Loner

Loners are cats living on their own who do not belong in any Clan, are not looked after by Twolegs, and don't trouble the Clans.

Definition
There is controversy about the definition of loners and rogues:
 * Most books imply that loners are cats living close to Twolegs, but aren't part of a Clan and don't eat Twoleg food such as cats living on a farm, like Barley.
 * The Original Arc and Secrets of the Clans call every cat living on its own a loner.
 * In Cats of the Clans, Rock states that loners are cats who live on their own, away from Twolegs, and don't cause trouble. A rogue also lives on his or her own, but causes trouble.

Description
Loners often stake a claim on an area around Clan territory. These places are often near Twolegs, such as on farms, abandoned homes, barns, or any sheltered area. They tend to keep to themselves and stay off Clan territories, and are known more for their independence and friendliness.

Some Clan members find them untrustworthy, but others befriend loners on the off chance that they might be useful allies in the future. Even though most Clan members find them inferior to Clanborns, all Clan cats are descended from five loners: Thunder, Shadow, River, Wind, and Sky, who were the original leaders of the Clans.

In the Books
Loners are less common than kittypets and rogues, but are less likely to experience violence from Clan cats than either of the other classifications.

Crookedstar's Promise

 * Mitzi, Fleck, Domino, Soot, Mist, Magpie, and Piper: Mitzi is the mother of Soot, Mist, Magpie, and Piper. Fleck is her brother and Domino is her deceased kin. The kits' father is never mentioned or shown. This group of cats lives on a farm north of WindClan territory. Crookedkit joins them on his way to the Moonstone and stays with them for a time. He grows attached to them, but has to go back to his Clan. However, on a real trip to the Moonstone, he meets Soot again.


 * Mapleshade: ThunderClan had cast her away for taking a RiverClan mate. She tried to take her kits to RiverClan, but they drowned by falling in the river. The father blamed her, and they exiled her from RiverClan as well. In this period of time, she became a loner, and it is unknown how or where she spent the rest of her life. After dying, she became a warrior of the Dark Forest.

Firestar's Quest

 * Skywatcher, Twig, and Pricklenose: Skywatcher is an old cat, who, before Firestar is sent, is the last cat who knew about SkyClan. His grandmother is revealed to have been warrior of SkyClan. He is taught the secrets of SkyClan by his mentor, Pricklenose, a friend of Lowbranch, his mother. Eventually he starts to give up on SkyClan, thinking there is nothing that can bring it back, though he still holds vigil at the Skyrock. However, he helped Firestar rebuild the Clan when the time came. Twig is his brother. When they were young, a Twoleg left out kittypet food for them. Twig ate the Twoleg food and decided it was a lot easier than hunting, and left the loner life to become a kittypet and live with the Twolegs. Skywatcher claims that he never saw his brother again.


 * Lichenfur: Lichen is a loner who is friends with Scratch. After Scratch and Firestar tell her about a meeting where cats could learn about Clan life, she agrees to go. Lichen goes to the meeting, but is too shy to join SkyClan. She refuses politely but firmly, and wishes them well saying that she doesn't feel comfortable around a large group of cats. However, about three moons after Firestar and Sandstorm left Lichenfur joins SkyClan and moves into the elders' den, making her no longer a loner.


 * Rainfur: Rainfur is a loner who refuses to join SkyClan at the first meeting Firestar holds, because he thinks he would just be bossed around the whole time. After several moons have passed, he comes to Firestar and asks him to help save his mate, Petal, and her kits, who are trapped in a Twoleg home with little food and an abusive Twoleg. Firestar agrees to help, and gathers up a patrol to go save her. They succeed, and later the two join SkyClan, Petal being renamed Petalnose. This ends his time as a loner and begins his time as a warrior.

SkyClan's Destiny

 * Egg: He is a loner scented hunting around SkyClan territory, and later the warriors find him. Leafstar notices his strong legs and haunches, and asks if he wants to join SkyClan, but he runs away. Later, he is spotted past the scent marks and confronted by Cherrytail. He tells the cats that he changed his mind and wishes to join SkyClan. Leafstar accepts willingly.


 * Stick, Coal, Cora, and Shorty: They are rogues that live in Twolegplace. However, when other rogues threaten them, they band as loners and ask for help from SkyClan. After the rogues are defeated, they go back to being rogues.

Canon Loners in the Original Arc

 * Barley and Ravenpaw: Barley lives on a farm near the edge of WindClan territory that Clan cats often pass by on their way to Highstones. After Tigerclaw begins accusing Ravenpaw of numerous crimes, his friends Firepaw and Graypaw take him there to hide and then later on live with Barley in the Twoleg barn, and then tell ThunderClan that he is dead, slain by a ShadowClan patrol.


 * Barley and Ravenpaw help Fireheart and Graystripe as they work to return WindClan from exile during Fire and Ice. Ravenpaw gets interrogated at Oakheart's death and helps bring Cloudpaw back from the Twolegs. Ravenpaw also helps to negotiate peace between ThunderClan and WindClan during A Dangerous Path. Both Ravenpaw and Barley end up fighting side-by-side with the Clans against BloodClan in The Darkest Hour.

Into the Wild

 * Yellowfang: Yellowfang is banished from ShadowClan and becomes a loner for a short time. She is discovered by Firepaw and fights the young apprentice. She is easily defeated and is taken to ThunderClan as a prisoner.

Rising Storm

 * Boulder: Boulder was in a group of rogues but got defeated in a fight. The rogues got driven out, and during this period of time, he was a loner. Soon, after Tigerstar became leader, he became a ShadowClan warrior.

Canon Loners in the New Prophecy Arc

 * Barley and Ravenpaw: Ravenpaw makes a brief appearance in Midnight, advising Brambleclaw, Feathertail, Tawnypelt, Crowpaw, Stormfur and Squirrelpaw to go to the sun-drown-place by confirming the existence of the dream-place in the real world. In Dawn, They allow the Clans to shelter in the old cow shed before they leave on the Great Journey, and Ravenpaw says his final sad goodbyes to his friends.


 * Purdy: Purdy used to be a kittypet who used to live with a Twoleg. When his Twoleg died, Purdy became a loner, though he continued to beg for food from Twolegs. He lead the six questing cats through the maze of a Twolegplace. He succeeds in getting them lost a few times, but eventually gets them to the sun-drown-place to see Midnight, a badger. It is presumed that he didn't know how he reached the sun-drown-place. When Midnight tells them to go through the mountains, he wants to stop them because he knows of the dangers they hold. At first, he threatens Midnight, but the warriors stop him. He then watches the cats leave.


 * Smoky, Daisy, Floss, Berry, Mouse, and Hazel: In Starlight, once the Clan cats reach the lake, they meet three loners called Smoky, Floss, and Daisy who live at Horseplace. They appear to want to have little to do with the Clan cats. After Firestar reassures him that the Clans would never harm kits, Smoky relaxes and introduces himself, Daisy, and Floss. In Twilight, Daisy and her newborn kits, Mouse, Berry, and Hazel, run away from the horseplace right after the kits are born, so they would not get taken by Twolegs, or Nofurs, as they call them, like all of Floss's kits were. They are soon taken in by ThunderClan, with Daisy living in the nursery with the queens, and Berry, Mouse, and Hazel train as apprentices with the suffix -paw added to their names.

Moonrise

 * Rock, Jag, and Talon: They are the cats sentenced to kill Sharptooth, a mountain lion preying on the cats of the Tribe of Rushing Water, along with Rock Beneath Still Water and Bird That Rides the Wind. They failed to kill Sharptooth, but now, shelter in caves that lie on the mountains as loners. After Feathertail kills the mountain cat, they are able to return to the tribe.

Dawn

 * Sasha: She tries to get her kits back from the Great Journey, but her kits want to stay in RiverClan, so she stays a loner her whole life.

Twilight

 * Leafpool and Crowfeather: Leafpool and Crowfeather run away together to become loners as they feel their love for each other is more important than their Clans, though Leafpool despairs at leaving her sister and friends. While they are running away, they meet Midnight the badger, and she warns Leafpool and Crowfeather that her kin are planning an attack on ThunderClan for revenge after ThunderClan drove badgers off their territory. When they get back everyone is fighting against the badgers. Crowfeather ends his relationship with Leafpool, saying that her heart is with her Clan. Leafpool thinks that she loves Crowfeather more than he will ever know, but lets him go anyway, and they are initiated back into their own Clans.


 * Stormfur and Brook: A group of rogues invaded the Tribe of Rushing Water's hunting grounds. Stormfur creates a plan so the Tribe can defeat the rogues so Stormfur tries to train the Tribe to fight. He leads them into battle, but they are badly defeated, losing Jag and many other cats. Furious, Stoneteller blames and exiles Stormfur, telling him to never come back. Stormfur is angry at this, and retorts that Feathertail had died for the tribe. Brook decides to leave with him, and so they turn into loners to seek refuge at the Clans. They arrive during the badger attack, and become a part of ThunderClan.

Canon Loners in the Power of Three Arc

 * Purdy: In Outcast, Purdy leads the group of cats going to the Tribe of Rushing Water's mountain territory across the Twolegplace and to the edge of the forest by the mountains. He saves Breezepaw, Lionpaw, and Hollypaw from being killed by a pack of dogs. In thanks for that, Hollypaw gives him her food and removes his ticks with mouse bile. In Sunrise, he comes back with ThunderClan to live as an elder.


 * Sol: In Eclipse, a mysterious loner named Sol shows up and tells ThunderClan about a solar eclipse, which even StarClan had not known about. He talks to ThunderClan but moves on to ShadowClan to be "leader". Sol convinces Blackstar to let him into ShadowClan and tells all of ShadowClan to turn their backs on StarClan because they are just a bunch of dead cats. For a short time ShadowClan goes along with this, but then Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, Jaypaw, Flamepaw, Dawnpaw, and Tigerpaw create a fake sign from StarClan which brings Blackstar to his senses. He drives Sol out and he becomes a loner again.

Sunrise

 * Smoky and Floss: Hazeltail goes with Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, Birchfall, Brackenfur, and Brambleclaw to the sun-drown-place, so that Hazeltail gets the chance to meet her father, Smoky, for the second time she can remember. Smoky is surprised and proud to see her, and asks about Daisy, Berry, and Mouse. He is happy to hear that they have become warriors. He is impressed with Hazeltail's fighting skills when she and Birchfall spar playfully to show off to him, and comments that ThunderClan has taught its warriors well. He tells Hazeltail that she could come visit any time she wanted, and Hazeltail agrees.


 * Jingo and her group: comprised of Hussar, Jet, Chirp, Merry, Pod, Fritz, Speckle, Frisk, and three unnamed kits. Jingo finds the cats sent from ThunderClan to find Sol when they are being attacked by wild dogs. She helps distract the dogs and leads the Clan cats to an abandoned Twoleg nest where she acts leader of a group of loners. She explains all the pain that Sol put her and her friends through She, along with Hussar, seems to be unafraid at the prospect of the dogs entering the cats' hiding place. She also mentions that she was once a kittypet. She also leads them to Purdy and Sol by leading them along many rooftops and jumps, not once touching the ground in fear of dogs.


 * Flower, Jester, Pepper, and Frosty: Loners that were once part of Jingo's and Sol's group. However, Sol made them battle the dogs, and they all died.

The Fourth Apprentice

 * Woody: Woody is a loner that lives near the area where the beavers built a dam, blocking the stream. He tells the traveling Clan cats, about the beavers and the nearby Twolegs. He also tells them not to worry because the Twolegs are looking for the beavers, not cats. He explains to the Clan cats about beaver dams and lodges, and when they say they need to battle the beavers, he says that he wouldn't fight with them because it was too dangerous for him. After the first battle against the beavers, when Rippletail dies, Woody feels guilty and says he should have stopped them from attacking the beavers. Later, he helps dismantle the beaver dam on the second try, without fighting the beavers, and with his help, the Clan cats manage to separate the dam and free the water.

The Rise of Scourge

 * Ruby and Socks: Socks' and Ruby's Twolegs move, and abandon them on the streets. They become extremely skinny and underfed, but manage to find their brother. They beg Scourge for food, and he asks them why he should, and says it isn't his fault if they are too stupid or weak to find food, and that his own cats hardly have food. He lets them have some food before he orders his cats to chase them off BloodClan land.

Canon Loners in the Tigerstar and Sasha Arc

 * Sasha, Hawk, Moth, Tadpole: After Sasha's Twolegs leave, she becomes a loner in the forest. She soon meets Tigerstar and gives birth to Hawk, Moth, and Tadpole with him. However, when Tigerstar asks whether or not she wants to join ShadowClan, she refuses, and leaves the Clans. In the end, they go to RiverClan where Sasha leaves her kits.

Canon Loners in the Ravenpaw's Path Arc

 * Minty, Cloudy, Snowflake, Sniff, Icicle: Minty, along with her mate, Willie, and some other cats, Pounce, Tess, and Snapper, arrive at Barley's Farm. She is heavily pregnant at that time, and soon after Ravenpaw and Barley invite them in, she gives birth to four kits. She names them Snowflake, Icicle, Cloudy, and Sniff. She is one of the few cats that don't want to seem to hurt Barley and Ravenpaw very much, and doesn't feel the need to take over her barn.

The Heart of a Warrior

 * Snake and Ice: They stay at Barley's and Ravenpaw's barn after the small fight with the remnants of BloodClan. However, they make Ravenpaw do all the work and blame everything bad on him. They order him around and live contently as loners for the next few days. However, after a while, they get yowled at by Barley, who is furious on how they are treating Ravenpaw, and tells them to get out. Astonished, they tell them that they are kin, but Barley says that blood isn't everything. At first, they refuse, and say that they could take Barley down in a second. But then Barley slashes him across the face, making them realize they have lost the battle. They leave by saying Barley is pathetic, and how they would have never wanted to stay there anyway.

Canon Loners in the Lost Warrior Arc

 * Graystripe and Millie: Graystripe is a kittypet until he meets Millie. He tells her about ThunderClan and she is eager to learn everything she can about hunting and fighting. This makes Graystripe homesick so he leaves his kittypet life to become a loner. He asks Millie to come with him, but she is taken aback. Graystripe continues the journey, but when he gets hurt, Millie leaves her life a kittypet, too, and the two set off on their journey to find ThunderClan. It takes many moons, but finally, with the help of Diesel, they get to the Clan territories and meet Firestar at a Gathering. He takes the two back to ThunderClan to become warriors.

Warrior's Refuge

 * Husker, Moss, Splash, Raindrop, Pad, Little Mew, and Birdy: Moss is the mate of Husker, the sister of Splash, and the mother of Raindrop, Pad, Little Mew, and Birdy. She lives with them in a barn next to some Twoleg dens. The group of cats take Graystripe and Millie in after Millie's eyes are scratched by corn plants. They let them stay until her eyes are healed. They stay for longer, teaching them dog language and warming up to the Twolegs. After Graystripe and Millie save a Twoleg kit, the family takes them in to live at the house and they become kittypets.

Secrets of the Clans

 * Thunder, River, Wind, and Shadow: The original four loners that started the Clans. They show up, all thinking that they should rule the forest. After their fallen companions, the very first StarClan cats, talk to them and they become the leaders of the Clans. They work with each other to develop the warrior code, and the Clans begin.


 * Mothflight: She was a warrior from WindClan exiled for being too easily distracted and for risking the lives of her Clanmates. During her time of exile, she became a loner and wandered around all day. She soon saw a large hole in the ground, which she climbed down, leading to the Moonstone. As she dreams, StarClan appears and she is told to take the knowledge of the sacred stone back to the forest cats. She replies that she cannot, since she was exiled. StarClan tells her that she was exiled for this reason, so that she would find the Moonstone. She claims that Wind will never let her return, but StarClan brings the dreaming Wind into Mothflight's dream, where they tell her to welcome her new medicine cat. Wind nods and disappears. She is then accepted back into WindClan as a medicine cat.