Harepounce

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

"Harepounce died first, refusing to eat a mouthful from the moment they dug up the rotten prey and instead giving all her meager share to her kits."

— Narrator about Harepounce's death in Goosefeather's Curse, chapter 9

Harepounce is a light brown she-cat with yellow eyes.^[2]

Harepounce was a ThunderClan warrior under Oakstar's and Doestar's leaderships in the forest territories. She mentored Adderfang, and her mate was Stagleap. She had his kits, Specklekit and Whitekit. While her kits were still suckling, both Harepounce and Stagleap died in the Great Hunger, and her kits were fostered by Rainfur. Harepounce went to StarClan and witnessed Pinestar's leadership ceremony and gave him a life for loyalty.

History

Doefeather: "Our plan is to find as many kittypets as we can and give them a good scare—claw their fur if they fight back, but there’s no need to shed blood unnecessarily. They just need to learn to respect the Clan cats, and stay out of our territory!"

Harepounce: "I’m happy to teach them a lesson they won’t forget."

—Doefeather and Harepounce about hurting kittypets ^{Pinestar's Choice, page chapter 3}

Oakstar decides to send a raid to scare the kittypets in the Twolegplace and teach them not to trespass. Doefeather selects Harepounce as part of the patrol. During the raid, Doefeather reminds the patrol the aim is to teach a lesson, not to shed blood unnecessarily. Harepounce comments she is happy to teach them a lesson they will not forget. It's noted her fur is turning pale gray in the dusk. A kittypet is soon spotted and Doefeather orders Harepounce, Rooktail, and Flashpaw to go get them. The cats race over a Thunderpath to chase after the kittypet. They hurtle around a corner with the kittypet just ahead of them.

After the Great Hunger, Pineheart notes that Harepounce died of starvation. When Pineheart is at his leadership ceremony, he is overjoyed to see Harepounce among the ranks of StarClan and says ThunderClan misses them so much. The cats nod, their eyes noted to be full of stars.

Goosefeather's Curse

Goosekit: "A warrior told me he saw Swiftpaw there."

Larksong: "Which warrior?"

Goosekit: "I... I don't know. He's not here now."

Harepounce: "Fancy that."

—Harepounce about Goosekit’s claims ^{Goosefeather's Curse, page chapter 3}

Harepounce deposits prey on the fresh-kill pile with her apprentice, Adderpaw. As Windflight is searching for Swiftpaw, the mentor mentions he wants to take her to battle training with Harepounce and Adderpaw. Goosekit claims that a brown warrior told him where to find Swiftpaw and after he is asked which warrior did, Goosekit admits he doesn't know and he has disappeared. Harepounce gives a roll of her eyes and says fancy that.

Adderpaw has his warrior ceremony and is renamed Adderfang. Harepounce later gives birth to two daughters named Specklekit and Whitekit. After Goosefeather insists to dig up the prey ThunderClan has buried to preserve, Harepounce rushes from the nursery and joins him, her fur being smothered in wet earth and whiskers drenched in sludge. She still determinedly scratches the ground until they find sodden fur. Harepounce pants and says it's a vole and crouches down to haul it out before sitting back again. The vole has almost wasted and Harepounce says that it is now ruined.

Great starvation follows for ThunderClan, and Harepounce is the first to die. She refuses to eat the meager shares of food she was given, and she gives it all to her kits instead. Rainfur takes care of Specklekit and Whitekit and suckles them alongside her own kits after Harepounce's death.