Gorsetail (PoT)

Gorsetail is a mottled, very pale gray-and-white tabby she-cat with blue eyes and a gray-and-white paw.

Bramblestar's Storm

 * Gorsetail is a part of Nightcloud's patrol, along with Hootpaw. They demand to know what the ThunderClan cats are doing with the big white bird, claiming to have injured it, and that Molewhisker would never have caught it otherwise. While Sandstorm quietly tells Bramblestar that Firestar would have let them have the bird, he retorts that he isn't Firestar. Gorsetail overhears this, muttering that he absolutely isn't Firestar.


 * She is a part of another WindClan patrol that Bramblestar sees on his way back from investigating the border. When he asks Crowfeather how the WindClan cats are, they retort that they haven't crossed the stream. Gorsetail insults Jessy, Minty, and Frankie, sarcastically saying that they're very effective additions to ThunderClan's hunting patrols.

The Sight

 * Even though she is not listed in the allegiances, she does formally appear. She tells Sedgekit to come inside the den, interrupting the kit in the middle of informing Millie that kittypets can't be real warriors when she returns to the Clans with Graystripe.

Dark River

 * When Leafpool and Jaypaw visit the WindClan camp to speak to Onestar, Gorsetail comes running into the clearing, frantic. She tells Onestar that her kits, Swallowkit, Thistlekit, and Sedgekit, have gone missing. She says that she had left the nursery to stretch her legs, but when she came back they had disappeared. She had tried to follow their trail, but it had disappeared near RiverClan's border. She is convinced that a hawk took them all. Onestar tries to calm her down, saying that a hawk wouldn't be able take three kits at once. He then promises to send a search patrol to look for them.


 * Afterwards, a WindClan patrol consisting of Ashfoot, Breezepaw, and Heatherpaw run into the clearing. Ashfoot tells Onestar that they saw a RiverClan patrol on their territory, and that they had found rabbit blood where the RiverClan patrol had just been. Gorsetail becomes terrified, and questions if they're sure it was rabbit blood they had found. WindClan becomes convinced that it was RiverClan who took the kits.


 * Her kits wander into the underground tunnels and get lost. Hollypaw, Jaypaw, Lionpaw, Breezepaw, and Heatherpaw enter the tunnels to go and find them. They soon rescue the kits and bring them to Onestar, stopping the battle that would have ensued between WindClan and ThunderClan, and stopping a battle against RiverClan in the process.

Sunrise

 * Gorsetail's kits, Sedgekit, Swallowkit, and Thistlekit, are now apprentices with the names Sedgepaw, Swallowpaw, and Thistlepaw. When Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze came to the WindClan border to see Crowfeather, she is on a patrol with Owlwhisker and Weaselfur and tells the ThunderClan cats that they had better stay off their border or they will tear their fur off. She is very hostile towards them for crossing the border.

In the Omen of the Stars arc
Two of her kits are now warriors, with the names Sedgewhisker and Swallowtail.

The Last Hope

 * Gorsetail appears in a patrol consisting of Owlwhisker, Nightcloud, and Crouchpaw as Jayfeather returns from RiverClan. She helps Jayfeather out of a thornbush using her muzzle. Nightcloud and Crouchpaw call Jayfeather a murderer, and she then silences them, saying he is a Clan cat that needs their help. She asks him if he can walk back to the ThunderClan border by himself, as Owlwhisker inspects him stating he is fit to go. She is padding behind him as they head to the ThunderClan camp. She fights in the WindClan patrol for ShadowClan against the Dark Forest warriors.

Thunder and Shadow

 * As Kestrelflight arrives for the medicine cat meeting, Gorsetail and Sedgewhisker stiffly follows him. The other medicine cats protest about their presence, but Gorsetail reassures they are not staying. She halts as the medicine cat reaches the Moonpool. Kestrelflight tells the cats are there due to Onestar ordering so and says to his Clanmates they can go. Gorsetail climbs up the slope after Sedgewhisker to wait outside the hollow. Leafpool asks why Gorsetail and Sedgewhisker were prickly and Kestrelflight replies that Onestar has been heavily reinforcing rules and punishing any cats that break them.


 * When Leafpool and Alderpaw enter WindClan, Gorsetail's fur is glimpsed among the long grass. Leafpool calls to her and Emberfoot and the cats jerk their heads, anger in their eyes. Leafpool states they need to visit Kestrelflight and Gorsetail asks what for. Leafpool replies that it’s medicine cat business and the two WindClan cats flatten their ears in mistrust. Gorsetail eventually grudgingly agrees to take them to their medicine cat. They led the two cats to WindClan camp and when they arrive, Gorsetail nods to a gorse wall and informs the medicine cats Kestrelflight is in there.

Shattered Sky

 * Gorsetail is the lead of a patrol consisting of her, Oatclaw, and Featherpelt. They stand behind her as she asks Crowfeather what is going on as he faces a ThunderClan patrol. Crowfeather explains that the ThunderClan patrol want to speak to Onestar but he doesn't want to see them. Bramblestar adds they have very important information and Gorsetail glances at the leader for a moment, drawing a paw over an ear. She eventually suggests that Onestar would want to hear what Bramblestar has to say, and declares they had better escort them to WindClan's camp. Crowfeather asks the she-cat if she is mouse-brained, as she was standing next to him when Onestar ordered all cats to be kept out of the territory.


 * Gorsetail tells Crowfeather that he is mouse-brained himself as Bramblestar wouldn't come if there was something Onestar didn't need to know, and she'll take responsibility for it if it bothers him that much. Crowfeather mutters and tells her to not come crying to him if Onestar decides to claws her ears, to which Gorsetail dryly states she will take the risk. The she-cat watches Crowfeather's patrol leave before turning to the ThunderClan patrol, telling them to hurry up and that whatever they have to say had better be good. Bramblestar follows her up the slope and when they're close to the camp, Gorsetail sends Oatclaw to warn Onestar of their arrival.


 * After the ThunderClan cats talk to Onestar, she says that she will escort them to the border, beckoning to a few of her Clanmates to join her with a whisk of her tail. The ThunderClan cats stay quiet, as they see no point in talking to the WindClan warriors.


 * When Onestar tells of how he used to go off and make friends with kittypets and Whitetail says she cannot believe their leader would do this, Gorsetail points out he wasn't Clan leader then.

River of Fire

 * Gorsetail, along with Nightcloud, and Nightcloud's apprentice, Brindlepaw, are seen racing towards RiverClan's territory. They meet with a ThunderClan patrol, and Gorsetail, panting, asks if Sparkpelt, Larksong, and the others are also headed towards RiverClan's territory to investigate the fire that is raging through RiverClan's land. Anxious, Gorsetail worries that RiverClan would not accept their help, due to the borders being closed.

Interesting Facts

 * She and Leaftail have not forgiven Breezepelt for his actions during the Great Battle.

Mistakes

 * There are some inconsistencies with Gorsetail's gender. She has been listed as male, female, or no gender at all. These mistakes begin in Dark River, and continue into more recent books, including Bramblestar's Storm and Dovewing's Silence. The following list shows which books have Gorsetail as which gender:
 * Male: The Fourth Apprentice, Fading Echoes, Sign of the Moon, The Forgotten Warrior, The Last Hope, Hollyleaf's Story, Dovewing's Silence, Bramblestar's Storm and Crowfeather's Trial.
 * Female: Dark River, Outcast, Eclipse, Night Whispers, The Apprentice's Quest,Thunder and Shadow, Shattered Sky, Darkest Night, and River of Fire.
 * No Gender Specified: Long Shadows, Sunrise, and Mistystar's Omen.
 * While one of her granddaughters was listed as 'Ferntail' in the allegiance list preview for The Apprentice's Quest on Kate's blog, no such character exists in the final printing of the book.

Members
Mate:
 * Beechfur:

Daughters:
 * Swallowtail:
 * Sedgewhisker:
 * Thistleheart:

Granddaughters:
 * Larkwing:
 * Fernstripe:
 * Featherpelt:

References and citations
Ginsterschweif (S3)УтёсницаDoornstaart (M3)Janowcowy Ogon (P3)Plume de JoncPiikkihernehäntä (KM)Genista