowpaw races around the tree stump and leaps to the top, declaring herself the winner of the game. When Spottedpaw visits the Dark Forest that night and gets covered in the mud, she wakes up the next morning to the other apprentices asking how she got dirty. Willowpaw, looking at her sister, asks her if she fell in fox dung. She advises Spottedpaw to be careful cleaning herself, as the foul stench of the mud might make her feel ill.

Redtail's Debt

 * Willowpaw and her brother, Redpaw, are cleaning out the warriors' den. Redpaw tells her that this is boring, and she remarks that its better than picking ticks off them as Frostpaw and Brindlepaw do. When her brother says that they don't even have their other sibling, Spottedpaw, helping them anymore, she peaks out of the den to see her laying herbs in the sun. Turning back around, Willowpaw purrs that medicine cats work hard too. The two siblings start talking about hunting, and Redpaw claims that he is the best hunter in the Clan, to which Willowpaw asks if he is even better than Tigerclaw.


 * She states that no cat is better than Tigerclaw, or at least in his mind that's how it is. Poppydawn interrupts them, telling the pale gray she-cat to put more moss in the corner. Willowpaw obeys, and as soon as she is done, Sparrowpelt's hunting patrol gets back. Willowpaw follows her brother out of the den just in time to see Tigerclaw come in with a rabbit and two voles. She flicks her tail, saying that although he is a very good hunter, the brown tabby is an arrogant furball. As the hunting patrol drops their prey, they storm over to Sunstar, and Willowpaw wonders what happened.